ProfileHow Twins’ Charlene Choi went from Cantopop teen idol to top Hong Kong actress

Since finding fame with Twins’ Gillian Chung 25 years ago, “Ah Sa” has navigated scandals and reinvented herself to become a force in showbiz

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Hong Kong singer and actress Charlene Choi at One Harbourfront, in Hung Hom, in June 2015. After breaking through as one half of Cantopop girl group Twins, Choi pivoted to acting and rose to the top of Hong Kong’s film industry. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Choi on the red carpet of the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, in Tsim Sha Tsui, in April 2015. Choi was nominated for the best actress award that year for her role in the film Sara. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:15am, 3 Jul 2026

This is the 80th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades.

Surviving Hong Kong’s ruthless entertainment industry is a rare feat; doing so while wholly redefining your public image is nearly unprecedented. Yet, Charlene “Ah Sa” Choi Cheuk-yin has managed to do both.

Debuting in 2001 as one half of the Cantopop duo Twins alongside Gillian Chung Yan-tung, Choi became a household name overnight. But her journey from teenage pop idol to respected actress was marked by intense public scrutiny.

Forced to navigate the fallout from a 2008 media scandal that sidelined her closest collaborator, alongside the tabloid frenzy surrounding her own secret marriage, Choi has spent the past 25 years meticulously transforming her narrative from a manufactured pop princess into a fiercely independent, award-winning leading lady.

A whirlwind rise to Cantopop royalty

Born in November 1982 in Vancouver, Canada, Choi moved to Hong Kong as a young child and studied at prestigious local schools. As a Form Three student, she started modelling, which caught the attention of Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG), her label to this day.

At age 17, Choi made her acting debut in the RTHK television drama Youth@Y2K (2000). In 2001, she starred in the anthology romance Heroes in Love then played a cancer patient in Funeral March, which earned her a best new performer nomination at the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards.

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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Since finding fame with Twins’ Gillian Chung 25 years ago, “Ah Sa” has navigated scandals and reinvented herself to become a force in showbiz

A whirlwind rise to Cantopop royalty

Since finding fame with Twins’ Gillian Chung 25 years ago, “Ah Sa” has navigated scandals and reinvented herself to become a force in showbiz