Source: MSN Entertainment Ever the heartthrob; Ekin Cheng on The Storm Warriors, his love of comic books and the paparazzi It may be 13 years on but EKIN CHENG still looks every bit the heartthrob he was in his breakout role as Chan Ho Num in the Young and Dangerous franchise. Sporting his trademark shoulder-length hair, the Hong Kong actor-singer was in good spirits as he met the press and fans in Kuala Lumpur to promote The Storm Warriors, in which he reprises the role of Wind after The Storm Riders 11 years ago. Even from his early days as a TVB actor, Ekin’s private life has always been in the spotlight. His high-profile romances with actresses MAGGIE SIU and GIGI LEUNG were as dramatic as any movie script but now, at 42, the star is happy and in a stable relationship with TVB actress YOYO MUNG. Do you resemble your character Wind in any way? To a certain extent, yes. I’m quite a mellow and quiet guy and I like to be away from crowds sometimes. I’m a very casual guy, as you can tell from the reports about me. I’m not the type who likes to go partying. Were you a fan of Fung Wan, the comic book series which your movie is based on? Definitely. When I was young, I used to take the bus and I remember seeing these kids with comic books in their pockets. The covers looked interesting and I realised later it was Fung Wan. That was when I started following it. Do you prefer to act in serious dramas or films like The Storm Warriors? I definitely prefer the comic book or fantasy genre. Actually, many of my earlier movies were based on comic books, like the Young and Dangerous series, and I really loved them. We are already living in reality. When people go to watch movies, I believe they would like to see something that’s entertaining and ‘out of this world’. What was it like shooting The Storm Warriors? Was it very physically demanding? I actually have an old leg injury from the past that had taken me about half a year to recover from. And while shooting The Storm Warriors, the injury returned and I felt pain for a week. It was quite physically grueling but I coped and I enjoyed the process. What have you been busy with lately? I have two concerts in Hong Kong in December. I could only have two as those were the only available slots. I’m thankful that the response has been pretty good. Last I heard, all the tickets were sold out! And I’ve just completed my new album, which will be released just before the concerts. Do you prefer acting or singing? People always ask me this question. For me, they are two very different things. Singing, to me, is a very comfortable job. You are like a king and you get to sing in nice places, whereas acting can be quite tiring as sometimes you’re required to go to certain locations for filming. Singing is more about the audience’s immediate response while acting gives me a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. What other acting roles would you like to attempt? Fictitious heroes from comic and fantasy books. They’re much more fun to do. Are you bothered by the constant paparazzi presence? It’s part and parcel of life in this line. I understand that it’s their job, but we have rice bowls to fill too. For the newcomers, it might be a bit too much to handle. For me, I think I’ve tasted the worst [laughs] so I’m more or less able to handle them now. How’s your love life? Have you thought about getting married? I’m very happy right now. I’m in a stable relationship and I can concentrate on my work. I’m really enjoying the process but I’ve not thought about getting married yet. Have you thought about directing movies? I’ll wait until I’m at least 50 years old before I direct a movie on my own. The storyline would be something abstract, something that has nothing to do with reality, because a film’s function is to entertain. Will I star in it? Maybe I will make a cameo appearance. People tend to think that with special effects, actors don’t have to do much but that’s not true. You’ve been sporting shoulder-length hair for some time. Is it part of your image? For some reason, people recognise and remember me better when I have long hair! [Laughs] I’ve cut my hair before but people didn’t notice. Nowadays when people see me, they’re like, ‘Oh so you’re still keeping the long hair.’ Personally, I prefer to let my hair grow. If it grows too long, I’ll just do something with it. I hope one day to have long hair like a girl’s [laughs].
