You would think that in a predominantly male working environment, the natural, the instinctive urge would be for a female presence. But that's not so for Hong Kong actor Ekin Cheng. He had no problems dealing with the testosterone levels while filming with his fellow male cast members in his new movie The Storm Warriors. The dashing 41-year-old star was in town recently for a countdown event for the movie, due for release in December. The Storm Warriors is the sequel to 1999's swordfighting cult classic Storm Riders. It sees Ekin reuniting with co-star Aaron Kwok as, martial arts exponents Wind and Cloud. In an interview with The New Paper, Ekin - sporting his trademark shoulder-length mane - said he cherished the opportunity to 'bond with Aaron and the other dudes' on the set of The Storm Warriors. 'Ten years ago, during the filming of Storm Riders, Aaron and I were both stuck in very busy phases of our careers,' he said. 'Besides acting, we were singing and cutting albums. 'We had to rush off to various events after filming and didn't have much time to hang out at all.' This time round, however, their schedules weren't as tight and they had a chance to develop a friendship. 'We each had our own personal experiences over the past few years. It was good to be able to share some of them with him (Aaron).' It also helped that a huge bulk of filming was done in Thailand. Away from home, Ekin found camaraderie with his fellow male actors, including Simon Yam, Nicholas Tse, Kenny Ho and Patrick Tam. Not that there were only men on the set, of course. Charlene Choi of Cantopop duo Twins, is one of two actresses in the large ensemble cast. Ironically, the higher the testosterone level, the more 'auntie' the guys became. 'You know, it really makes an interesting sight, with so many guys on a single film set,' said Ekin with a grin. 'When you put six, seven guys together, surprisingly, everyone becomes gossipy and talkative, like aunties chatting away!' While Ekin was open about his male-bonding sessions with Aaron and company, he was more reserved when it came to his personal life. He has been dating 33-year-old Hong Kong television actress Yoyo Mung since 2006. Of late, there have been rumours about Yoyo 'forcing him to get hitched', which she refuted in a recent interview with Hong Kong's Mingpao Daily News. Ekin was equally non-commital to the idea of settling down. 'At this moment, marriage is not on the cards,' he said. 'I believe that when two people are in love, the destination is not as important as the journey itself.' Then, cleverly, he led the conversation back to The Storm Warriors. 'There are so many things in relationships that you can't control,' he said. 'Never did I think that one day, there will be a sequel to Storm Riders, but 10 years later, here we are. 'Similarly, in life and relationships, I don't like to think of the end-point. We should all just enjoy what we have now.' Sources: The New Paper
