THREE years ago, chugging beer and indulging in a passionate on-screen smooch with a co-star would probably stand no chance of making it onto Gillian Chung’s resume.

Back then, the svelte Hong Kong singer-actress, one half of Cantopop pop duo Twins, was known for her squeaky clean and cutesy image.

The teenybopper duo – the other half is Charlene Choi – sang songs about friendship, secret crushes and the pangs of growing up.

Then came the infamous Edison Chen sex photo scandal in January 2008.
Raunchy nude pictures of Chung and Hong Kong actor Chen were leaked online and a disgraced Chung stayed out of the public eye.

But the scandal ironically gave her showbiz career a new lease of life.

After making her official comeback in April, the 29-year-old doe-eyed, angelic-looking star seems determined to shift her career in a more mature direction.

In town two weeks ago to grace the launch of Malaysian beer brand Jaz Beer’s new line Jaz Fresh, Chung was guarded when bombarded by the media.

As expected, she declined to answer any question to do with Chen.

Yet, it was clear to all that she was no longer the sweet, innocent Twin who pranced around singing ditties about first love.

“Last time, all the film roles offered to me were very limited,” she told The New Paper in an interview at The Chamber Bar & Bistro, where the event was held.

“I’d either be someone’s daughter or someone’s girlfriend.

“Also, I tend to get a lot of romantic comedies or light-hearted flicks.”

Ex, her new stylish, seductive film that delves into the psychological mind games people in relationships play, is her first step towards a more mature direction.

The film, co-starring Lawrence Chou and William Chan, opened in Hong Kong in June but has yet to be slated for release in Singapore.

“Ex was a major breakthrough for me – it’s definitely my most daring big screen project to date,” she revealed.

In the movie, she shares several scenes of physical intimacy and skin-to-skin contact with Chan.

Is that a sign that she will be more daring on-screen?

Would she do a bare-it-all a la Tang Wei’s bed scenes with Tony Leung in director Lee Ang’s 2007 espionage thriller Lust, Caution?

“I haven’t thought about it,” was Chung’s reply after a momentary pause.
“It really depends on the scripts I receive.”

She was appointed the spokesman of Jaz Beer last year and her contract was recently renewed.

Alcohol experiences

Chung appeared to be comfortable in her role as Jaz Beer’s ambassador, even sharing with us her past experiences with alcohol.

“I don’t drink beer that much as it makes me full, I prefer soft drinks,” she said, adding that she now drinks alcohol only on special occasions such as wedding dinners and celebration parties after Twins’ concerts.

However, she claims to be able to hold her liquor “very well”.

“A few years ago, during my birthday, I was egged on by my friends and I single-handedly drank two bottles of red wine,” said Chung.

“I felt a bit tipsy but that was it, I didn’t faint.”

Was she wary about taking on this endorsement seeing how some regard alcohol consumption as a vice?

“As long as my company is okay with my endorsements, I am fine with them,” said Chung tartly, referring to the Emperor Entertainment Group.

“A lot of youngsters chill out with beer in hand, so I guess it wasn’t a big problem.”
Chung’s fans are supportive.

Nearly 20 of Twins’ Singapore fan club members were present at the event to support their idol.

Ms Clover Wee, 27, a real estate agent who has been Chung’s fan since 2005, urged her detractors to cut her some slack.

“Everyone will grow up one day, Ah Gil (Chung’s nickname) is already 29. She is no longer a school girl.

“I don’t feel that she has changed...it’s just a natural process of improvement, she will take on different movie roles and endorsements as the years go by, she can’t be possibly stuck in a rut.”

Another fan, 20-year-old student Milk Choo, said that no one should be too surprised by Chung’s appointment as a beer ambassador, as “the girls of Twins have endorsed diverse products from instant noodles to soda drinks”.

But the Chen scandal continues to dog Chung.

In July, Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily reported that a man was arrested for sticking her pictures on pornography discs and inserting them in travel magazines sold in convenience stores.

The man, who professed to be a fan of Chung, told the police he was unhappy with her involvement in the scandal.

When asked about it, she said: “When you truly like someone, you don’t do things like that to hurt her.

“I’m pretty sure he is not a fan of mine.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.