REIGNING Miss Universe Malaysia Nadine Ann Thomas is a dizzying mix of Indian, Chinese and English charm. As she describes herself (“quiet, private, and quirky”), it is clear why her poise, beauty and intelligence won over the judges at the pageant last year.

Nadine, 24, has interests as mixed as her heritage, ranging from literature and music to martial arts and clothes. The tall beauty runs a successful blogshop in her free time, an enterprise she began after having difficulty finding stylish clothes in local and online stores that suited her personality.

Her modelling career took off when she first walked down the runway during KL Fashion Week while a student at Limkokwing University, and Nadine hasn’t looked back since. Here, she shares her thoughts on movies.

What was the latest movie you caught at the cinema?
I watched the Oscar-winning The King’s Speech. It tells the story of King George VI’s efforts to cure his stuttering with the help of a speech therapist through unorthodox methods. I loved the movie. The British monarchy is so intricate and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth have had their stories told over and over again. It was refreshing to see another personality from the royal family.

What is your all-time favourite movie?
I can’t decide between My Fair Lady and Dr Zhivago. My mother is half-English and I grew up watching plays and musicals. The two movies are perhaps the most watched in my collection. One is about finding love and the other, losing it. They are both complex emotional stories and helped drive my desire to pursue literature later.

What movies are you looking forward to this year?
I can’t wait to watch X-Men: First Class, Red Riding Hood, Thor and The Hangover 2. I enjoy a variety of movie genres, especially fantasy and period dramas. Books were my constant companion while growing up and history was my favourite subject. I suppose it’s only natural that I love movies that bring both history and books to life.

If you could play any character, who would you pick?
Definitely someone from the Lord of the Rings. It would be exciting to play an “out-of-this-world” character, so to speak.

Do you see yourself as the hero or villain?
Definitely the villain! I would kill for the role! I would love to play a character so different from myself, or have the opportunity to exaggerate onscreen that little bit of evil we all have in us.

What projects do you have now?
I am busy modelling, but I also have a few hosting jobs and movie parts coming up. I’m training under the hip hop label Kartel to be a hip-hop deejay. It’s a lot of fun. I run my blogshop in my spare time.