TEN years ago, when Denise Ho first broke into the Hong Kong entertainment industry, one of her first assignments was a Sony Ericsson handphone advertisement.
And it was a lucky coup for the 31-year-old Cantopop singer.
She got to 'flirt' with Heavenly King Andy Lau.
While details about the ad shoot are hazy now, Denise recalled in an e-mail interview with The New Paper: 'I was just a newcomer back then and the shooting period was very short, so even though I shared a scene with Andy, I didn't have the chance to get to know him better.'
Fast forward to the present day.
Denise can finally put down in her portfolio with pride that she has worked with Andy in a substantial way.
Not as any nameless calafare (actor in a bit part), but sharing almost two-thirds of an entire film's screen time with him.
In the romantic comedy, Look For A Star, which opened in theatres on Thursday, Denise plays secretary and right-hand woman to Andy's billionaire tycoon character.
Boundless energy
'Andy is a celebrity I've always admired. He is a true professional and shows tenacity in whatever he does,' said Denise, heaping praise on her co-star.
'Filming Look For A Star, we spent a lot of time together and I realise his energy is boundless.
'Plus, he really lives up to his name as one of Hong Kong's most hardworking celebrities. It has been a wonderful, fun time shooting the movie with him, as well as the other actors.'
Besides Andy, the ensemble cast includes everyone's favourite pin-up girl Shu Qi and mainland thespian Zhang Hanyu.
Look For A Star is directed by Andrew Lau, the man behind the award-winning Infernal Affairs and Confession Of Pain.
And the movie might very well be the big break Denise is looking for.
The past 10 years have seen her achieving much in Hong Kong - eight Cantopop albums to her name, producing her own musical, Butterfly Lovers, in 2005, and winning Female Singer Gold Award at the Commercial Radio Hong Kong Annual Awards a year later.
However, she remains largely unknown to viewers and listeners outside Hong Kong, something which could possibly change.
Said Denise: 'I haven't acted in films for five years, and as for the last few I did (unmemorable bit parts in madcap comedies Naked Ambition and Anna In Kung-fu Land), I must say I didn't know how to act.
'This time round, working with director Andrew and the brilliant cast, I felt I had the chance to hone my acting skills.
'Look For A Star has given me a lot of confidence and I am definitely looking forward to the next good film script that comes my way.'
Denise will also be releasing her debut Mandarin album later this year, which will help her make inroads into the Taiwanese market.
A protege of the late Cantopop queen, Anita Mui (who died in December 2003), Denise attributes much of her success to her mentor.
At the same time, she feels there is no way that Anita's status in Asian entertainment can be replaced.
Not even by herself.
'Mui-jeh (or 'Big Sister Mui' in Cantonese) will always be my idol, a huge influence on me.
'I started listening to her music when I was a kid. Then when I entered the industry, I was lucky enough that she took me in as her apprentice,' she said.
'People have asked me if I find it stressful 'filling her shoes' now that she has left us, but to me, she is eternally irreplaceable.
'I dare not say whether Mui-jeh would be proud of what I've accomplished so far, but I know I've tried my best and I haven't let her down.'
In Look For A Star, Denise's feisty career-minded character falls for a construction worker, played by Zhang Hanyu, despite their vast background differences.
What if something similar happens to her in real life?
Denise, who spent Valentine's Day as a single but 'hopes to settle down soon', said that, like her character in the film, she is one who would fight for love.
'My personality is stubborn in that sense.
'If I really like somebody, I would be determined to carry on the relationship, regardless of the obstacles ahead and how tough they might be.'
The above article was first published in The New Paper.
