Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen believes in treasuring the good times when it comes to love.

Even when that love has turned sour.

Chen wrote the lyrics to Sorry from her newly-released debut album Me, Myself and I for her ex-boyfriend from university, who is reportedly serving a 16-year jail sentence for marijuana possession.

Even though the 30-year-old is more famous for her movie roles, music is her first love.

She poured her heart and soul into her first studio effort, which she has been promoting in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

Does she regret dating him back then?

Chen told The New Paper in a phone interview from Taiwan: "I don't think I made a bad choice. Love is between two people, and more importantly, I still treasure all the good memories."

The University of Southern California graduate reportedly dated him when they were studying in the US. They returned to Taiwan in 2006 and broke up after she chose to pursue acting.

Humorous

Chen, who is single, hopes to find a partner who is humorous.

She said in Mandarin: "He must be able to make me laugh and we should be happy together.

We must also be able to communicate well and get along without problems."

Chen shot to fame after starring in the hit 2011 Taiwanese coming-of-age movie You Are The Apple Of My Eye as fresh-faced schoolgirl Shen Chia Yi, opposite handsome Taiwanese actor Kai Ko.

She can be seen on the big screen in Hong Kong-Chinese action-comedy Badges Of Fury, which is showing here.

She plays police sergeant Angela, who solves murder cases alongside experienced detective Huang Fei Hong (Jet Li) and reckless partner Wang Bu Er (Wen Zhang).

Working with veteran Chinese wushu action star Li, 50, and rising Chinese actor Wen, 29, was a dream come true for Chen.

"Jet Li might be an international star, but in real life, he is like a little kid. He is very funny and makes us laugh. He also takes very good care of everyone on set.

"As for Wen Zhang, I have seen some of his previous work before and was impressed with his acting skills... I am glad I finally had the chance to work with him," she said.

The biggest challenge in Badges Of Fury?

Keeping up with the fast tempo, she said.

"I've never acted in a comedy. In comedies, the actors speak the dialogue at a very fast pace for a comedic effect. Sometimes, the dialogue can be quite long and it is easy to make mistakes."

Even though she is best known for her sweetie-pie image, Chen didn't shy away from coming up with ugly facial expressions for the movie.

Acting in a comedy means doing away with prettiness as it wouldn't add value to the performance, she said.

Being in an action film also took her out of her comfort zone.

Recalling a scene where she had to hang from a metal wire a few storeys from the ground, Chen said: "It was scary. I had to learn how to balance myself in mid-air. I screamed my heart out."

No time

To make things worse, there was no time for her to prepare herself mentally and physically.

"I found out I was going to be hanging from a metal wire only when I reached the set. I knew I couldn't say no, so I just psyched myself mentally to do it."

But doing Badges Of Fury has made her sure of one thing: No more action films for now.

She said: "It was so tiring, I cannot imagine doing more action movies. I would love to try a musical as I can sing and act at the same time."