SHE is adored for her full, pouty lips and sexy, voluptuous figure.

But Christy Chung has an ardent wish for all casting directors: Please get rid of that “femme fatale” impression you have of her.

The 38-year-old actress told The New Paper in a recent interview: “Many of my fans still remember me from my old films such as Mermaid Got Married (a remake of Hollywood romantic comedy Splash) and The Bodyguard Of Beijing (with action star Jet Li).

“But I really just want to find a role I haven’t tried before.

“It’ll be so boring to keep replicating the same type of characters, over and over again.”

Sex siren

The mother of two yearns to ditch her sizzling onscreen sex siren persona, one that seems to be deeply ingrained in the minds of viewers and filmmakers alike.

“If some directors can finally erase away those preconceptions they have of me, I believe I can play many different challenging roles,” she said.

She doesn’t even mind uglifying herself to “play something a la Ugly Betty”.

Marriage and motherhood had allowed her to “experience life at its fullest” over the past decade.

She had her elder daughter Yasmine, now 12, from her first marriage. Though that union ended in divorce in 2002, she and her ex-husband remain on good terms.

A year later, Christy married Jon, a Beijing music producer,andgave birth last June to her second daughter, Jayden.

From the way she gushes unabashedly about her kids, it’s not hard to tell that they are the pride and joy of her life.

“Yasmine loves her little sister so much and the two of them get along so well,” she said.

“Everything that Yasmine does, Jayden copies!”

And such real human emotions, she stressed, are extremely important for an actress.

Her last two leading movie roles – Thai movie Jan Dara and Tibetan film Samsara – were known for their visual sensuality anderotic sex scenes.

But Christy claimed she “doesn’t pick her films just because they are erotic in nature”.

“I choose roles based on the script and director,” she said.

“I like a good challenge; if the role requires me to do some homework to prepare myself for it, it will attract me.”

Both films, she said, were “amazing learning experiences” for her.

“Not only did I learn how to speak Thai and Tibetan, for Jan Dara, I also learned how to walk and carry myself as a wealthy Thai tai-tai living in the 1950s.”

Currently based in Beijing with her family, Christy is aware that she has been out of the limelight for the last few years.

“I’ve been really out of the Hong Kong gossip magazine scene,” she said.

“Actually, I’ve still been working, doing a couple of television series in mainland China (including an adaptation of Louis Cha’s swordfighting novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils), but audiences who feed on Hong Kong entertainment would be less exposed to my work.”

She admits to being “more picky” when it comes to choosing roles for movies andtelevision these days.

“I would really love to do a role wheremycharacter deals and struggles with everyday problems we all encounter, like love, relationships, careers and dreams,” she said.

“If not, doing a comedywould be great!

“Comedy is therapeutic and everyone likes to feel relaxedand entertained.”

Going into music

Not contented to rest on her acting laurels, she is venturing into thepop music scene too.

“I’m working on my debut album with two other girls,” she said, “we’re forming a vocal-dance trio called Goddess.”

With Christy, voted in 2001 by FHM magazine as Asia’s sexiest woman, thrown into the mix, this should bea Goddess worth the wait.

Last year also marked Christy’s iconic 10-year association with Marie France Bodyline. After giving birth to Jayden in July last year, she returned to the slimming centre to reclaim her figure from post-natal bulges.

She was Marie France’s first celebrity spokesman back in 1998, following the birth of Yasmine.

“I’m very grateful that we were able to work witheach other for so long (referring to Marie France), there’s definitely a mutual respect, trust and sense of reliability between us,” she said.

As spokesman, she hopes to continue “inspiring ladies who constantly struggle with their weight”.

“I aim to give more hope and confidence to every woman out there who wants to look good and feel good.”

This article was first published in The New Paper