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SINGAPORE : How do you approach an interview with Singapore's most widely-interviewed, media-savvy and possibly, most successful international acting export? You dance.
The process of getting juicy tidbits and never-before-heard quotable quotes out of the inscrutable Fann Wong is like learning the Argentine tango - where the dance is led and followed at the timing of individual steps, allowing the dancer to vary moves to match the music and their mood. If the MediaCorp darling wanted a dance, she was going to get one.
'He wanted to take care of me'
At an interview with TODAY at the Marina Mandarin hotel, Wong and her Korean heartthrob co-star Jang Hyuk from Dance of the Dragon were all smiles and pleasantries. Perhaps sensing my salacious mission, the porcelain beauty addressed the dancing she does in her new film right off the bat, leaving me no chance to be cheeky.
There is obviously quite a lot of dancing in Dance of the Dragon, shot entirely in Singapore and starring Asian-American Hollywood actor Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), the devastatingly-handsome Jang (Volcano High) and our very own Wong.
The film follows the archetypal love story of a former martial arts champion (Lee) whose relationship with a dance instructor and dance champion (Wong) is threatened by the arrival of a self-taught hunky Korean dancer wannabe (duh, Jang). Predictably, both student and mentor start developing feelings for each other, leading to a showdown of passionate cross-cultural love triangle proportions.
"The dancing scenes were really an important part of the story. Shawn and Gladys (famed local dance instructors) taught us how to dance, but it was quite a challenge to perfect ballroom dancing," said Wong, leading our interview tango to her own beat.
"Dancing is about partnership and everyone's body is different. Jang was protective and concerned all the time. He wanted to take care of me and not hurt me," said the 37-year-old, with a sideways glance towards Jang, genteelly bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle, like any classy ah jie would.
'I prefer Korean men'
All boringly-nice-enough information, but what about the scandal? After all, it can get rather hot and sticky when a girl's in close proximity with two leading men with rock hard abs and well-defined arms on set for 47 solid shooting days, over a period of eight weeks.
"Jang is very devoted to his craft, very serious and very dedicated," came another well-thought-out reply, as Wong threw another playful glance towards Jang. "It's also very refreshing to work with Jason Scott Lee, who is American. He's very naughty at times, and very cheeky — always teasing me. You can see the difference in all our nationalities."
When asked if she had to pick one between the two, she coquettishly blurted out with yet another giggle: "I prefer Korean men!" Sorry, Christopher. I was told I couldn't ask any personal questions, but I plodded on, trying my luck. "How about Singaporean men," I inquired. Wong gave only a wry smile for an answer. Some quick-stepping and fancy footwork was in order if I wanted to get more goss. I turned my attention to Jang.
'Fann is perfect'
The professional admiration appeared to be mutual, given Jang's eagerness to use his self-proclaimed "very bad English" to extol the virtues of our TV princess. "Working with Fann is very good. Fann is perfect. She is very beautiful and very honest," said the 31-year-old father of a baby boy.
"Our schedules were very tight, so she didn't have time to take me sightseeing. I will visit Singapore again, if she invites me to stay at her house," he added, setting off another slew of giggles and a playful nudge at his arm.
Wong gamely responded: "Okay, I will prepare a room for you and provide your favourite Tiger Beer for you to share with Jason!" And then, as if realising she might have been a tad too candid, she twirled back expertly, changing the tempo of our dance-off by letting the chatty Jang carry on and do all the talking.
"I like chilli crabs and Tiger Beer most in Singapore. And that's what I talk about with Jason when we're filming — Tiger Beer and Singapore girls. We always talk about Singapore girls. We always talk about Fann," said the former male model, winking in Wong's direction.
As the actress sat listening to her co-star ramble on about challenging cultural differences and how he still enjoys acting in the Korean dramas that made him popular, I couldn't help but notice her falling further back to a reticent demeanour, albeit still sitting regal with a ramrod-straight dancer's posture.
My one last attempt at securing a newsworthy soundbite was now or never. I was going to take the lead in our tango. I made my move: "Which MediaCorp actresses would you like to share the limelight with in future movies? Do you think our movie industry has reached a plateau? Do we always have to bring in foreign stars to make an 'international' film?"
"It doesn't matter who I work with on a film. What matters most is the script, the director and the type of roles I am being offered. The movie industry in Singapore is growing and we are all in it together, trying very hard to set very high standards so that our film productions can measure up in whole global market. We are all working hard — very hard to achieve our goal," she answered smoothly with a serene smile.
And just like that, it was crystal clear I was the one with two left feet and that Fann Wong had just danced circles around me — and I've watched Dirty Dancing 32 times.
Congratulations, Fann — till we next meet.
Dance of the Dragon opens May 1. Sneak previews begin in cinemas this weekend. - TODAY/fa
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