Cheng Pei Pei, 66, often known as the "Queen of Swords" for her early work in Hong Kong period action films, is no doubt a screen legend. Although many major awards have eluded her for most of her career, she remains to be a true professional and a committed actress all these decades. It must be said it was a relief to see her bag the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in Lee Ang's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
[Image of Cheng Pei Pei posing for InCinemas during the interview]
Cheng sat with InCinemas for an exclusive interview in her suite in Mandarin Oriental Hotel last Saturday. She was here in Singapore to promote the newly-launched Celestial Classic Movies on SingTel's mio TV. She later went off to Causeway Point shopping mall for a special appearance, wowing the 500-strong crowd with her kung fu moves!
The affable Cheng answered all of our questions with a smile, and even gave us some insights into how she felt about life, family, and her career so far. When asked which film of hers was the most memorable, she said, "Definitely it was Come Drink with Me. It was my breakthrough." She also added, "Every role was a challenge. I feel that I am fortunate to be in the film industry. I am always happy doing what I love most."
(Please click here to see photos of Cheng Pei Pei at Causeway Point!)
Cheng also revealed that she is a vegetarian and felt blessed that she has had good health all these years. "Health is the most important. Without it, you can't do what you want to do", she said.
As an actress, Cheng felt it was a very valuable experience watching her early films restored and remastered by Celestial Classic Movies (when the company bought the original prints from Shaw) as they helped her recall memories of the past. When asked to promote Celestial Classic Movies, she was more than happy to do so.
[Image of Cheng Pei Pei having a chat with us during the interview]
Cheng later mentioned about her injuries when making action films. "Injuries happen when one is not mentally focused", she said. "In The Thundering Sword, I fell off a horse because I was not aware of the environment. When the horse was startled, my hair which was tied up in a bun on my head got hooked onto a tree branch, causing me to be dragged back and fall to the ground."
When asked about her family, Cheng said she has three daughters, and hoped that they would continue to pursue their passion. Two of her daughters are also doing acting, with one of them preferring to act in art-house films. However, when asked about her upcoming projects, she did not want to reveal any information at this early stage, but she told us that she would be working with one of her daughters in an art performance in Los Angeles.
[See how young Cheng Pei Pei was when she made the seminal King Hu film, Come Drink with Me (1966)]
Before we left, Cheng told us that she sincerely hoped that Celestial Classic Movies would continue to restore old Chinese classics for everyone to enjoy.
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Cheng Pei Pei will be heading to Sydney, Australia to meet her mother and celebrate the coming Chinese New Year with her family there. It is an inspiring and fruitful interview session. Left a deep impression!