The Hong Kong singer-actress was here on Friday with director Stanley Kwan to promote her new film, Everlasting Regret.

    BEIJING, Oct. 5 -- Politely but firmly - and with a hint of exasperation - Sammi Cheng informed the Singapore media that she was feeling fine.

    The Hong Kong singer-actress was here on Friday with director Stanley Kwan to promote her new film, Everlasting Regret.

    The drama, an adaptation of an acclaimed Chinese novel, tells the story of 1930s Shanghai beauty Wang Qiyao, whose life is as tumultuous as her beloved city, which is in the midst of tremendous upheaval. It opens here next Thursday.

    While Cheng - dressed casually in a black blazer thrown over a long-sleeved T-shirt and torn jeans - looked a little tired, she was radiant.

    But, just a few months back, the actress was plagued by tabloid rumours when she was photographed in the middle of filming with a puffy face.

    There was talk that, like the late Hong Kong legend Anita Mui, she had cancer, and would make public news of her disease. Cheng later claimed she was suffering from parotitis, an inflammation of the parotid glands near the ears.

    At the press conference, however, Cheng made no specific mention of any illness.

    "Let me say this again: I was sick during three weeks of filming, but it was nothing like the rumours going around. Perhaps because I didn't clarify the facts, the rumours got wilder," she said.

    "I'm fine now. I don't know how to explain this. When it comes to emotions, you can't explain it in one or two sentences. But thank you for your concern."

    To confuse matters further, in an interview with Today later, she said the reported puffiness was due to her being told by the production designer of Everlasting Regret to put on weight for the role of Qiyao.

    As the film spans some 30 years, Qiyao ages from a young girl to a middle-aged woman.

    "I put on 8kg for my role to look convincing as a 40-year-old. That was fun. I could eat non-stop without any worries," the 33-year-old said, laughing.

    She also brushed off rumours that she had flown to the United States to seek treatment for her illness in the middle of filming.

    "That's ridiculous, nothing of that sort happened! If I had really been that sick, I couldn't have recovered so fast and be sitting here right now," she said.

    We may never know the truth, so let's focus on her performance: Cheng has put in a noteworthy effort as the unconventional, sexually-liberated Qiyao. After a string of fluffy romantic comedies, it is Cheng's first leading role in what is considered art-house fare in Hong Kong.

    "When I heard that Stanley had approached me to act in an art-house film, I burst out laughing ... I'm grateful that he has faith in me," she said.

    "Most of my films have been comedies and no director has ever approached me to act in a genre like this. My biggest challenge is in convincing the audience that I can be a serious actress."

    Cheng said Everlasting Regret is a step forward in her evolving acting career.

    "I enjoy doing both comedy and serious dramas," she said. "I hope to be like Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who is able to straddle both genres."

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com/channelnewsasia.com)