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Date Posted: 22:02:29 04/18/02 Thu
Victory for Vicki
By SUZANNE SNG
CHIRPY and almost like a little bird, Vicki Zhao Wei pecks at her breakfast
of sausages and scrambled eggs. Waving her fork and fielding questions animatedly
at the same time, the Chinese actress-singer ?who shot to fame playing a bird-named
character, Little Swallow ?seems to have put the negative press of the past
few months behind her.
揑 try to look on the positive side of things,?said the 26-year-old headline-grabber
brightly, in a recent interview in Singapore.
The owner of the latest body to endorse the slimming treatments of Marie France
Bodyline, together with Christy Chung, she was in the island republic to show
off her incredible 58cm waist and the loss of 3.6kg worth of baby fat.
Zhao commands attention in Bluemarine`s white lycra-fitted
T-shirt with embroidered parrot, and graffiti-printed cotton twill three-quarter
pants.
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Despite having to field questions concerning her fashion fiasco last December
when she modelled a dress emblazoned with a Japanese war-time flag, her smile
remains sweet and her enormous eyes sparkle.
The sartorial faux pas caused a furore in China, where patriotic feelings
ran high, and raised quite a stink when an enraged patriot smeared excrement
on her during a Hunan show.
The incident, which hurt Little Swallow抯 soaring popularity, was even used
as a negative example in civics textbooks in Hubei province.
Three months later and a little wiser, she says: 揑 respected the designer
and it led to the mistake. I used to listen to designers and stylists because
that抯 their profession, while my profession is acting.
揘ow, I will make my own decisions, and will have more of my own opinions.?
But as the Chinese idiom goes, huo bu dan xing (misfortunes never come
alone), and just when she thought the storm over that incident had subsided,
she was hit by another bout of bad publicity.
In February, a crazed teenage fan from Liaoning committed suicide after he
lost hope of seeing his idol. His last words were: 揑 love Vicki Zhao.?
Zhao looking luscious in an off-white floral print and
spaghetti mermaid dress by Robert Cavalli.
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She says she does not want to dwell on the tragic incident. Not that dealing with
rabid fans is something new for her, since the Beijing Film Academy graduate starred
in My Fair Princess three years ago and won over legions of them throughout
the region.
A 13-year-old Singaporean fan, who died of cancer last year, had even left
her US$90,000 to donate to a charity of her choice.
In her recent two-day stop in Singapore, she met up with her fans and wrote
a 600-word letter to them 搕o encourage them to study and focus on what is important
in life?
Or, in other words, not to do anything foolish.
Zhao in an elegant zip-front twill jacket by Robert Cavalli.
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Her down-to-earth sensibilities, coupled with her girlish vivacity, allow her
to cope with the ups and downs of fame.
揑抦 a simple person,?she proclaims, saying she prefers to dress down in jeans
when she is not filming or attending premieres and other celebrity activities.
And even though she is also the face of cosmetics brand Red Earth, the porcelain-complexioned
one says blithely: 揑 go out without makeup. Where I think I may be recognised,
I抣l wear a hat or a pair of shades.?
But there are few places where she is not recognised. She grins sheepishly
and says: 揑 just smile if I抦 recognised. People will think that you are very
friendly and approachable. And they will not pay attention to how ugly I look.??The
Straits Times/Asia News Network
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