The right moves

falafan

Malaysia Star   Tuesday March 9, 2010
The right moves

By SETO KIT YAN

Fala Chen discovers her love for ballroom dancing in Steps.

skyseto@thestar.com.my

SALSA. Cha Cha. Tango. If you enjoy ballroom dancing and love watching TV series, then Steps will dance its way into your heart.

The modern dance drama revolves around the trials and tribulations faced by some dance enthusiasts.

The 20-episode modern drama stars Fala Chen who was in Kuala Lumpur late last year with Hong Kong heartthrob Kevin Cheng to promote Media Prima’s TVB drama screenings.

At that time, the actress was caught in a controversy over a scene in the TV series The Stew Of Life, where her character was cohabiting with a man with homosexual tendencies and was shown changing in front of him.

The scene shows her wearing a white bra and black track pants in front of her housemate Ryan, played by Timmy Hung (Sammo Hung’s son). The contention was that her male friend was gay and theirs was more a platonic relationship.

Commenting on concerns about the impropriety of such an act on public television, Chen calmly offered: “People tend to forget that there are many people who work very hard behind the scenes to make an entertaining television drama.

“To me, it is a very healthy act. My character was back from working out and her clothes were wet with perspiration and she was just changing into something clean and dry.”

Two to tango: Fala Chen and Stephen Huynh in a scene from TVB drama series Steps.

Well, that bit of controversy is all behind her now. In Steps, the former beauty queen plays Karmen, sister of Ka Tsun (Steven Ma). Both are dance enthusiasts who eventually become dance tutors in their mother’s dance studio.

Karmen develops an ever-growing rivalry with dance tutor Samantha (Bernice Liu), who later becomes her brother’s girlfriend.

Her incredibly jealous nature leads her to make things difficult for Samantha in every possible way.

“In Steps, my character is rebellious. Her rivalry with Samantha causes her to join a dance school operated by her mother’s rival.”

Chen’s intense portrayal of Karmen won her recognition as Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 40th TVB Anniversary Awards in 2007 and scored her a nomination for My Favourite Female Character Role as well.

Five of her co-stars – Ma, Liu, Wayne Lai, Kate Tsui and Claire Yiu – also received nominations for their convincing portrayals, while Stepsitself was nominated in the best drama category.

Born in Chengdu, China, the pretty lass attended college in the United States where she took part in beauty pageants.

At the age of 20, she was crowned Miss Asian America 2002 while representing the state of Georgia. She then took the Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce 2003 title as first runner-up in the Miss Chinatown USA 2003 pageant. Following that, she won the Miss NY Chinese 2004 title.

Eventually, the pageant route took her to Hong Kong and opened doors for her in the fast-paced Cantonese entertainment industry.

In the 2005 Miss Chinese International Pageant in which she represented New York, she was the first runner-up in the pageant which was held at Hong Kong’s TVB City. She then went on to join TVB’s stable of artistes.

Although she started out playing troublemakers, Chen managed to win back viewers’ favour for roles like the mute Wing Hing in the critically-acclaimed Moonlight Resonance.

The 28-year-old beauty is also making inroads in the Hong Kong film industry.

Late last year, she made her big screen debut in Herman Yau-helmedTurning Point, playing the sister of a triad leader who falls for an undercover cop, and scored a nomination for best new performer at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Her other two movies are Black Ransom and 72 Tenants Of Prosperity.

In crime thriller Black Ransom, she plays a newly-promoted young police inspector superintendent who admires an out-of-favour veteran cop.

In the star-studded lunar new year flick, 72 Tenants Of Prosperity, she is a happy-go-lucky girl.

Chen, who only started acting in TVB serials in 2006, is grateful for the opportunity to work closely with veteran stars. “I am a newcomer, so there’s a lot for me to learn.

“Our hectic filming schedule does not allow us to take time off to pick up new skills. Therefore, having an opportunity to work with veteran stars helps a lot, as we can benefit from their invaluable guidance and learn from them on the set.”

Steps airs on ntv7 at 11pm from Mondays to Wednesdays starting today.