First Person: Vonnie Lui
Following her turn in the world’s first 3D erotic film: “Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy,” the curvaceous Vonnie Lui is about to become Hong Kong’s biggest sex symbol. She tells Grace Tsoi about how being sexy is not just about shedding clothes and showing off your chest.
My character in the movie is the Elder of Bliss, a hermaphrodite who has accumulated the Zen of yin-yang. He can change his age, gender and appearance as he wishes.
At first, I turned down the offer. About 18 months ago, the producers approached me and offered me the role of Tie Yuxiang [love interest of the protagonist, Wei Yangsheng]. I wasn’t confident that I could act well, so I rejected them, in a nice way.
One year later, the producers told me that there would be another role. A hermaphrodite is a challenging role for any actress and I wanted to give it a try. I said yes even before I asked them about the salary.
During that year in between, I actually quit showbiz and worked as a salesgirl. I thought I might not be the right type of person to be in the entertainment industry.
But I realized that I want to show people that I don’t just have sexy looks. I want to challenge myself and achieve something. Despite the difficulties, I want to try—at least once.
It is rather unfair to say that actors and actresses in erotic films don’t need good acting skills.