Model Carmen Soo shares with StarTwo the highlights of her career in Hong Kong that gained her a role in a Jackie Chan movie and a music video for Aaron Kwok.

NICE. That just about sums up Malaysian model Carmen Soo. She comes across as a nice person and she’s nice to look at too.

No, perhaps that’s quite not right.

Carmen Soo

She’s not just nice looking. She’s gorgeous. Her hair, her smile ... everything about Soo is gorgeous. And speaking about gorgeous, that’s the name of the movie she had a small role in. Remember the 1999 Jackie Chan starrer that also featured Shu Qi? Soo says that she was excited to have a part, albeit small, in the movie and Chan turned out to be friendly and very professional.

With her high profile job, Soo gets to rub shoulders with many celebrities; she rattles off names of Hong Kong megastars such as Jackie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Hollywood stars like Chris Tucker and designer Marc Jacobs. And she sometimes works with them too.

Who would have thought that the PJ girl would some day end up in a video clip with Aaron Kwok?

The shoot took place in Japan, and Soo says: “He gave me lots of pointers and was so patient and professional with me.”

Now a full-fledged model, Soo has been working hard for almost a decade. The road to Hong Kong for this friendly girl began when she was 17 and took part in a contest organised by a now defunct local magazine called Verve, looking for new talent.

She won and one of the judges was an established name in the local circuit and introduced her to a modelling agency. Before you could say “cheese,” she was cast in her first TV-commercial, which was for a private college. More offers began to pour in. Soo became a familiar face on TV and in magazines and newspapers.

Andrew Tan of Andrews Models became the next stop on her exciting journey in the modelling world.

PRETTY WOMEN: Carmen Soo had a very small part in the Jackie Chan movie Gorgeous that also starred Shu Qi (right).

“He (Tan) persuaded me to give Hong Kong a try and set up an appointment with (top HK agency) Starz People.”

So the then plucky 20-year-old went abroad alone, with some trepidation of course. She’d give herself three months to see if she could make it.

Soo now says she picked the right agency and that Starz took good care of her; proof comes in the fact that her three months has stretched on for years.

Within a short time in Hong Kong, she was hooked up with the “Malaysian Connection”. Soo was invited to fellow model Irene Santiago’s (one of the early birds to hit Hong Kong and make it there) birthday party where she also met model Danielle Graham. The girls would hang out together and the group also included yet another model Raeleen Redzuan (who apparently is now in the United States furthering her studies).

“We don’t really see so much of each other in Hong Kong because of our schedules. So anytime we’re back in Malaysia if we’re free we tend to get together and hang out. We all share the same – I suppose you could say – mentality so it’s great.

“In Hong Kong, we’ll go around together looking for Malaysian food that we miss so much. Do you know that roti canai there costs 10 bucks?”

CELESTIAL COMPANY: A gleeful Carmen posing with 'Heavenly King' Aaron Kwok in Fukuoka, Japan, during a break from shooting a video for his song.

One of Soo’s first big jobs was filming a soft drink commercial with Leo Koo, a HK singer/actor popular in the 1990s. It was for the Hong Kong, Taiwan and China markets, and had the added bonus of shooting in the Maldives.

Travel is one aspect of the business Soo enjoys. She excitedly tells of the time she was in South Africa for two weeks last year. A HK-magazine worked with the South African Tourism Agency to feature the country and Soo says she had a very good time enjoying great food, getting top class treatment and gaining the opportunity to do many interesting things during her time there.

Her most satisfying assignment is the ongoing work with haircare brand Pantene; she has been the featured talent for the market in Japan for two years now. Soo speaks of being treated very nicely by the Japanese.

“The first shoot was actually done in Thailand and the Thais who made up the production crew were very hardworking and professional so we were working 20 hours a day for seven days. The Japanese principals made sure I was comfortable and always kept asking, ‘Carmen, are you okay?’ I’m proud of my work with them.”

Bad experiences? Soo details her all-time worst episode.

“It was for a Taiwanese company, a shampoo commercial where I had to dress up in a short skirt and thin top and film outside ... in winter. They had this rule that the clients and talent (Soo) couldn’t interact. No one talked to me and they didn’t feed me. I had to get up every morning at 2am and the shoot ran for the whole day.”

CUTIE PIE: At five, Carmen was already a natural for the camera.

Yet Soo remains ever the professional (she even showed up right on the dot for this interview) and enjoys her work very much. She has graced countless magazine covers in many countries and has worked all over Asia. She hopes to someday gain work in Europe and the United States too.

Because of the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, Soo returned to Petaling Jaya, where she has kept herself busy with commercials and magazine shoots. Her assignments have been mainly shoots because, at 160cm, she doesn’t quite have the height for the catwalk.

Soo enjoys spending time with her family and friends (in fact her best friend is actually a school mate). She says her family (consisting of her parents and four siblings) is very supportive of her.

“They actually take the trouble to cut out pictures of me in ads and also in magazines. It helps that they are behind me on this. None of my siblings is involved in the industry, though my youngest brother has appeared in some ads. I’m the second in the family.

“Growing up was a very noisy affair with lots of fights, you know the usual, but we are very close. There’s only a small age gap between us.

“My dad is a contractor and my mom is a housewife (mom has Chinese and English blood, which accounts for Soo’s exotic looks).

“When I was younger I noticed in my school report books that I always put in the usual ‘doctor, nurse, teacher’ under career ambition. Dad advised me on taking up marketing so that’s why I did business studies. I’ve always had this thought about owning a department store but that’s just a dream and I will settle for just a store. It will be for women because of my background and that’s what I’m familiar with. Till then I will continue modelling.”

In case you’re wondering, Soo is also very much attached – she’s still seeing the same guy she was dating before she went to Hong Kong. She says he’s okay with her choice of profession but only asks that if she does any bridal shoots not to pose with a guy! Soo reveals that he’s been very supportive nonetheless.

Soo’s beauty tips?

“I try to go to the gym, though right now I have not been very regular. I compensate by walking a lot, swimming and dancing.”

Shopping helps, she says with a little laugh, as there’s plenty of walking involved.

“Sleep as early as possible and take lots of vitamins. As for my hair I treat it regularly and I don’t colour my hair. I don’t use a hair dryer.”

On a modelling career, she says: “Most importantly, get yourself a good agent and know your worth. You must have discipline, take care of yourself at all times and have a good attitude. Keep everything well balanced.”

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