Hong Kong actress Myolie Wu has been single for over two years, but she is in no hurry to get into another relationship, she says.
"I'm open to meeting people and making new friends, but don't always write about me in such a way that makes it sound like I'm desperate to get a boyfriend," she adds with a chuckle.
"It seems like everyone around me is more concerned about my relationship status than I am. My friends keep trying to set me up with new people. Is it because I'm getting older?"
The 35-year-old had a high profile break-up with actor Bosco Wong in 2012 after dating for seven years.
She was in Singapore to promote her latest TVB period comedy Lady Sour, in which she plays a woman who is intensely jealous of her husband's concubine.
Looking elegant in a flared white frock, she was in good spirits throughout the 20-minute interview, chatting in Mandarin and laughing with ease. Her relaxed demeanour was quite different from the time this reporter interviewed her a year ago when she was utterly serious.
"I think I have been too focused on work all these years. Work is still my priority, but I want to be able to find a good balance between my work and my personal life," she says.
"I want to go out, meet new friends, relax a little. Life isn't all about work."
She was signed to TVB in 1999 after becoming second runner-up at the Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant and has since risen through the ranks to become one of the Hong Kong broadcaster's biggest stars.
She has starred in several popular TVB dramas, such as Triumph In The Skies (2003), War And Destiny (2007) and Ghetto Justice (2011). In 2011, she won the TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress for her role as a manipulative empress consort in period drama Curse Of The Royal Harem.
Recently, she has branched out of TV to do more films, such as the critically-acclaimed investment drama Life Without Principle (2011) directed by Johnnie To, and the comedy Temporary Family (2014) opposite Nick Cheung.
She says: "I hope to do more movies and get new experiences. There are so many film directors I dream of working with, such as Wong Kar Wai.
"But I'll still be doing TV too. I just want to keep working and trying new things, so hopefully, I'll get a good variety of TV roles."
1 Who is your ideal type of guy?
I like guys who are positive and open-minded, and those whom I can talk to easily about a lot of things, and it helps if we have a lot in common. You know, it'll be good if we share similar views on family and life, and all of that.
2 Hong Kong actors Kenneth Ma and Kevin Cheng are considered eligible bachelors. What do you think about them as potential boyfriends?
Yes, I think they're great options (laughs), but I think it's better if I look for guys who are not in the entertainment industry. I think my world view is too small because almost all of the people I know are from the industry. So I'm hoping to meet more people who are not working in this industry, and broaden my horizons a little.
3 Do you think it is harder to find a romantic partner when you are a public figure?
Yes, and that is exactly why I'm still single. (Laughs) I don't want to have that feeling where I'm being treated as "superior" to them. I'm just an ordinary girl.
4 Would you want to have children someday?
If I manage to find a good father for the baby, then yes. I am very open to having children - I just need to find my other half first. I'm not open to having children before I get married.
5 You play a very jealous person in Lady Sour. Do you get jealous easily in real life?
I think I do. But that is because I tend to invest a lot of emotions into my relationships and I'm serious about the relationships. So if I get jealous, it only means that I care about my other half. I won't get jealous for no reason. I also like it when guys get jealous over me because it means that they care about me.
6 What role would you love to play that you have not had the chance to attempt?
I think I would like to play a serious role as a cop. I have played a policewoman before, but it was in a comedy. I really want to be able to do more intense roles, more psychological drama types.
7 Will you be renewing your contract with TVB when it expires at the end of the year?
All I can say is that I'm currently still in discussions with TVB. It's a huge decision for me if I leave TVB because it's where I started and also where I spent almost half of my life. No matter what I choose to do, however, I will forever be grateful to TVB. It will always be my "hometown".
8 How would you like to be remembered?
Wow, what a question. I don't think I have reached that stage of life where I should be considering this. But I guess I hope people will remember me and like me for my roles and for the work I have put in my acting.
Follow Yip Wai Yee on Twitter @STyipwaiyee
Lady Sour airs on demand on TVB First (StarHub TV Channel 860).
