AFTER 1 1/2 years, film-maker Eric Khoo has finally found his Rose Chan. But Malaysian model actress Christy Yow, 23, who is slated to play the famous 1950s striptease dancer is going to have to wait another year before the cameras start rolling.

Khoo says filming on the biopic might start only at the end of 2010. The 44-year-old is instead busy on another project, an animated Japanese feature based on manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi's memoir A Drifting Life.

Yow is unfazed by the delay. She said: 'I have two film projects with Scorpio East in 2010, a comedy and a serious drama, so timing-wise, it is great. By the time I finish these two projects, I am all ready for Rose. This will definitely give me more time to prepare for the role.'

Khoo had this to say of his leading lady: 'She's really good for someone who had not acted before. At her second audition, she just blew me away.'

As for whether Yow made the grade physically given that Chan was known for her buxomy figure, he said: 'Her breasts are huge but her body is very skinny, so she has to put on more weight for the role.'

Read the full report in Thurdsday's edition of The Straits Times' LIFE!.