Mok reveals all about nude scenes

Actress Monica Mok Siu-kei says going nude for the love scenes in Ocean Flame was not as difficult as she thought it would be.

It was the first time Mok (right) stripped in front of the camera and while it was nerve-racking to do so before a crew of more than 50 men, she learned to relax.

'Everyone was very professional, no one would stare at me. Like the director told me, everyone would be curious but [a woman's body] is nothing new, it wasn't like I was from outer space. If I could let go, people would respect me more as an actress, they would understand I did it for art.'

In the hard-hitting drama Mok plays waitress Lichuan, who falls for a violent pimp called Wang Yao, played by mainland actor Liao Fan.

The film, directed by Liu Fendou and produced by veteran actor Simon Yam Tat-wah, required Mok to appear nude in many scenes. 'I am a professional actress, if that needed to be done, I'd do it,' said the 25-year-old.

'Most of the scenes were done in a natural way and the focus was not on the nude part or the intercourse, it was more about the mental dilemma between a man and a woman. After I had completed my first nude scene, there was no battle doing it again.'

But Mok's parents might have mixed feelings about her role.

'My mum is an art lover; she encouraged me to act since a young age and I know she would support me whatever I do. But men are generally more protective of their daughters and I'm the only child in the family, so it made it difficult to convince my dad. For him, this is an unstable career and who would want their daughters to be doing something unstable?

'But I made a promise to him that I would complete my education before I pursued my dream. Now I am living my own life.'

Mok says Ocean Flame will show her father how determined she is about acting - even though 'maybe he'll be a little shocked when he sees the film'.

The film is an adaptation of Chinese novelist Wang Shuo's Yi Ban Shi Huo Yan, Yi Ban Shi Hai Shui (translated as Half Flame, Half Sea Water). The story was originally made into a movie called Love the Hard Way in 2001, directed by German Peter Sehr and starring Oscar winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna.

Born in Beijing, Mok moved to Sydney with her family when she was nine. After studying business at college, she worked at a bank for about six months but soon realised she wanted to be an actress.

She began her career by hosting for Channel V and has since presented several shows and acted in a handful of TV series on the mainland.

Making Ocean Flame wasn't all plain sailing, she admits. Mok and other cast members were yelled at by Liu on set at times. 'It was brutal. His words were so cruel, but it was not just to me but to everybody, including himself. But I knew all he was trying to do was to help us to get into character,' she says. 'I really think he is a genius director.'

Ocean Flame is showing now

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51krrPAyJyjnmdman91hJJopKijXaeyt7HApapmmZyheqKuzq6rZqalmbJuv8KepZ6r