With seven bestselling albums, and more than 200,000 copies sold in Singapore alone, no one could fault singer Jay Chou if he rests on his laurels.

But the 28-year-old looks set for a fulfilling second career: He wrote, directed, and starred in his first movie, the campus romance titled Secret, which opens in Singapore on Aug 8.

Early reviews from press screenings have been favourable - most called it a competent debut effort.

In the 90-minute movie, Chou plays a music student who embarks on a search for his female classmate (Kwai Lun-mei) who mysteriously disappears from school one day.

While Kwai has given her co-star a full "100 marks" for his debut work, Chou would only allow himself 95. "It'd be strange if I gave myself a perfect score," he said.

Casually clad in a black shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes for this interview, Chou was in Singapore as part of a regional promotional tour for Secret.

Last seen in last year's Zhang Yimou period movie, Curse of the Golden Flower, Chou said he prefers staying behind the camera: "As an actor, you do what you're told. As a director, you can change your ideas any time, and control the scene."

Saying he has hit a plateau in his singing career, Chou sees directing as an alternative creative outlet. "If I continue to stand at the same spot, I cannot improve. So it's time to change tracks. I have lots of ideas to express."

For a start, he has drawn inspiration for Secret from a childhood experience, never mind that it's nowhere as romanticised as the movie. "It happened when I was about 14," he said. "She broke up with me saying that the exams were near."

A romantic at heart, Chou confessed: "I used to like this (other) girl. On her birthday, I brought her to a park, told her to close her eyes, and then set off some firecrackers. It was like a scene from a movie."

But his next directorial effort is likely to be an action flick. Or perhaps a serious drama. Or maybe even an animated movie.

After all, Doraemon is his favourite cartoon.

"Many childhood dreams have been built upon this character," he said.
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(CRI.cn August 2, 2007)