Stephanie Chai might only be 23 but she’s already traveled the world as a model. She has appeared in regional advertising campaigns and her face has graced the cover of many magazines in the region.

Oon Yeoh

MW: You look very Eurasian. Are you Malaysian?
SC: Yes I am. I was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. My mom is Italian. She has a very long name: Ernestina Santina Baratto but everybody knows her simply as Tina Chai!

MW: Do you have an exotic Chinese name?
SC: Yeah… Mei Ling. Very exotic, right? Ha…ha…

MW: You’ve been modeling abroad for many years. Where have you been and when did you come back?
SC: I went abroad in 2002. Was in Bangkok, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong. But I’ve been back in Malaysia since last August.

MW: That’s a lot of moving around. How does your mobile phone cope with all that traveling?
SC: I own seven SIM cards!

MW: Seven SIM cards! Which countries are they from?
SC: Two from Taiwan and one each from New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.

MW: Why come home?
SC: I’ve been trying to get into TV and theatre here. I’ve been modeling since I was 18. It’s time to do something more fulfilling.



MW: So, acting is what you really want to do, huh?
SC: Acting is my passion. In school, I always joined the theatre.  I love comedies.

MW: What are some of your favourite movies?
SC: Raise The Red Lantern, Hero, Crash, Life Is Beautiful and The Usual Suspects.   
     
MW: Have you managed to get any acting jobs?
SC: Yes, I have a supporting role in 8TV’s KL Lights. It’s a drama-comedy about a journalist who writes an “agony aunt” column and about how she and her friends navigate through the emotional baggage of living life in the big city.
 
MW: What role do you play?
SC: I play Veronica, a vixen, you know, a man-eater. She’s the typical spoilt rich-girl type who takes job of the main charater, Nadia because her dad is influential. However, as the show progresses you’ll see why Veronica is how she is. Nothing is ever picture perfect in life.

MW: So, no more modeling?
SC: I will continue modeling but I want to move towards doing more TV work. I’ve been modeling for four years. I never wanted to be a supermodel. I have no ambition to go to Milan.

MW: What brand of mobile phone do you currently use?
SC: I have a basic Nokia phone. I lose my phones all the time. I recently lost two phones in two months. They were ruthlessly stolen, actually. So, I don’t buy expensive phones.

MW: Is a basic phone enough for you though?
SC: Yeah, that’s all I need. Texting and chatting. Strangely, these days I can do it with my eyes closed... hee!

MW: Do you own any other mobile gadgets?
SC: I own a Toshiba laptop, an iPod and a camera. But I’m especially addicted to my laptop.

MW: Why is that so?
SC: My laptop is always with me. I use it mainly for research, to check my e-mails and to keep in touch with my friends via MSN and Friendster. Apart from that I also do a bit of editing on my laptop.

MW: What kind of editing?
SC: I normally edit videos of my friends. I like doing that, for fun.

MW: What type of music do you have in your iPod?
SC: R ‘n’ B, Chinese, meditation music, house music and pop among others.

MW: Have you managed to adapt well to Malaysia?
SC: I like KL. I like the people here a lot.

MW: Where do you hang out?
SC: I like to go to Cyna’s at Asian Heritage Row. The music there is great!

MW: So, no regrets about returning home, huh?
SC: Not at all. It feels almost like “home” to me.

Stephanie Chai can be contacted through Talent Factory (www.talentfactory.com.my)