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If
you’ve been
away too long, Ken Chu is, of course, a fourth of
F4, the phenomenal
boy band from Taiwan that had lookers Jerry Yan, Vic
Zhou and Vaness Wu among its members. They made a splash
in the teleserye Meteor Garden, which is still being
rerun today.
It is testament to F4’s enduring popularity that
members are still sought after. Jerry Yan became the
face of Bench and now it’s Ken’s turn to
keep the kilig factor alive.
Prior to becoming an Asian superstar, Ken worked as
a waiter in a small restaurant in Taiwan called “12
Barbeque.” This is where Cai Zhi Ping, the creator
of the pop quartet, discovered him. He had modest beginnings
in the entertainment industry, employed as an assistant
for some artists before moving on to supporting roles
in forgettable shows. But they were precursors to what
would become an Asian phenomenon. Ken, together with
the rest of F4, went on to star in Meteor Garden, Meteor
Rain and Meteor Garden II.
With Jerry‘s supermodel looks, Vic’s angelic
demeanor, and the drool-worthy sexiness of Vaness,
Ken exuded a down-to-earth-ness that made a gazillion
fanatics shriek themselves silly. They embarked on
seven major concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Manila,
major cities of Southeast Asia and in some parts of
the U.S. They recorded four top selling albums and
pushed plenty of products. They also became the official
spokespersons of Taiwan.
Audition
When he pursued a solo career, Ken came out with
an album called On Ken’s Time and then
recorded the soundtrack to Love Storm. He also
held his
first solo concert in Japan, published a cookbook
of his favorite dishes and topbilled in the movies
Sky of Love and Tokyo Trial.
In Batanes, his third major movie, Ken plays
Kao Tan, the stranger found by Pam, Iza Calzado’s
character, in Ivujos Island. She takes him back
to the village where the natives view him with
suspicion
because anglers from Taiwan are said to fish illegally
off the waters of Batanes. Of course, the real
story happens between Kao and Pam as they fall
in love
amidst language and cultural differences and the
animosity of the villagers.
Ken reportedly auditioned for the role and director
Adolf Alix Jr. said during the press conference of
the movie that when he sent back the script to the
Manila team, he had suggestions on how to flesh his
character and make his dialogue more realistic.
Under the weather
But he was less than chipper that day.
“
Sorry, I am not feeling well,” he said even
as he looked none the worse for the west in his
gray casual suit with matching gray-tinted shades,
designer
jeans and black Chuck Taylors. It cannot be denied
that the former Xi Nen of Meteor Garden, oozes
with an ultra-electro-magnetic x-factor.
As for his co-star Iza Calzado, the 28-year-old,
who speaks a little English (and fluent Mandarin,
Cantonese with a little Thai, Indonesian and Japanese)
had this to say: “She is very caring, attentive
to my needs. We went swimming together, we’ve
been making out with each other… really close!”
Well, maybe he meant it in another way but what
he says about the northernmost tip of the country
rang
loud and clear: “Batanes is like paradise
to me. It is simply amazing!”
He hopes to do another Philippine project, even as
he readies himself for the launch of the new album
of F4. He was also taping a show in Taiwan.
Like a true Capricorn, Ken dislikes being “financially-challenged.” He
is also not a fan of dieting or perspiring. But
he hardly breaks a sweat when, even after being
under
the weather, he flashes his pearly whites (his
favorite body part) and we are again under his
spell. |
