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TIME: I loved Irma Vep, but it got very mixed reactions?
Cheung: Yeah, the best cities were Paris, London and New York, which I can relate to, but all my friends here in Hong Kong, the ones who have seen the film, felt absolutely nothing at all. They said, "there's no story, you're not acting" and I told them that was half the point. Hong Kong people don't get to see enough European cinema.
TIME: Do you have a lot of French film friends now?
Cheung: I made friends from Irma Vep, and also from Olivier and his friends. I wouldn't say friends, more acquaintances. Leo Carax, the director, is actually a friend of mine.
TIME: Will you end up staying in Paris or will Olivier move over here?
Cheung: I don't think there's any use in trying to talk him into moving. If I said, 'it's either a divorce or living in Hong Kong,' I think he would come. But why force him into doing something I already know he'll be miserable doing. I am much less miserable in Paris than he would be in Hong Kong. I don't see him fitting into the culture. He wouldn't make a French film in Hong Kong, and he wouldn't have any interest in making a Chinese film. And there's no point making a film in French, in Hong Kong, in English. He loves his work in France too much.
TIME: Were you surprised to have such a strong reaction to Olivier?
Cheung: Yes. For Olivier and me the joke still is, "Oh wow, you're the first director I slept with! This is so much fun." It's a joke between us....and then before I know it, he's my husband.
TIME: Would you want to work with him again?
Cheung: Mmm. I think anything's possible but I don't think we want to work with each other unless suddenly he had this strong desire to write something.
TIME: How about writing something for yourself?
Cheung: I like the idea of writing and directing something. That would be my goal in life. But that would not be in the near future. I would have to write and direct at the same time because I don't think anyone could give me a script that I would want to direct.
TIME: Do you hate being called the Meryl Streep of Asia?
Cheung: I take it as a compliment. I'm not insulted. But at the same time I don't agree. I don't think I'm as serious as she is in terms of how she looks at her career as an actress. I don't take my life as an actress that seriously. Maybe I'm wrong about her. I appreciate her existence because it gave me some hope watching films like Silkwood, Sophie's Choice--it really gave me hope that a foreign actress could go so far.
TIME: What about you going to France, marrying Olivier and films like Irma Vep. Does that influence Hong Kongers?
Cheung: I don't know. To be honest, I really think a lot of Hong Kong actors/actresses aren't interested in European movies. They are far more interested in Spielberg than Irma Vep. If I had to choose now, it would still be a difficult choice.
TIME: I'd take Irma Vep. It's got a real stamp of originality about it. People will write about it for a long time.
Cheung: And you can marry the director! But then, if it were a project in front of me now, it would have different attractions, and it would be a hard choice. I would have a better time on Irma Vep, but then, being materialistic, you think, 'well, the chance to work with Steven and all that would be the better option.'