Eddie, Eddie, quite contrary

SINGAPORE — We were honestly really looking forward to interviewing Eddie Peng.

The Taiwanese heartthrob, who’s starred in idol dramas like Honey And Clover and Wayward Kenting, first caught our attention in 2011’s Jump Ashin!, where he plays an aspiring gymnast. It also didn’t hurt that he had a stunning physique, and was (ahem, to our delight) topless in many scenes.

And so we couldn’t wait to ask the super-fit 31-year-old about his role as a mixed martial arts (MMA) rookie in his latest film Unbeatable, which co-stars Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung.

Our enthusiasm, unfortunately, cooled significantly after what ended up as a very brief phone chat (We were promised 13 minutes! We got seven!), during which more than one reporter threw her arms up in frustration.

At any rate, here’s what the dude had to say.

Q: There was a scene in Unbeatable where your character accidentally kisses Nick Cheung while you’re training. Can you tell us how that felt?

A: It was okay. Not bad.

Q: We heard director Dante Lam had only requested for one kiss in the scene. But you added another one.

A: I’ve done similar scenes – where I kiss my co-stars once – but I’ve never kissed them twice before. So I thought I’d try giving him two pecks, instead of one.

Q: Was Nick Cheung ticked off about that?

A: Huh? No, I don’t think so. I think he’s quite gracious. And we were making a movie, it should be okay.

Q: When you say the kiss felt okay, what did you mean?

A: I don’t know, I didn’t think so much while we were filming. I’m already very happy about being able to work with Cheung.

Q: We saw a photo where Cheung touched your chest. Was that awkward?

A: It was okay, it was a little awkward.

(A MYSTERIOUS MAN’S VOICE: Please don’t ask so many questions about the kiss, or we won’t be able to continue the interview.)

Q: Er, okay. What was most challenging about this role?

A: Having to train at the gym, for a long time.

Q: Are you disappointed about not winning Best Actor? (Nick Cheung won the Best Actor award at the Shanghai International Film Festival for his role in Unbeatable)

A: No. You never know with awards. The person who does better will win. There’s nothing to be calculating about.

Q: We heard you worked so hard on the movie that you threw up.

A: We shot more than ten hours a day on set, so we didn’t have much time to rest during filming. It was really tough then. But I didn’t throw up during filming. I did throw up during training though.

Q: Did you ever think of giving up?

A: It was tough, but I didn’t think of giving up.

Q: What about your abs? Are they still there?

A: I guess so.

Q: Did you eat a lot of ice cream after filming wrapped?

A: There was one scene where I ate some ice cream. Oh you mean, after the movie?

Q: Nick Cheung says he hasn’t stepped into the gym after the movie. Have you maintained your physique?

A: Yes, because I’m making some other films. But not so ... I’ll train harder if there’s a need to, for my role. But now ... I’ve always been working out anyway.

Q: Have you been more popular with the girls, ever since you started working out?

A: No, I’ve made other movies too. Maybe you’ve never seen them.

Q: Which is more difficult to train for? Gymnastics in Jump Ashin! or mixed martial arts in Unbeatable?

A: They are both professions that need to be respected, and they are both very difficult to train for. Both need a lot of time to prepare for, and I hope that my performance won’t bring disgrace to the athletes. It’s also a form of respect to my job. Training is tough, but it has to be tough for it to look realistic. If I wanted to quit, I wouldn’t have taken the job.

Q: You’ve said you’ll go back to making idol dramas too, if good roles are available. What sort of roles do you prefer?

A: I like all sorts of roles.

Q: We don’t see you in that many idol dramas anymore. Do you miss those days?

A: I haven’t done so many idol dramas recently because I’ve been making movies these past few years. If there are good idol dramas or suitable ones, I’ll still make them. If you’re talking about my “muscleman” roles, there’s only been Jump Ashin! and Unbeatable. And it’s been two, three years since Jump Ashin! In-between I’ve made other movies, but maybe you’re not clear about that. There are some romantic dramas, and I’ve also acted as villains in some others. So you can watch them. They are not the same. I can do quite a few genres, and I like them. I don’t just act in athletic movies. Got it? Thank you.

Unbeatable opens in theatres here on Aug 15. Check out the review on http://tdy.sg/todaymovies.