Mark Chao on working with ex-girlfriend Ning Chang

SINGAPORE – It can be painful enough meeting an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend on the street.

But can you imagine having to romance your ex in a movie, in front of the entire world, including your wife?

Although Mark Chao claims his wife, Chinese actress Gao Yuan Yuan, was not worried about his reunion with Ning Chang on the big screen, the 30-year-old admitted having some concerns.

“When we were discussing the script, (director Tsai Yueh-Hsun) and I were both a little worried about whether this would become a problem when we promoted the movie,” the actor said today (Oct 1) at a press conference in Singapore for his new movie, Black And White: The Dawn Of Justice. “But for the sake of the story and the movie, we decided to go ahead with it.”

Chang played Chao’s love interest in the wildly popular 2009 Taiwan television series, Black and White. The Dawn Of Justice, which is set before the TV series, sets out to explain why Chang’s character is so devoted to Chao’s.

Besides his ex-girlfriend, Chao also found himself acting opposite Tsai, who ended up playing the main antagonist after the original actor cast in the movie pulled out.

“It was so difficult to focus on my role in the beginning, because we are so familiar with each other – almost like brothers. And then suddenly, I had to act opposite him!” Chao quipped. “His whole villain outfit really stood out. I got a real shock when I saw him.”

Black and White: The Dawn Of Justice opens in theatres on Oct 9, with sneak previews from Oct 3.