Louis is Koo about dollars and sense July 31, 2001 Totally drained out, but Louis Koo still said "Yes" to his Singapore assignment last Friday. And why not when he could pocket $80,000 for just lip-synching 5 songs! By Elisa Chia (Click on pictures for larger image) Work smart, not hard. Hong Kong actor-singer Louis is one who knows that it pays well, literally, to heed those golden words. Gu Tianle or Gu Zai (as he is also affectionately known) had catapulted to fame via TV dramas 7 years ago but intends to step out of them. At least "for the next couple of years". Or unless his alma mater station TVB "needs his help". "Filming for a TV drama can be very tedious," the 30-year-old blurted out in Cantonese at a press conference held at the Canto Pub last Friday. He now wants to concentrate on movies, which is comparatively "more rewarding". Indeed, apart from a fatter pay-cheque, filming for the big screen may just be a shortcut to international fame. The Legend Of Zu, in which he plays a heavyweight role of the Blood Demon -- the epitome of mortal evil, has been hyped to be the next Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to take on the world. Directed by Tsui Hark of Chinese Ghost Story and The Swordsman fame, the much-anticipated wuxia extravaganza -- opening in Singapore on August 9 -- also boasts a stellar cast of Zhang Ziyi, Ekin Cheng and Cecilia Cheung. Pretty Phyllis wins Louis' praise Among his accomplishments, Louis also starred opposite actor Daniel Wu and local darling Phyllis Quek in the upcoming Born Wild, a sequel to Kwok's 1996 movie, Someone Up There Loves Me. The movie also opens next month. On his impression with Phyllis, the self-confessed introvert recounted, "Filming started at about 5am that day and I was very sleepy. So I didn't speak a single word to her. "From observation, she seemed like a quiet girl. That's good 'cos I'm afraid of talkative girls. She's also very pretty. "First knew her in (Raintree production) 2000AD. But never expected her acting to be so good." Savvy star @ work Of course, while good timing and opportunities are often equated to his showbiz success, it also helps to have enviable good looks. So desirable, indeed, that word has it that even a MediaWorks Channel U male artiste (guess who, don't sue!) was rumoured to have gone under the plastic surgeon's knife for it. Hotly in demand by film and television, the bronzed 1.81-metre tall good-looker has also marketed himself as a singer. Despite 3 Cantonese albums in his belt, he deadpanned almost unapologetically, "Hey, first and foremost, I can't sing well. "My biggest weakness is (also) that I can't remember my songs' lyrics." This explained why he chose not to sing "live" at his mini-gig at Canto Pub where he performed 5 hits last Friday. His fans had paid the usual $18 admission for the short stint. In any case, Louis obviously took his task easy and saw this "working trip" to Singapore as a paid holiday -- one which organisers Canto and The Event Specialists (also behind the upcoming Andy Hui concert) reportedly forked, in their words, "a worthy sum" of $80,000. Now, that's truly a smart worker! More entertainment stories here   Like our digital photos? Print them into hard copy versions with Photoprints.