Staying Grounded

Fair-faced with a sunny disposition and a honeysuckle voice, Foo Fang Rong is every bit the sweet girl-next-door. She dances, sings, plays the guitar, and certainly knows how to flirt with the camera in a girlish, effortless manner, never mind the uncooperative coastal wind sweeping her tresses across her face and the merciless tropical sun threatening to scorch her porcelain skin.

Though only 23 years of age, she is a veteran by standards — Fang Rong has starred in more than 30 drama series and movies since entering the industry as a four-year-old child model. She recently struck gold with the opportunity to play the female lead in the small-screen adaptation of home-grown musician and playwright Dick Lee’s popular stage musical Fried Rice Paradise. Yet she is not your typical self-possessed celebrity. Instead of preening herself, she fusses over her dog in between sets, refilling its portable