Hmm. Which do you think would be most difficult: Learning English as an adult, starring opposite Hollywood yester-hunk Richard Gere, or kindling a torrid love affair with film star and “Wicked Game” crooner Chris Isaak? Chinese émigré Bai Ling has accomplished all of that, and much more, since leaving her homeland fifteen years ago. In The Beautiful Country (opening July 22), she plays an altruistic Chinese prostitute who makes her way from a Malaysian refugee camp to New York City as an illegal immigrant. When we sat down with Ling to talk about the movie, we planned to ask about her tastes in clothing; she has earned a reputation for being among Hollywood’s least-dressed, even going so far as to wear a nipple-baring blouse to the premiere of a children’s movie. She ended up telling us a few things about posing for Playboy, and much more than we wanted to know about her sex life. ??
Do you relate to the prostitute you play in The Beautiful Country? I understand her completely! She is kind of powerless and in need of help. And she’s pretty, so men take advantage of her. Luckily, for me, I’m much more romantic, much more intelligent, and much more gifted than she is. When I go through her life, I think of my own life and think, I’m really lucky.
But surely you relate to the burdens of being pretty… Being pretty is a gift! But it’s also a curse. When I first arrived here, I worked as a waitress. Men gave me tips, took me out to Broadway shows. I didn’t mind it. Everybody wants to be liked. It’s psychological. It’s just flirting, sex, fun.
What else are you working on??I just finished up a Hong Kong film called Dumplings, which is very different from this film. It’s an extremely modern piece. I won four of the most important Asian acting awards for it. I also just finished up a film with William H. Macy. I play an exotic dancer.
Did posing for Playboy prepare you for that one??Yes, Playboy trained me for it. I want to thank Hugh Hefner for making me feel comfortable. Now I can dance naked before strange gentlemen and still feel comfortable.
What was that like? It was liberating. For someone coming from communist China, it’s beyond my wildest dreams! They told me Playboy is like the Western man’s Bible, so I imagined this blond girl with big boobs. But me, I’m all natural. And they still think I’m beautiful.
Are you still dating Chris Isaak? When we see each other. We’re both very busy. I’m very lucky that I get to meet a lot of nice gentlemen. I have different affairs. I have one-night stands. There are so many beautiful men out there. It’s hard to choose sometimes.
Uhhh … I believe one-night stands and lifetime commitments are the same thing. I think that if you meet somebody who makes you feel love, makes you feel butterflies in your stomach, it’s a gift. Doesn’t matter if it’s twenty-four hours or a lifetime.
What’s this we hear about you writing a book? Yes, it’s called Clock: Falling From the Sky, Dreams from Tibet. When I was fourteen years old, I worked as a soldier in Tibet in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. I’m writing a three-hundred-and-twenty-page book about it. I think it’ll be a best-seller.
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