Cheryl Desiree Chan was 12 when she played a student in the Jack Neo film.
'I feel very tired of it. Every time people see me on the street, they say, you're the 'I Not Stupid' girl,' she said.
Now 19, the pretty young thing is showcasing her other talents as a beauty queen.
She was picked after auditions to be Singapore's representative at the Miss Tourism Queen International Pageant 2008.
The competition will take place in China over three weeks, with the final in Zhengzhou on 10 Apr.
Beauty queens usually start out in pageants then move over to acting or singing or hosting.
Just look at the many TVB actresses who did so, or our own Jaime Teo and Eunice Olsen, both former MissSingapore Universe winners.
But Cheryl is doing it the other way around.
Having acted in several TV serials, appeared in commercials and even released an album as a child, she already had rock-solid credentials in the entertainment world before she signed on for the beauty contest.
So why is she taking part?
'I always think, if you join a beauty pageant, it's not about achieving fame, it's about doing something for yourself,' said Cheryl, who was named by director Jack Neo as one of his Seven Babes - pretty faces he's grooming for greater things.
Acting, she said, is very different from pageants. She also found it much easier to bond on the pageant stage than on a TV or movie set.
Ms Tracy Lee, event director for ERM Marketing, which holds the licence for Miss Singapore Tourism Queen, had only praise for her.
'Cheryl is a bright girl, has her A levels, is intelligent and pretty. She has the physical attributes and beauty which is what the pageant requires of her,' she said.
She added: 'Being Miss Singapore would help her in her future, for her resume.'
As a child model, Cheryl had earlier contested in the International Cinderella Pageant in Las Vegas, when she was 10.
She said she enjoyed the experience, and is still in contact with the friends she made there.
It's fun, even if it's hard work. Plus, she gets the chance to 'network', since she says she wants to be a businesswoman someday.
Like her previous pageant experience, Miss Tourism Queen International - aptly for a pageant that aims to promote tourism - will take her places. Literally.
Her first trip to the USA was thanks to the Cinderella pageant. And for Miss Tourism Queen International, she'll not only get to visit China, but experience travelling on her own for the first time.
The good old days:Cheryl (far left) with the I Not Stupid cast and her mentor Jack Neo
When she was in Las Vegas, her parents accompanied her throughout the 10 days she was there.
An only child, she said her parents were opposed to her going to China but she managed to persuade them, saying she would be well-looked after in the three weeks she'll spend there.
But that wasn't her parents' only concern.
There's also the swimwear segment.
'My mum was like, huh, must wear ah?' said Cheryl.
But they understood she didn't have a choice.
She said she was uncomfortable at first, but she got over it.
'Since everyone does it, just do it,' she said.
Though she said she is not on a special diet, the 172cm tall Cheryl, who weighs 53kg, is trying to slim down.
'My mum keeps saying I'm fat, I don't know why,' the young actress (who isn't at all fat) said with a laugh.
Cheryl said she wasn't joining the contest to show that she has grown up, though the swimwear pictures certainly show that she has.
She admitted that though she is still a bit childish, she was tired of playing young girls, like students, and so on.
'I hope to break out of it soon, but because of age and looks...' she said, trailing off.
She said she wouldn't mind trying sexy roles.
Could joining this beauty pageant be a way of stepping out of Jack Neo's shadow?
'I'm not trying to step out of anybody's shadow - more like I'm helping them to publicise J-Team (Neo's management company),' she said.
You can vote for Cheryl in the Miss Internet Popularity poll in Miss Singapore Tourism Queen International 2008 website at www.misstqi.com at US$0.30 (41cents) per vote.
Out of about 120 contestants, Cheryl was in seventh place at press time.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Mar 23, 2008.
