Actor Ethan Ruan worried about steamy sex scenes in new movie

SINGAPORE - He has played the field as an arrogant rich boy, mucked around as a rookie gangster, and bruised his fist as a ruthless assassin.

Now 31-year-old Taiwanese actor Ethan Ruan can add steamy sex scenes to this list.

In his latest film, Paradise in Service, Ruan plays a soldier assigned to a military brothel. But the charming star, who has been acting for 10 years, said he was initially apprehensive about doing the deed.

"Before it was my turn, we were filming Chen Jian Bin and Chen Yi Han's sex scene. Chen Jian Bin loves his wife a lot and there is a big difference in age between him and Chen Yi Han, so the director had quite a few restrictions during their scene," he explained.

Ruan revealed that director, Doze Niu, was happy when it came to his scene with Chinese actress Regina Wan Qian, because he could do whatever he wanted with us.

"At first I was a little worried. But it turned out to be alright because Regina and I had filmed some scenes together and we really trusted each other.

"We had good chemistry and were able to deliver what the director wanted." he said, adding that it was not as embarassing as everyone thought.

Ruan admitted that he was initially worried that his actress girlfriend Tiffany Hsu would get jealous due to the chemistry he shared with his co-star.

He said that it was a big leap for him as he had not tried such a role before, but as actors, both he and his girlfriend understood each other's work requirements and respected each other.

"In the end, she went to watch the movie without me. She was full of praise for Chen Jian Bin's acting and totally didn't talk about my sex scene," he said in an interview with local media to promote his upcoming film.

He revealed that director Niu had joked that he was too full of himself as his girlfriend didn't really care about the steamy scene.

Ruan and Hsu have been together for 7 years, and are rumoured to be getting hitched soon.

"Even if it's been 7 years, I think we should still explore new aspects of each other. At times, I look at her and find her very sexy. When I see her looking sexy, I start to have lustful thoughts," he said when asked about how the couple kept up the spark in their relationship.

Paradise in Service opens in cinemas on Nov 6.

seanyap@sph.com.sg