After a decade away, Hong Kong singer-actress Sammi Cheng made her return to Malaysia on Feb 11.
Cheng, 53, was in Kuala Lumpur to promote her Chinese New Year movie Night King.
Helmed by Hong Kong director Jack Ng, the flick features a nightclub’s chief executive officer, Sister V (Cheng), and its manager Foon (Dayo Wong) – two exes with unresolved tension.
When a powerful conglomerate moves to shut the establishment down for good, the bickering exes must call a truce and band together with their hostesses in a fight to save the business.
The movie also stars Malaysian actresses Fish Liew and Miko Wong.
A standout scene from the film unfolds on a rooftop, where Foon and Sister V engage in a tension- filled debate over the saying, “Couples can share hardships but not wealth”.
At the press conference in KL, Cheng – joined by Ng, Liew and Miko – dismissed the saying, adding: “If two people truly love each other, they can rise above that notion.”
“Sister V really does have an unforgettable love for this man,” she said.
A fitness enthusiast, Cheng – who has several gambling scenes in the movie – revealed she used to play mahjong with her family during Chinese New Year but had to give it up as long hours of sitting started straining her back.
“When you get older, you don’t like using too much ‘brain power’ too... It’s better to just exercise and sweat it out.
“I really wanted to play a nightclub hostess but ended up becoming a CEO instead.
“Maybe I’m too old now, so I’m unsuitable for that role,” the Cantopop star joked.
It’s worth mentioning that Night King marks Cheng and Dayo Wong’s first on-screen reunion since the 2014 rom-com Temporary Family.
“We’re very comfortable around each other in private. He also pays 10 times more attention to the script than I do,” she said.
Spotlighting local talents
For Liew and Miko Wong, Night King serves as yet another opportunity to put Malaysia’s name on the global stage.
In the film, Miko, 31, stars as Mickey – a skilled assistant flown in from Tokyo to work at the nightclub – while Liew, 35, plays the club’s glamorous hostess Mimi.
Miko admitted that acting alongside seasoned stars like Dayo, Cheng and Liew initially made her nervous.
“My hands would tremble a lot whenever I acted alongside them,” she said.
Thankfully, their encouragement throughout the shoot helped boost her confidence.
Meanwhile, Liew is celebrating a Best Actress nomination at the 2026 Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance in Someone Like Me.
Addressing her nod at the KL press conference, she said: “Being nominated already feels like I’ve won.”
Liew added that when the nominations were announced, she was on a flight.
She only discovered the news after landing, when congratulatory messages from friends poured in.
When asked about her thoughts on finding major success in Hong Kong showbiz, the actress humbly replied: “An actor never knows when such an opportunity will come.
“That’s why whenever I perform, I always do my best to ensure I do my role justice.”
Going for a different vibe
Running over two hours, Night King originally clocked in at nearly four hours, director Ng revealed, with a large number of scenes trimmed to fit the final runtime.
Although the film features coarse language, the director expressed his satisfaction that it passed screenings here without any scenes being cut.
“Malaysia is becoming more open-minded just like Hong Kong,” the 50-year-old said with a grin.
Ng shared that the idea for his latest flick came during a celebratory banquet for his 2023 hit A Guilty Conscience, which earned HK$115mil (RM57.5mil) at the box office.
“Unlike the serious courtroom theme of that film, I wanted to create something more lighthearted and cheerful this time,” he explained.
As for box office expectations, Ng hopes the earnings of 'Night King' will surpass A Guilty Conscience.
“This would be proof that I’ve improved as a filmmaker,” he added.
Night King is now showing at cinemas nationwide.
