Eddie Peng says he's not in a love triangle with Jolin Tsai and Barbie Hsu

Eddie Peng says he's not in a love triangle with Jolin Tsai and Barbie Hsu
By Charlene Chua / The New Paper
ONE of his latest films is titled All About Women. And in real life, charismatic Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng seems to be quite the expert in handling the fairer sex.

The 26-year-old idol - who was in town over the weekend to promote his new anime-adapted TV series Honey And Clover - spoke candidly and humorously and answered all questions with ease, even sensitive ones regarding his love life.

Since last year, Eddie, who grew up in Canada, has been persistently referred to as Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai's squeeze. He was also spotted getting into Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu's car on the set of their new movie My So Called Love.

A love triangle, perhaps?

No, says Eddie.

'There definitely isn't a love triangle,' he deadpanned to The New Paper.

'I would say we are three parallel lines.'

He also declined to reveal which hottie is more compatible, saying: 'They are exactly the same to me, so I can't choose!'

But Eddie cheerfully revealed a real love triangle he was caught in during his junior high school days when he helped a friend chase a girl he was also in love with.

'She ended up rejecting him because she liked me,' he said, chuckling.

Okay, so he claims there's nothing romantic going on between him and Barbie.

But maybe it's because she had pummelled the stuffing out of him on the set of My So Called Love, which opens in Taiwan on 21 Nov.

Eddie plays her selfless, giving long-time boyfriend who catches her having cybersex - the couple themselves hadn't done the deed despite being together for a decade.

He then had to endure Barbie repeatedly hitting him in the scene where she discovers that he had checked her computer history.

The beating was rather brutal, but Eddie took it in his stride.

'It wasn't easy because this happens a few times in the movie but after the hitting stops, I just walk away and then it's okay,' he said, adding that he can tolerate his own girlfriend beating his chest because he finds it 'quite cute'.

Their relationship then takes a turn for the worse when Eddie's character starts to explore intimacy with men.

He prepared for this by watching films with similar content and consulting his own bisexual friends.

He said: 'I have friends who don't know if they prefer women or men. So from what they tell me, I can understand how they are feeling. This helps me get into the mind of someone who questions his sexual preference.'

As for having to kiss a guy, Eddie said: 'The actor whom I did the scene with was very professional. We did the whole scene in just one take.'

Eddie attributes his easy-going nature to being raised by women - he was brought up by his single mum and grandmother and was always surrounded by his sisters and female cousins.

Although he can never fathom how women can spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of boots and buy it in different colours, he still claims to understand women well.

He said: 'Women are ruled by their emotions and having lived in a household filled with women, I get them.'

Perhaps that's why he was cast in All About Women, which opens in cinemas here on 4 Dec.

He plays an otaku - the Japanese term for a person who is obsessed with anime, manga, video games and so on - who is in love with the character played by Taiwanese actress Kwai Lun Mei.

And once again, Eddie gets beaten up by his love interest in the movie.

'Why do I always get beaten up,' he asked with a laugh.

But when asked to choose between All About Women's three lead actresses Zhou Xun, Kitty Zhang (who plays his cousin and boss) and Lun Mei as his date in real life, he went back to Lun Mei.

'Zhou Xun is married and Kitty is going out with (Hong Kong actor-director) Stephen Chow. So there's only one possible choice.'

Nicole Kidman, Jessica Alba and Song Hye Kyo are Eddie's dream women, but his true love must possess 'honesty, personality and (there must be) destiny'.

He also admitted he's capable of doing quirky things to the object of his affection, like dressing her up in a mouse costume - something done by his Honey And Clover character Shen Tian, a student who sleeps 48 hours in school.

Eddie joked: 'I would (do that) if I had a girlfriend. But I'm single and available now.'

When prodded about the costume, he replied: 'I'll put her in a mouse costume and call her Mickey.'