"These two men, how they like their women to be is so different," she says. "The way Wong sees beauty, or women related to beauty, it has to be that sensual, perfect thing, whereas Olivier is more interested in something more internal and modern. But I feel happy to be able to fit into their desires of what they want to see on the screen. That's what interests me in my work, to transform according to different directors."
As much as the transformations she's made in her life, it's the ones she hasn't made that have made Cheung who she is. The more successful she gets, the more discerning she has become about her roles. As well as her self-imposed exile in the 1990s, she's passed up numerous opportunities to become a global celebrity, including a role as a James Bond girl, and a part in the comic-book movie X-Men.
Cheung readily admits she's a very proud person, and perhaps that's the connection between her lives on screen and off.
"I think it comes from far away inside me, to be strong to survive everything that comes my way. I think, going back to the beginning, feeling like an alien in an English school when I was eight, that set up my pride very early on. I think I'm very defensive, but I'm trying not to be like that any more."
She still plans to take the rest of this year off, rather than cashing in on her Cannes prestige. "Having done so much before, I'm kind of lazy now. Because I've done so many different roles, I don't want to repeat myself. It's getting harder and harder to find something interesting. You never know, I might never make a film again."
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