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Fiona Xie film's promo not around for activities
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THIS martial arts flick was local actress Fiona Xie's last acting project before she famously quit showbiz in 2009 and dropped off the radar.

And almost two years to the day she left, Fist Of Dragon is due to open here without the presence of its sexy star.

Xie is not participating in the promotional activities for the movie as her schedule is full from July to August, said a representative of the movie's production house.

It's not known what she's busy with, only that she isn't in Singapore.

Fist Of Dragon's director and lead actor Michael Chuah, 32, told The New Paper in an interview on Thursday that he's disappointed but not overly upset by her absence.

He said: "It would definitely help if she were here but she has her private affairs to attend to. "I don't know what happened to her in between (the filming and now) but I believe she's facing some pressure as well.

"Besides, even though she's not here, she's still helping to promote (it) because the media writes about her and the movie."

Chuah, a Singapore-based Malaysian who has practised the Chinese martial art Nanquan for 20 years, added that he is thankful she left showbiz only after she finished filming Fist Of Dragon. Xie, 29, filmed her scenes in Malacca over 10 days in May and June 2009.

She plays Lily, a runaway who joins a triad that terrorises the residents of the laid-back town she lives in.

Her father Chen (played by local comedian Henry Thia) is a victim as well until his nephew Jie (Chuah) arrives from China to challenge the mobsters.

The gongfu-packed movie, a collaboration between Singapore and China, with a production budget of $1.5 million, opens here on Aug 4 and in Malaysia and China later this year.

In July 2009, Xie, formerly a MediaCorp artiste, suddenly walked out of a plum role in the Channel 8 blockbuster drama Together days before filming was due to begin.

Little is known of her since then, only that she moved to Hong Kong to be with her Australian-American boyfriend and to work as a photography producer.

She remained mostly uncontactable, appearing in public only sporadically. In April, she was a surprise guest at celebrity hairstylist David Gan's Passion hair show here at Men's Fashion Week 2011.

Chuah said she was very passionate about the movie during filming and showed no signs of having any troubles, which was why he was shocked to hear of her sudden "retirement" from showbiz.

Back then, he was already worried about whether she could participate in Fist Of Dragon's publicity trail.

"When the news first broke, I hoped she was only taking a break and would return to showbiz soon," he added.

"Then, when the movie's release was delayed for more than six months because of censorship issues with China, I thought that could be a blessing in disguise because it meant I could afford to wait for Fiona to return."

The movie's production house Fusion Media told The New Paper it contacted Xie's former manager in MediaCorp in April and was told around a month later that she wasn't free to promote the movie.

Chuah added that even though the movie contract stated Xie is obligated to promote it when it is released, the contract was signed with MediaCorp and not Xie.

As such, the actress is not responsible for the lapse.

Chuah said: "Hopefully, MediaCorp can support the movie in other ways, like maybe free airtime publicity."