If a foreign actress is going to make a leap into American films -- why not make it a kick the first time out?

"They needed someone that could play Jackie's sister, could speak English and kick butt," Singapore music and film sensation Fann Wong said, laughing about her role in "Shanghai Knights," which debuts on video this week.

The Jackie she refers to, of course, is noneother than Jackie Chan, the master martial artist who plays Wong's over-protective big brother in the film. A lifelong fan of Chan's films, Wong, needless to say, looked up to him off-screen as well.

"I was a fan of his since my school days," Wong, 32, said to me in a recent @ The Movies phone interview from Singapore. "He was one of my favorite actors back then because he was so funny and so good at Kung Fu, and it never occurred to me that I would ever be work along with him. It's one of my biggest dreams to be able to work with Jackie because he was so famous for his fight scenes."

In the film, Wong plays Chon Lin, who teams with her brother Chon Wang (Chan) in England to find their father's killer and restore their family's honor. Teaming with the duo is Wang's best buddy, the rowdy American Ray O'Bannon (Owen Wilson).

Of course, with every Chan movie comes elaborate fight scenes, and at least to begin with, Wong thought she was up to the task. She soon learned otherwise. During the first two weeks of intensive training, Wong said she woke up with body aches.

"When I first got the role, I thought it would be a breeze because I did a few Kung Fu shows at home and it was not new to me," Wong said. "Initially, Jackie was very, very picky about me. He was very strict. But you have to be strict because I'm playing his sister in the movie so I better fight as good as him."

That's not to say Wong wasn't having a good time.

"With Jackie and Owen it's always fun," Wong enthused. "It was only when I was doing my fight scenes that Jackie would become stern and straight."

While she still does morning stretches and kicks, Wong hasn't kept up with her strict training regimen since the film wrapped. She does have a good excuse, though -- she's involved in several other facets of the entertainment industry.

Wong has been working literally nonstop for the past nine years, acting in both film and television in Singapore. A former model, Wong has appeared in nearly 30 projects since 1994.

"I really love acting, so I don't mind getting piles and piles of work and working nonstop. I don't know where I get my energy from," she laughed. "That's the way we work in Asia, I guess."

And, on top of that, she's one of native country's biggest singing stars. She's earned, among many accolades, Singapore's Special Achievement Award in 2000: the biggest honor for the local entertainment industry.

Wong described her typical day to me, so get ready to catch your breath.

"I'm just lucky that people like my music," Wong said. "In the daytime I film, and the nighttime I go to the studio to record my music until dawn, and then in the morning I go back to filming again. It's very crazy."

Up until dawn, huh? After "Shanghai Knights," Could "Shanghai Mornings" be around the corner?

Keep doing those morning stretches and kicks, Fann: Jackie may soon come calling again.