Adult video star talks the talk as buildup sizzles with controversy

The first Hong Kong-born porn star to debut in Japan, Erena So Hoi-lam, is talking up a storm as her film nears its release.

"I genuinely love sex so I'm turning my interest into a career," the 24-year-old told media in Hong Kong yesterday.

She added she is confident she will succeed as an adult video star after news of her debut drew heated discussions on the internet.

Her first film, with prominent Japanese male porn star Ken Shimizu, is due to be released in a week or two.

So said during her nine-day stay in Japan, she worked from 7am to 8pm for six days of shooting. She made two films.

"There is one thing I really love about the Japanese production team, they paid much respect and were attentive to me," she said. So, who is learning Japanese, spoke Cantonese in the film.

The team did not force her to do anything she did not want and kept telling her that she could pause the filming if she felt uncomfortable, she said.

So has not told her family about her job, but hopes they would understand.

"I can't ask my family to look after me forever. I think I can be a success [and later help my family too]," she said.

She defended the industry, saying it is respectable, and added it is not easy to be naked before cameras.

It has taken So almost two years to reach this stage.

"I e-mailed my CV to Japanese porn production companies and they either ignored or rejected me. Then I approached production companies in Taiwan, asking if they could help me contact their Japanese counterparts," she said.

So plans to work as an adult-film star for at least three years before moving on to becoming an actress in different genres of films and TV dramas.

Male web users flooded local forums to congratulate her, many promising to buy DVDs of her films.

So urged them to keep their promises and support her career through official sites. She even organized group orders on her Instagram, with some fans paying HK$7,000 for 20 DVDs - each costing HK$350.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity police launched an investigation into a case of a false press release issued "on behalf of" culture minister Kelvin Yeung Yun-hung congratulating So's debut. The fake release ran on the local forum LIHKG on Wednesday and was soon deleted.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com