For Charmaine Sheh, the &ldquo;new luxury&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t about excess, but about ease, curiosity, and the courage to explore new experiences

All jewellery by NIESSING JEWELLERY

Charmaine Sheh has never been one to let a single role define her. Over the years, she has slipped effortlessly from palace courtyards to bustling newsrooms, carrying with her the same quiet determination that has long set her apart. Every character, every story has taught her something about balance &mdash; between strength and softness, ambition and calm.
To Sheh, luxury has never been about how much you have, but how you live. It&rsquo;s about grace: knowing when to push for perfection, and when to simply let life flow. On screen, she&rsquo;s Man-jie, the fearless anchor of The Queen of News; off screen, she&rsquo;s a woman who&rsquo;s learned to be at ease with change, comfortable in every chapter of her own story.
There&rsquo;s a calm assurance about her, a quiet confidence that doesn&rsquo;t need to announce itself. It&rsquo;s steady, effortless, and unmistakably her own. And perhaps that&rsquo;s what true modern luxury looks like.

After the tremendous success of The Queen of News, you&rsquo;ve become almost synonymous with the term &ldquo;career queen&rdquo;. How do you view the connection between your character and the audience&rsquo;s response? 
When I was filming, I honestly didn&rsquo;t think too much about it. I just focused on the challenge of playing a news anchor, as it was a huge leap for me. The image of a &ldquo;career woman&rdquo; wasn&rsquo;t what I had in mind during shooting. It was only after the series aired that I realised how deeply the role resonated with viewers, and even with myself. That&rsquo;s why audience feedback matters so much to us actors; it reflects things we might not have seen in ourselves.
What was particularly memorable about filming the second season? 
Oh, there were many things! [laughs] The biggest challenge was the story itself. The producer and I didn&rsquo;t want it to feel too similar to the first season, but we couldn&rsquo;t stray too far either. So this time, we ventured into a different world &mdash; online media. It was a completely new territory for me, definitely outside my comfort zone. Starting a new platform from scratch meant facing endless obstacles and competition, almost like a warrior fighting through one battle after another.
This storyline gave me new insight, too: even the strongest people face setbacks. The real question: how do women overcome challenges in the workplace, step by step? That&rsquo;s life, really. It&rsquo;s how we grow. That&rsquo;s why I admire Manjie&rsquo;s spirit. She&rsquo;s fearless, adaptable, and resilient, no matter where she is. She doesn&rsquo;t need a big network to prove her worth. To me, that&rsquo;s the essence of her power.

You once mentioned that it&rsquo;s hard to step out of the Man-jie persona. After two seasons, has she left something in you? 
Absolutely! [laughs] For one, my &ldquo;anchor tone&rdquo;. I used to speak in a much higher pitch, but now my voice naturally sits lower. And she&rsquo;s made me more discerning about the news. I no longer believe everything I read at face value. That&rsquo;s really what our drama was about: developing critical thinking. It&rsquo;s a mindset that applies beyond journalism, never just echoing what others say.
Besides The Queen of News 2, you also filmed Themis. Was that your first time playing a judge? 
Yes, it was! [laughs] Honestly, I was planning to focus fully on The Queen of News 2 when the producer suddenly handed me another script and said, &ldquo;You might like this.&rdquo; And I did. It was completely different. It dealt with social issues, not just entertainment, and it carried real meaning.
The story explored the relationships between parents and children, teachers and students, even between stepmothers and daughters &mdash; very true to life. I thought, if this drama could inspire young people to reflect, or even improve how they relate to their families or classmates, that alone would be worthwhile. There&rsquo;s so much pressure on students today, with issues like bullying and even suicide. I hope this series can help them find a better path forward.
We heard you jumped straight from Themis into filming The Queen of News 2. That sounds intense! 
It was! I barely rested over the Lunar New Year before starting the next project. I remember even before officially confirming my role, I went to my lawyer friends for help, and they brought me to court to observe different trials. I&rsquo;d watch how each judge spoke, how they carried themselves. I didn&rsquo;t even wait for the contract to be signed before I began preparing. It was hectic, but I learned so much.

People often say your eyes speak volumes on screen. Do you think that&rsquo;s a natural gift or something you honed? 
Definitely honed! [laughs] I wasn&rsquo;t part of any drama clubs growing up and never enjoyed role-playing. When I first entered the industry, people said I couldn&rsquo;t act. So I just kept learning, slowly polishing myself. Maybe there was a spark of talent, but I was like an unpolished diamond. Over time, with experience and patience, I gradually learned how to let that light shine.
You&rsquo;ve played so many characters. What, to you, defines a truly good actor? 
Selflessness. Of course, it&rsquo;s important to shape your own role with care, but you can&rsquo;t be entirely self-focused. Every scene has its focal point, and sometimes you need to step back and let others shine so the story can truly flow. Acting is a delicate balance between giving and restraint. As for the fundamentals &mdash; punctuality, knowing your lines, setting a good example &mdash; those are simply non-negotiable.
In The Queen of News, your wardrobe, such as the tailored suits, heels, that commanding aura, became iconic. How do you see the role of fashion in shaping a character? 
It&rsquo;s incredibly important. I first discovered that while filming War and Beauty, where I had to embody characters from four different eras. The costumes became my bridge to each role, instantly transforming my state of mind. For The Queen of News, the manicured nails and sharp suits conveyed the poise and polish of a woman constantly under the spotlight. But in Themis, as a judge immersed in her work, there was no time for vanity. No nail polish, no embellishments. Styling, to me, is more than appearance; it&rsquo;s a way to shift mindset and inhabit a character completely.

Among all the looks you&rsquo;ve worn onscreen, which stands out the most? 
So many! [laughs] I loved the costumes in War and Beauty, where the colours and silhouettes were rich with drama. Colours influence energy: pink for innocence, black for strength or mystery. And those towering headpieces in Can&rsquo;t Buy Me Love and Beyond the Realm of Conscience, they were taller than my face! [laughs] It&rsquo;s like wearing a tiered cake, but beautiful ones. Truly unforgettable.
You&rsquo;ve portrayed so many strong women. How do you define a &ldquo;queen&rdquo; in real life? 
I don&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s defined by one&rsquo;s profession. A &ldquo;queen&rdquo; is simply a woman who believes she is one, whether at home, at work, or in a relationship. Every woman deserves to be treated with that same respect and grace. Sometimes I see people speaking harshly to service staff, but they are someone&rsquo;s daughter too; a little kindness costs nothing.
In the end, I think every woman should have the courage to be the queen of her own life.
How would you describe your personal style? Any favourite brands or designers? 
I&rsquo;m a bit of a free spirit! [laughs] A true Gemini. I dress according to my mood. I&rsquo;ll try anything once. At work, I&rsquo;m disciplined and professional, but off-duty, I&rsquo;m relaxed and spontaneous. I prefer comfort to structure, and soft fabrics over stiff tailoring. My colour choices follow my emotions too: when I&rsquo;m happy, I wear bright hues. I don&rsquo;t have a single favourite brand because every label has its own charm.

How would you define &ldquo;new luxury&rdquo;?
For me, &ldquo;new luxury&rdquo; means trying something I&rsquo;ve never tried before. Like today&rsquo;s shoot, some of these looks are completely new for me, and that itself feels luxurious. Luxury isn&rsquo;t necessarily expensive; it&rsquo;s that feeling of confidence when you wear something that speaks to you.
Maybe it&rsquo;s just a T-shirt and jeans paired with your favourite ring or earrings. If it makes you feel good, that&rsquo;s luxury.
If you could choose one item to represent your idea of &ldquo;new luxury&rdquo;, what would it be?
My hair highlights! [laughs] I played Man-jie for so long, then a judge, so I couldn't have them and waited ages to refresh my look. Finally changing my hair colour felt like my personal version of &ldquo;new luxury&rdquo;.

You&rsquo;ve stayed in such incredible form over the years. Are you a disciplined person?
Not at all! Late nights, random eating habits, you name it. I exercise, but moderately. I believe in balance. With food, I eat everything, just not excessively. With workouts, I move enough to feel good, but I don&rsquo;t overdo it. The key is moderation. Enjoy life without letting anything take over.
If you had to describe your current mindset in three words, what would they be? 
First, &ldquo;grateful&rdquo;, because I&rsquo;ve always considered myself lucky. Second, &ldquo;ambitious&rdquo;, because growth happens only when we dare to want more. And finally, &ldquo;easygoing&rdquo;, because I&rsquo;d rather let life unfold naturally than plan every step of the way.

Photography MACIEJ KUCIA Creative direction &amp; styling TAKAFUMI KAWASAKI Makeup KATHERINE LO Hair LORRIANE LAM / HAIR CULTURE

Digital Cover: Hong Kong Actress, Charmaine Sheh Explores New Luxury

Tags

Related Articles

Fashion

Digital Cover: Arden Cho is Shining Like She's Born To Be

Beauty

Sonny's Story: Son Heung-Min On Being A Game Changer

Fashion

Digital Cover: Song Hye-Kyo is All About Comfort

Recommended posts for you

Watches & Jewellery