Gal Next Door Turned Street Fighter: Kristin Kreuk
Expressnightout.com

AS SWEET, NAIVE Lana Lang on the CW's 'Smallville' (Thu., 8 p.m.), all Kristin Kreuk had to do was bat those big hazel eyes and Superman would come running to her rescue. Now, she takes on the bad guys herself as the butt-kicking title character in the action-packed film "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li," in theaters Friday.

» EXPRESS: Tell us about the new movie! It looks both fun and intense.
» KREUK: It's based on the video game "Street Fighter" and essentially follows the character of Chun-Li and how she came to be the fighter she is in the game. The first movie based on the game came out in 1994. It starred Jean-Claude Van Damme and was super-campy. This one is much more realistic: You get to watch this girl as she goes on a revenge journey and learns from her master.

» EXPRESS: It sounds like almost the opposite of your role as Lana in "Smallville" for the past eight seasons.
» KREUK: Lana is definitely often the damsel in distress. That's sort of why I wanted to do "Street Fighter"; I wanted to change my own image in that sense. I get to play a female character that's really strong and pursues what she believes in.

» EXPRESS: Is it all staged, or did you really learn lots of martial arts techniques?
» KREUK: I trained with the stunt team for five weeks in Thailand before filming began. It was really amazing.

» EXPRESS: So, basically, if we got in a fight right now, you could seriously hurt me.
» KREUK: Well, probably not. When you're fighting on camera, you're not really supposed to have a lot of physical contact. If you actually hit someone, that would be bad.

» EXPRESS: Did you like filming in Thailand?
» KREUK: I ended up living there for almost four months. Bangkok is a great city — it's a pretty wild place with a great energy. And the food is so good, too; I miss going out in the morning and getting a coconut for [about 25 cents].

» EXPRESS: Shopping must also have been fun.
» KREUK: It was. I really love pieces with a feminine element and colorful flair, like ethnic scarves and jewelry. I buy scarves everywhere I go, from Thailand to India to Ecuador. With jewelry, I love big, big earrings and the sound of bangles on my wrist.

» EXPRESS: Is that also Chun-Li's style?
» KREUK: No, not at all. She has a very feminine element to her, and yet she's very strong. Wardrobe-wise, there's a lot of combat-looking clothes — dark jeans and boots, and black tops. When she's not fighting, her style is dresses and Dr. Martens.

» EXPRESS: Between Bangkok and the 'Smallville' set in Vancouver, B.C., you seem to have avoided the Hollywood scene.
» KREUK: It's a funny industry, and I'm still learning about it. It's not as if you act in something and that's the end of it. There's [an actor], and then there's their publicist, manager, stylist and their this and their that. Holy crap! All those jobs and the work they're all doing is almost shocking.

» EXPRESS: Now that your time on "Smallville" has wrapped up, what are your plans?
» KREUK: I'm working on an online content station and social networking site at Girlsbydesign.com to inspire young women to create.

» EXPRESS: That sounds like a major change.
» KREUK: "Smallville" has been wonderful, but it's kind of like leaving high school: You think it's your whole world, but you realize there's so much more.