Taiwanese actress Shu Qi might not seem like a damsel in distress in real life, but that could be the result of undergoing a very difficult childhood.

The 44-year-old, who is married to Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Fung, revealed in a recent video interview her painful memories growing up.

"The innocence in my heart stems from my lack of a childhood. When I was young, I had to observe my parents' reactions. If they were in a bad mood, I had to keep my distance from them. If not, I'd get scolded very easily," she said.

"When I heard my father coming back on his motorcycle, (I) felt very afraid. The sound of the door opening, him muttering to himself, I would run away as far as I could and hide, even if it was in the middle of the night."

These experiences and the environment she grew up in made her a very sensitive person, Shu Qi added.

She ran away from home when she was around 15 years old. Not long after, she got into a severe road accident.

Shu Qi said: "I didn't feel like my mother was especially concerned or worried, because she simply scolded me. In my heart, I felt very pitiful and I wondered why she would still scold me."

While she's regarded as one of the most beautiful Chinese actresses around, she was made to feel lesser growing up.

In a 2018 article, she said when she was young, her mother told her she was "especially ugly" and "how could anyone be as ugly as you".

In another article from 2015, Shu Qi said her mother gave birth to her when she was only 18 and her mother believed that she couldn't pursue her dreams because she had to raise a child.

To protect herself when she went to Hong Kong to work, Shu Qi said she "armoured" up. If you make yourself out to be pitiful, you become bullied, she explained. But because of this, she admitted in the video that she inadvertently offended some people in the industry.

She added: "That was why I had a famous nickname Da Xiao Jie (diva)."

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.