Set along the coast of Malibu, California, Maggie Q. poses effortlessly against a background of crashing waves and a setting sun. A production team scatters around, working rigorously around her. Even after a long day of work, every single person has a smile on his or her face. It’s clear within the first few moments that the energy in the room radiates from Maggie Q. No stranger to the camera, she gracefully contours her body while cracking jokes in-between shots.

It is no wonder this Hawaiian-born actress began her career as a model, eventually becoming the face of Shiseido cosmetics. Before long, Maggie Q. broke into the Hong Kong movie scene and since then has worked alongside some of the most renowned actors including Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2, Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible III, and Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard. All of her successes have led her to the lead character in the hit television show, Nikita, a remake of the movie/TV titles about an assassin gone rogue.

With the soft evening light accentuating her physique, Maggie is radiant; a bonafide star.

Having written for various magazines throughout my career, this interview with Maggie Q. is more meaningful than any other I have done in the past. Not only is writing for the first issue of Elle Vietnam a pleasure and a privilege, Maggie Q. and I share a common history: our families emigrated to the United States from Vietnam. Maggie should be exhausted from a long day of shooting but she sits down next to me and smiles; ready to go. In the dimly lit room, Maggie is warm, intimate, and absolutely stunning.