In the upcoming Taiwanese action- comedy flick Double Trouble, her on-screen character is recruited by a crime boss to steal an ancient painting.

But during the filming of the movie last year, actress-model Jessica C - whose real name is Jessica Cambensy - hogged the headlines for a theft she committedin real life back in 2010.

Born to an American father and a Filipino-Chinese mother, the Hong Kong-based sex bomb was caught on security cameras on July 30, 2010, taking money that didn't belong to her from an ATM machine.

The HK$600 (S$100) that was left lying at the machine had been drawn by the person before her.

The well-endowed lass shot to fame a few years ago after a series of TV commercial and advertising campaigns that featured her in bikinis and lingerie.

Her first movie was last year's Hong Kong flick Beach Spike about female beach volleyballers.

In October last year, after police connected her with the ATM footage, Cambensy was arrested and charged with theft.

Cambensy, 24, told The New Paper in a phone interview from Hong Kong: "In retrospect, I should have thought twice before taking the money. "I should have also taken the money to the police.

"But honestly, I didn't even think about doing that. I didn't think that would be considered theft.

"After the incident, I was reminded that I have a lot of young fans and I certainly didn't want to set a bad example for them.

"Taking the money (and getting caught) has now made me realise that I have to think of things with a more moralistic perspective when I set out to do them."

The charges were eventually dropped.

She spent a terrifying night at home when she was told that she would be charged, but had to resume work the next day, reported the Hong Kong media.

According to paparazzi who had staked out her house, she had a smile on her face when she stepped out of her residence in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, in sunglasses, accompanied by her assistant.

She then addressed the 20 reporters who had surrounded her, saying: "Good morning! I want to talk more too because this is a huge misunderstanding. I am still handling the situation now and hope you all accept my apology. This incident made me really unhappy.

"If I upset or hurt anyone, I am willing to apologise.

"I ask for your understanding, thank you all."

Cambensy told The New Paper that what had been going through her mind when she took the money was that her sisters were in town for a visit and she was just thinking about catching up with them - thus the split-second decision to take the money.

She said that the charges against her surfaced last year when she was on the movie set of Double Trouble.

What brought her relief, ironically, was playing a thief in the film, which opens here on June 14.

She said that the many fight scenes and stunts she had to perform were a great way to relieve her stress.

In Double Trouble, a museum security guard (Jaycee Chan) finds himself in a fix when a 400-year-old painting is stolen during his watch.

Upon finding out that a crime lord (Vivian Dawson) recruited sexy babe V (Cambensy) to help him with the theft, he ends up in a violent scuffle with her in order to recover the painting.

Painful kicks

Cambensy recalled that she had the unenviable job of having to constantly kick Chan in his privates during their fight scenes.

At times, Chan - the son of Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan - would wear a protection guard, but at other times, he would do without it.

But there was one scene - in which she had to kick at Chan's privates repeatedly - which caused her to be terrified that she would be hated by the elder Chan.

She said: "(Jaycee) was so brave and was encouraging me all the way.

"I was just thinking to myself, 'Why would he be okay with this? I really don't understand!'

"Once, I kicked so hard that his protection guard broke.

"Jaycee screamed and I was freaked out that I had injured him really badly.

"Thank goodness he was okay. If not, I'm sure his protective parents and fans would hate me and I definitely didn't want that."

Cambensy also worked with New Zealander-Singaporean male model Vivian Dawson, whom she admitted was a "very good-looking guy".

But when asked if she was worried that Dawson's girlfriend, Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai, would be jealous of their time spent together on set, she said: "I actually see Vivian as more of a brother."

Said Cambensy, who is single after breaking up with her boyfriend of four years during the filming of Double Trouble: "And Jolin needn't have been worried as Vivian was calling her all the time when we were on set.

"Who I would say has more (boyfriend potential) is Jaycee - he was my mentor during filming and I was really impressed with him."

Her male co-stars were certainly in for a load of eye candy themselves as Cambensy was made to wear a snug black leather catsuit for her role.

But her biggest insecurity wasn't that she wouldn't be slim enough to fit her 49kg frame into the costume - it was that her derriere wasn't round enough for her liking.

Cambensy said that she had to go through weeks of training with weights to achieve a nice curvy behind.

She said: "I think a woman's biggest fear is that she won't have enough curves to fill out her clothes nicely.

"Now that I have attained the figure that I wanted, I just have to find a way to maintain it.

"In fact, I'm on my way to the gym now."