Getting up close and personal with Hong Kong singer-actor Aaron Kwok is intense.

The gaze of this Heavenly King is bold and steady, and his demeanour polite, if guarded.

And the boyish-looking 47-year-old - who entered showbiz when he was just 18 - is clearly comfortable in his own skin.

Kwok was in town yesterday to promote the thriller Cold War at a press conference, as well as attend the gala premiere of the movie.

The film, touted as the next Infernal Affairs, details the power struggle between two top police department chiefs, played by Kwok and Tony Leung Ka Fai, 54.

My Paper cozied up to Kwok to pick his brain.

Cold War has set a Hong Kong box-office record. When will we hear more good news, perhaps wedding bells?

Tony Leung once said in an interview that after he finishes acting, he goes home to his family. For me, I have to go back to my music. I don't have any time.

I feel that men in their 40s are in their prime - like a flower in bloom. Before the flower withers, I want to make good use of my prime.

I will settle down one day, but now is not the time.

What of rumours of a proposal to your girlfriend (China model- actress Lynn Hung, 32) after you were spotted holidaying together in the Maldives?

The Hong Kong media can sometimes be over-concerned about my personal life, and even use its imagination to create news that may cause misunderstandings for readers. (Still) I know I'm not young, and I appreciate people's concern.

What do you think of the abilities of your younger Cold War co-stars - Eddie Peng, 30, and Aarif Rahman, 25?

They are some of the new-generation actors that have potential. Eddie is five years older than Aarif. Age to a man who is acting is an advantage.

The older one gets, the more you experience life and, this way, you (know how to) bring a character to life. I'm much older than the two of them (laughs).

How confident are you of garnering an award - a Golden Horse, perhaps - for your role in Cold War?

I think the judges may have higher expectations of me since I've won Best Actor two years in a row. (Kwok won the award in 2006 for After This Our Exile and in 2005 for Divergence.)

At first, I thought I could set a record by scoring another award, three years in a row. But it didn't happen. My desire for awards has been extinguished.

Now that Cold War has come out, there is talk that I have a chance again. But I have formidable competitors like Tony Leung, he's a great actor... For me, the audience is what matters and I get more satisfaction knowing the audience likes my acting.

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Cold War is out in cinemas.

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