For this KL-born, much-photographed LA girl-about-town, life is as interesting as the movies.
AT first glance, Florence Low Sloan looks like the archetypal trophy wife. Bold and beautiful, with a figure cut out for couture, Sloan seems to have life wrapped around her perfectly-manicured digits. Being married to one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, former chairman and CEO of MGM Studios Harry Sloan, doesn't hurt either.
However, it doesn't take long for one to realise that Sloan, who's in her late 40s, is anything but a trophy wife. For one, she's not afraid of getting her hands dirty, as her recent stint in China with close friend and business ally Wendi Deng Murdoch (yes, we're talking about the slam-down sister) as co-producers for the movie Snow Flower And The Secret Fan has shown.
"Working in China has changed my perspective on life, and in a good way," she says. "Making a film is hard enough to begin with, but making it in China is even harder! I suppose you could say I was forced to grow up in the process."
It's a balmy Thursday morning in the Low family home in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, and Sloan is recovering from the red-carpet movie premiere (in KL) the night before. She tells me she was expecting something on a smaller scale, something befitting an art-house movie, but it turned out to be "a huge event, thanks to my friend (Datuk) Farah Khan, who had went out of her way to organise it for me." Even more astounding: some female members of the audience came up to her after the movie with tears streaming down their faces.
"Their make-up was running!" exclaims Sloan. "They told me how proud they were of me and how I've become something of a role model in the local film industry."
Meanwhile, I am agape, trying to take in the unusual scale of this four-storey penthouse owned by her parents, Tan Sri Low Keng Huat and Puan Sri Molly Low, with God-only-knows-how-many square feet on one floor, and everything in surprising proportions, the veranda, the sculptures, the TV. Framed pictures of the Low family, together with their children and spouses, hang in the living room where we sit.
"My husband always arrives a little later because he knows I need time with my family," says Sloan. "I love hanging out with my mum and sisters when I'm back. Oh, and I also like to eat nasi lemak, curry puff, curry mee ... you know, food that I can't find in LA."
It's hard to imagine someone so well-heeled and well-connected can also be so down-to-earth. Sloan, however, has several other surprises up her sleeves.
Hello, Hollywood!
The eldest of four siblings, the ever-so-eloquent Sloan is the by-product of an overseas education system. She spent her formative years in Britain; at 11, she left the nest to attend boarding school. The distance, however, did not stop her parents from keeping a close watch on her.
"My mum and dad visited me too often," she says, chuckling. "They were typical Asian parents; very strict. They expected me to get good grades, get home at a certain time, dress in a certain way ... but I suppose I'm really grateful for all of that since it gave me discipline and made me the person I am today."
Sloan would spend 10 years there before returning to Malaysia with a law degree from City University London. After divorcing her first husband, however, she returned to London with her two sons (now aged 25 and 21). It was there where she met Harry Sloan through a friend. They got married, and in 2002, she packed her bags and left for Los Angeles where she has been living ever since.
"When I first arrived, I was busy with a number of things, like finding the right school for my kids and learning how to drive in LA. I lead a pretty regular life there actually," says Sloan.
Of course, this "regular life" also comes with the usual trappings of Hollywood glitz and glamour.
"I've met many actors and actresses because I help my husband entertain," she says. "I think we have ideas in our heads on what certain people are like. But once you meet them, you realise that they're all just very nice, very normal human beings."
Without naming names, she adds: "Of course, there are some who will surprise you!"
Demanding divas aside, Sloan names Tom Cruise as one of the most interesting A-listers she's met by far. She says: "I really enjoyed meeting him. He was so different from what I expected ... highly intelligent and really friendly. His wife Katie Holmes is also a lovely woman with a great fashion sense. I love talking about fashion with her!"
Sloan, you see, seems to revel in the style-icon role that her increasingly high-profile appearances have foisted upon her. Her passion for fashion began at a tender age, as a result of the regular shopping trips she took as a child with her mother. Today, she's clad in designer garb from top-to-toe, from the bronze body-skimming lamé blouse by Gucci to the multi-coloured Prada wedges on her feet.
Her quirky shoes, with its four-inch heels, soon become the focus of our discussion. I ask if she knows about Arianna Huffington's recent op-ed in The Huffington Post in which she compared a modern woman's practice of wearing high heels to the ancient Chinese custom of foot binding – a practice central to the story development in Snow Flower. The worst part, according to Huffington, was how some women are starting to inject botox into their feet to counteract the damage being done by their shoes.
"I hate to say it, but I'm still a big fan of high heels," says Sloan. "Women had to have their feet bound in the old days so they can find themselves a husband. Today, we tend to torture ourselves with five-inch Louboutins and plastic surgery, and by choice, so we can be more beautiful."
Although she wouldn't call herself a feminist, Sloan is a strong believer in women's rights. "We may be better off than the older generation but I think there are still many issues surrounding women today, especially those living in third-world or war-torn countries. And we still don't earn as much as our male counterparts," she says.
Nevertheless, Sloan feels optimistic about the future and what it holds for women everywhere. Citing Kathryn Bigelow's success in becoming the first woman director to win an Oscar for her movie The Hurt Locker last year as an example, she gushes: "That was pretty amazing. It shows that society now realises that women can do anything men can do."
Girl power
Appropriately enough, Sloan's first movie endeavour is also creating waves, not just here but abroad. Based on Lisa See's best-selling novel of the same name, the film stars Li Bingbing, Gianna Jun and Vivian Wu and follows the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women.
"The book really spoke to me because of my Chinese roots. In essence, it is a history of my ancestors," she says, adding that her own grandfather had arrived from China and, in a typical rags-to-riches story, had struggled for some time before making a name for himself in the construction business.
Sloan, who wanted an Eastern tale that would translate across the globe, finally saw her vision coming true several months ago at different premieres around the globe. "It's not just the Chinese women in Malaysia and China who come up to me to tell me how touched they were by the film but also Caucasian women in New York and London," she says.
Apparently, The Apprentice judge Ivanka Trump attended the show's New York premiere at the Tribeca Grand Hotel and later wrote on Twitter: "Ladies, definitely go see it! I LOVED this movie." But the appeal wasn't gender-specific either: Sir Ben Kingsley praised the film for its importance and authencity.
All this led Harpers Bazaar to tag Snow Flower as the Slumdog Millionaire of Chinese culture, trading special effects for gritty sets and standard indie film budgets.
Nonetheless, the entire filmmaking process wasn't as simple as she or Murdoch had anticipated. While it had been easier for the duo to secure meetings with top Hollywood execs in the initial stages because of their husbands' prominence, Sloan claims they still had to convince cynics that it wasn't merely a pipe dream.
"I think we had a lot more to prove," says Sloan. "Maybe they didn't take us seriously then, but we slowly gained their respect. They realised it's not something we're doing for fun. This film means a lot to us and we are willing to work hard to make it happen."
Once they were given the green light, it was all systems go: Sloan dealt with the legal and creative aspects of the film while Murdoch fretted over finances. With a wry smile, Sloan admits that both Murdoch and her had "strong characters", but this was essentially "a good thing because it help sparks creativity". However, there were also several disagreements along the way.
"We have been friends for over 10 years now but working with someone is entirely different. I would be lying to you if I said we didn't fight. We fought like cats and dogs!" she says, laughing.
So is the Wendi on TV anything like the Wendi in real life? "Yes, that's Wendi. She's fearless. If she thinks something is right, she'll go ahead and do it, regardless of people's opinions," replies Sloan.
Sloan says she values the qualities of "loyalty" and "acceptance" in her friends.
"I also think it's very important for a person to be non-judgemental. I think that's very difficult for women though. I'm learning how to do it myself," she confesses.
She also believes that her friendship with Murdoch is stronger as a result from working together. And, yes, they will be teaming up for a second movie.
"Right now, we're looking at this book called Journey Of A Thousand Miles," she says. "It's about this Chinese pianist called Lang Lang and all the hardships he had to endure during post-cultural revolution China to become one of the most famous classical pianists in the world."
That being said, Sloan doesn't consider herself a commercial movie maker. "We're just doing stories that leave an impression on us. A romantic comedy might be fun one day, but not now," she says.
Whatever happens next, one thing is certain: anything with a ballsy heroine is right up her alley.
> Snow Flower And The Secret Fan is playing in local cinemas.
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