Just a `crazy dog lady'

MAGGIE Q was born in Honolulu, went to work as a model and an actor in Hong Kong and Japan, and then returned to the U.S. She recently wrapped shooting on "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon" and last year appeared in "Mission: Impossible III." She'll appear all over the world starting June 27 in "Live Free or Die Hard," the fourth edition in the Bruce Willis action franchise.

You're packing for a lengthy press tour in Asia. So what are you bringing to read?

I just finished a book by a wonderful author called Philippa Gregory. Historical fiction books -- about 14th, 15th century life at court, the Tudors. Everything is very real as far as the facts go, but she fictionalized what went on between the kings and queens. I'm sort of addicted! I just finished one of those, and now I'm finishing the "His Dark Materials" series. I know the first movie's coming out soon so now I finished the third one, even though that movie won't be coming out for 10 years.

Do you have to think up interesting but safe stories to tell all the press people?

Yeah! You know, what's funny, I worked with some pretty entertaining people on this movie. So there'll be tidbits. But the one question I hate the most is: "Tell me something we didn't know about the huge star you just worked with." Uh, if they wanted to tell you, they'd tell you! I'm not going to tell you something about Bruce Willis!

And now you spend much time in Los Angeles? Is L.A. weirder than Tokyo?

I do, this is my home now, though I'm back in Asia a lot. I live here -- wherever my dogs are. All my dogs. It's funny -- you know when you are out on a date with someone you don't really like, so suddenly you're really busy. But if it's someone you liked, you have the time. That's how I am with my dogs. I have seven.

Uh, are they

One of them is a Chihuahua. Two German shepherds, a pit, and three mongrels. Crazy. I'm the crazy dog lady. They're all rescues. Each one of them is a serendipitous, wonderful thing that happened in my life.

And is the world smaller for those who grow up in Hawaii? Or larger?

It was larger for me because my world was so small. One of those things where things are so small you have to think big. That was me. I was a little girl in a big world.

Mililani, where you grew up, seems to be growing extremely fast.