Not too busy to get into the spirits of things

You don’t get very far into a conversation with actress Bai Ling before discovering that she’s not the typical Hollywood actress. Maybe it’s the mention of her service in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army at 14. Or the description of the protest scene at Tiananmen Square a few years later. And then there’s the book she’s writing on her adventures in Tibet.

After becoming a star in her native China in her teens, the 33-year-old has worked steadily on this side of the globe, beginning with “The Crow” in 1994 and most recently in the top box-office draw “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.” There’s even a “Star Wars” installment in her future: “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” in theaters next year. Here’s how she spends her meager leisure time.

Hot tub heaven

I live in Marina del Rey, and it’s the best place in the world for me. I enjoy being by the ocean, but what I really love is sitting outside in my Jacuzzi and listening to the strong wind going through the trees all around me. It sounds like a great big chorus. I can stay in there for hours.

I spend so much time traveling around the world for my job that I don’t like to do too much when I’m home. I have eight little spirits that live inside of me, and what I do on a weekend depends on which one of them comes out. There’s a sexy one, a hip and modern one, an innocent one, a wise one, a mischievous one.... I never know which it will be.

All I know for sure is that I like three things: my Jacuzzi, dessert and dancing. I’d rather have five desserts than dinner, but on a Friday night, I might go to Sushi Roku. Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills is another of my favorites. I order those dumplings, the rock shrimp.

Then I’ll have dessert, maybe at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina del Rey. Just the plain cheesecake, and then I’ll go dancing. Joseph’s in Hollywood. All I need is a little champagne first.

Late riser

On Saturdays and Sundays, I always sleep real late, until 3 or 4 sometimes, so I usually skip breakfast. I’ll have a muffin or some cookies for lunch when I finally get up, and then I’ll go out and lie in the hot sand and watch the blue sky. I might read; I might not.

Later, I like to go to the Ritz-Carlton in MDR and sit outside in the boat area and enjoy the sunlight. You feel as if you’re in Italy or France. For dinner, I’ll have the apple tart, burningly hot with a scoop of ice cream. I love that contrast.

I also like Spago in Beverly Hills for dinner, the crispy sushi rice with sushi and fried onion on top. And then it’s champagne and dancing. Maybe the Avalon in Hollywood.

Tackling her novel

On Sunday, I might go to the Getty Museum. It’s fantastic. There’s a Picasso there of a cow, just simple lines. I love it. After that I’ll go to Shutters for brunch. They have desserts and sweet bread, and the double espresso comes in big bowls, like soup. The salmon is delicious, and the Cobb salad with tuna is good. I sit outside and just forget about time.

Later, I’ll take my laptop down to the beach and work on my novel. I’m up to 310 pages. It’s about my experiences in Tibet, but it’s very sexual too. I already met a publisher down at the harbor.

-- Mark Sachs