Source: http://www.rthk.org.hk/classicschannel/radio.htm
Translated by Daydreamer on January 6, 2006
Legend:
T=Tang Oi-Lam
C=Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing
Section 1 (Day 1)
T: Today I have with me my good friend Cheung Kwok Wong.
T: Actually I have known Cheung Kwok Wing for 7 to 8 years. I recall that the impression that Leslie gave me when I first met/knew him was that he was a very lively and naughty boy. When talking with him then, he would laugh wholeheartedly with a lot of big gestures. But after not having seen him for several years, he gives me a very different feeling. Today’s Leslie gives us a feeling of calmness, serenity and maturity. He always chooses the right words in responding and his big gestures cannot be seen anymore. Instead, we find in him a touch of vicissitudes of life, as a lot of people put it in describing Leslie.
T: Actually, I believe the first time that the HK people came to know Cheung Kwok Wing, I am sure they will remember, was when Cheung Kwok Wing took part in the Rediffusion’s Asian Song Contest…
C: Asian Song Contest. I was wearing a pair of red boots then, jumping around singing “American Pie”.
T: What made you enter that song contest?
C: I was just finishing school in England. Actually, I haven’t completed my education as yet. My father was not well then, so I had to come back. For some old people, at a certain age, they are afraid of death, my father felt the same then. He asked me not to go back to England. I was in fact very upset because at that time, I just received a scholarship for my university education. I was studying textile there. Since I was not allowed to go back to England, all I could do was hanging around in Hong Kong. Then a friend of mine told me that there was a song contest and since I loved singing, he suggested that we both signed up to try our luck. I said “Not me, but I will accompany you to sign up.”. As a result, he signed me up as well and paid the $5 entrance fee for me. At that time, the entrance fee was really cheap, only a mere $5. What followed was that I went all the way to the final.
T: Did you think fate played a great part in this?
C: Yes, yes, it is very important. Just imagine, all the subjects that I took at school had nothing to do with the entertainment world. If I liked the entertainment world that much, I would have studied in the music/drama school abroad instead. But still, I could not escape the fate of entering the entertainment world.
T: How old were you when you left HK to study abroad?
C: Thirteen years old. Now thinking of it, I found it really incredible because I was only thirteen years old then and at that time, I had only one relative living there. I travelled by plane on my own and someone picked me up at the airport. And that someone was a mere stranger to me. In a way, it was like a “love match” because I was given a picture of the auntie who came to pick me up. One funny thing was that it was my first time flying on a plane, due to the lack of travelling experience, I sat in the middle seat of a jumbo airplane. It was a chartered flight. I think at that time, due to economic reasons, many children who were being sent by their parents to study abroad would travel on chartered flights. The airline I was travelling with was called “Laker”. It was the most famous one if you travelled by chartered flights. I still remember that the guy who sat next to me was a student from the “New Method School”, but apparently he had flown a lot and therefore was very relaxed, but I was so excited that my palms were all moist since the plane flew so high. When I got on the plane, a projector fell down and was hanging there with four thin wires bouncing up and down. Only after the plane flew to a certain height that the air hostess came by and fixed it.
T: How awful.
C: Yes.
[THEME SONG OF “THE DRUMMER” PLAYED]
[07:00]
T: You were only thirteen years old and yet you had to leave your family, your mother and father to go to England. Actually, what was the reason for doing so? Was it because your parents wanted to lay a path for you? Or was it because that was your ambition since you were a kid?
C: No, it was because when I was small, my school results were really poor, except for the subject of English, especially Arithmetic. In view of this, my father thought that this wouldn’t work. Also at that time, it was a trend to send the children to study abroad. Now looking back, it was ten years ago. When my father asked me whether I would like to go abroad, I said fine, so we submitted the application form. It was really quick. I remember that I was detained and had to repeat that year because the syllabus for Arithmetic was changed from the old version to the new one. I was at a loss so I failed that subject. And it was because of that subject that I got detained. So I said yes as soon as my father asked me whether I would like to go or not. The result came out in July, and we applied in August. By the end of August, I was ready to leave. My feeling towards my first night in England was that I was in a very very big mansion. The school I went to was not in London, but in Essex, far away in a very remote area. I remember in the first night, no one had arrived yet, and I was all by myself in a large room with 16 beds in the dormitory. But I didn’t feel anything. When I left HK, I did not have any homesick. I just said good-bye and left, but my mother was all crying and telling me to be good and study hard. I promised of course. I did not get homesick until after two weeks when my classmates and I went one day to the neighbouring town by train. We were on the last compartment of the train. I saw the smoke coming out of the train blowing in the wind and realizing that I was far away from home. From then on, I started to miss my family.
T: Many parents in Hong Kong thought that their children would do better after sending them to study abroad for a few years. But if they were too young when studying abroad, the chance of turning bad would actually be higher.
C: My parents are lucky because I did not turn bad. I remember that when I left I was small and some times would be bullied by bigger and elder schoolmates who were at senior levels. You know, those were seniors while we were juniors. When I first arrived there, I studied at the lower form. I think we had a different educational system from that in the States and Canada. You refer to them as grades there, but we called them lower forms and upper forms. Upper form was equivalent to ‘O’ levels. In a way, we had jumped to a higher form. When I got there I attended Form 1, but actually it was at Form 3 or Form 4. Of course, English was a little bit hard to follow but my Arithmetic was better than others. I did not agree that I turned bad. However, I had seen a lot more as I had to very much look after myself. Say, for example, if I had to go to the other town, I had to go and get my own ticket, pack my own stuff; as a result, I had learned a lot about independence. When I was in Hong Kong, I did not like to take part in a lot of sports, but then in England, I had to play soccer and rugby which were mandatory subjects.
T: There were seven siblings in Cheung Kwok Wing’s family and he is the youngest. Many people know that before his retirement, Cheung Kwok Wing’s father had his own tailor shop and he was very famous in his field of business. Many people also know that Cheung Kwok Wing’s eldest sister Cheung Lok Ping played a very important role in the Hong Kong Consumer Council in organizing its activities. So how is Leslie’s relationship with his family?
C: Very good. I have a very good relationship with them. In their view, I am always the smallest one so even when I am working now, we will speak on the phone several times a week. They always ask me to go shopping or have meals with them. I will go to Thailand in December to hold concerts, very probably all of my family members would go there ….
T: Wow, to support you…
C: Yes, to support me and to spend some time there together because when I was there last time, I discovered a new paradise called “Pouquet Island” which is a beautiful place with lovely mountains and clear water, so we thought of going there together for a good time.
T: Wow, just by listening to this, I could tell that your family and your childhood environment have been really good.
C: No, it’s just an upper-middle class family; and it’s not really that good.
[14:48]
T: There is a saying that if someone has a good look, he can take more advantages in the society. This has been proved to be true by psychologists who have made countless researches. I think we cannot deny that, in our view, Cheung Kwok Wing really has a good look. So I think when you are at home, since you are the smallest one with brothers and sisters before you, I can imagine that when you were small, you must be very cute and loveable, and was very good looking.
C: I was kind of plump then.
T: A fat boy.
C: Yes.
T: Did you feel ever since you were small that people around you were treating you exceptionally nice? Did your teacher treat you especially nice when you were at school, and when you grew up, did the people around you treat you exceptionally nice?
C: For teachers, it depended on which subject. As I said before, the Arithmetic teacher would consider me stupid, but generally speaking, the teachers of the English subjects all liked me. I always had compositions posted on the bulletin board. I guess it’s because I love exaggerating ever since I was small [laugh]. But no, I think having a good look also has its hindrance and disadvantages, especially for boys who have exceptionally good look. Some people don’t like people with good look, perhaps due to admiration or envy or perhaps they just don’t like this type of look, as some prefer people with tougher look. For me, I prefer to possess an insight rather than having a good appearance as appearance may change easily [eventually], but not for insight. You may drag me down once or twice, but not the third time if I have the ability to do a certain thing. External thing may disappear easily.
T: But for internal thing you may possess it forever.
C: Yes.
T: When you got a prize at the Asian Song Contest, everyone seemed to like you a lot.
C: Yes.
T: They clapped their hands hardly. I still remember clearly what happened then.
C: So let’s use the hypothesis of external appearance and insight. At that time, I did not have any insight, so after that overnight’s sensation, nothing sparkled anymore. Everyone thought this boy was cute and lovely, but actually, many things I did afterwards were not correct, or something that could not be accepted by others as a matter of trend at that time. Some friends comforted me by saying that what I had done in the past was too progressive, too trendy…
T: a step quicker than others…
C: Yes. So if putting what I’d done in the past to the present time, people would be able to accept it more. The other way to say it is that at that time I did not possess any insight at all. So after that night with so much sensation and praises, there came the many negative consequences. I had a long period of despair and loneliness. But during that period of time, I tried my best to prepare myself. For instance, since you thought I could not sing, okay then, I acted in the soap operas rather and then after several years, when people had forgotten about me, I would sing again. You may also say that at that time, my voice has not changed yet. Now, my voice has changed or is getting maturer,
T: maturer…
C: My voice is maturer, therefore the records I have made these days were being accepted by people.
[THE SONG “WIND CONTINUES TO BLOW” WAS PLAYED]
[25:20]
Section 2 (Day 2)
T: Today I have my good friend with me, Cheung Kwok Wing.
T: Cheung Kwok Wing, when he was only thirteen years old, left Hong Kong for England on his own to study there and then stayed there for almost five and a half years. When he was in England, Leslie learned how to be independent. In 1977, he entered the Asian Song Contest and from then on, he became the rising star. But during his seven years in the entertainment world, Leslie had suffered a lot of bitterness. But now, all the bitterness was over. The adjectives I’ve used sound pretty dramatic but it is true to describe Cheung Kwok Wing this say as his encounter was really dramatic.
T: When you entered the Asian Song Contest, in a night’s time, you got the praises and love from people all over HK. You were small then, was that your first taste of success? And then soon after, there came a 360 degree change. The same group of audience who clapped their hands at the night of the song contest, however, when they saw you performing in a concert again next time, they received you with boos. You were small at the time and after experiencing these two extreme attitudes, or realizing that the audience would treat you like this, I think, for some people, they would get very despaired and would not come back and probably would say good-bye to the entertainment world. But I think you have braved all those and persisted until today when audience changed their attitude towards you.
C: Yes. For all those years, I have nothing to be proud of except for my braveness. Braveness is really important. As you said, for a period of time, I was really despaired, especially when I saw the followers [Note from translator: the singers who started their career later than Leslie] rising gradually with heats followed one after the after. But looking at myself, I was still staying at the same spot. I however managed to survive those years. Now when I had my own concerts, when my name Cheung Kwok Wing was announced, the response was not the same as that in the past. It was a response that was better and with more insight. I could feel that people realize that Cheung Kwok Wing really has ability and insight, has something to show them in every concert. I myself feel very happy about this. My happiness now is far more greater than before.
T: I think that you have the success again now after tasting the despair, you would treasure it more.
C: Yes, certainly. But I can’t say there is no pressure at all. Actually the pressure is getting bigger and bigger. Since I had experienced so many failures, now that I have a little bit of success and that all the concerts were well received, I will keep telling myself that “Cheung Kwok Wing, you cannot repeat the performance of last time”. That is, I have to keep setting new trends [making new breakthroughs, and creating new ideas], because of that, the pressure is getting more severe. However, I believe that after all these years, I can get over those things.
[THE SONG “I GO MY WAY” WAS PLAYED]
[31:25]
T: Do you feel that the audiences in Hong Kong are very difficult to be pleased?
C: I think audiences in every place are difficult to be pleased, and we can’t just pinpoint the audiences of Hong Kong because I think the Chinese saying of “Local gingers are not hot” [i.e. local singers are not being supported] is true. When I went on singing tours to overseas, such as Thailand, Singapore and Kuala Lumper, we were treated as outsiders, therefore, we gave the local people there a feeling of freshness, unlike someone you see all the time sitting there wearing a jean. The feeling you gave people abroad is not that because you are foreigners. Of course, now the trend is in favour of Japanese things. Many youngsters like the Japanese actors and singers, but can you guarantee that one day when Marchy 近籐真彥 [the then popular Japanese singer] stations in Hong Kong, his popularity will not be the same as us.
T: But I believe that the saying of “Local gingers are not hot” is really the most appropriate way to describe the condition in Hong Kong. Say, for example, in the States or England, of course, they are big countries, and I can see that the way the fans support their idols is just as crazy, but if they do not like or support the other singers, the most they will do is just not going to their concerts. It’s different from those audiences in Hong Kong who would go to the concerts but would also boo you at the same time to let their feeling out.
C: Yes, yes.
T: I just don’t understand why the audiences here in Hong Kong do not support their local singers. As a matter of fact, I think this is very important because if we do not support our local singers, who do.
C: I think, do you think it might have some relationship with politics?
T: [Laugh] Looks like we have to give it a deeper thought.
C: [Laugh] Very solemn, just like those community debates.
C: Possibly because in Hong Kong there is not a feeling of root. I refer to the Hong Kong audiences. One would ask, “Which country do I belong to? I am just a Hong Konger.”
T: I still feel that even if you don’t support your local singers like you support the foreign singers, you still shouldn’t boo them. I feel it senseless and most unfair especially when seeing a lot of the singers in these past ten years being booed by the HK audiences. They actually have quite a big success in overseas and their records were once well received, or perhaps they were so very well received that people couldn’t stand seeing their success so they had to drag them down and step on them. I think this is something that the Hong Kong audience should reflect themselves.
C: I feel that what’s so unfair to a singer is that he is singing all by himself, and if he is not professional enough, he cannot perform in those big shows, right? What I feel most unfair was that I, on my own, have to face the curses of over ten thousand people for absolutely no reason. I feel this most unfair.
T: Right, we are all equal. Just that we all play different roles. One is on the stage, and the others are off the stage.
C: Right.
T: Let’s talk about your job in the entertainment world. Apart from singing, you have spent a lot of time and efforts on acting too. Since when did you discover that you were interested in acting?
C: Frankly speaking, I was not that keen at that time in acting as my main interest was singing. But one has to face the reality. At that time, I was not accepted by others as a singer, and the Rediffusion Television (now ATV) – I must stress that I never worked in ATV – at that time, it put all their strength on dramas, thus all the variety shows were being taken out and cancelled. As a singer myself, I could do nothing other than singing. So for several months, I was like out of job but getting paid. Then a couple of producers asked me to try out at the soap operas. I said fine, why not. And later they told me that I really could act and invited me to join their drama section. I agreed.
[THE SONG OF THE THEME SONG OF THE TV SOAP OPERA “CAMELEON” WAS PLAYED”
[37.45]
T: Many friends who have seen Cheung Kwok Wing’s soap operas and/or movies will not object that he has a special kind of acting skill, very unique and has a very strong movie feel. You sang at the very beginning of your career and it didn’t seem to have any relationship with acting in movies until the movies in which you played received very good reviews. Actually did you ever dream of becoming a movie star when you were small? Or have you got any movie stars, say foreign movies stars, that you admire a lot, thus making you to follow their footsteps?
C: I did not dream of becoming a movie star, but I do have some idols. I love going to movies since I was very small, especially western movies. So to name my idols, in Hong Kong, oh, perhaps a lot of friends do not know that I love Cantonese opera. I guess I was more or less influenced by the maid who brought me up as she always took me to the Cantonese operas. My idols in Hong Kong are Yim Kim Fai [Note from translator: she was a female actress famous for impersonating as a man on stage in Cantonese operas] and Pak Shuet Sin. For western idols, there are a lot of movies stars that I like and admire, e.g. Jane Fonder, Robert Redford, I think many people like them too, and Barbara Streisand, and many others who have excellent acting skill. I think in a way having watched so many movies when I was small help me in acting, but most importantly, one has to experience it himself. I can say that the first soap opera I made is very different from the one I am making now, what I am referring to is the skill, and it requires a lot of practice.
T: I don’t know but I am sure that a lot of friends share my view that watching Cheung Kwok Wing acting in movies, you always give me the impression that you are very cool, very much like the then James Dean.
C: Oh, don’t compare me with someone who was so great. It may be mainly due to my character. Actually my own personality is cool outside but hot inside, it is possible that such a character in some way is being reflected in the movies.
T: Some people said that you have a taste of vicissitudes of life, is it possible that it was the result of those disappointing years? Will that affect you?
C: Absolutely. It definitely will.
T: In other words, may I say that what had happened to you in real life were being reflected in the movies?
C: It depends on what type of movies. If it is an ancient palace marshal art movie, it won’t work. When acting in movies, there’s one thing I don’t really like, which is, say, if in my first movie, I had a very cool character and everyone accepted that very much, then all the scripts written for me after that would always add a few touches of coolness, or some anger. For myself, I actually want to try out different characters. Luckily in latter part, I was given different roles.
T: Apart from acting, many friends praise that Cheung Kwok Wing when singing and dancing on stage, they were always collaborated perfectly. Every performance, you managed to give people a feeling of freshness. Have you put in a lot of efforts on this?
C: Yes. I did. I watched a lot of musical programs. I must say that the Japanese musical world influences me greatly. I did not perform deliberately as a Japanese singer because I am actually a Hong Kong singer, so I cannot be compared with them. But I found that they have a lot of gimmick on stage. If they can be applied to my performance, I will use them as a guideline or a sample. I found Hideki Saijo’s show very entertaining because he was very gimmicky, then I would try out one or two of them to see if they can be used in my own concert.
[A SONG OF HIDEKI SAIJO WAS PLAYED]
[44:45]
T: Many people feel that our local singers do not possess their own style on stage.
C: Yes.
T: A lot of them just copy the style from overseas singers, thus, some times, you may find a singer having the shadow of Michael Jackson, or next time the shadow of others, or perhaps of a female singer. Is it possible that, as you said, since there is not a centre in Hong Kong, thus the entertainers cannot invent their own style on stage?
C: I believe you should say it this way. For overseas singers, the reason why they have their own style is because basically they don’t have to worry about other things, unlike us who have to play in soap operas and in movies at the same time. We just don’t have sufficient time to do everything. Take Michael Jackson as an example, he does not have to do any other tasks but to meet his target for this year which is to produce one record and the corresponding videos for its songs. For the song “Thriller”, he used up half a year to make the video, and do you know how long it took us to make a music video here?
T: Half day?
C: It would be nice if it took as long as half day. It was really quick. So their production must be good. As well, their promotion is big and their capital is huge. The most important thing is that for showbiz, you need a huge capital. Nothing works if there is no capital. One day, you can make me a superstar too if you are willing to invest ten million dollars on me, right? Besides, their turnover is big thus the profit is great, accordingly the boss can afford to throw in a huge sum of money on an individual whom gives you an impression and feeling of a superstar. Also, they have specialists to teach them how to dance, or how to move, when to make a turn, or when to jump up, etc. But we don’t have this kind of treatment, not for Hong Kong singers. Hong Kong singers therefore have to copy from overseas singes and it is hard for us to set the trend because the market is too small and the profit we made is not that great. Right? It is something really fair.
T: Right. I agree. I think for Hong Kong showbiz, it is like playing magic because with such a small budget, it becomes something big.
C: I think there is something we can be proud of, i.e. our showbiz is definitely better than (according to the places I have visited) Thailand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and I think among all these countries, Hong Kong is only behind Japan.
T: Agree.
C: Japan is such a big place, if you look at the map. It is so many times bigger than Hong Kong.
T: Agree absolutely.
[THE SONG “BEAT IT” WAS PLAYED]
Section 3 (Day 3)
[00:52]
T: We are now into day 3 and continue to chat with Cheung Kwok Wing. Strictly speaking, Leslie should be regarded as a singer, but surprisingly, our deepest impression towards him is from his movies, such as Encore, The Graduate, The Teenage Dreamers, The Drummer or The First Time, etc. Some times, it is really weird. Is it accurate to say that God plays dice with men? There are many occasions that things always happen against one’s own will. But if you are brave enough to face the hurdles, even fate cannot resist you.
T: Let’s talk about the changes you faced over all these years. We’ve talked about the change of attitude of the audience, i.e. how did they react at the very beginning, from booing to praising and supporting. Other than the audience, I am sure during all these years, there must be a lot of people or such a group of people who work closely with you. Did you see their change of attitude towards you -- with their real selves or the pretended selves all revealed? At the lowest point of your career, those people who used to give you a hard time, but then now, you are supported and praised by so many audiences, will this same group of people talk to you in a different tone?
C: Yes, of course they will. I have seen just too many of this happening on numerous occasions. I don’t want to give you an impression that I am someone who has experienced a lot of ups and downs, but it is absolutely true that this world is cruel. For example, at the time when I was booed, no one would ask me to do any variety show, to sing in the lounge, or to make a record. But now my record was well received, the songs are all on the popular songs charts, then they immediately ask me to do commercials and to play in movies and they even pay me good for doing them. There are many similar things happening this way but I don’t blame them because this is the reality to be in an entertainment world. Once you’ve entered the entertainment world, you have to be prepared for this treatment. I am happy that up till now, I am still alive and am even more popular than before, and I have got back so many returns, something I am entitled to. A reward for my working real hard in those past years when I was downhill.
[THE SONG “GO AGAINST ALL ODDS” WAS PLAYED]
[6:21]
T: Of course, in the entertainment world, as you said, it is cruel. But still you have made acquaintance with some good friends.
C: Yes, of course I have. Say, for example, when I acted in soap operas and movies, I got to know Man Chi-Leung who is a really nice guy and a good friend. In the singing circle, I got to know Deannie Yip Tak-Han who is very kind too. For those friends who know me, please excuse me for not mentioning your names, it’s just that I want to choose the best out of all my friends . I feel that these two people are really kind people.
T: Other than good friends, is there anyone in the circle who you look up? This can be in two aspects. One kind of people who you look up to because you think he is really kind and very good in handling human relationship; the other kind is those people who manage to do thing the other way round.
C: Oh, that type you are referring to [laugh] [Note from translator: the latter type meant to be the opposite to the former type]. I don’t think it is improper to talk about that type of people [the latter type]. It will only cause people to hate me. Under the first category, I think Deannie Yip. I really respect her a lot.
T: Is she the type of people who wouldn’t care what other people think but just does it her own way?
C: Yes. But for her, she does not really belong to this circle because she is very stubborn and too self-centred. But she always reaches out to help people.
T: Now, the way you say it, is it true that for those who work in the entertainment world should try to please others’?
C: Taste? Yes.
T: To be prepared to change to suit others’ taste.
C: at others’ service…
T: But if we do have someone like that, we won’t like it. I don’t know, but personally speaking, I won’t like it.
C: Unless he can do it really well, i.e. he has to put on the mask nicely because his real face will be revealed sooner or later. Right?
T: Okay, now let’s talk about something solemn and personal. I remember that when I chatted with a friend a few days ago. He’s a longstanding audience who grew up with us and is now about 23 years old.
C: Yes. Wow, so small. [Laugh]
T: [Laugh] Well, he started to listen to radio when he was very small. He asked me a very solemn question that a lot of Hong Kong people are concerned about, that is the four numbers 1997 [Note from translator: The year when China was going to take over Hong Kong from Britain].
C: Yes.
T: I always thought that only those friends who are older than 30 years old would be concerned about this issue, and they would think of their future, but actually that’s not the case as even I started to think about it myself although I am relatively young. He mentioned to me that he doesn’t know whether he should get married or not because nothing is certain after ten and so years.
C: Yes.
T: That is, if he does not get married now, he would regret it after some ten or so years when things do go smoothly. He started to consider whether he should get a wife and then have children. So for you, Cheung Kwok Wing, at your age, have you started thinking of this issue?
C: I have thought of it. Oh, this issue is too solemn. Yes, I do feel that those four numbers are really very sensitive and I do have thought about how to manage my capital etc. and whether I should go abroad. But I have been to so many places and still find Hong Kong the best place to live in. I’ve been to the States, Canada, Europe and many Asian countries. I feel Hong Kong is a really lovely place. It would be a pity if it is ruined that way for no reason. If I just leave, then it will be against my own will, because just look at Hong Kong, for such a tiny place, as you said, it really is a miracle, you can see almost everything, the rich and the poor, glamorous life styles, and it is a place with so much representations. I really don’t know at this point. I am currently trying to collect opinions from my friends. Of course, there are some who say we should leave. They say if there is no freedom, they would rather die.
T: Right.
C: But some people say we shouldn’t worry too much, what will be will be. I always change my mind; so I am collecting the opinions from the seniors, as I think those people of my age won’t have much new idea to tell me, so I will go to the seniors and those with insight for opinions as to what to do. I found that what I should do now is to just look at the present. For the following years to come, I will try to do my very best to build up my career. What I meant to do the best is in reality to earn more money [laugh]. So after I have enough money, then I will face the issue.
[AN ENGLISH SONG “HELLO” WAS PLAYED]
[15:09]
T: Leslie, from what you’ve told me, you seem to be very optimistic about your future endeavours?
C: Yes. That’s my idea. I think I don’t have to worry about too much right now. If you ask me will I be not getting married because of that. I would think that’s kind of silly. Getting married or not depends very much on how your emotions or sentiments developed, and one should not take politics into account when deciding whether or not to get married or to have children. They are to do with your erotic feeling as well your spiritual passion, so it shouldn’t be mixed up with politics. And I will not give up the idea of getting married because of that.
T: But have you ever thought seriously of getting married in the very near future, or even next year?
C: Not so soon. I don’t even have someone whom I am really intimated with.
T: [Laugh]
C: Not Tang Wai-See or Lam San-San [Note from translator: Both of them were DJs]. Both of them are my good friends of mine and it is not as the rumor said. If you judge it that way, by simply going out together, you can be my next target. Going out for a movie or so is a very common kind of social event.
T: Is it possible that from the general public’s point of view, for someone like you, at your age with good look and successful career, when everything comes by so smoothly, there should be a girl friend by your side, do you think this is the impression or image you give to people? Many people will make up stories for you.
C: A lot of sweet dreams, or should I say sweet dreams borrowed from others? …
T: Something that you have to return… [Laugh]
C: [Laugh] I think I will consider this issue. A couple of years ago, I did consider whether I should date someone seriously. But I believe it is something that will happen when the right time has come.
T: But frankly speaking, the impression you give us is that you are the playboy type of guy.
C: Really?
T: So what is the real you?
C: The real me is that I have a big heart full of love.
T: Can that big heart hold a lot of girl friends?
C: One at a time. I am not the type who can handle three girls at the same time, like the guys you saw in the soap operas did. I won’t do something so ridiculous. When I like someone, I will devote all my love to her. However, I can’t guarantee how long I will like her, and normally, I am not the one who first backs out. The bad thing about our career is that our exposure to the public is big. The Cheung Kwok Wing on the screen or in the newspapers is not the same Cheung Kwok Wing in private. They [the public] may find the Cheung Kwok Wing in private is just as ordinary, he may be more ordinary than any ordinary people, then they may lose their interest in me.
T: [Laugh]
C: I’ve tried that before, so don’t laugh. It’s true. Because I personally am a very ordinary person. After my work is over, I would prefer to stay at home on Sundays listening to music, sleeping, eating and then sleeping again. I don’t think too many girls can stand staying at home on Sundays with the boyfriend sleeping, eating, listening to music, so actually I am quite a boring person in this respect. I am not a very socialable person as I don’t really enjoy socializing with others.
T: Wow, I think the image of Cheung Kwok Wing on screen is totally opposite to the real Cheung Kwok Wing.
C: [Laugh] Perhaps in your mind’s eye, you see me that way; spending all nights socializing with people, right?
T: [Laugh]
C: I seldom socialize.
[THE SONG “A BIT OF CRAZINESS” WAS PLAYED]
[21:25]
T: Now let’s talk about your work. For these couple of years, everything goes really smoothly, I can imagine that there is a lot of pressure.
C: Yes.
T: Do you have any huge plan in the near future that you can tell us?
C: Talking about future work, well, of course, if I happen to encounter some good directors, I really want to play in their movies, but I will decrease the amount of work because in the past I got persuaded too easily, which is one of my weaknesses. If someone, like those directors who were kind to me, I would do as requested. But I will try to be tougher from now on, and to consider the quality of the work more than the quantity. So for this year, I will only make two movies, or a maximum of three only. In the past, I could make six movies in a year, and this is not going to happen anymore. For recording, I will choose more appropriate songs for the audience. I think, right now, the quality of my records is pretty high already and I will try to keep it up that way so that the quality will never be worst than anything in the past. And I think I have to pay credit to my recording company because it has done a good job.
T: Sometimes, I truly believe that fate plays an important part in our life, …
C: Yes, it’s correct.
T: have you ever thought that after those unpleasant and downhill times, now that everything is so smooth, have you ever feared that there will be another downfall in the future? I wish that will not happen, but that’s how life is – ups and downs.
C: I can endure anything. I believe after those unpleasant years, I can endure anything. I can’t predict my future, but I think there is nothing that can be in my way in respect of my work.
[THE SONG “WIND CONTINUES TO BLOW” WAS PLAYED]
End of Interview
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment