Raymond Wong Talks About the Hong Kong Movie Industry – It would be Nice if Leslie Cheung is Still Around

黃百鳴談香港電影要是張國榮還在就好了

Source: Chutian City News (楚天都市報), 2007-01-24 Issue

Downloaded from http://forum.lesliecheung.cc/guestbook/show.asp?id=68850

Translated by Daydreamer on January 31, 2007

Raymond Wong is a name that cannot be ignored in the Hong Kong movie history. Most people thought that he was merely a supporting actor in comedy movies, actually he has been an outstanding film producer of many great movies, such as “A Better Tomorrow”, “A Chinese Ghost Story”, “All’s Well Ends Well” etc. On the 28th, to promote the “Raymond Wong Movie Week” in the Hubei Film and Television Channel, Raymond Wong made a special trip to Wuhan to meet with the audience. This big boss of the Hong Kong movie industry spoke frankly that Leslie Cheung was the actor he appreciated the most. He stated that now an actor better than Leslie cannot be found in Hong Kong any more.

Witnessing the Golden Age of Hong Kong Movies

Cinema City Enterprises Limited, the movie company founded by Raymond Wong, Mak Kar and Shek Tin, was the founder and witness of the golden age of the Hong Kong movies.

Recalling the past, Raymond Wong said that Cinema City had discovered many great directors, such as Tsui Hark, Lam Ling Tong, Johnny To, John Woo and Ronny Yu. Chow Yun-Fat who was alleged to be a “box office poison” became a “box office record-setter” after he joined Cinema City and made movie like “A Better Tomorrow” which was a classic. Leslie had been a contract actor with Cinema City all along. In ten years, Cinema City had four movies, including “A Better Tomorrow” and “Eighth Happiness” which have broken the records of the Hong Kong movie box office.

Be Perseverant in Difficult Situations

In 1990, Mak Kar and Shek Tin decided to leave the movie industry, therefore Cinema City had to be dissolved. Raymond Wong thus established Mandarin Films Ltd. and had made movies, such as ““All’s Well Ends Well”, and “All’s Well Ends Well Too”, etc. Afterwards, depression hit the Hong Kong movies. “The stocks of my company were put on the market on 911 [September 11th]. On that day, stocks all over world dropped to the lowest point. I told myself that one’s bound to get stronger if he grows up in difficult times and situations.”

Having waited patiently and seeing that the situation had improved a lot, Raymond Wong invested in the movies “Seven Swords” and “Dragon Tiger Gate” after mainland China loosened the rules in film-making. The huge mainland China market gave him a lot of confidence. His next movie “Po Jun” starring Zhen Tzu Dan and Fan Pingping, is in the process of being filmed.

Hong Kong Does not Have any Good Comedy Actors Anymore

Raymond Wong has created numerous movie stars, however, the one he appreciates most is Leslie Cheung. “Whatever role you asked him to do, he could and would do it well. He would never put on airs. When the movie had to be promoted abroad, Chow Yun-Fat would take one person with him which was his wife, but for Leslie, he would bring no one. Those so-called superstars nowadays, they bring assistants, make-up assistants, hair stylists; one person will turn into ten. It’s a huge sum of money paying merely for the air fares. [Sigh] If Leslie was still here, he would save me a lot of money!”

Raymond Wong excelled in shooting comedy movies, however, in recent years, he put his strength on action movies. Reluctantly, he said, “It is very difficult to find good comedy actors in Hong Kong. It is not possible to bring the cast – Leslie Cheung, Stephen Chow, Maggie Cheung, Sandra Ng - of the movie “All’s Well Ends Well” back together anymore.

Reporter: Zha Chao (查昭)
http://www.cnhubei.com/200701/ca1262083.htm

Tonight in All Quietness, I looked at the Star on the Horizon: Watching "The Kid" Again

這夜闌靜處，獨看天涯星──再看《流星語》

Downloaded from http://bbs.ent.163.com/zhangguorong/173218,0,50,0,40,4.html?userid
Written by戀棧加多利
Date 2007-01-22 20:31:43

Translated by Daydreamer on January 29, 2007

I once categorized "The Kid" as a rotten film, just like my belief that watching stars is a very stupid thing to do. It has never occurred to me that a movie could convey to me any message because I believe that actual life is more real and true than movies.

Last year, I went to Hong Kong. I wandered around the curving alleys in Sheung Wan. When I arrived at the Ladder Street, it was already dark. That was the spot where the movie “The Kid” was filmed. Among the various outdoor movie sets of Leslie’s films, this one could be regarded as well maintained. Even the little stall at the head of Chun Feng Lane was still there unchanged. I asked the proprietor of the stall whether she saw the shooting of the film seven years’ ago. She excitedly told me that she did see Mr. Cheung. Unfortunately, my Cantonese was so poor that I could only understand her first sentence. However, she became more and more intense and at the end, she simply took out a piece of paper, wrote on it several gigantic Chinese characters and drew out a map. She was eager to tell me something….something that she had hidden in her heart for many years.

With this “Treasure Map” in hand, I started to look for the places that Gorgor often went in the neighbourhood. Some of the small taverns were dim, dingy and cramped, yet those were the places where he had enjoyed some carefree and leisurely moments after work. Sheung Wan was not as prosperous and lively as other places in Hong Kong, however, it had the aroma and quietness of the 60s, even the street lamps gave out a red and yellowish dizzying light as if trying to console the souls of the tired people.

In 1999, merely judging by his outward appearance, it was the year that Leslie possessed the strongest middle-class flavour, with some soft curly knots appeared at the end of his hair and occasionally keeping a beard on his face, a very English aristocrat feel. Who would believe that in this year, Jacob Chan boldly asked him to play the role of a misfortunate jobless man, and what is even more unbelievable is that this film had to explain how “an actor whose image would never be that of a father” turned to become a father. Therefore, for his fans like us, this image was as rare and unusual as a shooting star. After seven years, I walked back and forth on this quiet movie set, but the shooting star had already streaked through the sky. I did not find the roof where Lee Shiu Wing [the character in the movie “The Kid”] watched the stars, but at the long staircase where Ah Wing sent Ming Jai off, I saw many many stars. Perhaps it was because I was standing at a high point that night, I felt those stars were very close to me. The moment when I raised my head, I suddenly felt that the movie was actually far more realer and truer than actual life.

I decided to watch “The Kid” again. Late at night two days ago, I finally watched it one more time. Looking at the flashing screen, I felt as if I was remotely watching the glittering starry sky. It turned out that this movie would keep you awake at night after watching it. The next day, it started to affect my diet because for these two days, I had continuously been eating the kind of noodles that Ah Wing cooked for Ming Jai, I wanted to savour those details which were as pale and light as water; only the simplest things could bring back the most wonderful memories.

Many of the Hong Kong movies were shot in Chun Fung Lane, and this movie was of no exception. This was the best place to observe the life of Hong Kong peasants: hawker stalls, people playing majongs, children running all over the place; perhaps only this type of scenes showing insipid and ordinary life could reflect the most mellow and rich sentiments. Jacob Cheung was the kind of director who liked to lighten and soften the emotion which was originally deep and profound. In this movie “The Kid”, he intentionally turned the earthshaking plot into a light and adventureless one. Perhaps this kind of “gurgling-stream type” of narration could drip into people’s mind much easier than the “perilous and stormy type”.

After the chaotic introduction was over, the movie started with a sharp crispy cry of a baby. That baby’s cry was quite a notch. It did not merely make Lee Shiu Wing who was heavily drunk awake, it was also like a shooting star streaking across the sky, making Lee Shiu Wing start watching stars from then on. When one did not possess anything anymore, the thing he owned at that very moment would become incomparably precious, no matter whether it was only an abandoned baby, or a quiet starry sky that no one cared to pay any attention to.

After four years, Ming Jai was like any ordinary kids. Throwing a plastic sheet over himself as raincoat, he shuttled around the streets. Here we saw how bright and happy life really was. At this time, Lee Shiu Wing’s name was no longer mentioned, instead Ah Wing, who was accustomed to doing odd jobs in order to earn a living, appeared. I marvelled at an actor’s ability to change irregularly. If you knew well of Leslie’s talent and natural beauty, the role that he played in “The Kid” would surely gave you a very big impact, but strange enough, very quickly he would put you into his character. The most charming thing about this role that Leslie played was that even at his most difficult time and lowest point in life, he still could reveal life’s sense of reality that touched people very much. It seemed to be of no concern and made no difference to him any more as to how he spent the days; seeing him enduring the hardship of life would still make people envy. For him, even a job such as painting was still an ideal one. I did not know what it would be like if this role was played by someone else, because not everyone could ride on a huge Model 28 crossbeam bicycle yet still reveal the flavour of life as strongly and clearly as he could.

The story of this movie was very simple. It was about the sentiments of the father and son. Both Jacob Cheung and Leslie Cheung tried very hard to annotate, in a light and unintentional way, the kind of pure yet turbulent emotions. In the movie, although bearing the relationship of father and son yet they were not blood kin. If having the same kind of blood flowing in their bodies, it would become equally rigid and cruel. Without this layer of relationship, the sentiment between the two would not be as strong and hot, yet the sentiment would contrarily be deeper. However, even though the sentiment that we saw was so light, yet the two Cheungs still felt that was not enough, they deducted the father and son as brothers: fighting over an icipop, and snatching to climb the staircase, everything was so relaxed and ordinary. Although there were two short separations in the movie, the kid did not cry and the father did not weep: when Ah Wing was taken away by the policemen, Ming Jai was in the bath tub holding a toy as a walkie-talkie looking for Ah Wing who still had not returned home. He did go to the senior home inquiring about Ah Wing’s whereabouts, however, all the thing that this weak and little body could do was not worthy of mentioning; when Ming Jai was not by Ah Wing’s side, Ah Wing, looking out the window watching the kids play in the neighbourhood, deeply lost in thought. That was an expression we saw in a father’s eyes showing how deep a concern and innermost restless feeling he had towards his kid, so quiet and tranquil yet it really frightened the audience. At the end of the movie, after he sent off Ming Jai, one of the kids appeared again while he was walking back to his place, but this time, we did not see Ah Wing’s expression. All these small details made the movie bloomed brilliantly, they temporarily flattened the emotion that was strong, as if sending out to the audience some light yeast powder, once fermented, the people’s tears could not be held back from falling down their face.

The scene which was the soul of the movie was after Ah Wing watched the shooting stars at the beach with Siu Kwun and Wing Jai. After returning home, Ah Wing sat on the gliding stool and then threw away the enrollment letter received from the Observatory. A man who had experienced ups and downs in this world finally calmed down at the lowest point of his life. He was ready to face the pure starry sky, look at his own life and think seriously what was the thing he treasured most. At the moment he saw the streaking through of the shooting stars, he finally understood that people should live true to their heart, and treasure the purest thing one possessed, because in this world, everything passed by like a flash. He finally chose Ming Jai, he chose his truest feeling, until at the end, he put Ming Jai and “The Big Nearsighted [the gold fish]” in the vehicle and saw them off. That simple farewell scene was like the moment when the shooting stars disappeared from the sky, but this time it did not happen on the beach but lively in his heart, and this was life. Having lived together for four years, their relationship was as thick as blood, yet at the end of the movie when we looked at Ah Wing’s soundless sobbing, it made our heart broke for the first time.

I like to look at the cool and tranquil performance of Leslie in this movie, greedily feeling his deep yet unrevealed emotion, loving the joyous moment he shared with Ming Jai lying on the roof of the seniors home watching the stars, remembering well the phrase “It’s cloudy” that he suddenly burst out while walking on the beach, yearning madly for his subtle smile as he said “you want more?” when lying on bed with his t-shirt ripped open revealing his shoulder; until at the end after he and Ming Jai separated, seeing his disorderly steps and the sight of his back – a back that we could not see any expression, I then covered my face and let my tears fall down.

Like Leslie in the movie, he loved to watch the stars, for me over this past year, I loved to look back at him. Perhaps there was a shooting star in everyone’s own world hiding somewhere in the still and quiet darknights waiting for us to discover. This time, looking at “The Kid” again, my eyes were blinded by the brilliant rays. In that split second, I seemed not to be able to distinguish between “Lee Shiu Wing” and Leslie. If this had to do with the director, then perhaps Jacob Cheung had successfully grabbed the most perceptual side of Leslie. I remember that once when talked about Leslie, he said, “He is a very perceptual person, he acts according to his perception, if he thinks it is good, he will persist until the end. If he is the type of person who only takes action after carefully calculating the end results and the gain and loss, then I don’t think he could go that far.” And “Lee Shiu Wing” was exactly of this type of personality: perceptive, ready to rediscover himself, did not care about pompous things, treasured natural instinct; perhaps in the deepest part of his heart, Leslie once again interlinked with the character that he played. Lately, I accidentally came across a news report type of article on the internet, one of the paragraphs reads as follows:

“As a result of the Asian financial crisis and the rampant video piracy, Hong Kong’s movie industry fell to the lowest point. In 1999, Jacob Cheung along with some other movie workers took the initiative in setting up a creative alliance. The twenty directors who joined in were supposed to each raise their own funds, find an actor and then make a high quality movie. They were to receive nominal remuneration in order to inject all the funds into the production, hoping that this method would boost up the market. However, at the end, almost all actors refused to participate, except for one person……”

and this person was Cheung Kwok Wing, and this movie was called “The Kid”.

It Won't Be Long For Us To Meet Again

 

張國榮：再見不會太遙遠

Written by Zhao Rong (趙榮)

Source: 'Movie Stories' 1995

Originally posted in the Leslie Cheung Artist Studies website on August 17, 2004

Translated by Daydreamer posted January 17, 2007

At 7 o'clock in the evening, inside the Red Maison Hotel in Songjiang (see note 1), the room was brightly lit and the sounds of people were bubbling like a caldron. Director Chen Kaige stepped up on to the stage, picked up the microphone and said, "This morning, Kwok Wing told me that he would like to invite the whole crew to dinner tonight, then I suddenly understood one thing -- he is about to leave us. All of Kwok Wing's parts in 'Temptress Moon' are finished. Having worked with him in two movies, I think this person’s good thing is…. let me use our Beijing dialect to say it out, "He is one who is especially friendly, considerate and cares about others…" Before Kaige could finish his sentence, there was already a big applause. Following that, Kwok Wing and Kaige made a toast to the ten tables full of crew members.

I lifted up my camera. Flashlight repeatedly glistened from all directions. No matter how many beautifully decorated and delicious dishes were being brought to the table, no one seemed to care about them. The attention was completely concentrated on Cheung Kwok Wing alone. At the beginning, only those who were bold enough would go up to Cheung Kwok Wing's table with an excuse to propose a toast to him, actually they wanted to take a picture with him. Then afterwards, Kwok Wing was simply being pulled away from his seat. No matter whether it was a member from the make-up team or from the stage property section, stage manager or lighting member, stage scenery worker or driver, no one would give up the precious chance of taking a picture with him. During the one-year shooting process, Kwok Wing has never showed any supremacy or arrogance. He especially sympathized with the crew members who have worked very hard. Everyone has a tender affection for him.

At this moment, the screen in front of the stage suddenly played the MTV of 'When Will You Return 何日君在來'. Ms. Sun Huizhuan of Thomson Film Company with her wonderful voice and feeling started to sing, "Beautiful flowers do not bloom often, and good time does not last long…" This song brought all of the people who were making a lot of noise back to another state. After the song was over, Ms. Sun said, "I am not a good performer. I sang this song because Mr. Cheung has requested me to sing it for him, therefore I chose that song. Now, I am requesting Mr. Cheung Kwok Wing to sing a song for us." "Great…!" Not allowing Cheung Kwok Wing to consider, everyone has answered that for him. Applauses and summonses were everywhere. It gradually changed to a rhythmic unison of "Cheung Kwok Wing, sing a song!" The noise of this was so loud that it could almost make the roof collapsed. If taking pictures with Kwok Wing was the first climax, then singing a song was certainly the second one.

Cheung Kwok Wing helplessly shook his head, sighed and said, "It's all my fault, I have asked for this!" Of course, now Kwok Wing owed Ms. Sun a favour, but most importantly, as a host today, how could he object to the guests' earnest request? Finally, Cheung Kwok Wing came up on to the stage with a smile and sang the song 'Blessings祝福' for us. He picked up the microphone and said, "My friends, my best wishes to all of you…" Wow, the noise of the applauses almost covered up the song. Tse Yin, the elderly actor who played the role Xian Xie [or Dai Dai] in 'Temptress Moon' was also there tonight, he came up on to the stage and presented a flower to Cheung Kwok Wing. This attracted another wave of applauses and laughers and the atmosphere reached its peak.

Don't ask, don't say,
Everything is understood without saying a word.
At this moment under the candlelight let's quietly spend the time together…

A voice full of emotion and affection reverberated in the hall, like magnet drawing the attention of each audience, the entire audience was extremely quiet, no one dared to breathe trying to fully enjoy those few minutes of precious time... "Bide farewell, but it won't be long for us to meet again..." Cheung Kwok Wing's song came to a stop, but everyone still seemed to be fully embraced by the mood of the lyrics and had not come around as yet.

"Look at Lin Jian-hua's face..." Miss Sun said trying to make the atmosphere lighter. At this moment, everyone noticed that Lin Jian-hua who was standing at the corner below the stage has been crying so hard that his tears have made his jacket all wet. He was embarrassed, therefore quickly turned around and drilled into the nearest group of people. Lin Jian-hua has joined the 'Temptress Moon' crew for almost a year. This time last year, in order to play the role of 'Duanwu' well, he attended a two-month acting course at the Central Drama School. I also discovered at this time that the little actor who played the role of little Zhongliang sat beside Cheung Kwok Wing and cried heartily and sadly. Cheung Kwok Wing tried to dry up his tears and comfort him. During this year, little Zhongliang has grown a lot, he was almost one head taller than the adult Zhongliang. Little Zhongliang has learned a lot from the drama group. He and Cheung Kwok Wing has become good friends despite their age difference.

Everybody tried to make Lin Jian-hua sing for us. Lin Jian-hua picked a song called 'Why Did You Make Me So Sad你怎麼舍得我難過'. Following that, it was Zhou Jie's turn to sing. Zhou Jie who was originally a dancer played the role of the woman living in Zephyr Lane in 'Temptress Moon'. Although her part was small, she loved this role very much because she found it lively and colourful. She told me that it was very exciting to play against Cheung Kwok Wing, and she also respected Chen Kaige very much. Although she was very lively most of the time, however, tonight after Cheung Kwok Wing finished singing his song, she merely sat there remaining very quiet. At this time, everyone tried to persuade her to go up to the stage but she merely used her two hands to cover up her face. People originally thought that she was just being playful, but she did not put down her hands for a long time; when taking a good look, we found that tears were dripping down through her fingers. Her face was all red and tears kept coming down continuously. Perhaps, this moment had brought some very special memories back to Zhou Jie.

It is true that all the crew members have tasted moments of happiness, sadness and bitterness ever since the camera started rolling a year ago. Who wouldn't sigh with emotion and who wouldn't be excited and agitated? Although Ms. Sun kept reminding people that, "Don't let Kwok Wing's farewell dinner changed into a camera shut-down meal...", everyone still could not shake off the uneasy feeling of departure. At this moment, everyone thought, in consensus, of Gong Li who had taken a leave of absence for a few days to go to the Festival de Cannes for the movie 'Shanghai Triad'. Everyone felt sorry and said, "Tonight it would be more perfect and thrilling if Gong Li was here."

At the end, Mr. Cheung Kwok Wing left the crowd quietly. When someone discovered that he was leaving and tried to call him, he waved his hand signalling him to keep quiet, just like the lyrics of the song:

Don't wave your hand, don't look back...
It won't be long for us to meet again.
If there is fate then we may anticipate tomorrow, you and I will meet again in the bright season.

Note 1 – Songjiang, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songjiang,_Shanghai

Zhang Guorong’s performing skill gave Cheng Deiyi distinctive charm

張國榮演賦予程蝶衣特殊的魅力


Chinese Media Net
December 30, 2006
Author: Jiang Xun

Source: Leslie Cheung Artist Studies http://www.leslie-cheung.com

Partial content extracted from Zhang Yihuo’s cultural trip to Singapore and Malaysia

Translated by Daydreamer on January 11, 2007
 
Zhang Yihuo, traveling south from Beijing, set foot on Singapore and Malaysia for the first time. In the decadent music, she chatted with her friends until 2 o’clock in the morning in the bar of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. This 110 years old hotel used to be the meeting place for senior officials and writers. Zhang Yihuo captured the bygone times. In Malacca, Malaysia, she visited and spent four hours in the 100 years old two-story building in Holland Street, appreciating the antiques exhibited there with the He Kuojung couple. The past was like a dream. Zhang Yihuo has in recent years published “The Past was not Like a Dream (The Last Aristocrat)”, “A Blast of Wind, Leaves Behind the Eternal Last Song”, and the “The Bygones of Opera Actors - For Those Who Do Not Watch Operas” that was published most recently.

Zhang Yihuo writes about past events and about historical personages. She said, “When one gets old, what’s left in mind are “past events”. History, they are stories from the past. Stories, they are history. Now we talk about the stories of the past, and very soon, our predecessors will talk about us as a story.” She said that her motive force to write is “to converse with heaven", “because those who loved me and the ones I loved are all in heaven”, “the objects I describe are all dead”.

On the Christmas Eve, Zhang Yi Huo held a lecture in Singapore and in Malaysia on the“Stories Inside and Outside the Book”. She was invited to Singapore by He Lienfeng who established the “Lienfeng Lecture Courses” in the Singapore Management University. This lecture was organized by Singapore Management University along with the “Union Morning Newspaper”. She was invited to Malaysia by the Malaysian Chinese Association to speak at the lecture organized by the Malaysian Chinese Association and the “Sin Chew Daily”. Zhang Yihuo wrote an inscription for the Malaysian readers as follows: “Reading can teach us to use calmness to expel the unfortunate, to embrace life with smile and to approach truth with wisdom.” Her new book “The Bygones of Opera Actors – For Those Who Do Not Watch Operas” records the touching stories of seven opera actors, namely Shang Hsiaoyun, Yan Huizhu, Yang Paozhong, Ye Shenglan, Ye Shengch'ang, Xi Xiaobo and Cheng Yanch'iu. In those two lectures, Zhang Yihuo emphatically explained her new book, from opera actors to the fall of the traditional cultures and the disfavor of the classical literary arts.

Why did Zhang Yihuo write about Chinese opera actors? Opera actors and her expertise are interrelated. She has spent more than thirty years in learning the opera arias, researching on them, then teaching them. Within that timeframe, she spent ten years in prison. She knows the stories of the opera actors, and she hopes that other people may know them too. The opera actors on stage tell the stories of other people, and Zhang Yihuo wants to tell the stories of the opera actors. Zhang Yihuo wishes to tell those people who do not understand the opera actors and to show those who do not watch them. The art of the opera actors is beautiful and beauty needs to be appreciated. Actually, those individuals should also be appreciated too because life is also beautiful.

She said, "Chinese entertainers possess utmost charm, no less than those movie stars in Hollywood. In Chen Kaige's movie "Farewell To My Concubine" there is a very outstanding actor Zhang Guorong. The role of Cheng Deiyi that he played is most unforgettable. Probably everyone agrees that his performing skill in the movie is the best. Zhang Guorong played an actor, a Peking opera actor, more specifically, a male dan (see note 1). He put on a performance of a male dan’s habitual behavior, eye expression, life of emotion and charm. The actress of this movie is Gong Li, yet if putting Gong Li and Zhang Guorong together, let me speak frankly, inside the movie she is like a total tawpie (a little fool). Not that Gong Li is silly, but just that the male dan role that Zhang Guorong played has given him distinctive charm."

Note 1:  Dan is the general term in Peking Opera for female roles. The art of male dan--specialists in female roles--is one of the most important issues in traditional Chinese theatre, especially in jingju (Beijing or Peking opera).





 

Paper Clip - Those Unreasonably Passionate Women

那樣的痴情女子

Shenzhen Business News,. September 12, 2006

Author: Du Chiach'i

Source: Leslie Cheung Artist Studies http://www.leslie-cheung.com

Translated by Daydreamer on January 11, 2007

A long time ago, when I returned to Taiwan, my brother asked me which male star was being regarded as the most good looking one by the Hong Kong people. I told him that Hong Kong people generally regarded Leslie Cheung as the model of a handsome man. I still remember that he was so surprised that he could not keep his month shut and then said that if one asked the people in Taiwan, majority of them would not regard Leslie Cheung as good looking.

Of course, this dialogue should best not be mentioned in Hong Kong, otherwise on the serious side you would be beaten up; on the light side the friendship between you and your friend might be affected. I have experienced the latter case.

A friend of mine, like most of the women who are in their 30s, does not merely regard Leslie Cheung as the standard of a handsome man, they even treat him as their idol and dream lover – even though they all know that he is a homosexual. Two years ago when Anita Mui passed away due to illness, I told this friend of mine that although I felt pity of Leslie Cheung’s demise, however, I did not have much feeling. On the contrary, since Anita Mui to a certain degree was closely linked with the Hong Kong people, so even though I did not know her personally, I felt like I had lost a close friend.

After my friend heard this, she was not very pleased. Dear readers, take note that this friend of mine is not an ordinary housewife or an ordinary teenage girl, she is the professor of the faculty of cultural research in a university, as well, she is a poet. Shortly afterwards, I read a poem that she wrote. It talked about how completely discouraged she was after Leslie passed away. She shut herself in her house for several months as if shutting herself in a coffin. She even once thought of going along with him.

After I read that, my reaction was exactly like the reaction of my brother: I was stunned. As far as I know, she had only had one contact with Leslie before. In order to research on the culture of Hong Kong, through some contact, she managed to interview Leslie. She told others that Leslie’s beauty almost made her faint. Even so, I can understand it if one is to commit suicide because of one’s boyfriend or husband, but to commit suicide for someone who is so remote and who one does not fully understand, then that I really cannot understand!

And she is not the only one. In Hong Kong, there is a Leslie Cheung Fan Club. Every year, there are activities organized to commemorate Leslie. Surprisingly, my friends is not a member of the fan club, but she told me once that she had been invited by the fan club to give a speech.

Giving a speech?

Yes, she said. It was because the fan club felt that it was impossible to gather together every time merely to cry, to remember, to sing his songs, to look at his pictures or to watch his movies. If it goes on like this, once the people’s passion is not as strong, then the fan club cannot be maintained. Therefore it decided to do something making the activities more meaningful. Thus, in its activities, it always invites scholars or media people to discuss Hong Kong’s culture or the art of movies – of course, the contents will certainly be related to Leslie.

It is quite beyond expectation that a fan club can manage to organize this kind of activities, one therefore cannot despise their ability. Of course, for someone like me who is not a Leslie fan, the most surprising thing is that this group of women can be so unreasonably passionate!

Paper Clip -- Gorgor - The First Star of “Choice” Magazine

From http://forum.lesliecheung.cc/guestbook/show.asp?id=68400

Translated by Daydreamer on December 30, 2006

What is the relationship between the late Gorgor Leslie Cheung and the Consumer Council? Twenty-one years ago, Leslie Cheung appeared on the cover of the December 1985 issue of the Consumer Council’s “Choice” magazine. It was the first time ever that “Choice” used a celebrity on its first colored-cover. At that time, Gorgor was getting very popular thus setting this as a trend.

I chatted with the Chief Executive Chan Wong Wei and Vice Executive Lau Yin Hing of the Consumer Council yesterday. They mentioned that Cheung Luk Ping, Leslie’s sister, was the Chief Executive of the Consumer Council since its conception until the mid 80s. She also introduced the “product testing process” to the Council. At that time, Leslie always went to his sister’s office at the Consumer Council. Although he did not do so after he became popular since he was busy, his charm and charisma cast a deep impression on Lau Yin Hing. She said, “I had a meal with him. He was very polite and charming and very good looking too.” That’s right, which male star has the quality of Gorgor?

Author (Lee Pak Fong, December 30, 2006)

1997 TV Interview by Victoria Lam Kin Ming – “Under the Stars Talk Show” – Part 1 of 5

Translated by Daydreamer in February 2006

Legend:
Lam: Victoria Lam Kin Ming
Leslie: Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, or Gorgor
Maggie: Maggie Cheung Man Yuk
Tony: Tony Leung Kar Fai

Lam: What a coincidence! In the “Under the Stars Talk Show” tonight, we have with us our heartthrob Gorgor Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, the “Best Actress” Maggie Cheung Man Yuk, and the “sexy lover” Tony Leung Kar Fai [Note: Tony Leung’s movie “Lover” was on the big screen around that period of time.].

Leslie: no, the international star.

Maggie: lover…

Lam: It’s great to have you all here. Long time no see, how are you all? Right now, under the circumstances, let’s treat ourselves as equal. Gorgor has just finished his “RED” concerts. I was also there that night when the two of you attended. What a coincidence!

Maggie: Why didn’t he [Leslie] announce your name then?

Lam: He didn’t know I was there.

Leslie: I didn’t realize that she came to my concert that night. I thought she would go to the last night of my concert because I gave her the tickets for that night.

Lam: I bought my own tickets. So all of us have been to your concert. There was one thing I liked most about the concert.

Leslie: What’s that? The high-heels?

Lam: No. Of course I liked the high-heels, but what I liked most is there was no encore. You know, for a lot of singers, they just pretended and put on an act. We all know that they would come out again and that they were just hiding behind the curtain waiting for the encore request from the audience. But for you, done is done, and the concert was finished in good taste too; just that simple. It was great!

Leslie: The rundown list was already very long. I had more than enough songs for the concert. There was encore for the first night. I said so in advance two weeks ago before the concert started. I told everyone that there would not be any encore because I had enough programs for you to see. That’s enough.

Tony: There were a lot of fans waiting outside for your car. Everyone thought that I was Cheung Kwok Wing. My car was blocked and I could go nowhere.

Lam: Before I went to the concert, I have read a lot of reports about the concert, and there were so many rumors, accusations, and negative comments about it. After I watched it with my own eyes, it was a different thing. Do you feel that some of the reports were really …… actually you must go and look at it yourself to find out the truth.

Leslie: I really have to thank them, that way, it jetted up the sales. If no one said anything about it, let it be negatively or positively, no one would know of its existence. It doesn’t matter to me. You may say what you want and I can’t stop you anyway. If you haven’t watched the concert, but said that ……

Tony: Don’t get excited. The concert was for those who knew how to appreciate it.

Leslie: No, no, I wasn’t excited. Doing a show is for those who know how to appreciate it, as well as for those who don’t appreciate but only criticize it. That is why I don’t mind; instead I thank them.

Lam: That’s why in order to find out the truth, you must go and see it yourself and not just listen to others’ baseless criticism.

Leslie: If you’ve found out the truth, then you won’t criticize anymore. On the contrary, you will even compliment it.

Lam: Also, the issue of “coming back” has been a hot topic for a long time. I think that you are really incredible because people seem to love you more after you came back. There’s nothing wrong to come back. It’s not like you are doing something wrong -- killing someone or setting a fire. You just said you wouldn’t sing anymore but then now you sing again. But still that is not a harmful thing.

Leslie: Actually every person at a certain stage will make a certain decision, and then when you reach another stage, you may change your decision again, right?

Maggie: When I was 22 years old, I said I would get married, but I didn’t, perhaps I’ll do so at 32…..

Leslie: Is that so? Just like me immigrating to Canada. I did really go and lived there. At the beginning, I thought it was a paradise, but then after living there for a while, I discovered that it wasn’t what I thought it should be. The true paradise actually was Hong Kong. But have I made a mistake? I do not think so because if I did not go and try to live there, I wouldn’t know. I discovered the truth later on and found it boring and could not stand it any more. When I first landed in Canada, I felt that it really was a paradise! My mountain was on top of the sea of clouds. Wow, it was so fantastic! I felt like an immortal who could enjoy some wine and write some poems there. But then I realized that when I woke up every morning it remained the same! After three weeks, I saw a deer coming into my garden eating my flowers. Not bad at all, isn’t it, for having a deer for me to look at. But you know what, after six weeks, it came again eating my flowers. I gave it a name “Bambi”. “Oh, Bambi, there you come again eating my flowers? Go away and don’t eat up all my flowers!” Life in Canada was like that, and then I thought it was a bit too early to live a life like that. I felt like waiting there for my life to come to an end.

Lam: Did you have any pressure at all [for coming back]?

Leslie: Pressure? I didn’t have any because I knew my come-back would be much better than before. I did not feel and would not have any pressure because I had sufficient qualification and ability to do what I was planning to do this time.

Then Lam asked Leung about his moving into the music world…..

Lam: It was the three of you who volunteered to attend tonight’s talk show together. Are the three of you that intimate? What level has your friendship reached?

Leslie: I think the two of them are closer because they are of the family type. For Kar Fai, I have worked with him twice, for Maggie, several times already.

Lam: All of you know each other well because of making movies together….

Leslie: After knowing each other for so many years and having no gossips of malignant nature attacking us under the circumstances, we can therefore be friends.

Maggie: The second movie I made was with him.

Leslie: Wasn’t “Beyond the Yellow Line” the first one?

Lam: Do you see each other everyday, or whether you are just intimate friends and only meet or call each other once in a while, or whether you call each other only when there is a need to?

Tony: I think I don’t see Gorgor that often. We have different life circles. I am very family orientated,

Leslie: I am very family orientated too, but different from yours.

Tony: Yes, both of us are family orientated, but we are not of the same type. He is the kind who loves to leisurely and comfortably staying at home to attend to his business, but for me, I am the kind who has a lot of family matters that need to be attended to. The time when we were really close is when we made a movie in the desert. We spent a lot of time together.

Leslie: Yes, it was the “Ashes of Time (東邪西毒)”. All we saw there were deserts and mountains after mountains.

Tony: Right, we became pretty close after spending those times together.

Lam: Is it because the two of you have something in common?

Tony: Of course, we can only communicate if we have common topics.

Leslie: The first one who came by to visit me after I was being stung by a scorpion was Leung Kar Fai. He said to me, “Gorgor, how are you? Are you alright?”

Tony: When shooting the movie out of the country in a poor area with modest facilities, it was really harsh for everyone, besides, we stayed there for a long time. One night, when we were shooting the film, he was stung by a scorpion.

Leslie: It stung me when I was taking a pee. Brigitte Lin and I were resting on the hammocks chatting happily, then I had to go to pee. On my return I felt that something was biting me here [touching the back of his neck], and I thought it was a moth. I tried to shake it off, but it wouldn’t go. It really hurt and I thought, I was going to die! So I pulled it off with force and threw it away. I took a look, it was a scorpion. Luckily it was just a baby scorpion, still milkish in colour and hadn’t turned black as yet. If it was a grown up one, I would have to say good-bye [i.e. dead].

Lam: Do you consider each other to be confidant, intimate friend?

Maggie: I feel that over all these years, even though we don’t see each other very often, there is still a kind of common sentiment between us. You know, in this field, there are newcomers coming in every day, and new matters happening daily and yet we are still surviving.

Leslie: Still standing tall. You played the role in “Comrades, Almost a Love Story (甜蜜蜜)” wonderfully, we should toast to that. I think you really lighted up the whole film. I think it was really good for Leon Lai Ming to have the chance to play against you. He has made some improvement.

Maggie: Wow! Thank you. Thank you.

Leslie: I think that your acting skill was really good in “Comrades, Almost a Love Story”. Both you and Tsang Chi Wai [an actor doing a lot of comedians, also an MC] really shone. I am telling the truth. Leon Lai is my junior and my admirer. I said to him, “You’ve approved, but without Maggie’s motivation, you could hardly improve”.

Lam: It’s true, a good partner is really important because he/she can give you motivation.

Tony: I think everyone has improved, including the director.

Lam: Do you feel that you can easily make real good friends in this field? Can you all try to name three good friends?

Leslie: Three? I have them all here.

Lam: Other than Maggie and Tony.

Leslie: Anita Mui, Cherrie Chung and Brigitte Lin. I can easily name three.

Lam: Under what special circumstance makes you think that they are your good friends?

Leslie: Brigitte, she is very lovely, right?

Maggie: I don’t know her that well.

Leslie: Brigitte has a heart of gold. She’s a living legend.

Lam: Everyone who has not killed or set a fire can be considered as good.

Leslie: Frankly speaking, she hasn’t killed or set a fire, just love to dress up and make herself beautiful ….

Lam: Is there anything that’s unforgettable?

Leslie: I remember that once she cried in front of me. At that time, she hadn’t met Ying Lee Yuen [Brigitte Lin’s husband, an entrepreneur] as yet. We were shooting the movie “The Bride with White Hair (白發魔女)”. She felt miserable because she thought she wasn’t young anymore, and it was already 4 a.m. in the morning and she still had to do the sword martial art part with the stunts deep in the forest. This happened after the movie “Swordsman II (東方不敗)” in which she played the role of Tung Fong But Bi “The Undefeatable One from the East”. She was very popular at that time because of the “Swordsman II”. There are things that you cannot control, like after you accepted the role and got paid, you had to do it. She cried heartily and told me that one day, she was very tired and therefore fell asleep. When she woke up, she heard people shouting outside – because at that time they were shooting the scene of the stunts being hung on wires impersonating other people’s parts – she felt lost and asked herself why she was there working so hard. She was feeling very sad.

Lam: And now she’s finally got her happiness.

Leslie: Very much. She is a very caring person.

Lam: We all are! Full of love.

Leslie: Comparatively speaking, Michael [Ying Lee Yuen] really is a guy with a lot of love.

Lam: Good, let’s wish them happiness!

Then it was Maggie’s turn to list out the three friends.

Maggie: Cherrie Chung, because I worked with her in my first film. Up till this moment, we still have a special kind of sentiment.

Leslie: But the two of you had some misunderstanding at some point in time, is that correct?

Lam: Right.

Maggie: That’s correct. We didn’t see each other for a period of time because of misunderstanding. I felt the people around me….

Leslie: We had some misunderstanding once too.

Maggie: But you and I were comparatively direct. Our misunderstanding was because of our communication which was rather direct. But we [referring to herself and Cherrie Chung] were, I can’t say it was framed by others, but it was because of the incidents around us that made us to hate each other.

Tony: Really? So you two [referring to Cherrie and Maggie] also had some misunderstanding in the past?

Leslie: Yes.

Lam: Hated each other, that serious?

Maggie: That is because I didn’t believe in her, and she me!

Leslie: My misunderstanding with her [referring to Maggie Cheung] was because of the movie “Yuen Ling Yuk (阮玲玉)”.

Maggie: Oh, that one. It’s just a very small one.

Leslie: Don’t you remember? After I went to the premier of her film, I called her and said, “Hey, you were great!” On the other hand, I and my other friends, Wong Kar Wai (王家衛) [director of “Days of Being Wild”, “Happy Together” etc.] and other people also happened to talk about his film. Someone said, “Hey, the movie was not that good”. Sometimes I could easily be persuaded after hearing some movie workers say so and echoed, “Oh, yes, that’s correct, the movie was not that good.” And then without knowing how, this conversation found its way to her [referring to Maggie Cheung]. It’s true!

Maggie: Why?

Leslie: Then she would feel that I was hypocritical! Understand? Some times it’s this sort of thing that causes misunderstanding.

Lam: (Facing Maggie Cheung) But actually when he called you, he just said the movie was not good but you did act superbly. Basically they were two different issues.

Leslie: No, no. Normally, people would think that you overacted or was hypocritical.

Lam: Let’s go back to the original topic, you mentioned about Cherrie Chung earlier. What was the misunderstanding between she and you?

Maggie: Actually I …

Leslie: I thought it was the media that had led the two of you into such relationship; it was none of your fault.

Maggie: It’s not merely the media, but also the friends around us. I did not realize that some people would be jealous of us simply because we were good friends. But there really wasn’t anything that would cause people to be so jealous! Say, if you and he were good friends, why should I be jealous of you? I could go and make friend with someone else!

Lam: Perhaps they didn’t want to see the two of you to be so happy!

Leslie: No, possibly it’s because both of you are top stars (movie stars), young and pretty, if you two always get along well, there won’t be any topic for them [the media] to gossip about and there wouldn’t be any information for them to report on! Therefore, they tried to break you [Maggie and Cherrie] up, causing the two of you to suspect and jealous of each other, then afterwards…..

Maggie: But not only the media, even ordinary people or the ones in the entertainment circle would say to me, “Hey, this is what Cherrie said about you!” When I think back just now, those were words they made up to make me angry. Very likely that Cherrie was told of the same thing too, “Hey, Maggie has said something bad about you!” Their goal was to instigate us (Maggie and Cherrie Chung) of our sentiment.

Lam: Why didn’t you go and explain it to Cherrie?

Maggie: I did, but only afterwards. Of course we didn’t explain or try to prove every single incident, since there were so many of them.

(Hahaha)

Maggie: Because… if someone told me that Cherrie said I was not pretty, should I go to her and ask her whether she did say so? Or if she said Maggie did not have much taste in her clothes, should I go and ask again? Oh, that’s quite impossible. But then afterwards, we got along again because we agreed in our telephone conversation to forget about the whole thing and did not care what the others said. But when you heard more and more similar stuff, all added up, and at that time, I was very busy and she had just gotten married, so it was like we were going two separate ways, and gradually we seldom communicated with each other. When matters were being put aside for too long and for not contacting each other for so long, it would be really difficult to make the first phone call.

Lam: (Getting curious and asked) Then what happened afterwards?

Maggie: Then afterwards….

Lam: How did the first call being made?

Maggie: Oh, it was Sally Yep who pulled us together. (Laugh)

Lam: How?

Maggie: She (referring to Sally Yep) asked us out for lunch. She asked me to come out for lunch, and told me that she had also asked Cherrie to join us, but I can’t remember whether she told me if Cherrie would be coming or not. So when I got there, I saw her (referring to Cherrie Chung)….

Leslie: Were you amazed then?

Maggie: I was amazed, and my first reaction was: I am not going to pay her any attention! But who would know that we kept talking, and then we got along again after some good laughs [Gorgor, Lam and Maggie all laughed]. So after hahaha, some good laughs, everything was back to normal again.

Leslie: I still remember that the year before last…. no, it was last year, the two of you took me out for a dinner to celebrate my birthday!

Lam: Took you out together for a dinner?

Leslie: Yes, I remember well! (Laugh)

Lam: Wow, look at you, what a privilege!

Maggie: Because we both missed your birthday…. that was a very nice dinner and not the casual type of meal! Very enjoyable!

Maggie: Yes, very enjoyable!

Lam: A big meal and not a small one.

(Laugh)

Lam: Apart from Cherrie Chung, who can be treated as a good friend?

Maggie: I believe Ng Kwan Yu is one I get in touch with quite often.

Leslie: You and Anita are pretty good friends too, isn’t it?

Maggie: Anita….we don’t see each other too often.

Lam: How about Kar Fai? Try to list out three good friends, any problem?

Tony: Me? I am so socialable, I can befriend with anyone.

Lam: Just like me, indiscriminating in making friends?

Leslie: He is like a “joker card” [i.e. he can make friends with everyone].

Lam: Oh, he’s a joker card and not indiscriminating in making friends?

Tony: I have a very easy disposition, and not a joker card, because as an actor, I thought I could understand well that other people would have many different moods. Let’s say the friends in my circle, they don’t call you everyday, and will not call to send their regards for very minor matters. And because I am an actor so I can understand that kind of feeling and mood, but the problem is sometimes I will also long for others’ care, and I thought it would be nice to have all of them call me to talk with me about my problem.

Lam: Really?

Tony: (Nods) Yes!

Lam: You want someone to ask rather than not ask? But that can be very annoying.

Tony: No, that’s not the case. Actually I am just a very ordinary person, I will have bad mood sometimes. As he [referring to Gorgor] said, when Brigitte was very laborious, she would cry. Actually this kind of situation has also happened to me.

Lam: Did you mention this to others?

Tony: But I am a man, therefore I wouldn’t cry in public, besides I would try not to let anyone know. I would think of a way to balance it out, right? Therefore I thought I could understand other people’s mood quite well, and I can get along with each friend pretty easily.

Lam: Can you think of three relatively intimate friends whom you think are especially good friends?

Tony: According to what you have said, the best friend would be Jacky Cheung Hok Yau if she [referring to Maggie] couldn’t be considered as one. But Jacky Cheung and I are the kind of people who will not communicate by phone even once in years.

Lam: Is that right? So it’s spiritual communication?

Tony: Yes. We seldom have meal together, and don’t meet or call each other very often, but several times, at the moment when we needed each other, we happened to run into each other or communicated by phone, it’s very strange! We didn’t deliberately call each other, but it just happened feeling that we had something in our heart.

Lam: Like having the sixth sense?

Tony: Yes. I just felt that something was bothering me, and when I called him, he told me that there was something he wanted to tell me. On one occasion, I ran into him in Shanghai and just stayed in his room and chatted until the day broke, and we talked about many personal matters.

Lam: Such as? (Laugh)

Tony: Such as ….. very personal matters.

Leslie: Since those were personal matters, why did you ask then?!

(Lam laughed heartily)

Leslie: He (referring to Jacky Cheung) is a very caring person.

Tony: Therefore he is the kind of friend whom we do not necessarily meet daily, but we are still good friends.

Lam: Who else other than Jacky Cheung.

Tony: Kwun Yu also! Kwun Yu is also a friend with whom I can get along well.

Lam: Okay, who else?

Tony: Yau Shuk Ching.

Lam: Oh, is that right?

Tony: Yes. Because at one point we worked together quite often for a long period of time, therefore we would talk about our concerns while at work.

Lam: Did you ever feel that it was very difficult to make friends in this field? Do you have any scruples or proviso?

Tony: Yes.

Lam: When someone meets you, you would think: Does this person have any intention?

Leslie: That I would not….

Lam: Would not?

Leslie: His intention….

Maggie: One bad thing is you might get along really well with someone when the movie was being shot, but afterwards, you would not be that close with her/him anymore.

Leslie: That’s right!

Lam: Apart from this field; how about friends not from this field? When you choose your friends, do you have any requirements?

Leslie: Certainly, it’s important that he/she is not of the gossiping type.

Maggie: Right!

Lam: Is that right? You could feel it?

Leslie: Yes. Some people makes friends with you because they want to fake, actually they are a real fake!

Lam: Yes, that’s what I want to say.

Leslie: This type of people is really cheap!

Lam: How can you tell whether he is that type of man or not?

Leslie: It depends on the way he looks at you and your feeling towards him. You can tell right away. That’s because you are…. because you are Tony Leung, because you are Maggie Cheung, because you are Cheung Kwok Wing, you will know right away with just one look.

Maggie: It is really easy to find out.

Leslie: They won’t be able to deceive us. We’ve been in this field for so long, some ten to twenty years. We could be called a guru in this respect.

Lam: Is that right?

Maggie: Only you, not me, not yet (laugh). I am still so young.

Leslie: Yes, you are! (Laugh)

(All laughed heartily)

Leslie: As a guru, I know right away your motive.

Lam: But for those who admire you and like you, what’s so bad for making friends with them? Do you want them to look down upon you?

Maggie: But I can’t make friend with everyone who likes me!

Lam: Then what requirements do you have? Apart from the issue of like or dislike?

Maggie: Someone that I can get along with well, similar in thought, that is to say the way we see thing is close. Because for some people, I know he is a kind soul, a kind person, and there isn’t anything wrong to befriend with, but if we cannot communicate, then it’s still useless. No matter how kind you are, if I cannot communicate with you, I can only appreciate that you are a kind person, but there is no way that the friendship can be developed further!

Leslie: Because sentiment is not a donation!

Maggie: Because I have to enjoy the friendship!

Leslie: Right, you have to make me enjoy your company!

Lam: True. For example, for me, to make friends, the most important thing is he has got to be very funny, and make me feel very comfortable and happy and that’s enough, (laugh) and I don’t care about the rest.

Maggie: But that can’t be considered as intimate or long-standing friend.

Lam: That can be developed slowly.

Tony: It’s correct in a way because sentiment needs to be developed slowly, and it is very difficult to say or to determine that the other party is a good friend the first day you meet him.

Leslie: But for some people, with their intuition, they can tell on the very first day they meet whether it “clicks” here [similar in thinking] or not after discussing thoroughly on a topic.

Lam: So as a whole, how do you determine whether it “clicks” or not?

Tony: That is to say we’ve got to have a common topic. Although we don’t live under the same living condition or life circle, but at least when we are together….

Lam: He can try to give what is desired!

Tony: If you make a friend by giving what is desired, I believe everyone won’t be happy.

Maggie: Where have we got the time to make so many friends at the same time?

Leslie: Sister Ming [referring to Lam], do you know what type of people I fear most? The people I fear most are those who, as soon as you arrive, look at you from head to toe to see what you are wearing.

Lam: Really?

Leslie: I found those people really cheap, really. What are you up to? I only want to make friend with you, why look at what I am wearing?

Lam: What you meant is if you were not wearing brand names, they would look down upon you and didn’t befriend with you?

Leslie: That’s the type.

Lam: Is there this type of people?

Leslie: Of course, there are plenty of them!

Maggie: I would have scruples with those people who show obeisance to those at a higher position, but step on or look down on those who are less well off. For example, sometimes when I am making a movie on the set, he/she is very good to me, but if I see him/her treating those assistants, helpers or other people badly, I would think that the moral behavior of this person is bad. It’s just because I happen to be me so you’re nicer to me, but I don’t think I can accept this person!

(Tony nods to show approval.)

Leslie: Or perhaps for some people, that’s to say…

Maggie: How come you [referring to Lam] are so strange? The way you think is just like a 18 years old?

Lam: (Laugh) No, I feel you are right.

Maggie: You should know all this!

Lam: Of course, but I don’ know that you also feel the same!

Maggie: You look like you haven’t seen this before.

Lam: I don’t think that well as you do!

Maggie: I see!

Leslie: She deliberately zooms the lens so close for us to look at her exaggerated expression; a host’s expression.

Lam: No.

Maggie: (Turns towards Tony and says) If I knew her (referring to Lam) for the first day, I don’t think I could befriend with her. Your reaction is so exaggerated! How can I talk with you? And I haven’t even talked with you about my concerns!

Tony: That questionable look is really a little bit too excessive.

(Everyone laughs)

Lam: What I meant is, it has to be like that: Ha? You know that too?!

Maggie: How can I have secret talks with you? Your expression is so exaggerated every time!

Leslie: Let me sit over there too [Gorgor moves to sit beside Maggie and Tony]. Okay, you may ask now! We’ll just be sitting here! (Laugh)

[To be cont'd]

1997 TV Interview by Victoria Lam Kin Ming – “Under the Stars Talk Show” – Part 2 of 5

Cont'd

Lam: After a short break, we continue now with the “Under the Stars” talk show. Back to the topic about friendship, can you try and talk about each other, about his/her good points or anything that you feel dissatisfactory and wants him/her to improve on, as a friend to give others some precious advice.

Maggie: Do you mean how to be friend with us?

Lam: No. What I meant is, say for example, Gorgor said Maggie isn’t good on this and should improve; and you can say what Gorgor should improve on ...

Leslie: I think that I am very bitchy, frankly speaking.

Tony: You are referring to the past, or is it always like that?

Leslie: I always am. I really have to blame myself. I set a very high standard for myself, and request others’ to be just as high, therefore I really don’t have too many friends.

Lam: Do you feel that there is anything that Maggie should be improve on, or is there any specific thing that you like her about?

Leslie: I like her because she has talent. She really is very talented. She is a genius. I really have been following her closely on her improvement. Her second movie was filmed with me, is that right?

Maggie: I didn’t know how to express well at the beginning….

Leslie: She was expressionless then. We talked to each other in defiance in our first movie which is “Beyond the Yellow Line (緣份)”.

Maggie: Yes, yes, we even quarrelled.

Leslie: We quarrelled. She asked me why did I shorten her dialogue?

Maggie: I didn’t say shorten, but that you changed my dialogue! Because at that time, I had already memorized everything; bear in mind that at that time I found memorizing the dialogues really difficult. When I just returned to Hong Kong, my Chinese was really poor.

Leslie: Yes, at that time she used “Pinyin”, her Chinese really was very bad.

Maggie: I had already memorized my own dialogue, but then you changed it, right on the spot. After one or two takes, realizing that it was not to your satisfaction, you changed it right away and then instantly re-did the scene again. I just wasn’t ready for that. Then I said, “I’ve finished memorizing it, so don’t change my dialogue”, but he said it would be better that way! Then he and Huang Tailu came and talked me into it.

Tony: Talked you into it?

Maggie: Actually, I didn’t mind what to say, just that I couldn’t say them out!

Leslie: Therefore she was very angry!

Maggie: Therefore I was very angry.

Leslie: But that was only a minor irritation, she was all right the next day.

Maggie: Although you said you [referring to Leslie] are bitchy, as your friend, it’s because you are bitchy therefore we have a lot of fun!

Lam: Have a lot of fun!

(Gorgor smiles with embarrassment.)

Maggie: Because I have known him for so long that I have become bitchy too. The reason is that I will very much enjoy chatting with him about bitchy things, purely for fun.

Leslie: but not trying to hurt other people deliberately.

Maggie: Sometimes I do feel that our conversation is a bit improper!

Lam: Can you explain it in more detail?

(Gorgor demonstrates right away.)

Leslie: Hey, look at Lam King Ming’s trousers today, really ugly…

[Maggie started to laugh happily.]

Lam: It’s sponsored by others!

Leslie: That’s a joke only.

Lam: I see.

Leslie: I didn’t really mean what I said.

Lam: Actually, it’s very happy like that.

Maggie: That’s to say, we don’t want to hurt someone. We said that merely to let ourselves have some fun.

Lam: Is there anything that needs to be improved?

Maggie: There must be something.

Leslie: Really there must be something, but how to criticize? I think sometimes she is too real, so real that it would make other people feel that she is snobbish or pretentious. But I am of the same type too. Hahaha, we are two of a kind. My feeling is that why do we have to pretend? Right is right and wrong is wrong. So if you ask me whether that’s a shortcoming, I don’t think so. Say for example, is it a shortcoming if you don’t hang out with some group [Note from translator: In the Hong Kong showbiz, it is common knowledge that if you want to seek for better opportunities, you have to join a certain group of producers, directors or actors to get some advantages]? Didn’t join any group is not a shortcoming. I have my right to choose my friends, right?

Maggie: Didn’t want to be interviewed is not a shortcoming….

Leslie: I don’t like to be interviewed doesn’t mean …. I mean, really, why keeps on talking about special interviews, what special interviews? I have been in this field for almost twenty years, is there anything that you [referring to the reporters or interviewers] don’t know already? Don’t tell me that you are new in this field and therefore you don’t know anything. Still, it doesn’t mean I have to let you interview me. There is one thing I find most unhealthy, that is sometimes …. Do you know why I don’t do special interview anymore? It is because when I give out my heart to let you interview me for two hours, I spoke for two hours, but then all you wrote was something completely different from what I’ve told you.

Lam: Yes! This is the situation.

Leslie: Then you shouldn’t waste the two hours of my time! For me, I can earn a lot of money in those two hours! Right? Like this my episode is very expensive too! [Leslie was just joking, actually this talk show was free of charge.]

Lam: (Laughs and responds) Yes.

Leslie: Is that right?

Lam: Yes, thank you all.

Lam: So don’t do such a thing.

Tony: When he just said that he was very frank, I didn’t quite believe it, but now I started to believe!

Lam: Now I believe it totally!

Leslie: Don’t believe? (Tony is laughing)

Tony: I do! But you are overly frank!

Lam: You (pointing at Maggie) want to say something?

Maggie: I am quite qualified to talk about Leung Kar Fai, because I know him well.

Lam: Then say so!

Maggie: Do you need a commercial break first?

Lam: There’s no need!

Maggie: No need? It’s a long one, so don’t try to stop me! Just kidding!

Tony: This becomes a self-criticized meeting.

Maggie: Tony [pointing to Tony] is a real good guy. I mean he loves to help others. When he finds someone who are in need of help, he would reach out to do so. But some times he would get himself into a mess just trying to help. Besides, he also seems to have a lot of plans, because he will say, “I’ve planned this and that, and I will do it that way.”

Leslie: But did he do so at the end?

Maggie: No. Because he changes his plan everyday. He really gives you a new plan everyday. Oh, I have decided this and that and then everyone is happy and agree with it, and then the next day, he changes it again. Well, I don’t really mind your changing it, but the thing is he cannot remember what he has said before.

Lam: Oh, is that true?

Leslie: Do you call that….

Maggie: “Unpredictable Fai”.

Tony: Is this the thing that you feel I should reform?

Maggie: I think if it is something that concerns you yourself only and not others, then it is fine. If it concerns some other people and you change your plan but do not admit having done so and start to argue with me, this will really make me mad, and I think you need a reform on it. Because you make your friends feel that …. Sometimes, I argue because I have my own principle and I will stick to it, and it’s not because I will gain anything after doing so. No, it is your plan in any event. But I’ve got to argue with you to make you realize that you have said so or have done so and it’s just impossible that you would forget. Actually, I argue with him a lot!

Tony: This proves the thing that I’ve just said. From the moment I picked up the first tile I have already started to think who would win this game! [Tony used the majong game as a hypothesis.] Would I be the one? Therefore I would take a relatively long time to think, and then my friends started to grumble and said, “Hey, don’t change it. You’ve said you would dispose of the “White” tile, then you should stick to it.” If you said you would dispose of the “White” tile, but then afterwards, you disposed of the “Red” tile”, can it be done? It is this simple.

Lam: Oh, what you are trying to say is that you have your own reason for so doing, but it’s a matter of whether you want to reform or not.

Tony: I know that’s my shortcoming. Actually I am aware of it all along.

Maggie: But you still behave that way.

Tony: Why is that? That is ….

Leslie: Maggie, trust me, I believe that character cannot be changed.

Maggie: Right.

Leslie: Because it’s a character, so there’s no way that it can be changed.

Tony: In that way, would you choose to be my friend?

Leslie: I believe that if you love someone, that is, when you treat him as a friend, then you have to accept his character; besides he is not killing or setting a fire, just that he keeps on changing his plan. He said he would go to BBQ with you tomorrow, instead he took you to have ice cream. That really doesn’t matter that much!

Lam: That’s about friends, how about work? Will that be the same?

Leslie: He won’t, he’s very professional. I have worked with him before so I know and he’s always punctual.

Tony: I absolutely believe myself to be a professional actor.

Leslie: I believe the three of us who sit here today are all very professional.

(Lam coughs softly to show her disagreement.)

Maggie: (Realizes right away) should be four!

Tony: Yes, four.

Leslie: Right, four.

Tony: Don’t offend the host!

Leslie: Okay, what improvement do you think you can have on your character? What shortcoming do you think you have?

Lam: My weakness is I don’t always know what I am doing. Really, that’s true.

Tony: Can that be possible?

Lam: Yes.

Tony: Then we are two of a kind.

Lam: Oh, is that really? Just now you [referring to Maggie Cheung] said his character is that very often he was considerate and tried to help out, and I would do the same thing, and then at the end I would put myself in a chaotic situation. And that’s something really hard to take! Just like the “Under the Star” talk show now.

Tony: Sometimes I feel that, well, I agree with what Maggie said just now about my weakness, that is pretty close to your situation, I and you (Lam) really have similar character.

Lam: Maggie, you seldom talk about your family. What is your family background? Or is it because you don’t want to talk about it? How many sisters and brothers do you have?

Maggie: It’s a small family, just the four of us: my sister, father and mother and myself.

Lam: Your sister is really pretty! She and you are of two different types, but she’s got really good skin.

Maggie: Actually she is much prettier than me, a real beauty. I am not; really different!

Lam: It’s different.

Maggie: If you look at her, she really give you a feeling of sweetness. Right?

Lam: You are taller and slimmer.

Tony: If your sister hears of your compliments, she would be really happy.

Maggie: Everyone know it and I can’t deny it. Everyone tells me the same thing, I can’t help it. Mine is not a big family, besides, my parents have already divorced.

Lam: Oh, is that right?

Maggie: Really there isn’t much to talk about, it’s just of normal family background. My parents got divorced when I was 16 years old.

Lam: That is to say, you are living a very independent life all the time?

Maggie: Only after I returned to Hong Kong. That’s right.

Lam: Has your relationship with them got remote after entering the entertainment world? Any difference?

Maggie: I got less time to be with my family. When I don’t have any work to do, I will try my best to go out with my mother for tea. If, say, I am really busy in a certain period of time, so even if I do have some time off, I will not have the mood to go out for tea. That is to say, to live some routine life, such as going out for tea with my mother, I need to do it with my ‘heart’.

Leslie: For the three of us, frankly speaking, none of us came from really wealthy family.

Maggie: That is right.

Lam: Me too, not just the three of you.

Leslie: But after we join this field, we have made some contributions to the family. I think, this is something that I feel happy and comforted about. At least in the house, no matter whether it is just a nail or a carpet, it is something I earned with my own hardwork, blood and sweat. It is something that I am proud of.

Lam: But Gorgor, I will think it this way because it has been my own experience, that is, I feel as the Chinese saying says “Trees want to rest calmly but the wind won’t stop, children want to reciprocate their love but their parents are not alive anymore”. In the past, my family condition was not very good, so I wanted to work harder to earn more money to make them more comfortable. So I thought to do it that way was good enough and it was already a big contribution. But when my mother passed away, I found out that it was not like that. You had to be with her more often and talked to her because love and affection are very important. So until now, although my mother has passed away for over six years, I still often remember her. I cannot continue discussing it because I cannot hold back my tears any more … but this is my thought.

Tony: I will look at this matter the other way round. I often look at matter reversely. I will not think unidirectionally. Of course, on the one hand I will earn more money for my family, I hope in this respect I can satisfy their need; but on the other hand, what I feel very proud of myself is that when I am working in the society [showbiz], my parents have always been worrying about me, as to whether I would take the wrong path and do something wrong. The thing that my parents cannot accept is for people to say that their son has problems, such as, he is a playboy, indiscriminating in making friends etc. I feel proud of myself because having been in the movie world for so many years, although I cannot fully satisfy my parents in the materialistic aspect or in the spiritual aspect, I have moved myself to a higher level in my personality, thus not letting them be uncomfortable or disappointed.

Lam: Haven’t disappointed them, that’s very important!

Tony: I feel that. To them, this is very important.

Lam: But I do not know why until this day, I still think of her, and always feel that the time I spent with her was not long enough.

Tony: Because you were filial. But sometimes there are always matters that one wants to do but can never be achieved.

Leslie: But I think sometimes this is hard to say. Destiny plays a very important part among people, including parents. That’s to say, it’s probable that the destiny and fate for you to be with your mother has long been determined before she passed away.

Lam: (Suddenly enlightened) Wow, you (referring to Gorgor) really is remarkable. What you have said reminds me of a fortuneteller who told me once that since I have a widow’s peak here on my forehead, it therefore would subdue my mother.

Tony: For not being close to your parents?

Lam: Yes. I have never thought of that before, but now I remember it.

Leslie: I always believe it is fate!

Tony: I believe that when you mother knew that you were doing well in your career, got married, have your own family, she would not merely satisfy with the money you gave her monthly or how big a house she was living in, whether a driver was hired for her use; she would only wish that the children she raised would have a happy future life, a life that you feel is happy and comfortable, then I believe she would feel satisfy too.

Lam: (Relaxed) Come on, let’s cheer for this! I feel so much comfortable now.

Maggie: Now we have untied the knot you have had for six years!

Leslie: See how nice we are, far more better than for you to go to a fortuneteller or psychologist, right? You should pay us a few hundred dollars! [jokingly, as reward for untying her knot]

Lam: Now, tell me, there are so many members in the family, is there someone whom you love most? Whom you want to see every day?

Tony: Yes, that’s my mother who scolded me the most. In the past, I would quarrel with her.

Leslie: You love your mother a lot?

Tony: I am the one who quarrelled with her the most. From the appearance, I was the one who could not get along with her at home, we just didn’t “click”, and had not got any topic to talk about. We would argue before the conversation even started.

Lam: When you were young?

Tony: Yes.

Lam: Today, why did you change?

Tony: Because today I am a father myself and that’s very important (smiles). Therefore I think that every man in different stages will have different …. Say, for example, the moods of an actor, a husband, a father or a daughter are totally different. I think that everything has to be experienced, right? He (referring to Gorgor) wouldn’t know the feeling if he had not been stung by a scorpion. Now, occasionally I will still argue with my mother, but I am learning how to face the problem. Now I feel I still am not finished learning. At this stage, I am learning to be a father. Really something fresh is happening every day …. something new daily!

Lam: Something fresh daily? Hahaha!

Tony: Something fresh daily, and something bad too. We never know what the new topic is? What new stuff we are facing? Thus we keep learning until today, and I think I can understand it better. Therefore, I will look at everything from another angle.

Lam: Oh, that’s right. (Facing Gorgor) your Luk Che, right?

Leslie: She’s passed away for seven years.

Lam: Already seven years!

Leslie: Yes, just like you, to talk about her will make me cry, is it alright if we don’t talk about her?

Lam: Is that right?

Leslie: Yes. She loved me a lot! She was not my wet nurse; she hadn’t breastfed me. She did not get married.

Tony: She brought you up?

Leslie: (Nods) Yes, she brought me up because it’s destiny that I and my parents did not get together.

Lam: You also?

Leslie: Yes! (Lam looks at Leslie’s forehead) I don’t have a “widow’s peak”, so it is not true [referring to what the fortuneteller told Lam], but it will still happen even there is no “widow’s peak”.

Tony: So the fortuneteller was just cheating you!

Leslie: I and my parents …. actually in my whole life I only lived with my mother for half a year only.

Lam: And your mother still goes to your concerts very often!

Leslie: Yes. At the last night of my concerts, I dedicated a song to her. I felt that was a son’s responsibility, and I suddenly had such a spontaneity. I therefore dedicated a song to her.

Tony: This is an innermost feeling, love to a dear one, and it’s a kind of affection.

Leslie: Frankly speaking, after this concert [the 1997 RED concert] was over, I don’t know when I will do it again, or whether I will do it again or not? I don’t know whether my mother will have the chance to come to my next concert or not, therefore I felt that it was time for me to dedicate a song to her. She was really happy, my sisters were happy too and they all wept. Actually I think last night was a very emotional and touching night. After I finished singing the song, I felt relieved and comfortable. It wasn’t my original intention to stir up the passion as this kind of thing could not be done deliberately.

Tony: A song, everybody may get great satisfaction from this song.

Leslie: I am scared. I will not call my mother and tell her, “Mother, I miss you a lot, I love you and I care very much about you.” I will not say things like this.

Maggie: Me too, I also think that I am not good enough.

Tony: I am even worse. I sent my album to my mother, and after she listened to it, she was not affected, nor gave me any comments. Then I called her and asked, “Have you listened to it?” She said, “Yes, I did.” “Then how do you feel about it?”

Leslie: But sometimes my mother can be very polite. For example, when she comes to my place, she would ask, “May I use your washroom?”

Lam: (Lam bursts out laughing) Really?

Leslie: It’s real! When you hear this, you may find it very funny, but I am deeply hurt. Because I feel that even when you, Tony or Maggie come to my house, you won’t ask me if you may use my washroom. What I am trying to say is between my mother and me, we have a sense of sparsity because we have never lived together before. As soon as I was born, I lived and grew up with my grandmother.

Tony: So that’s why under this circumstance, when you have this feeling of love and affection, you should try to spare some time to be with your mother.

Leslie: Yes, that’s why I try to call her more. I plan to order several sets of suits for her this season, I think she will be happy! I think these are the only things I can do for her, to provide her with accommodation, get her a Phililipino maid, and give her money to spend, but in here (pointing his head referring to the thoughts) we are still…. we don’t click.

Tony: She is not your friend so it is impossible for her to “click” with you.

Leslie: I understand.

Tony: Therefore she cannot “click” with you. It’s always like that. When I argued with my mother, I would think she gave birth to me, then why she did not know what I was thinking? I thought this way, but you that way!? Many similar questions would therefore arise. But then later on when I thought it over, I realized that she’s my mother, she only gave birth to me but she’s not friend. The conversations I have had with my mother are definitely less than the conversations I have had with Maggie. If Maggie does not understand me, I will blame her because she should know it. Therefore looking at the matter from another angle, my mother is not supposed to understand it.

Lam: But did you realize that at the end, say, if something comes up, you will always go back home, and your family members are the ones who will support you most, is that right?

Maggie: Yes, I feel the same! If I am not happy, such as if I received a setback, or if some people bullied me, or if I was being scolded by newspapers, the one who reacts greatly is my mother who always protects me the most!

Leslie: That is to say she really loves you a lot!

Maggie: She does. I and my mother, when I was small, I came to Hong Kong and she returned to England and we separated for a few years. Other than that, actually I am pretty close to my mother. But now what I feel bad is I always go out with friends, and not with my mother. Actually it is quite a problem because it seems that the only thing I can share with my mother now seems to be just having meals together.

Leslie: That is to say you cannot really talk with her in depth.

Maggie: I cannot say that I will talk to her suddenly about something in detail and in depth because I thought she may not necessarily understand it. If I discuss with her about whether the movie is good or not, she may not feel like listening to it. But when I really have some concerns that I want to talk about, she will always be there if I am being bullied by others.

Leslie: That’s enough, what else can you ask for?

Tony: I once had a period of time facing the “x” society, because in the movie circle at that time, you certainly must face the “x” society. Perhaps I was not that experienced then, I felt that it was the hardest time for me. One day you wanted me to fly to this place to shoot the movie and tomorrow I had to fly to other place to shoot another, very pitiful! That time, I had to fly on many connecting flights, upon arrival at the Hong Kong airport, I was not allowed to go out because I had to immediately change flight to fly to Vietnam.

Lam: It’s quite a trip.

Tony: Yes. When I arrived at the Hong Kong airport, I picked up the phone and naturally called home. The one who answered the phone was my mother. She asked who was calling and as soon as I heard my mother’s voice, very naturally I started to cry. I was already 30 years old, I uncontrollably wept at the telephone booth continuously for over five minutes and I discovered that the phone booth was surrounded by a lot of people who asked what happened to this person? What was this person doing? But when I just heard my mother’s voice, I wanted to cry. Because my feeling at that moment was I did not want to do anything at all, I did not want to face the outside world any more. I felt there was a lot of danger and very insecure. I was scared! But once I heard her voice, I felt like laying my head on her chest, listening to her heart beat and that’s the way I felt to be the safest, and that’s enough! My mother asked me how I was, I said I was fine and that I was working hard, and that I had to board the plane right away. She asked, “Are you not coming back home?” I said, “No, I will go back home once the work is finished.” Therefore, the moment when the mother could help you most was not about how you dealt with her normally, or what were the concerns you talked with her about, or what should you tell her, but just a phone call, a voice, and a sentence of “Hey, where are you?” and for that I felt enough. I felt like having infinite strength right away. After crying, I had strength to face any thing in any societies. It does not matter anymore!

Leslie: The first time I really communicated with my mother is also through the channel of crying.

Tony: Yes, it will be like that, you naturally will do that. I basically could not control myself. I just couldn’t stop crying. After I cried for five minutes, I felt light and happy.

Leslie: The first time I felt that I truly had some sort of communication here [in thoughts] with my mother was when I was at the lowest point of my career and had to make movies at the Shaw Brothers. I had a row with my lover before we decided to split. After the row, I drove back home and cried on my way home. At that time, there was a very popular song called “Old Dreams Need Not be Remembered (舊夢不須記)”. I was listening to it until I reached home and was crying all the way. My mother happened to be at my place on that day. When I went into my house, she saw me crying. She said, “You are back.” I said, “Yes”, then I went to my room. She knocked on my door and said, “Oh, son, don’t be like that, seeing you like that really break my heart”. Just listening to that simple sentence, I couldn’t control myself anymore!

Tony: (Caressing the heart) then you were getting sturdy instantly?

Leslie: Not getting sturdy, instead I cried more seriously! But the thing is, at least I had a feeling that my mother really cared for me.

[To be cont'd]

1997 TV Interview by Victoria Lam Kin Ming – “Under the Stars Talk Show” – Part 3 of 5

Cont'd

Tony: The mothers always care very much.

Lam: Why did we keep on talking about mother and not father?

Tony: Because father always stands behind the mother supporting her, therefore he won’t show his face. That’s my experience.

Leslie: Father?

Lam: Why is it always the mother whom we talk about? That’s a very natural response, but we don’t talk about the father, really strange!

Leslie: My father has already passed away. There’s nothing much for me to say about him. My impression of him is that he was a very famous tailor, making suits for William Holden and Marlon Brando. Well, actually my father could be regarded as a talent and he was pretty outstanding too. My recollection is that he always dressed smartly in a 2-piece suit wearing a bow tie. He had not bequeathed me with anything but the skill of making a bow tie.

Lam: Have you ever thought that, “Father, you had not carried out the duty of a father, and you passed away so soon, making me suffered that much.”

Leslie: My father was a very irresponsible husband.

Tony: Since you folks are talking about fathers, I have to go to the washroom.

(Laugh)

Leslie: My mother was irritated to death by my father.

Lam: Really!

Leslie: No. What I meant is that every time he would make my mother very angry. I have two mothers, that’s why I said he was a very irresponsible husband, therefore there’s nothing much to talk about him! Merely an irresponsible man! But if you ask me whether he cared about me or not, then I would say he did as I am the youngest one in the family. Actually I did not do too well at school, but I was the only one who had an opportunity to go abroad to study. My eldest sister did very good at school, but she had a hard time getting him to let her finish her study at the Hong Kong University. Because he was very traditional and old fashioned in thought (feudalism thinking) believing that females need not study too much. But my sister did very good at school, she managed to finish her study by working part time, having her problem solved by herself and eventually became very outstanding. Therefore, I actually adore my sister very much.

Lam: How about you? (referring to Maggie)

Maggie: Ever since I was small, my parents’ relationship had not been very good, but they got divorced only when I came out to work at the age of 16.

Lam: Did your father take care of you?

Maggie: He is here all the time but I am closer to my mother. I still have some recollection, for example, sometimes when I did not have any money to spend, I would go to him and he would give me some.

Leslie: That is to say when you went to meet with your father, you have already lived apart from him?

Maggie: We lived apart only after I returned to Hong Kong. Before that, we still lived together until I was 16 years old, they then got divorced. I returned to Hong Kong at the age of 17. But when my mother whipped me, he would help me by keeping it off. Actually I still have some memories of my father, just that I haven’t thought of him as much as I thought of my mother, besides my heart goes out to my mother more.

Leslie: Actually there was a period of time that I hated my father so much that when he still had his own shop, I would steal money from him. That’s when I was small.

Lam: Really?

Leslie: Yes, just trying to express my anger.

Lam: Stole his money so that he hadn’t got any to spend?

Leslie: Yes, stole it so that he didn’t have any money to spend, and then I would use the money to buy some snacks to eat. Hahaha … When one was small, one would have this kind of weird idea and strange thought.

Tony: Another new episode of “Under the Stars Talk Show”.

Lam: That’s right.

Tony: This episode of “Under the Stars Talk Show” is outstanding.

Leslie: Because we are going to interview Lam Kin Ming.

Tony: Because before the program started, we had discussed a very important topic which is “love”.

Leslie: The three of us have decided that we must interview Lam Kin Ming first.

Tony: Right, because we do not know too much about your love life.

Lam: Just because you did not pay any attention.

Tony: But we know that you are very happy.

Lam: I am doing fine. My husband is a very kind man. We respect each other, and we understand that both of us are mature people, because we got married at a relatively older age, and we were not young people. The first two to three years after marriage was the period for adaptation.

Leslie: Do you have any sparkle of love?

Lam: I think there should still be some because it won’t work if there is no love. The difference between human and animal is that human has love. The way that my husband’s entered into my life is very strange, I think Maggie will be able to understand my feeling more because for women working in this field, they really want to retire and look for someone whom they can lean on.

Leslie: Find a good man and get married.

Lam: You thought it was your movie “Rouge” [in which Flore married Master Twelve].

Leslie: to find a Master Twelve [the character Leslie played in the movie “Rouge”].

Lam: Just want to have a stable life. In the past, every man who went out with me kept telling me that they would want to marry me, but then after a while, they would say why they should marry me, making me really disappointed. After all those years, I was deeply hurt. I didn’t want to get married anymore. But then during that period of time, I met my husband. He was like a fool telling me that he wanted to marry me. He gave me a ring shortly after we went out together, I didn’t realize that he really meant it. But I didn’t have much expectation then. Fine, I said, if you wanted to get married, then let’s get married; merely to give him a proper answer after having been with him for so long.

Tony: Actually ever since I started dating someone, I had been thinking of getting married.

Leslie: I wanted to get married when I was 15.

Tony: But the problem was I was refused ….

Lam: I know that every time when Maggie was dating, she really was very much into it, but why it was always fruitless?

Maggie: Because I feel that we could only get married when we both feel that we are suitable for each other.

Lam: Do you want to get married?

Maggie: Of course I do, but not in a hurry.

Leslie: It is not easy to get along with others. In the previous episode, we talked about how to get along with people. Getting along with others is very difficult already, let alone sharing your life with them. And you require someone to tolerate and to share the life with you. I am very single-minded already, but still, when you get up you may have bad breath, right? Some times you may want to fart, right? Some times you also require others to tolerate you. When sleeping with other in the same bed, what do you do if you have to fart?

Lam: I feel that love means a lot of forbearance on both sides.

Leslie: Right, but you’ve got to have times, and to a certain stage, perhaps I feel that I can’t stand you anymore, since you have such bad breath.

Lam: Then you can tell him/her to brush his/her teeth next time.

Leslie: Then you will start to have friction. Understand?

Lam: He/She should even appreciate your bad breath.

Leslie: So what I am trying to say is that the technique to get along requires a long period of time.

Tony: Not that one has to appreciate your bad breath, but should be able to tolerate it.

Leslie: That’s right.

Tony raised some questions about how to get along.

Leslie: I would give my other half a call at least once daily.

Tony: Possibly the way they get along is to require a phone call to make them feel comfortable.

Leslie: Right. That is to locate where you are. [Making a sign of making a phone call] “Oh, I am working right now, doing this and that, and what are you doing now? Oh, good.” That will make me very happy. At night arriving home from work, just tell her what have you done in the daytime. “Oh, I have done this and that.” I feel this is very comforting.

Maggie raised her questions about how to get along with others.

Leslie: Therefore both people have to be compatible.

Maggie: Some man requires you to report to him every minute. I can’t stand it. And for those who don’t want to know where I was the whole day, I also can’t stand it.

Leslie: That is difficult to bear really. I don’t know why all of a sudden I seem to have understood Maggie more. I feel that she is the kind of woman that needs others to care for and love her. She really likes others to care for her but at the same time she must have her own view and idea and space. That is, I want to have my freedom. Therefore you don’t order me, but I will go and shop and prepare food for you. You however are not to tell me to go to a specific place to do the shopping, like going to North Point market to get fish balls, then to Shaukiwan to get vegetables, etc.

Maggie: How come all of a sudden you understand me that much?

Leslie: Am I right? What I was trying to say is you don’t try to limit and control me, but I will love you. That is it. Actually Maggie is a woman who can be loved easily. If I have the chance, she will die in my hand [meaning he will steal her heart] because I know how to love her. I have told you, remember? If I really love someone, I will love her (pointing at Maggie). If I am to get married, I will choose her.

Maggie: But you know how to love me is because you are willing to love me, or is it because you know the method to love me? These are two different things. If I see that you know how to use a method to love me or roar me, that won’t work because I feel that it is not sincere and the love is not from your heart.

Leslie: Yes, that’s a big difference. Certainly I will also make you feel that I am sincere, right from the bottom of my heart. But I am not wooing you. Hahaha.

Lam: There was rumor that you two were dating [referring to Tony and Maggie].

Maggie and Tony: It was not referred to as dating, but having affairs. It did not sound that romantic.

Tony: Actually I feel I owe apologies to my friend [referring to Maggie].

Maggie: To me.

Tony: Yes. At that time, I said to Maggie, the rumor is so serious, for the sake of both of us, we should not…

Leslie: That is to separate for a period of time.

Tony: It’s not to separate for a period of time, but should not keep in touch, should not attend the premiers together or ….

Maggie: He was afraid that I could not find a good boyfriend.

Tony: That is right. I thought that I have already got married, so it did not really matter to me. The most important thing is if my wife understood me, and even others didn’t, it was not important at all. Because my family members know what kind of a person I am. But I felt this would affect Maggie, therefore I told her that even if we were friends, we didn’t have tell the others that we were good friends.

Leslie: Then you are really a fool, Leung Kar Fai, for falling into other people’s trap.

Tony: Yes. Then she gave me a big lesson [referring to Maggie].

Leslie: Right, if I were there I would also give you one.

Tony: She used her tears to teach me.

Leslie: Tears?

Then Tony explained.

Leslie: If I were there, I would hit you hard.

Tony continued to explain.

Lam: Then what did you do then? (asking Maggie)

Maggie: I was really hurt then, therefore I cried. I felt, well, was that all for our friendship? Because I thought our friendship was very deep, and he didn’t want to make friend with me simply because of that. Therefore I was very sad and hurt.

Leslie: That’s right.

Maggie: After I cried, I said that wouldn’t do.

Leslie: (laugh), that’s right.

Tony made a speech about being an actor. In the course of that, Leslie kneeled down and refilled everyone’s glass with wine, and then tossed it down.

Finally

Leslie: Come on, let’s toast. Please run the commercials.

Lam: Okay, have you guys ever been betrayed?

Leslie, Tony: Many times!

Tony: Betrayed? Wow!

Leslie: Betrayed.

Lam: Me! I have never been betrayed by anyone.

Tony: A few times for me.

Lam: I had experience on this. From my friends, I finally learned the feeling of heartbroken. Really, painful!

Maggie: Tell us about it!

Lam: Tell you about it?

Maggie: It doesn’t have to be in detail.

Lam: Okay, twice. The first time was I had a boyfriend as well as two very close girlfriends. One told me, “Hey, he and this girlfriend have affairs.” I said, “You are really a good friend for telling me that.” But actually she was the one who had an affair with my boyfriend. Just that she knew about the affairs between the other girlfriend and the boyfriend that she told me so that I would deal with them. How mean this person was!

Maggie: Must hurt a lot!

Lam: I treated you as friend, right, but …

Maggie: Then your boyfriend had three girlfriends!

Lam: That’s right.

Maggie: Wow.

Lam: So this type of man can be ignored. Can go home and sleep.

Leslie: Wow.

(Laugh)

Tony: Can really be ignored.

Lam: Right.

Maggie: That really hurts.

Lam: It hurt a lot! Have you ever come across anything like this.

Leslie: To be betrayed by others?

Leslie: I have just been betrayed in Argentina! Hahaha.

(Laugh)

Lam: Is that right?

Tony: Talk about your trip!

Leslie: No! Leung Chiu Wai really is a nice guy. I must compliment him. He is quite weird but a kind man.

Maggie: He is like a kid.

Leslie: I was attacked by Amoeba, if not because of him, I probably would not be able to come back alive.

Lam: Right! Will your friendship with him increased to a higher level after that incident?

Leslie: Certainly!

Lam: Why don’t you talk about that incident. Do you know about it [asking Tony and Maggie]?

Tony: I am not very clear about it either.

Lam: Come on, tell us about it. How did it happen?

Leslie: It was nothing. I was there shooting a film but as soon as I arrived there, I got diarrhea.

Tony: You got Proteus in your body?

Maggie: Didn’t you take a shot before leaving?

Leslie: I didn’t. I didn’t know.

Maggie: It is better to prevent than to cure.

Leslie: I thought Argentina was not a dirty place. It’s South America, should not be that dangerous, like India or Africa.

Tony: South America! South America can be dangerous too!

Leslie: On arrival, the shooting of my part had not begun as yet, so I went about enjoying the food there. However, on the third day I started to have diarrhea, but it was not really serious; three to four times a day. My stomach can easily get upset after eating greasy food, so I thought, well, it’s merely because I was not used to the food and climate there and it was not a big problem. Then Leung Chiu Wai arrived, that’s three days later. I told him that I had minor diarrhea problem and he said he had some medicine that might be able to stop the diarrhea.

Maggie: Yes!

Leslie: After taking the medicine, the diarrhea stopped. However, once I stopped taking it, the diarrhea came back again. And then one day, William Cheung Suk Ping [famous art director], Leung Chiu Wai and I planned to have Italian food together, but I was feeling really sick. I am the kind of person that unless I am seriously ill, otherwise I will not go to hospital. But anyway I went to the hospital. The people [medical practitioner] there just simply pressed my stomach and did not ask me to take any further tests; no blood test, nothing.

Lam: Then there was nothing wrong.

Leslie: She said, “Well, probably you are not accustomed to the climate and the food here.” She was a westerner and asked me to abstain eating for a few days but to just consume congee. A western woman asking me to have congee! (laugh)

Leslie: I thought, “Good, she must be something. A western woman asking me to have congee!” Then she gave me some syrup and asked me to drink it up. After taking it, the diarrhea stopped. But once I stopped taking the syrup, it came back again! It was really strange, I thought!

Lam: How many times each day?

Leslie: At that stage, I started to have diarrhea seven to eight times a day!

Lam: Wow, then you must be very weak!

Maggie: For how many days?

Leslie: For almost two to three weeks already.

Maggie: Oh!

Lam: You must be very thin then?

Maggie: Diarrhea every day?

Leslie: Yes, every day. That is, if I took the medicine, it stopped, but if I didn’t take the medicine, the diarrhea came back again.

Maggie: Why did you find it out that late?

Leslie: Then one day, I said to Leung Chiu Wai, I said, ”Wai, I am feeling really sick. Do you think it is possible that I might have Amoeba in my stomach?”

Lam: How did you figure it out?

Leslie: I thought of it quite suddenly. Really! Then Wai said “You are crazy. We are in Argentina, Buenos Aires – the place where we are shooting the movie – it is at the seaside. Amoeba can only be found in places at riverside.” I said, “Really, then I’ve got it! Buenos Aires is at riverside.” Then he said, “Really?” He said he would give his good friend Tim a call. Tim is a doctor in Hong Kong. Wai told me to go to bed early since I did not have any part in the movie that night. He was filming at night and would tell me the next morning. At 6 a.m. the next morning, he knocked on my door and said “Gorgor, you’ve got it”.

Lam: He was …

Leslie: It was Amoeba. Because he was on the internet, I meant the doctor Tim. Tim now becomes my family doctor as well. Wai immediately called the doctor and the doctor said he would call him back in two minutes. Then afterwards, he called back asking for more details, such as what symptoms did I have etc. After making some research on his computer, he told Wai that I’d got Amoeba and should go and get the medicine immediately!

Lam: Oh!

Leslie: So my assistant, who is also here today, went immediately and bought me the special medicine which was antibiotic. That special medicine was very strong thus would hurt one’s health. Tim also asked me to stop eating any kind of food except congee for ten days.

Lam: Yes!

Leslie: Only salty egg and congee! I couldn’t even touch the egg yolk, just the egg white! I had to beg for it! I had to beg for the salty eggs because he said it would be better for me if I only took plain congee for ten days. Therefore do you remember how I looked at the press conference upon my return to Hong Kong at that time?

Maggie: Yes.

Tony: You could beg and then got salty eggs in Argentina, I think you were…

Maggie: Wow, incredible!

Tony: You really did have some power and position there.

(Laugh)

Tony: In that movie, there was…

Leslie: There were Chinese restaurants there.

(Laugh)

Lam: That is to say, if it were not because of Wai.

Leslie: Eating salty eggs all days made me feel dull. If I didn’t ask Wai that day…

Lam: If he did not ask the doctor for you, you simply would not know it yourself, and thought it was just because of not being accustomed to the climate and food there. If this illness got extended for too long, it could be really dangerous, didn’t you know?

Tony: On the one hand, he was ….

Lam: Some years ago, one of our colleagues ….

Leslie: Yu King Wai [Yu died because of eating too many raw food. He was an executive of HK TVB], right?

Lam: It was because he was not accustomed to the climate and food…

Leslie: Also they said that, I don’t know if that’s true or not, or whether it is just a rumor, but once you have Amoeba, you cannot be operated on.

Lam: That’s true.

Leslie: If you were operated on, it would spread.

Maggie: Really?

Lam: It would spread out, right?

Leslie: Imagine, if I was suddenly in coma due to dehydration, and without knowing the cause of the illness, the people there thought they should operate on me, and if they really did, then I would have to say goodbye!

Lam: That’s right.

Lam: That’s possible.

[to be cont'd]