Leslie Cheung 1999 Korean Television Interview
Lee So Ra's Propose - September/October 1999

I - interviewer-hostess
T - translator
L - Leslie

I - "Have no idea about what she is saying... probably 'Welcome Cheung Kwok Wing'."
T - "Thank you very much".
Leslie says 'Thank you' in Korean.
T - "She is very happy. She has heard it is very difficult to do an interview, so she is very grateful that you are here".
L - "Well... Korea... I have many fans who like me. And each time I am here I watched to come and do a program but time was always limited. But this time I can specifically to be here".
T - "Did you know after 'A Better Tomorrow' many guys started parting their hair in the middle like you?"
Leslie laughs: "Well, I want to say thank you. Thank them and I know they may like my hairstyle and copy it. But I have down lots of movie parts with different styles. And even in my concerts I have done different things... like I have worn high heels... definitely, don't copy me".
T - "In Korea you have many female fans. Could you say something to them?"
Leslie lets out a sigh like laugh and looks a bit uncomfortable with this question, like not knowing how to reply: "I want to thank my female fans for all your support all these years. And I hope I will make very good movies and songs for you."
Lots of applause and screams.
T - "In this new movie, what kind of movie is it?"
L - "I heard her say 'Happy together'?"

The translator really was not so good, even Leslie could tell she was leaving lots stuff out in the translation.

L - "When she was talking I heard it. Okay, this movie is about a girl from Japan tourist who meets a police man in Hong Kong and fall in love."
Leslie interrupts and continues: "In this film since I am a cop. There is lots kung fu, lots of action and gun fire. It is similar to 'A Better Tomorrow' type of film."
T - "In this film what is your favorite part?"
L - "In the past few years the movies I have made 'Farewell...', 'Happy Together'. It has been sometime I have not made an action film. I found I really enjoyed the action. It made me feel like I can still kick some butt!" (note: kick some butt - is my translation to the phrase he used which is literally translated: still can fight!)
T - "What is you favorite part/scene in this film?"
L - "My favorite part. It is the action. It is like I mentioned before. There is a scene where I am betrayed by a fellow cop and I have to go on the run. I have to dodge bullets. And jump from a high place. I like this type of action. Much of the stunts I did myself.
T - "Out of all your movies what/which is most like you?"
L - "Not very much. Being an actor there are no parts that are exactly like me. I have made so many movies. But if I had to choose one I guess, the closest... just a little would be 'Days of Being Wild'."
T - "In 'Days of Being Wild' she wants to know about the dancing sequence."
L - "Ask her to dance it for me?" (Lots of laughter and screaming)
L - "Or better yet... what if I dance with her?" (More screaming and laughter)
L - "Does she know how to dance the cha cha?"
T - "No. She does not."
L - "Let's move the chairs. I don't want her to kick it. It is very easy really. (He repeats this line in English)
Leslie takes the hand of the interviewer and the interviewer looks like she is going to faint... she is so hot. She starts to fan herself.
L - "That leg..." (and he shows her the movements and sings the tune for her J)
He is such a CHARMER!!!
T - "Can we continue to sit down here?"
L - "Why doesn't she want to stand?"
Audience starts to chant something.
L - "I prefer to stand."
T - "She says that standing is very difficult."
L - "Why?"
T - "Standing is very hard, very hard to move."
Leslie looks behind her at her legs: "Are you going to tell me she has something fake back there? (Lots of laughter)
T - "In her life she danced twice. And she is very happy to have danced with you."
L - "Thank you." And says 'I love you' in Korean.
T - "She will try to accept this."
L - "How about I sing a song for her too?"
T - "Really now? What song?"
L - "A Thousand Dreams of you".
T - "She wants to know if you can read this first."
I - "Just a moment."
Leslie reads a card that the interviewer hands him. He says: "Okay".
L - "In need a boyfriend who will let me cry when I feel like crying, someone said that a good friend is a friend who buys warm cookie after crying"
There is more to the poem but it is English, so I will stop here. Music start...
L - "Here I am the boy... I am coming here to love you!"
He sings "A Thousand Dreams of You."

many thanks to Cindy and Hong for their kind translation

I thought I might add some more information to the interview of Leslie in a Korean music talk show. It will surely make the interview more interesting if you know what the hostess (Lee So Ra- an acclaimed singer in Korea. She has a very jazzy/soul voice) actually said about Leslie, especially the part where he proposes to dance with her. Here are her exact words:

Lee So Ra (hostess): Tonight I think I will write a diary-something that I haven't been doing for a while. I will write this:
"Tonight I saw Leslie Cheung (Jang Kuk Yong- in Korean)" Cheers from the audience
Hostess: "Let us invite Leslie".
Music and Leslie comes down waving his hand toward the audience. He kisses the hostess cheek!! and sits down.
Hostess (clearly flustered): "Tell him that I really want to thank him."
Leslie listens to the translator and answers "Thank you" in Korean (gamsahamnida)!
Hostess: "If I had known (he was going to kiss me) I should have had my hair pulled back! Please tell him thank you so much for coming to my show 'Propose', since we know that Leslie rarely shows up in Hong Kong TV shows."
Leslie's answer.
Hostess: "Can you explain to him that after 'A Better Tomorrow' probably 50% of Korean guys started to part their hair in the middle like him. Leslie's answer.
Hostess (after hearing that Leslie wore a pair of high heels in his concert): "Wow... it seems that there are some things that suits some people. In Korea, he has a lot of female fans. Can he say something to them?"
Leslie's answer and applause.
Hostess: "Recently I saw 'Happy Together' and I really became a fan of Leslie. His acting was simply brilliant. (You can see Leslie seems to know that the hostess is complimenting him - he seems to be smiling) This new movie, which he just mentioned, what kind of a movie is it?"
Leslie answers/translator interprets.
Hostess: "So it's a love story."
Leslie interrupts and continues.
Hostess: "Then what is his favorite scene in the movie? He's a cop right?"
Here, there was a misunderstanding (poor interpretation?) and Leslie answers what his favorite part was in all of his movies.
Hostess: "Oh... Okay, so he answered to a different question. Can you ask him again?"
Leslie answers.
Hostess: "Okay, we should bear that in mind when we watch the movie. Leslie has acted different characters in each of his movies and each of them seem to show the real part of Leslie. All of the parts seem to suit and fit him very well. Out of all the characters which most closely resembles the real Leslie Cheung?"
Leslie answers.
Hostess: "Oh, I see.. 'Days of Being Wild' was the first movie I saw directed by Wong Kar Wai. He was also very impressive in that movie, especially the dancing scene."
Lots of applause and Leslie's playful request to dance with her.
Hostess (surprised and taken back): "Oh dear.. what am I going to do? Tell him that if I knew how to dance I would have become a dance singer!"
Leslie leads her to dance... he is so smooth and charming! He eyes the hostess - who is sweating and baffled - in a playful manner.
Hostess: "Oh my... Let us sit down and calm ourselves down. Please tell him that."
As the hostess goes and gets the stair, the audience chants: "One more time! one more time!"
Hostess: "What? What do you guys want?"
Leslie says he prefers to stand and asks why the hostess wants to sit down.
Hostess (after lauging): "Tell him that I can't stand for a long time (because of her weight I guess)"
Leslie asks why.
Hostess: "It's difficult to stand!"
Leslie answers-asks if she has something fake behind her. Lots of laughter.
Hostess (to the audience): "You have never seen me dancing in this show, have you? I don't enjoy such unexpected happenings. But today I am very happy that Leslie kissed on my cheek twice and that I had a chance to dance some steps with him, although I'm a terrible dancer. Tell him it was an honor and that I thank him deeply."
Leslie answers and tells the hostess: "I love you" in Korean.
Hostess: "Tell him that I would accept everything!"
Leslie says he will sing her a song. He looks straight into the hostess's eyes when he says he'll sing 'A thougsand dreams of you'!!
Hostess: "What now? Umm... actually I would like him to read this first. We prepared a special '101 propose stories' (a selected propose sent by the people) written in English. And we would like to make a special request for Leslie to read this. What do you think?"
Applause.
Hostess hands over the message and tells Leslie "just a moment", signals the session team and says: "Leslie Cheung's 101 propose stories"
Leslie reads the message and sings his song in a very charming way. The audience simply loves him!

This show was very popular- but Lee So Ra stepped down due to personal reasons. On her final show, they showed the highlight of her shows and Leslie was also included. I think Leslie was the only HK actor/singer who appeared in this show.

many thanks to Veronica for the additional part

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