Last month, veteran Hong Kong actor-singer Julian Cheung made headlines when he took a dig at young actresses who have chosen to enhance their beauty through plastic surgery.
The dimpled, boyish-looking 41-year-old told Hong Kong reporters that many of today's female stars look like they are made from the same mould.
"I don't know whether it's because they all went under the knife, but they look and carry themselves the same way... I can't tell them apart," he was quoted as saying.
During our interview, the father of one - he has a seven-year-old son, Morton, with actress-wife Anita Yuen - lived up to his witty persona.
When quizzed about his comment, Cheung chuckled and said with a straight face: "Actually, I would love to go for plastic surgery."
Amid laughter, he continued: "I'm serious. You know, these days, I sometimes wonder if I've overestimated or underestimated our audience's acceptance level of (celebrities who have) gone under the knife.
"I've come to the conclusion that the public can readily accept such artists. No matter how obviously their looks have changed, it's okay. Audiences still love them and they are still extremely popular.
"So yeah, I think I might go for plastic surgery, maybe 10 years later!"
Sarcasm aside, Cheung was in high spirits when the topic shifted to his challenging role as pilot Hsia Yang in Triumph In The Skies II.
Famed for playing the earnest, all-round Mr Nice Guy in hit dramas such as The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1994) and Cold Blood Warm Heart (1996), Cheung was excited to fill the shoes of the pompous, condescending and flirtatious Hsia.
Flawed
"He's such a flawed character and very different from what I've done," said Cheung.
"As an actor, I like to overturn viewers' expectations of what I can do on screen."
A fan of US medical series Grey's Anatomy, Cheung said he looked to Eric Dane's serial womaniser character, Dr Mark Sloan, for inspiration.
He also claimed to have spent more than HK$100,000 (S$16,300) out of his own pocket to purchase clothes and accessories that would make Hsia stand out.
"Hsia likes to wear flashy, stylish stuff, like leather wrist wraps while he's driving. I try my best to enhance these little things, to bring out his personality."
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