Joey Leung is one of the best-known theater actors in Hong Kong. His wildly popular act “Queer Show” has run four times in two years, earning him numerous awards as a comedy actor. He talks to June Ng about the insecurity of his profession, and why life can sometimes be easier when lived in the closet.

My acting break came the summer after I finished my A-levels. My mom’s friends needed me to play a 17-year-old in their play. The director said I had talent and suggested that I enroll in the Academy for Performing Arts.

My original dream was to be a biologist and save the world. But my dream died because my grades were not good enough.

Acting is the most insecure job—the dean of my school told us that during orientation. And he’s right.

It’s impossible in acting to judge your own achievements. It’s not like in an office, where you have a job title and promotions. With this, you never know how well you’re doing.

Awards are meaningless because they’ve only been given to you by a select group of people. It doesn’t mean you own the world if you get one, and it doesn’t mean you’re bad if you don’t. 

It’s hard to improve yourself. Listen to the opinions of others and allow yourself to be fragile when you’re taking criticism. But be strong and pull yourself together afterwards.

What I’m doing is actually not so far from my dream. Art, at the end of the day, is about love. And love is what makes the world a better place.

I’m gay, and I’ve talked about being gay in my previous productions. I chose the subject because I wanted to talk about difficult love. How hard can it be for people of the opposite sex to fall in love?

Romeo and Juliet scenarios don’t exist in Hong Kong, but same-sex relationships can be quite problematic and often need to be kept a secret. Through the little stories about our hardships, the message we want to give people is, respect yourself and respect others.

Respecting an individual’s sexual preference is good enough already. If you want to protect a rare species in the wild, you don’t have to capture it. Why not just let them be?

A gay revolution is not a must for me, and coming out of the closet is not necessary for everyone.

If coming out might be hurtful for your family, what’s the point? I shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a role model. In my particular case I was lucky to have all the support I need.

My parents divorced a long time ago, when I was a little kid, and I used to live with my grandmother and grandfather on my mother’s side.

Our broken family meant that in a way, my brother and I were loved even more, because our parents wanted to give us extra love to fill the hole.

For me, the best show of love is when your loved one cooks you your favorite dishes. My grandmother does that a lot. I recently published a cookbook dedicated to her. It’s a collection of my most beloved dishes that she cooked for me and then taught me how to cook. Each one has a story.

Hong Kong might not be the most comfortable city, but I’m sure it’s the most convenient and user-friendly one.

My only complaint is we don’t have a world-class zoo. It’s pathetic that we only have the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, and the animals have such a tiny, cramped space to live in.

If a place is too harmonious, it’s hard to make improvements. Iceland is a good example. People should have different opinions but at the same time respect one another’s choices.