Andy Lau puts on some lipstick in this publicity photo for "What Women Want"


BEIJING: Hong Kong star Andy Lau revealed during a publicity event in Beijing on Tuesday that he quite enjoyed cross-dressing for his latest film "What Women Want", a remake of a Hollywood romantic comedy of the same name.

The 49-year-old actor, who often plays rather manly roles, had to wax his legs, put on lipstick and don a pair of black fishnet stockings for his upcoming movie, but he liked the result.

"It [how he looked dressed as a lady] was surprisingly quite beautiful. At the time, I thought I had been possessed by Marilyn Monroe," Lau told Chinese reporters.

Lau's co-star, Chinese veteran actress Gong Li, 45, 'praised' him for managing to pull it off.

"When I saw the production photos, I laughed so much. A sexy goddess!" Gong joked.

The "Shanghai" star went on to reveal that she taught Lau everything she knew about how to look more feminine and was a little miffed that she didn't get to see shoot the cross-dressing scene - the production staff apparently closed the set for Lau's performance.

But Lau explained there was a very good reason to keep her out.

"If you were there, I fear I would feel embarrassed and nervous. When the real goddess is around, this fake goddess would find it very hard to perform," said Lau, adding that nobody else, save the director, was on the set that day.

This is the third time Lau has cross-dressed for a movie – he had previously donned female clothing in 1999's "Running Out of Time" and 2001's "Dance of a Dream".

In "What Women Want", Lau plays an ad exec who can read women's minds. He uses the ability to sabotage his boss, played by Gong, but ends up falling in love with her instead.

The film is scheduled to hit the big screen in February.

- CNA/ha

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