Hong Kong — Veteran actress Patricia Ha made a rare television appearance Monday on HOY TV’s talk show The Nine Luck Meeting Room, where host Wu Yongwei openly gushed that Ha had long been her “ultimate idol” and jokingly offered to bare all for a potential film collaboration.
Wu, who co-hosts the show with Brian Lee, admitted she had deliberately pursued Ha through a film producer before finally securing her as a guest for the program’s second season. “When everyone else was imitating Hong Kong beauty queens, I was imitating Patricia,” Wu said during the taping. “Her short haircut was so stylish and beautiful. I couldn’t stop staring at her during the recording. One smile from her and I’m done for.”
Ha, best known for her roles in 1980s New Wave classics such as Nomad and The Last Affair, laughed off the compliment, telling Wu she saw a reflection of her younger self. Then she made a surprising offer: “I want to play a butch lesbian chasing after Wu Yongwei.” Wu responded without hesitation: “If Patricia is willing to work with me, I’ll strip down to nothing. We could call the movie ‘You Sigh at Me, I Bite at You’ – what do you think? We could even ask Brian to direct.”
The lighthearted exchange underscored the deep admiration between the two actresses, but the conversation also turned personal. Ha disclosed that her original birth name is Tang Lai-kwan – a revelation that sent Wu into laughter. “If I used ‘Tang Lai-kwan’ today, I might actually become famous,” Ha joked. “There’s a trend for irony now. The more old-fashioned the name, the more popular you are.”
More seriously, Ha reflected on her entry into the film industry. She said her sole motivation for auditioning was to work with Leslie Cheung. After multiple screen tests, director Patrick Tam cast her and also gave her the stage name “Patricia Ha.” She described herself as intensely loyal in relationships and revealed that Cheung’s death in 2003 plunged her into a year-long depression.
“I was completely devoted,” she said. “When he passed, I couldn’t function. It took me a full year to recover.”
The episode is part of the second season of The Nine Luck Meeting Room, a program that blends celebrity interviews with discussions on feng shui and the “Nine Luck” period in Chinese metaphysics. The show has gained traction for its mix of pop culture nostalgia and esoteric topics.
Ha’s appearance highlights a growing trend among Hong Kong entertainment figures revisiting the golden age of Cantonese cinema, while younger audiences discover the icons through streaming platforms. For Wu, the encounter was a dream fulfilled. “I never thought I’d get to sit face-to-face with the woman who inspired my youth,” she said. “Now I just hope she takes me up on that movie offer.”
