THE PERFECT LOVERS...ZIYI ZHANG AND TAKESHI KANESHIRO

Making their American musical stage debuts in "The King and I" are Chinese film stars Ziyi Zhang and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

This is the second pairing for the two...since they starred together on-screen in the 2004 Zhang Yimou romantic era-drama "House of Flying Daggers".

Takeshi has already been known both in Asia and the United States for his singing...but Ziyi had only sung Chinese songs and had yet to do any singing in an American film.

Many people would think that the 2006 drama "Memoirs of a Geisha" was her first film. They would be wrong. She had appeared with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in a non-English-speaking role...that of the assassin Hu Lin in "Rush Hour 2". Her role as Chiyo/Sayuri was her first English-speaking role. She has since done more...and grants interviews in English and forgoes interpreters, saying that if she makes a mistake it would be her own and not an interpreter.

Ziyi's repertoire is expansive. She played the young sword thief in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", the kidnapped princess in the Korean costume-drama "The Warrior", and many other films since being discovered by Zhang Yimou at the age of 18 for his film "The Road Home". Her appearance in "Memoirs of a Geisha" re-united her with her "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" co-star Michelle Yeoh, who made her American film debut as a Chinese agent opposite Pierce Brosnan in "Tomorrow Never Dies".

Takeshi has appeared on-screen in comedies and musicals as well as dramas. He has also appeared onstage in China and Japan, the land of his father's birth. Takeshi holds citizenship in both Taiwan and Japan and speaks and sings English fluently since he was a student at the American School in Taipei. Playing the Burmese emissary Lun Tha is a first for Takeshi, who also excels as a model, as the picture proves. When he and Ziyi had worked together, there were rumors of a love affair blossoming between the two of them.

"I believe in method acting", he once replied in an interview. "If anything comes out of that...it just proves that the both of us are very good actors".

MY LEADING LADY

Recognize my leading lady?

She's none other than television and movie star Catherine Oxenberg...better known to those who remember the prime time soap opera "Dynasty" as Amanda Carrington. Well, I, personally, picked her to play Anna Leonowens, the English widow who goes to 1862 Bangkok as teacher to the children and wives of Mongkut, the King of Siam.

This is a picture of her as Cassandra Barash, a talk-show hostess, from the 1999 apocalyptic thriller "The Omega Code", which co-starred Michael York as self-made prophet Stone Alexander and her husband Casper Van Dien as motivational expert Dr. Gillen Lane.

When I spoke to Catherine and Casper about the role, Catherine was more than a little shocked...due to the fact that she was going to perform in a musical and she had never sung a note in her life!

Since I already knew about this "problem", I told Catherine that she had three months to learn...and that I was not going to take "no" for an answer.

Catherine sought out one of the best vocal coaches in Los Angeles to help her with what she thought was "the impossible". But, her husband had high hopes that she would succeed.

"If you put your mind to it", he told her, "you can't help but succeed!"

She reminded Casper that he had never sung before.

"Well, comedy is a lot harder to do than any other kind of acting", he said. "I pulled it off several times already".

Realizing what he said was true, Catherine nodded her head and decided that she would give it her all.

I just hope, come opening night, that's enough.

GETTING READY TO PLAY A KING

Take a look at me! Just exactly how long would you expect a good make-up artist to transform me into a real-life, nineteenth-century Siamese king?

Would you believe it took Michael Westmore three-and-a-half hours to do the job? Even though I had a tan dark enough to pass for Southeast Asian, there was a little matter about coloring the hair and giving the eyes that Oriental look.

Then, came the costume!

They could have picked any old costume out of the Hollywood costumer's shop! But, no! They had to customize one that would look grand enough to win an award. They could have re-used the same one that Chow Yun-Fat wore in the movie "Anna and the King of Siam". God forbid!

The producers and director were thinking about the critics who would see the show.

So, who would they pick to design my costume?

Then, they thought about Eiko Ishioka, the Academy Award-winning costume designer who ran away with the Oscar for her designs for "Bram Stoker's Dracula".

Ms. Ishioka met with me alone to take measurements. First, I had to strip down to a pair of swim trunks so she could get the correct measurements of my chest, shoulders, waist, hips, thighs and knees...so she could make the costume fit snugly yet still fit me comfortably.

After going through all this, I wondered if the other stars were having the same trouble with their costumes. Catherine (Oxenberg) just needed some gowns, hats and shoes. But, Ziyi Zhang and Takeshi Kaneshiro (who were making their American stage debuts as the Burmese lovers Tuptim and Lun Tha) needed Oriental costumes just like mine...but less Siamese.

When time came for the dress rehearsals, Ms. Ishioka saw just how unique her costumes were...especially when Catherine and I rehearsed the "Shall We Dance" number. Everybody present were on pins and needles, wondering if any part of my costume was going to split during the exerting polka. But, when the conductor reached the crescendo, we looked at each other...as everybody applauded.

Ms. Ishioka's designs were successful!

I could hardly wait for opening night.