KUALA LUMPUR • Hong Kong actor Julian Cheung Chi Lam had difficulty speaking Malay in the movie The Leakers, but had no thorny problems when it came to durians.

In the Herman Yau-directed thriller which was shot in Penang, he plays a police inspector.

Portraying a Malaysian for the first time, Cheung admitted that having to deliver his lines in Malay proved to be a tongue-twisting experience.

"There were quite a number of scenes of me speaking in Malay. But very few probably made the final cut. They were beyond comprehension, I can imagine," he said.

"This being my first time speaking Malay, I had no idea what I was saying. Apparently, neither did the other actors whom I shared scenes with.

"The Malaysian actress playing the domestic helper got a bit confused when I delivered my lines in Malay," noted Cheung, 46.

But he became a durian expert during the location shoot in Penang.

"We ate so many durians... we knew what durians we were eating even when blindfolded."

He was surprised that certain varieties of the fruit were named after celebrities.

"They have varieties such as Joan Lin (Jackie Chan's wife) and (gongfu hero) Wong Fei Hung. Hopefully, one day, I can also have durians named after me too," he added.

The Leakers, which also stars Francis Ng and Charmaine Sheh, is currently showing in Singapore.