SUPERSTAR Leslie Cheung's baby-faced appearance doesn't affect the development of his acting career.

 "It has never been a barrier in my professional development," Cheung says. "On the contrary, I believe it has been an asset."

Maintaining his youthful appeal is easy, he says. "I try not to make myself tense and seldom stay out late."  Enjoying life is another secret.

 It has been nearly five years since Cheung announced he was quitting the music industry to devote himself to movie-making ~ a decision he says he has not regretted.

"I appreciate the fact that my songs are still popular, probably due to karaoke playing," he says. "It is a great comfort.  

 "But comparatively speaking, filming is not so time consuming, especially when it comes to promotion. "I just have to fulfil my acting role and after the shooting comes to an end, my job is completed.

 "Sometimes I may have to attend one or two press conferences before the movie is released, but that is it."

Even though Cheung has ditched his music career ~ apart from singing theme songs for some of his movies ~ he still has a lot fans. They are part of the reason he says he won't resume singing.

 "I still get invitations to sing, especially at charitable functions," Cheung says. "I won't do that because I don't want to back down on my promise (to disappear from the music scene) to my fans."

He describes Hong Kong as a "complicated society" where one must be on guard all the time.

 "For example, you might work on something for a charitable purpose but other people might feel you're actually using it for self-promotion," Cheung says.

 "I prefer low-exposure projects when I do things for charity."

Cheung has big ambitions for his acting career  and is not limiting himself to Hong Kong.

 "I want to have a chance to extend my career into the international market, but that doesn't necessarily mean Hollywood," he says.

Cheung wants to build up his reputation internationally through Chinese-produced movies.

 "Chinese always play an underdog role," he says. "But over the past few years they have gained attention and respect for their great success.

 "I feel this is a great encouragement."

On a darker note, Cheung says he feels local movies are limited because they always follow the trend.

Changing this, he says, is difficult because of the territory's small market.

 "Most investors are businessmen and their only consideration is getting a satisfactory return," Cheung says.

 "At present, it seems that only commercial films are welcomed by the audience.

 "This makes us different from overseas markets, where there are a certain amount of people who support underground music and movies."

After Cheung quit the music scene, he spent some time in Canada. His first plan was to settle down there and set up a coffee shop.

 "Things came out differently from what I had expected," he says.

 "I couldn't afford to totally retire."

But he says he's happy with what he has now.

 "I consider myself a serious actor rather than a movie idol," he says.

His input to the industry has not gone unnoticed ~ Cheung won the Best Actor award at the 1992 Hong Kong Film Festival ~ a prize he accepted with the utmost pride.

And he's been in a lot of movies, including Farewell To My Concubine, Bride With White Hair and The Days Of Being Wild.

 "I believe one's desire changes from stage to stage," he says.

 "At the moment, I hope to fulfil my role as an actor."

Cheung describes himself as emotional, a facet which he says has helped him in his career.

 "An artist must be emotional otherwise it is hard to put himself or herself into a role," he says.