Hossan Leong Doesn’t Think ‘License Plate-Plucker’ Looks Like Him: “It’s Unfortunate This Happened To Her; More Unfortunate If She Looks Like Me”

By now, you’d have seen the viral video of the mother-son duo exploding with road rage at the Tuas Second Link last Saturday. 

It’s hard to forget the bizarre actions of the lady, who attempted to block a Toyota Alphard sports utility vehicle with her body, before ripping off its front number plate and throwing it at the vehicle. She has also since been nicknamed the 'License Plate-Plucker' on social media.

And now, less than a week later, numerous parodies and memes of the woman’s facial expressions and actions have surfaced online.

Including this one from local entertainer Hossan Leong, who many netizens say really resembles the 'License Plate-Plucker'.

When 8days.sg caught up with the 53-year-old comedian for a quick chat, he revealed that he doesn’t actually see the resemblance, despite what others say.

"I had quite a few people, even strangers, who've tagged me and said that we look alike. I was like, really?!” Hossan laughed incredulously.

"Let's just say that I've been out of the public eye for some time now, and [this is] how quickly people forget how I actually look like,” he went on to joke.

But of course, it’s not like he minds the comparisons.

"It's part and parcel of what I do and who I am, so if they think that she looks like me, then go ahead, it doesn't bother me at all,” he said.

“[It’s] just unfortunate lah, that this happened to this woman, and even more unfortunate if she looks like me,” he laughed.

Hossan then went on to share that he actually can’t stand “selfish driving”, which was broached as one of the possible reasons the 'License Plate-Plucker' went into such a rage.

“[It’s] why I've stopped driving for many years now,” he said, adding: “I think Singaporeans are one of the worst on the roads."

"I think the way we drive reflects the way we behave as well, person-to-person. There's a lot of selfishness going on, and very little kindness. So personally, I feel that when you're on the road, it really reflects who you are as a person. And if people can't be kind to each other and just you know, give a little more, this isn't going to improve, is it? Society is just going to be more and more ugly as we go on,” he said.

8DAYS.SG: Do you think that what happens on the roads is reflective of what is happening to society right now?

HOSSAN LEONG: I think so. Aggression on the roads translates to daily life, I think. You might've had a bad experience on the way to work, that carries into your office, that carries into your personal relationships with your colleagues and friends and your boss, and then it just snowballs and everyone is just one angry ball of upset-ness (laughs).

I think my job as an entertainer, actor, comedian, is to lighten it, to bring a little bit of smile and laughter into people's lives. And that's what I do. I enjoy making people laugh, and I think that kind of helps to alleviate the stress of life a little bit in this country, so hence these two shows that I'm doing.

Speaking of shows, you’re doing a cabaret comedy show, Dim Sum Dollies Still Steam in August and September right? You’ve worked together a lot with the Dim Sum Dollies. Is there anything new or different planned for your upcoming show?

It's been 20 years, and when we started Dim Sum Dollies, it was about three women coming together and showing solidarity about womanhood and how being a woman is in this country.

I play the chopstick, so basically I'm the foil. Every time they need somebody to do something while they change costume or a generic skit, I'm part of that.

This year we have some old skits that we're bringing back, hence me and CHIJ uniform, there's a very funny skit that we want to bring back.

There are new skits about princesses, Disney princesses, and women in politics, so you can expect to see Rosmah, and if you're from Singapore, you can expect to see a certain prime minister's wife (laughs). And I am probably going to be playing Melania Trump.

So it's going to be very fun, there's going to be a lot of social commentary on what's going on in the world, but of course, with comedy and songs.

You’ll also be making your directorial debut in late July, right?

Yes, with What On Earth?, a sitcom that will be showing on meWATCH and Okto.

Since it’s on okto, is it a show that’s more kid-friendly?

Yeah, it's targeted at pre-teens and early teens, but what I really enjoy about it is that the script is written so cleverly that the adults will laugh on a different level.

‘Cos you know how some comedies are very cleverly written, where the jokes are quite adult in a sense, it's quite clever, but what we've done is to make sure there's a lot of physical humour as well, so that the kids get it on one level, and the adults get it on another level.

It's been very, very exciting working on it, with 24 episodes that we shot in six weeks. Never before in my life (laughs). It was so stressful for this, but it's a good kind of stress 'cos I've never done something like that before. And I was surrounded by an extremely amazing team of actors and crew, and I think we managed to pull it off.

Since you're no stranger to sitcoms, can we expect a guest appearance from you on the show?

You mean like in the Marvel movies, where Stan Lee makes an appearance? (Laughs) Well, they did ask, and I said no, but what will happen is that you will hear me, as one of the characters in the sitcom. So you'll hear my voice. Sort of. 

Anything else in store for this year?

I've been very fortunate this year to have a couple of big things happening. I'm the creative director for this online programme for Singapore Global Network, called Singapore At Home. The Singapore Global Network used to be in charge of all the Singapore Days from around the world.

We used to go to different cities and entertain Singaporeans but 'cos of the pandemic and whatever reason, the concept has changed. So they invited me to be the creative director of this online 90-minute live concert that will be beamed around the world for all overseas Singaporeans wherever they are, to watch. And that's on Aug 6.

Then thereafter, I'm going to be directing and starring in Singaporeans in Paris, a little musical about my experiences, together with other Singaporeans who live in Paris. It's all about the cultural faux pas, the cultural exchanges, and it's all done through song and dance. That's happening in October.

Dim Sum Dollies Still Steam will run from August 26 to September 10 2022 at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are prices from $20, and can be purchased here.

What On Earth! is a sitcom about a 13-year-old boy who discovers that there are three aliens living in the apartment next to him. The show will debut from Jul 23 on Okto, and will air every Saturday. You can also catch it on meWATCH.

Photos: Hossan Leong/Instagram, Dream Academy Productions, Stardust Story