Chen Lei tells us about her new talk show on International Channel Shanghai (ICS) and which famous faces we can expect to see.

What’s your new ICS show, “Talk to Lei,” about?
The program tries to explore the inner world of celebrities by looking back at the extraordinary experiences that each one has been through. I think you’ll find that, behind the glory, they are all ordinary people. They have all gone through the same ups and downs and highs and lows that you and I have. Today’s glory is just a trade-off for the sacrifices they’ve made.

We hear the show will have both Chinese and English segments.
Yes. Since our guests are mostly from Asia, I often use Chinese to speak to them but there will be English subtitles in those cases. When the guests are from foreign counties, I use English.

Who have you interviewed?
Our guest list includes athletes like Li Ning, celebrities such as Jackie Chan and artists like Elsa Yeung.

How do you get them to open up?
Celebrities are often careful with their public image, and they can be over-protective with the media. So sometimes it’s hard to get them to open up and talk about their lives. I read up on them and try to show them great respect. The stage of building up rapport is crucial. Mutual trust is a must in making this show. That’s why most of the time we use comfortable places like their homes or a café to interview them. It’s easier to converse like good friends in environments like that. I think of the show like a visit to a close friend’s home.

When can we watch?
“Talk to Lei” will be on every Sunday starting January 8, at 9:20pm on SMGBB with repeats on Monday at 2:30pm on ICS. It will also soon be shown on CCTV9 and Channel News Asia, a Singaporean channel.

Check out what's coming up on "Talk to Lei" and other programming on ICS.