And it's out: The much-anticipated casting of veteran actor Lim Kay Tong as Lee Kuan Yew in the local movie 1965 has materialised in the following scene at the 1965 Separation press conference.

No shedding of tears though, as this was that part of the speech after the crying:

Lee Kuan Yew breaking down at a press conference announcing the separation in 1965, is one of the most enduring moments in the history of Singapore.

Do we remember what he said, after he composed himself?

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Verdict? Lim does a credible job sounding like the ex-prime minister of Singapore, nailing his diction and achieving the trademark neutral accent Lee Kuan Yew is famous for.

Although one wonders if more should have been done to make Lim's hair puffier -- his forehead is high enough -- and altering his countenance to look more like Lee.

Because Lim does look a bit pirated with his angular jaw and wispy thin lips resulting in the audience having to use a bit of imagination to feel in the gaps.

You can check out the original iconic press conference video below or the Channel News Asia version in higher definition here:

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If you'd noticed, this portion above is different from the 1965 movie clip.

Those words that Lim acted out in 1965 were apparently uttered impromptu by Lee Kuan Yew after he cried, at least according to this blog post that made reference to it when an obscure video of it was part of an exhibition at the Stamford Gallery at the National Museum of Singapore in late 2013:

"... at the end of the press conference, when after an hour of answering the reporters' questions about foreign policy and trade, Lee says, "I would like finally, if I may, just to speak not to you but really to the people of Singapore."

And he turns to face the camera squarely for the first time in the press conference and goes into a shpiel about what independence means for Singapore. He doesn't look down at his notes, he doesn't look anywhere else. For several minutes, he just talks to the camera, to this strange new medium, introduced to Singapore just two years ago --- and through that medium, to the people he imagines will watch the recording several hours later (there was no 'live' television broadcasting in Singapore then)."

Is this all we're going to see of Lee Kuan Yew in the movie?

We'd find out in due time.

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