M MAG - JUN 2016

Song) a “soft, demure and welleducated,”
woman who imparted
her life philosophies to him as a
student.
She taught many of his classes
at junior middle school and
started a journal system meant
as a communication tool between
parents and teachers. His mum was
too busy working to write in it and
it soon became a channel through
which he shares thoughts with
his teacher. Journaling requires
introspection, and he attributes the
process to ensuring he has a good
head on those shoulders.
Lady Luck Shines
Though Chris no longer writes,
quiet time for him still involves
a great deal of reflection, and he
never forgot Song Laoshi’s role as a
nurturer. Troubled as his childhood
was, things took a positive turn for
the family as he reached college.
One day, he followed his senior
to Catwalk’s office in Taiwan –
the agency is one of the largest
talent firms in the region, with
local actors like Fann Wong and
Christopher Lee in its fold. That
moment changed his entire life.
“I was sitting on the sofa
outside the office and the agent
walked by. She said, “Are you
interested in modelling?”
He had never thought of it but
decided to give it a shot anyway.
Within a week of signing the
contract, he was roped in for his
first runway show by Issey Miyake.
The pay? A neat $500.
“That’s a lot for a student!” he
exclaims, “There were two shows in
a week, and I was like, wow, I can
finally earn some money.”
The funds went to defraying
school fees and helping his mum
out with living expenses. Still, she
wasn’t thrilled by his career as a
clothes horse, fearing that it was
short-lived and unstable. When he
decided to leave school to pursue
modelling, she was horrified.
His mother’s mindset is
conventional, but it’s one grounded
in reality. Male models are like
shooting stars; they blaze bright
for seconds, and then sputter into
has-beens.
It doesn’t help that the market
for male models is not as lucrative
as it is for women. Even today, male
models earn ten times less than
their better lit, better airbrushed
female counterparts. The situation
for Asian male models is grimmer
as brands also prefer working with
Western faces.
Lights, Camera, Action
Chris knew this. “You’re limited
as a model,” he explains “But
when you’re an actor, you can act
forever.”
Right off national service
where he served in the Internal
Affairs Bureau, he appeared as the
classmate of a lead actor in youth
drama The Graduate (2006). It was
his first acting role. He called it
“an embarrassment.”
“I watched it again and I
sucked,” he says. “I was the
classmate of the main character but
there was no training.”
Confidence came as he took
on more roles. Soon, he was acting
in TV shows like drama thriller
Channel-X (2010) as a news
producer and as the romantic lead
in comedy Inborn Pair (2013).
Catwalk sent him for training
classes, but he learnt the
most valuable lessons through
experience and his peers — even
his idol: Tom Hanks (“I love his
work. Every one of them.”)
Despite the years of experience,
Chris still finds it difficult to act in
comedic role. He considers Scrum
(2013), a rugby series which aired
on Channel U, his hardest yet. “It
was the first time I took up a funny
role,” he says. “I can be funny in
person. But to be funny on camera
when the humour is not on the
script is hard.”
The Power of a Good Actor
“Is it because you’re naturally, a bit
of a sad person?” I probe.
“Maybe,” came his noncommittal
response. “Some parts
of me I guess, I think it’s mostly
because I was a loner when I was
young. I was a lonely, sad guy.”
It isn’t hard to deduce that
his melancholic early years were
shadows he can’t shake off. “The
negative side is the power to be a
good actor,” he says. In fact, just
hours before our interview, Chris
posted a Facebook thank you note
to Song Laoshi.
“She became the inspiration for
a character that I played,” he says
as he whips out his phone to show
the post to me. “I acted as a teacher
who believed in a student – to act,
you have to know all the emotions,
and understand every character.”
Is it any wonder that people
have drawn comparisons to Tony
Leung? The award-winning Hong
Kong actor is a natural when it
comes to morose scenes, though
he has had more than 20 years
experience on Chris.
“It’s an honour to be compared
to him, but it’s hard to achieve his
level,” he says.
Still, Chris has clearly come
far from where he started. Today,
his mum has hung up her nurse
uniform for good. Does she still
disapprove?
“She’s my biggest fan!” he
jokes. “She doesn’t worry so much
since I can provide for her and the
job is stable.”
Later on, as we walk out of the
cafe and proceed to the photoshoot
a short drive away, I casually ask,
“Do you think you’ll ever remove
those scars?”
He pauses briefly and stares
down at his neon shoes. “No I don’t
think so.”
Chris Lee has all the makings
of a leading man. But that scar
could prove to be his greatest asset
yet.
38 JUN 2016