PETALING JAYA, June 28 — Melaka-born actor Frederick Lee has waited a long time for his career to take off and he is finally reaping the rewards after years of hard work and perseverance.
Most recently, the 44-year-old was nominated for the Best Performance by an Actor award at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards for his serial killer role in the Singaporean crime thriller series Mind’s Eye.
The New York Festivals TV & Film Awards honours content in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries.
He told Malay Mail that while it was nice for his work to be recognised, it isn’t why he entered the tumultuous world of show business.
“Having an award is a bonus but it is not the main source of motivation.
“However, being nominated is a form of acknowledgment and I’m very satisfied with it and grateful for it.
“Of course, if I win the award, I will be very happy,” Lee said in a recent virtual interview.
The actor who also received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2019 Taipei Film Awards is currently promoting his latest series Trinity of Shadows.
The HBO Asia Original series is a suspenseful crime drama that leads righteous detective Tze-Wei, an up-and-coming public official Chi-Hsiao and rookie policeman Chia-Hao into a dark labyrinth of power play as they investigate a murder.
As the trio close in on the truth, they are inextricably intertwined and forced to confront their demons linked to a cold case from three years ago.
Lee takes on the role of Ta-Dong, a notorious, wanted fugitive with an extensive criminal history and stars alongside award-winning actors Kaiser Chuang, Sandrine Pinna and Liu Kuan-Ting with Stanley Yau from the Cantopop music group Mirror.
“This story is about good and evil, and the relationship is between people,” Lee added.
“The Chinese title actually came from Buddhism, it’s like a grain of sand that’s rolling and you can’t see all aspects of it.
“This show is told from the third person’s point of view and therefore, there should be different perspectives when you watch it.”
The former interior designer who began his acting career in his 30s, found success in Singapore and Taiwan, just like his older brother Christopher Lee and many other Chinese-speaking Malaysian talents.
Asked if opportunities here are still lacking for Chinese-speaking actors, Lee said jobs in Chinese-language shows aren’t as stable.
“I hope there will be more platforms because there are good talents in Malaysia, however the platforms need to be sustainable,” he said.
In a broader sense, Lee said there are always opportunities in Malaysia but first, he would have to brush up on his Bahasa Melayu and English.
“I used to speak more Malay in school but I have used it less now.
“So if I want to take advantage of the different opportunities here, I have to work on my languages as well so I might be open to being in Malay and English-language shows,” Lee said.
The actor who is currently in Taiwan said he cannot wait to return to Malaysia and Singapore once travel restrictions are lifted.
Trinity Of Shadows (第三佈局: 塵沙惑) airs every Sunday with two back-to-back episodes at 9pm on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411 HD).
