After shooting two horror movies, Sean Lee is still waiting to experience creepy encounters.
“People tell me that the cast and crew of horror movies are more likely to experience such eerie encounters. And, I keep hearing of their experiences,” said Lee, who is also a deejay at local Chinese radio station 988.
His first foray into film was in 2014 when he accepted a cameo role in the local horror flick, The Transcend. Now, he’s the lead star in another horror movie, Headlines.
Headlines (in cinemas now) is helmed by actor-director James Wong Chee Keong, who is looking forward to taking his movie to China and other countries. The cast includes Wang Lei, Shaun Chen, Jordan Voon, Seck Fook Yee and Lim Mei Fen.
The movie is an anthology comprising three main stories; Lee plays the protagonist Yang Guang and is featured in the first and last stories.
In the first story, Lee plays an aggrieved youngster, who returns from abroad to investigate the death of his father, who is an elder craftsman in the business of sacrificial paper offerings.
The final story sees a grieving older Yang Guang, now a paper effigy craftsman, who resorts to extreme measures when he is unable to accept that he has lost his wife.
As a newcomer, Lee said he applied some method acting during the shoot.
“I have heard that for scenes in which someone is drunk, it looks more natural to drink some alcohol and get drunk to acquire genuine flushed cheeks. Because, the makeup is usually too red and tends to look fake.”
So, Lee drank a few bottles of alcohol to prepare for his scenes. However, having to sit around and wait for his turn to shoot, Lee’s head started to spin and his stomach churned from the affect of the alcohol. So, in the end, he had to suffer several bouts of vomiting.
As for his shower scene with actress Lim, who plays his wife in the movie, Lee revealed that he put in extra hours at the gym. “I just needed to work the upper body, and focus on the shoulders, chest, arms and back,” he said.
But the scariest part of the movie came when he and some other cast members had to perform a ritual using paper effigies that were made in their own likeness.
“I still recall when they started making those paper effigies that looked just like us. We still have the pictures, and it feels scary even when we’re seeing it now,” he recalled.
If the movie is well-received, Lee said he hopes to carry out the task that director Wong wanted him to do.
“James had earlier suggested that I perform a stunt as a movie promotional tactic. He wanted me to fill my car with lots of paper effigies, then drive around town,and have someone follow me around and shoot a video to promote the movie,” said Lee.
The conscientious fellow admitted that he had hesitated when Wong initially proposed the idea to him because he was concerned that it would distract drivers, and cause them to lose their concentration when they should be keeping their eyes on the road.
Colourful life-size handmade paper effigies of generic domestic help, are seen in the film.
Apart from promotional activities for Headlines, Lee’s schedule is also packed with cheerier projects.
These days, he is involved in the filming of 988’s first lunar new year comedy titled A House Of Happiness as well as the recording for the radio station’s Chinese New Year songs for the upcoming Year Of The Dog.
He also hosts two weekly radio shows on 988: Remember The Time (Sundays, 7am-10am) and PS Friday (Fridays, 8pm-10pm).
