“You Have To Feel Like A Newcomer Every Time”: Christopher Lee on Longevity, Learning And Letting It Flow

The first thing Christopher Lee does when he arrives on set isn’t to rehearse lines or check out the lighting. It’s to order a kopi-o kosong. No sugar or milk. Just black coffee, sharp, to the point and unfussy. He greets the crew with a relaxed ease, coffee in hand, and quietly surveys the scene: an elaborate dinner table setting complete with polished silverware, produce and prop candles. It’s a shoot meant to evoke the image of a lord of the manor. He doesn’t say much, but you can tell he’s amused by the concept. At one point, he reaches over to curiously toy with an apple, or fiddles with a handful of ranunculus flowers.

This is Christopher Lee: one of the most awarded actors in Singapore, a regional icon with almost 30 years in the business, and yet somehow today, remains the least self-important person in the room. He’s an actor many of us grew up watching, back when Channel 8 dramas were appointment television and VCDs sat stacked next to our fuzzy CRT screens.

But face to face, there’s no trace of ego nor performative distance. Talking to Lee is like catching up with an old friend who’s been around the block a few times and has the stories, bruises, and wisdom to show for it.

“You have to feel like a newcomer every time,” he says plainly, when asked how he’s managed to keep going for three decades. “You have to treat every project as a completely new version of yourself.”

It’s not just actor-speak. There’s a calm, measured clarity to the way he speaks about the craft. “When you’re good, there’s no panic because you can just keep doing good work. When you’re off the mark, that’s when you have to admit it,” he adds. “You can’t avoid your shortcomings; what you can do is to face them and correct them so you can keep moving forward.”

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The Work Behind the Man

Lee is a firm believer in hard-earned experience. To him, the early years of his illustrious acting career felt more like an extended boot camp—gritty, relentless, and often filled with more misfires than wins. “Eighty percent of it is bad,” he says with a grin. “You just have to keep working on yourself.”

That work ethic, married with an intuitive emotional intelligence, has earned him accolades and longevity that few in the region can claim. At the Star Awards 2025 ceremony earlier this year, Lee walked away with three major trophies: Best Actor for Kill Sera Sera, Best Programme Host for Dishing With Chris Lee, and a Special Achievement Award.

“Of course I was happy,” he says, smiling. “But I don’t go into a role thinking about winning. If your goal is just to win awards, it will affect the way you perform.”

These days, Lee is more interested in telling stories than collecting trophies. “Acting is about life. It’s about what comes next, not what came before. After you win, you start from zero again.”

And what comes next is No Good!, his new film set to release in February 2026. Co-starring Mark Lee and Taiwanese actor Hsu Hsiao-shun, the comedy film is a lighthearted, feel-good ride that still manages to say something meaningful. “It’s funny, yes. But at its heart is a message that encourages people. We’re trying to tell people that regardless of age, you can achieve what you set your mind to,” he explains.

That message hits a little deeper when it comes from someone like Lee, an actor who has never coasted on past glories and who still sees every role as a chance to stretch, evolve and start anew. “When I heard Lee and Hsu were in it, I thought, this could really be something. I wanted to do something fun, something joyful,” he says. “Because if all I do is to act in serious roles that are angry or depressed every day, I’ll get sick physically!”

He laughs when he says it, but he’s not kidding. “You need joy in your work, and the satisfaction you get when you’re working on something you’re passionate about, that really is the best feeling.”

Even now, at 54, Lee remains open to every shade of the human experience. That’s part of why he values working with younger actors. “A newcomer at 25 reminds me what it’s like to be 25. I need that. The world is always changing, I have to learn from them too.”

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Family, Fatherhood, and Fann

This powerful sense of humility carries into his personal life. Ask him about his family and his eyes light up. “I try not to follow my own parents’ path,” he says quietly. “They were never home, as they had to work. So I made a promise to myself that when I became a dad, I’ll do it my way.”

That “way” means prioritising presence over perfection. “You don’t know if your parenting is right until your child grows up and reflects it back to you. You do your best, and you keep learning.”

He shares the same kind of honesty about his marriage to fellow actor Fann Wong. “People are always curious about us. Are we always smiling, or do we argue? Of course we do,” he says, laughing. “But what helps is also that we’ve known each other for a long time. We started out as friends first, before anything romantic happened.”

As Lee talks about their relationship, you feel the sense of respect and love he and Wong have for each other. He relates how by the time they began to see each other as more than friends, the foundation of understanding was already there. “We’re lucky we work in the same industry. We understand each other’s boundaries, and we know when to give each other space.”

Despite the physical distance that comes with filming abroad, he finds ways to stay connected. “I might come home for a week between projects, or we’ll FaceTime. But yes, you miss things. You miss the everyday changes.”

Which is why every year, without fail, he carves out two to three weeks to travel with his family. “My company knows that at the end of the year, I’d disappear. I need that time with my family, because if I don’t have balance, I won’t be good at my job either.” It’s not about escaping work, Lee explains. Instead, it’s about charging the battery that powers “Christopher Lee”, the actor. “I’m serious about living. I work hard, but I also play. I love food, I love parties, I love spending time with my son and wife. Otherwise, what’s the point of working?”

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Living Fully, On His Terms

In his telling, everything comes down to passion—not just for acting, but for life. “People ask me to plan for my future, and maybe even suggest that I leave the entertainment industry to set up a business. I say, what’s wrong with this path of acting? I’ve spent 30 years building this career. Why would I give it up to go start a business I know nothing about?”

He doesn’t say this with a modicum of arrogance. On the contrary, it spills out with conviction. “This trade I am in is my passion, and that passion is my asset.”

In some ways, that’s the real headline here: To define Lee is not to harp on the many awards, or the iconic TV shows and movies he’s done. It’s not even about the legacy, although he has spent hours, months and years honing a name in this industry that is golden. This is just a man who’s spent his life learning to live well, on and off screen.

So yes, today he may be dressed in a sharp suit for the red carpet, or playing a lofty character on screen. But behind the blazer and beneath the seasoned charisma, Lee is still someone who’ll choose kopi-o over champagne, who’ll laugh at your jokes, who’ll make you feel right at home.

And that, really, is his superpower.

Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Goh
Photography: Joel Low
Styling: Aaron Kok
Makeup: Wee Ming, using Dior
Hair: David Gan/ Passion Hair
Florist: Fawn World
Photographer’s assistant: Eddie Teo
Stylist’s assistant: Joe Ang