| I
need sleep...
April 19, 2001
Long filming hours mean little snooze time
for actor Christopher Lee.
By Hazel
Tan
Story by TODAY
(Click on pictures
for larger image)
His popularity
soared in China after his show, the MediaCorp gongfu serial Lu Xiao
Feng, aired there recently.
And he
was voted tops in a Who's Hot category in a weekly entertainment
magazine in Beijing recently, overshadowing the lead actor in Lu
Xiao Feng, Taiwanese star Jimmy Lin.
But Christopher Lee himself didn't even know
about it.
"Huh? Is it?" he asked, when
Today broke the news to him in an interview last weekend.
"The
company did tell me something like that.
But I am not sure. I have been too busy with
filming," he explained.
Indeed.
Time is something that Christopher can't call his own.
And sleep as well.
Currently in Shanghai filming his latest project,
Madam White Snake, with Fann Wong, Christopher's filming schedule
is so tight that having two hours of sleep a day is a luxury.
"I have
been working 18 hours a day. Before today, I was working three days
straight. I haven't slept for three days. No choice," the A-list
MediaCorp actor lamented.
"We have to be up by 6 every morning, and we
only finish work at 2 am. Then, I would have to spend another one
hour removing my makeup and headgear.
"And after reading my script for the next day,
I am usually left with just two hours of sleep before day breaks
again."
Of course he is tired. But, as the saying goes,
the show has to go on.
There are times when it gets so bad that Christopher
falls asleep - while getting his makeup done.
"I fell asleep while I was being made up that
day. Someone had to hold on to my head," he said with a chuckle.
"So, I try not to sit. Once I sit, I will doze off. Must always
find something to do."
But when the eyelids are really heavy, Christopher
can't help himself - even while standing.
"When I was filming Condor Heroes, the hours
were equally long and I dozed off even while standing in a corner.
"It didn't help that the sun was scorching hot
and we had to wait for the crew to set up the lights and cameras.
That's the best time to catch a few winks," he quipped.
How does he stay awake then?
By drowning himself in coffee.
"I need about four packets of coffee every day.
It keeps me going. I also try to drink a glass of ginseng every
night before I go to bed but sometimes I am so tired that I forget.
Tonics? I don't have time to for tonics."
Even his daily meals are packed and eaten on
the set.
"We eat fan he (rice boxes) with similar dishes
every day. After a while, everything tastes the same. But what to
do? No choice lah.
"Everyone on the set eats like that," he added.
But Christopher, who will be in Shanghai till
June, isn't complaining. In fact, he is very excited about his latest
role as Xu Xian in Madam White Snake, MediaCorp's joint collaboration
with a Taiwanese production house.
Because other than Xu Xian, he gets to play
two other characters in the 45episode period drama: the son of Xu
Xian, and a prince.
"It's not easy playing three different characters.
It can get confusing when I have to switch from one role to another
in different scenes.
"I might not do well. It's the first time I
am handling so many roles in one serial. But it's very good training
for me," Christopher said.
"And because the Xu Xian I play is a lively,
talkative character, there are many lines to memorise. It's nervewracking.
"I am reading my lines even in my sleep."
Talk about sleep talking.
Join the discussions in our message
board
What
do you think of Christopher Lee?
Like
our digital photos? Print them into hard copy versions with Photoprints.
|
