Three Lees in a pod

SINGAPORE — One day, some movie guys sat around and said to one another: “Wouldn’t it be great if we made a movie with the lead actors all named Lee?”

It sounds like a prank, but it is not: That is exactly what happened when The Fortune Handbook was conceptualised. Presented by mm2 Entertainment and J Team Productions, The Fortune Handbook is a Chinese New Year-themed Mandarin comedy directed by Kelvin Sng (Taxi! Taxi!), that will be in cinemas in January.

The three Lees in question are Christopher Lee, Mark Lee and Li Nanxing — and The Fortune Handbook brings these powerhouse actors together for the first time. “It started out as a joke, but all three of them actually agreed to do it,” said Sng, at the ceremony marking the start of production.

Christopher will play a ne’er-do-well scheming to get his hands on the secret recipe used by his brother-in-law — played by Nanxing — in his bakery. And Mark will play a God Of Fortune on his internship pre-graduation from, er, God-Of-Fortune school. Things get messy when their paths cross. The movie also stars Vivian Lai, Xavier Ong and YouTuber Jazliyana Lee.

Christopher and Mark have collaborated before — in 2004’s The Best Bet and 2014’s Filial Party — but never with Nanxing, who marks another first in this movie: His debut comedic role.

“The films I’ve done have always been quite solemn and heavy — I’ve always played the cop, the lawyer or the baddie,” Nanxing said in Mandarin. “Or the god of gambling,” Mark interjected, referring to his iconic performance in the Unbeatables drama series.

Nanxing continued: “I’ve never done a full-on comedy. And with these two, there’s even more pressure. I wouldn’t dare make eye contact with either of them while we’re filming — that would be the end of me. Because they’re both very funny.”

“You have to be careful of people who say they aren’t funny,” said Mark dryly, adding jokingly that, on his part, he was eager to act opposite Nanxing because he has “never worked with him, and I feel that in 10 years, his acting hasn’t improved. He needs someone to challenge him”.

He added: “And I wanted to work with Chris again because he’s always flying around and going to Malaysia to film with other women. What good is that? Those films won’t sell in Singapore. I said: ‘I have to save him, otherwise he’ll be stuck amid those Malaysian girls and might let Fann down.”

Christopher laughed and shrugged: “I was forced into it. They told me, ‘The other two Lees have said yes. If you don’t say yes, you’ll be letting the two of them down.’”

It is clear that there is already great chemistry among the three Lees. “The most important thing is that everyone has chemistry and gets along,” Mark affirmed. “It’s great when, after ‘cut’ is called, we can all go and grab a bite or a coffee. Even if we’re just talking about politics or entertainment news or bitching about people, that’s also a kind of chemistry. And when you’re filming, that chemistry can’t be learned. It has to come naturally. And if you don’t cultivate it, you won’t have it.”

So on the subject of fortune and wealth, who among the three Lees is the richest? Christopher and Mark pointed immediately to Nanxing, who pointed back at Mark and said: “He’s the one who plays the god of fortune.”

“In ringgit, Chris is the richest. In Singapore dollars, it’s Nanxing,” Mark quipped. But, on a less flippant note, he added: “Actually, the thing about money is that as long as you don’t have to agonise before buying something for your children or the people around you, that’s good enough — with the exclusion of cars and houses, of course. Especially with the economy the way it is now. And no matter how much money you have, you won’t be able to spend it if you don’t have health.”

“I think laughter is the most valuable commodity. Happiness is the most valuable thing,” Christopher said. “As long as you’re happy, I think you’re richer than anybody. If you’re not happy, all the money in the world won’t be of any use to you.”