Unlike his character in an upcoming Chinese series who prioritises
his career over his daughter, Christopher Lee is an extremely devoted
father to his son Zed, who turns two on National Day tomorrow.
The 45-year-old Malaysian-born actor currently has two projects on his plate: the aforementioned drama, Yi Lu Fan Hua Xiang Song (“一路繁花相送”), as well as fantasy epic Sheng Nu Qi Yuan Zhi Bin Cheng Lian Zhan (“盛女奇缘之槟城恋战”). Both are star-studded productions and will be shot in Xiamen and Penang respectively.
In a phone interview with Toggle last Thursday (August 4), the Golden Bell Award-winning thespian revealed that he was still in town, but would be flying to Penang over the weekend for three days to film Sheng Nu Qi Yuan Zhi Bin Cheng Lian Zhan,
which is headlined by Hong Kong actresses Maggie Cheung (Ho Yee),
Shirley Yeung and Michelle Wai, as well as Taiwanese actress Annie Liu.
Then, the dedicated – and extremely busy – daddy will return to
Singapore to celebrate Zed’s birthday with wife Fann Wong, before
leaving for China.
“We will just have a small family celebration,”
he said. “We will wait until Zed is older and can understand what
birthdays are all about, before organising a more lavish party for him.”
As
their time together is limited, the Lee brood always makes sure to pack
their personal schedules with fun activities whenever they have the
chance. “We try to do something different every day,” he said. “In the
morning, we’ll go out and have breakfast together, and then we’ll take
Zed to the park or water park to play, for example.”
While Christopher shared that Zed “talks a lot now”, the toddler has
not been hit by the dreaded “terrible twos” syndrome. “He’s a very good
and obedient boy,” he said. “He’s very active but he doesn’t cause
trouble for no reason.” That said, he added that the cheeky little boy
is also fond of teasing his parents, such as pretending to ignore his
father, and then deliberately shouting when Christopher gets close.
When
asked how Zed feels about his father being away for work so often,
Christopher said that although he does not cry, he will tell his mother
that he is sad. “According to Fann, Zed will have a very upset
expression on his face whenever he misses me. (laughs)”
However, when Christopher is saying his goodbyes before leaving for his
jet-setting job, Zed will maintain a poker face. “He knows that his
daddy will always come home.”
In our last interview with Fann back in March, the 45-year-old actress was candid about wanting to give Zed a younger sibling.
Christopher echoed his wife’s sentiments during our phone conversation,
but added that it is ultimately up to a higher power as to whether
their efforts will succeed any time soon. He also said that they have
not considered artificial insemination.
Although he would be happy
to have another son, Christopher admitted that he would love to have a
daughter the second time around. “It would be nice to have a little girl
to pamper!” he said.