Wonderland’s Mark Lee and Peter Yu: Winning is stressful

When Peter Yu was announced the winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival, there was a moment of uncertainty among the Wonderland production team.

“We didn’t dare to get on stage because he’s in three films – what if he had won for another film?” said Michelle Chang, producer-screenwriter of Wonderland.

It wasn’t until the poster for Wonderland appeared on screen that the team cheered and director Chai Yee Wei stepped forward to accept the award on behalf of Yu. Later that evening, Chai also accepted the Best Actor award on behalf of Mark Lee.

These wins are a first for both actors, who play middle-aged fathers who bond over their love for their daughters in Wonderland. Lee’s Best Actor award is his first international award, while Yu’s Best Supporting Actor award is his maiden international award for a feature film.

The following week, Lee bagged the Special Achievement Award at Star Awards 2024. He told TNP the multiple wins have yet to sink in.

“We’re still enjoying the moment,” said Lee. “A lot of people – my friends, listeners of my radio show, long-time fans – have been congratulating us ever since the win, and it feels amazing.”

However, the actor said there’s a bit of stress that comes with winning awards.

“When you get these awards, people expect more,” he said. “They want to see you improve your acting in everything, whether it’s films or commercials.”

Best known for his comedic roles in movies like the Money No Enough franchise and hosting variety shows on television, Lee admitted that it was a bit of a challenge going into a drama like Wonderland.

“In comedies, even if your tempo or your timing is a little bit off, never mind, the edit can help you,” he explained. “But in drama roles, you have to connect with the audience in every scene.”

To help him in his performance, the actor shared that he had to take a very different approach to getting into character during production of the film.

“Every time I went on set, I tried not to tell jokes, not to play around, and tried to be in character,” he said. “I’d just get my make-up done, look in the mirror, and try to settle down.”

Yu, who has more experience in drama roles, tapped his real-life experiences to bring out the emotions his character needed to portray on the silver screen. 

“The story in the movie is quite similar to my real life,” said the actor, who has an estranged relationship with his daughter. “So it was easy for me to use those same emotions.”

Asked whether the award wins will affect any of their future projects, both actors say that it’s unlikely to change much – at least in regard to their rates.

“Everybody says, ‘Woah, you can increase your rates,’ but it’s very hard in our local market,” said Lee. “We’re not like Thailand or the Philippines, which are big markets.”

Yu added: “If you increase your pay, even the big companies will tell you they have no budget.”

However, both actors say they're content with the opportunity to do what they love.

“As long as we continue to get to act in movies, we are already happy,” said Lee.

Are they friends in real life?

Though Lee and Yu have known each other since their early days as actors, Wonderland was their first time acting together.

“We’re colleagues, we’re not friends, we’re hi-bye friends at most,” joked Yu.

Since the duo play friends in the movie, TNP put their real-life friendship to the test by quizzing them about each other.

 

@tnpdigital @marklee_4444 and @peteryhy play two middle-aged friends in Wonderland - but how well do they know each other in real life? #movie #wonderland #mochachai #fyp ♬ original sound - TNP

 

• Wonderland is set to premiere in local cinemas on Aug 8.