Ali Lee Delivers New Drama in Mandarin

In a fresh start for Ali Lee (李佳芯), she had to deliver lines entirely in Mandarin in Malaysian drama The Exiled <義和> — something the seasoned actress found a real challenge!

Praised for Charity Engagement

Setting up her own company after leaving TVB, Ali was nominated for Best Actress at this year’s TVB Anniversary Awards for Heavenly Hand <麻雀樂團> but failed to make it into the Top 10 — something many netizens said was “expected.” Despite this, Ali’s popularity remains strong. Filmed in Malaysia with longtime friend Lai Lok-yi (黎諾懿) and recently aired locally, the two have been promoting the series together. Ali also made use of the festive season to visit children battling long-term illnesses, playing games with them and offering encouragement — earning praise from netizens for her positive energy and kind-heartedness!

“It was my first time acting entirely in Mandarin. I realized that when delivering lines, you really need to put in extra effort—your pronunciation has to be very precise. I remember during the first scene in Mandarin, I had so many NG takes. I had to memorize every single word, remember the tones, the rhythm and intonation; it was quite exhausting,”

In contrast, co-star Lai Lok-yi, often dubbed the “Hong Kong Mandarin Godfather”, spoke Cantonese throughout the series! Joking that his Mandarin has been stagnant for the “past ten years”, “I actually enjoy speaking it, but I don’t get many opportunities. This drama is quite serious, and my Mandarin isn’t very standard. Plus, when I speak it, it gives off a very cheerful, feel-good vibe. I once tried speaking Mandarin for the director, but after hearing it, he said it sounded too happy and didn’t suit the character’s personality, so he politely declined and told me not to speak any Mandarin at all,” Lok-yi added that he’d love to deliver lines in Mandarin if given the chance to do comedies, and “everyone would still understand”. Ali laughed and added, “Hopefully the subtitle team would understand (me) too,”

Reunited After Seven Years

On their on-screen reunion, Lai Lok-yi commented that Ali had changed much, but the trust between them had grown significantly since the two filmed Who Wants a Baby? <BB來了> seven years back. “I used to keep telling her, ‘Trust me,’ ‘We can handle this,’ and she’d ask, ‘Really?’, recalled Lok-yi, who says Ali hardly questions him anymore now.

On each other’s “no-go” boundaries, Ali said Lok-yi’s was messing up his hair, but the latter denied this. “That’s wrong—I go out without combing my hair all the time. Ali’s real bottom line is probably not making her look bad.” Ali took the opportunity to complain that he “wrongly trusted Lok-yi. “I remember when he invited me to film A Chef and a Gentleman <懿想得到> saying we’d go to Japan to relax. I had just finished a drama and was in terrible shape—I looked really worn out. He promised he’d make me look great, said we’d enjoy cherry blossoms and coffee. But when I watched the show, I looked completely exhausted, my hair was all frizzy—I really trusted the wrong person.”

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