SINGAPORE — It’s official. Local veteran thespian Lim Kay Tong will
be playing Singapore’s founding father and first Prime Minister Lee
Kuan Yew in the upcoming SG50 film 1965.
After an extensive two-year search and speaking to almost 20
people, including local actor-turned-Hollywood mainstay Chin Han,
the much speculated role has finally been filled.
The 60-year-old Lim, who has starred in local stage and television
shows as well as BBC productions and Hollywood films such as
Shanghai Surprise, had been always been tipped as a front-runner
for the role.
According to 1965 executive producer Daniel Yun, Lim was emotional
after reading the script. “I think it was this emotion that made
him accept this challenge of playing Lee Kuan Yew,” he said.
On the idea of filling such big shoes on the big screen, Lim plans
to treat it like every other role he plays. “You have to study and
think about it, hopefully not to imitate but to find some truth in
him. In a sense, it’s less pressure because it’s not a biopic about
him,” he said, before adding: “(But) hypothetically, if Mr Lee
calls me, hopefully he is not going to slam me.”
“We take casting this role very seriously. We met many actors and
considered many different aspects of the character in relation to
the narrative of the movie,” said Yun.
And as they say in show business, it’s all about the right
timing.
“When we met with Kay Tong, I knew he would be the one,” shared
Yun. “But he needed to be ready. He was probably not ready five
years ago but he is ready now. Many artists can be intimidated by
this role. He is not. He is serious about playing the man. Since we
confirmed him, he has been preparing. I am very impressed by his
commitment to this role. And thankfully, we finally found the
actor, who is at the right age, to play the man both in his 40s and
80s.”
1965, which Yun had been developing for nearly five years, is set
to come out next year, in celebration of 50 years of Singapore’s
independence. The SG50 film, which is supported by the Media
Development Authority and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth,
is tells the story of Singapore during the time of the racial
riots.
Newly-married MediaCorp artiste Joanne Peh was also announced one
of the film’s female leads, Zhou Jun. She joins her husband,
MediaCorp artiste Qi Yuwu, in their first movie together.
Qi and Malaysian actress Deanna Yusoff were revealed as the first
two leads in the film last month, playing Police Inspector Cheng
and single mother Khatijah, respectively. Rounding off the ensemble
key cast are MediaCorp actor James Seah, Singapore Idol 2009 winner
Sezairi Sezali, who makes his debut acting role, and Class95 DJ
Mike Kasem.
“Both Daniel and I are bent on inspired casting,” said 1965
director Randy Ang.
The search for the 1965 cast has been nothing short of intensive.
Many of the contracts have only been just recently signed and
sealed, including Seah, who was a Star Search 2010 finalist and was
recently seen in the Channel 8 drama The Caregivers.
Yun revealed that the team initially spoke to others, including
controversial Hong Kong actor Edison Chen, and also considered
Taiwanese actor Kai Ko and Aarif Rahman. “But in the end, we wanted
someone younger and someone local and James was a great fit,” he
said.
As for Sezairi, “he had a great energy, such an exuberant
personality . He came in with such a bright light, we were blown
away,” said Ang.
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