Fann Wong’s new pet name for Christopher Lee: Old Zed
Crescendo co-stars Christopher Lee and Jacelyn Tay have plenty to share about their parenting experience
During their interviews with Toggle, Christopher, Jacelyn and Darren, all of whom are parents in real life, had plenty to share about their adorable kids. “We are about the same age. There’s no generation gap when we chat!” Chris laughed.
After bidding farewell to MediaCorp nine years ago, Jacelyn tied the knot in 2010 and has since channeled her energy to her beauty business as well as her three-year-old son Zavier Wong.Working together with old friends Chris, Darren and Ping Hui in Crescendo made the actress feel like she is acting alongside “a bunch of crazies”. “I always burst into laughter while filming!” she chuckled.
When asked if she would pick up more acting projects in future, Jacelyn said that it would depend on the script and the co-actors. Chris, however, cheekily added: “She would definitely do it. She is addicted to [acting]. She wouldn’t be able to stop herself.”
It is hardly surprising that the actors’ topic of conversation revolves around children these days. “They start talking about their kids once they meet. When I have questions about issues that my baby would face, I’d ask them too,” Chris said.
As Jacelyn revealed her interest in experiencing Darren’s alternative lifestyle (his family lives in a yacht), the celebrities are now planning for a yacht outing. “I will get my children to jump into the sea with their kids!” Darren chortled.
And if Fann Wong is unable to make it for the gathering, Chris is confident that he would take good care of little “Zedzed” because he can perform all the chores such as changing diapers and milk-feeding.
An avid social media user, Jacelyn frequently updates her Instagram with pictures of her son who has his own hashtag (#zavierwong). “I upload the pictures just for keepsake. In future when he clicks on the hashtag, he will see all his photos. I don’t care what others think,” she straightforwardly replied.
It seems like Zavier has inherited her passion for performing as the enthusiastic boy often speaks of his interest in acting. “I play role-acting with him at home too. Acting as elephants and other characters; his expressions are very animated.”
However, Jacelyn has reservations about letting her child follow in her footsteps. While the 40-year-old is open to letting her son appear in commercials, she is hesitant about Zavier becoming an actor at the moment.
On the other hand, Chris will not dissuade his son from pursuing a showbiz career. “If he wants to act, I will let him do it. Fann and I are both actors. He has our genes. It’s not right to stop him!” he pointed out.
The well-loved couple are currently participating in a Chinese reality programme called Let's go Love which requires them to travel almost every week. With parent-child programmes still a hit among viewers, Chris insisted that they would wait until Zed is older before making any decisions. “When he can communicate with me, I will ask if he enjoys filming. If he does, we will do it seriously and not just for fun,” the actor reiterated.
Chris may have won the coveted “Best Lead Actor” prize at Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards last year, but the acclaimed thespian can only play second fiddle to his son at home.
“I have no status [in the house]. I don’t even have a name! We wanted to call him “Chris Junior” before he was born. After Fann gave birth, everything is about “Zedzed” to her. She would go: Hey old Zed, come here! Since when did I become old Zed?” he exclaimed. “Shouldn’t she be saying that “Zedzed” looks like me? But now she always comments that I look like “Zedzed”! (laughs)”
Despite his complaints, Chris, whose face glowed with fatherly bliss, praised Fann for being a “kind and charitable mum”. “Actually you are very happy lah!” Jacelyn teased.
Although Chris is the least experienced parent amongst his Crescendo co-stars, the 43-year-old has his own way of raising Zed who turns one this August. “I want my son to play a lot, to be healthy and positive. I often bring him to the beach so that he can interact with nature. It’s okay to have small injuries. That’s how you grow up,” explained the actor.
“I hope he would have a care-free childhood, but kids who grow up in the city tend to mature early. As a father, allowing Zed to grow up naturally is the most important thing to me,” he concluded.
This interview is translated by Dang Hui Ling.
Crescendo premieres October 22, every Monday to Friday at 9pm on Channel 8.
Shopping
