PUBLISHED ONFebruary 06, 2023 10:31 AMByJolynn ChiaFilming at high altitude gives many people jitters and Christoher Lee is no exception.
The 51-year-old reprised his role as Ah Qi in the 2021 HBO Asia drama Workers for the upcoming movie of the same name, and one scene left him and his co-star Alex Ko shaking.
The two play construction workers and the scene required them to stand on steel beams around eight storeys high to carry out welding.
"It was really so high. I was so nervous before I stepped out. The wind was so strong too!" Christopher told Taiwanese reporters.
Alex, also 51, added: "The wind up there was really strong. When I walked, I felt like I was going to be swept away, yet I had to look relaxed. Basically, it's not easy! Workers have it tough, and we really have to be careful about safety whenever there are any scenes filmed on high altitude."
The movie is situated 11 years before the timeline of the drama series Workers. During a large-scale public construction project, Ah Qi (Christopher) and Ah Qin (Alex) become good friends with Chang Ge (Yu An-shun) and Ah Quan (Hsueh Shih-ling).
Relying on his intuition and luck, Ah Qi hopes to get onto the variety show Whose House Does Luck Go To and realise his dream of getting rich. He ropes in his wife Mei-fung (Peggy Tseng) and son Xiao-jie to participate in the show to win the grand prize.
Christopher won the Golden Bell Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-series in 2021 for the drama series.
Christopher and Alex said in the interview that they had to go through training before the actual filming, and as practice, they walked for 20 metres on steel beams five storeys above ground.
Professionals guided them throughout the process and there was also a safety net set up below them that could withstand up to 90kg of weight. They also wore their safety helmet, safety belt and reflective vest, and were hooked to the safety rope.
However, they stood at a much higher altitude during filming, at eight storeys high.
Alex admitted: "Of course I still felt intimidated! After all, this was much higher than it was the last time. In addition, there was nothing below us, just a safety net… It's hard for people to imagine it if they have not experienced it… I really felt my legs go weak up there!"
Filming for that scene lasted for two hours, and Christopher and Alex remained up on the steel beams the entire time, exposed to the harsh sun.
Once they returned to the ground, their faces were burning red, they were perspiring from head to toe, and even their hair was drenched in sweat.
Co-star Miao Ke-Li, 52, says: "I wanted to ask if they wore diapers. If they went up and were unable to come down (to go to the bathroom), it would be very troublesome for them!"
ALSO READ: 'I kept screaming!' Christopher Lee wins Best Supporting Actor at Golden Bell Awards 2022
jolynn.chia@asiaone.com
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