Mark Lee says acting in Number 1 made him feel like a 'half-boiled egg' down there

Local comedian Mark Lee is in Taiwan for the prestigious Golden Horse Awards but even under pressure (to duke it out for Best Leading Actor), he hasn't lost his wicked — and risque — sense of humour.

He told Mirror Media that when dressing as a drag queen for the Golden Horse-nominated film Number 1, he had to put on padding for his bum and wear stockings. He quipped: "It's tough for the bottom half of my body. When it gets warm, it feels like a half-boiled egg. Have you tried Singapore's half-boiled eggs?"

Due to the hassle of putting on his costume, the 52-year-old wouldn't use the bathroom once filming starts in the morning, until they break for a meal.

While playing this role, Mark also had to shave his legs and wear high heels and he said: "I've always felt that women had it worse than us."

Number 1 is a heartwarming dramedy that sees Mark Lee's character Chow Chee Beng taking up a job as a manager at a drag club after getting retrenched. He then becomes a performer and realises he has a knack for it. The film also eventually sees his secret exposed to his wife and family, and how he deals with the fallout.

Mark said he hasn't watched the works of his fellow nominees — Morning Mo, Liu Kuan-ting, Lin Bo-hong, amd Gordon Lam — and said he's "happy to be nominated" and enjoying the moment.

His wife Catherine Ng has also joined him on this trip and they served their quarantine together (with a little help from their friend Taiwanese celebrity Nono). While Mark has a tense relationship with his onscreen wife, he's actually more respectful to his real wife.

"Offscreen, I'm more respectful [to my wife]. As husband and wife, if the wife thinks of her husband as a worker, and one partner just keeps quiet and tolerates it, [their relationship] will be over very fast," he said, adding with a laugh that he usually "tolerate [things] in real life".

Apart from Best Leading Actor, the film is also nominated for Best Makeup & Costume Design. The awards show will be held this Saturday (Nov 21).

Check out the movie screening times here!

ALSO READ: Golden Horse-nominated local film Number 1 is really about the stresses of being a middle-aged father in Singapore

bryanlim@asiaone.com