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Quan Yifong's talkshow "Hear U Out" is back for a third season, with two episodes on Mark Lee kicking off this year's edition.
Staying in his own lane
Lee might not be the best looking guy out there -- and the 53-year-old knows it.
Over the years, there have been many who have questioned why "someone like Mark Lee" can make it as a celeb.
He has remained steadfast by keeping to one principle: not caring what others say or think about him.
Lee mused that he came to realise the importance of this after "going through a lot of disappointment" and having so many people look down on him".
All that he has achieved today -- a flourishing career, multiple businesses ranging from food and beverage (F&B) to an entertainment label, among others -- was earned through hard work.
He explained:
"The more you look down on me, the more I’ll [want to] prove myself. I don’t see the need to explain myself, nor will I argue with you.
I’ll just do my thing and you can see [the results] for yourself. There’s nothing I can do if you’re still not convinced. I put my best foot forward in everything I do."
A joke that went too far
While Lee received the All-Time Favourite Artiste Award at the 2010 Star Awards -- a symbolic graduation trophy of sorts for those who have been awarded the Top 10 Most Popular Male/Female Artiste accolades 10 times -- there was a period of time when he and Christopher Lee were locked in a friendly rivalry of sorts.
At the time, Lee recalled, there seemed to be a pattern where only one out of the two of them would win a Top 10 trophy in a given year.
One fateful year, Lee went home empty-handed and a member of the public questioned why he was "allowed on television when he was so ugly".
In response, the veteran cracked this joke: "I’m not ugly. It’s just your TV set that’s faulty, so you should get a new one.”
Things quickly escalated as the newspapers ran the headline "Mark Lee scolds member of the audience, says their TV set is faulty and they should buy a new one”.
Jack Neo apparently suggested that Mark apologise on his knees
As a result of the backlash, Lee shared that Jack Neo suggested that he apologise on his knees during the following Monday's episode of "Comedy Nite".
Lee clarified that he does not know if Neo meant it as a joke.
When he received a phone call asking him if he was really going to apologise on his knees in front of the cameras, Lee was taken aback, and asked why he had to do it.
He adamantly refused to do so as he believes that he will "only kneel for the elders in his family".
Unfortunately, Lee also received an angry phone call from his uncle, who asked the actor to quit his job.
Lee added, "He was furious and felt that I would be better off as a gangster than an actor."
Top screenshot from MeWATCH