Ali Lee (李佳芯) and fellow Hong Kong actor Lai Lok-yi (黎諾懿) recently attended the blessing ceremony for their upcoming drama The Exiled (義和), which has taken the cast to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for shooting. The 42-year-old actress looked sharp in a power suit as she stepped into her bold new role—a gangster wife with plenty of attitude. The Exiled, produced by Astro, marks her first time working on a production shot in Malaysia, and she admits the experience has pushed her out of her comfort zone. Not only is she playing a very different character than usual, but she’s also speaking lines in Mandarin—a rare move for the Hong Kong actress.
First Time Filming in Malaysia and Having Mandarin-Speaking Lines
“There are a lot of firsts for me this time,” Ali shared in an interview. “It’s my first time filming in Malaysia, and all the actors here are incredibly professional. I really can’t slack off. The biggest challenge has been speaking in Mandarin. While it’s not the entire script, some of my lines are in Mandarin, and it’s definitely harder than expected. Speaking dialogue is very different from everyday conversation.” Meanwhile, her co-star Lai Lok-yi joked, “I wanted to try acting in Mandarin too, but after hearing me, the director said, ‘Let’s stick to Cantonese. This is a serious drama—we don’t want to turn it into a comedy!’”
Despite the fun on set, the actors are also facing physical challenges. In order to create a different vibe, many scenes require them to wear heavy leather jackets and pants—even under the blazing heat in Malaysian weather.
This new drama also marks another project for Ali Lee since officially parting ways with TVB in December 2025. After ups and downs with her former network that saw her going from one of the network’s top actress’s to being “frozen,” many fans are happy to see her stepping into fresh territory. It’s also a reunion between Ali Lee and Lai Lok-yi since their 2018 drama Who Wants a Baby.
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