The Garden Of The Evening Mists: 9 Questions With The Movie's Star And
Malaysian Sensation Lee Sinje
Photo: Astro Shaw
By Tania Jayatilaka
November 22, 2019
The Taiwan-based Malaysian actress shares on her lead role in Astro Shaw and
HBO Asia's film adaptation of Tan Twan Eng’s acclaimed novel, as well as
finding fulfilment in art and helping others
After a four-year hiatus from the silver screen, singer and actress Lee Sinje
’s comeback to film in 2019 sparked a buzz amongst fans of Asian cinema.
When news of a film adaptation of Tan Twan Eng’s critically-acclaimed novel,
The Garden Of Evening Mists, broke, fans were delighted to learn that Lee
Sinje was cast as the lead actress, taking on the role of Teoh Yun Ling, a
woman who seeks solace in the hills of Cameron Highlands to recover from the
atrocities she witnessed during World War II in Malaya.
Fast forward to the end of 2019, and the film has already garnered 9
nominations (including Best Leading Actress for Sinje) at the 56th Golden
Horse Awards in Taipei.
Produced by Astro Shaw and HBO Asia, The Garden Of Evening Mists premiered at
the 24th Busan International Film Festival in October; the film will make its
debut in Malaysian cinemas in January 2020.
We recently caught up with this talented actress and mother of two before the
Golden Horse Awards for a chat on the movie as well as she finds happiness
and fulfilment in helping others.
Photo: Astro Shaw
This is your first film in 4 years. What inspired your return to acting?
When I was pregnant with my twin boys 4 years ago, I realised I wanted to
spend time with them when they were still young and needed me most. Today, as
I step into my 40s, it is a really important new stage in my life. I had
taken the opportunity to wait for a really good script and role to come
along, good enough for me to return to acting. When I received the script for
The Garden Of Evening Mists, I knew instantly it was the right project for me.
How did it feel to play the leading role in The Garden Of Evening Mists?
Although I’m Malaysian, I started my career in Taiwan and have subsequently
acted in mostly Hong Kong and Taiwanese films. Throughout the 20 years of my
career, I worked mostly with foreign film productions all the while longing
for an opportunity to be part of a Malaysian production. I was so excited to
be able to head back to my homeland to work on this film.
Hiroshi Abe and Sinje in a scene from Garden of Evening Mists (Photo: Astro
Shaw)
How did you land the part?
Two years ago, I met Astro Shaw at an event. They approached me about the
project and sent me the script shortly after that. Once I read the script and
Tan Twan Eng’s novel, I met with director Tom Lin. My casting was confirmed
around the same time as my co-star Hiroshi Abe, who plays the Japanese
gardener Nakamura Aritomo in the film.
What was it about the script that resonated with you?
It told the story of a young woman who went through so much hardship in her
life during World War II and the effects it has on her after the war. I was
truly touched by love story between Yun Ling and Aritomo and how they
overcame the hatred between their 2 countries.
Also, the journey of how Yun Ling survived the horror of Japanese labour camp
and eventually experienced some form of relief in later years truly moved me.
The film marks Sinje's return to acting after 4 years (Photo: Astro Shaw)
How did you prepare for the role?
I watched many documentaries on WWII and the Malayan Emergency– these
periods were essentially the backdrop of Yun Lin’s life. I was not
well-versed with these details of our history so I wanted to understand the
feeling of helplessness and pain of the people then, and tried to understand
their anger and regrets after the war.
Tell us about your recent love of painting and art.
It’s not that recent - I started painting back in my early 20s, when my
beloved grandmother passed away. I didn’t know how to accept that she was
gone; the pain I felt just couldn’t be expressed in words. Around that time,
I had watched a French film called Malena es un nombre de tango, about a
female painter who explores life and relationships in the ever-changing world.
I was inspired to paint after watching that. To me, painting is a way to
express the inner feelings which I find too difficult to share with others.
Your work was recently featured at Art Expo 2019.
Yes, this year I collaborated with Art Expo to exhibit 2 big paintings. It
served as a warm up to my exhibition next year. I hope you guys will love
what I’ve got in store for 2020.
"When I received the script of The Garden of Evening Mists, I knew it was the
right project for me and I jumped back on the chance to return to the silver
screen,"