‘90s Sex Symbol Rachel Lee Reveals Why Starred In Cat III Movies & Why She Quit The Genre After Just 3 Films

In a recent episode of ViuTV talk show My Theatre, Rachel revealed that she made the career switch as she felt typecast after playing the same roles for 10 years.

“At that time, me and my management agency felt that things would remain stagnant if I continued playing such roles," she said. "After that I started making those films, which were called ‘art films’ then. They sold sexiness and youth, and were all very natural,” she said.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, of course.

Worried that she might be uncomfortable undressing in front of many people on set, her managers even arranged for her to do a risqué photo shoot first so she could “familiarise herself with such situations" and be "mentally prepared”.

When host Chan Char Man asked Rachel if she was worried that directors would ask her to have real sex onscreen, she was taken aback by the question.

“That never crossed my mind. Back then, just taking off our clothes was a big deal. We wouldn't even think about that," she said.

The risk paid off. Crazy Love did well at the box office, pushing Rachel to the peak of her fame.

She would go on to star in Girls Unbutton the following year, and then Sex and Zen 2 in 1996.

However, Rachel turned down Cat III film offers after that.

"Even if I wasn't shooting sexy scenes, and just ordinary ones, there would be people who liked and disliked them. The most important thing is whether you could accept it or not, like it or not. After making three movies, I found that there was a lot of repetition, so I decided not to make that kind of ‘art films’ anymore,” she said.

Photos: Rachel Lee/Instagram