It’s with this mindset that Mark started writing his thank you speech while in quarantine. Though he was hesitant to share the contents with us at that time, he’s now decided to reveal it, because, in his words, “I don’t know how long I’ll have to hold on to this if I wait for my next opportunity!”

First on his long list of people to thank was naturally the cast, crew and everyone who worked tirelessly on Number 1. “Without them, I wouldn’t have this nomination. I’m sincerely grateful to them because people are slowly starting to realise that comedians can learn how to act too,” he laughed. “I also wanted to thank my family for their support while asking Taiwanese and the rest of the film industry to pay more attention to Singaporean movies. I want to see more collaborations between our actors, directors and scriptwriters. Last but not least, I would have dedicated my prize to all Singaporeans, who I’m sure were tuning in and holding their breaths with me. COVID-19 has caused a lot of trouble for everyone, and I wanted to share this burst of positive energy with everyone back home.”

With this emotional speech prepared, Mark entered the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on November 21. While the nominees were shown on the big screen, Mark felt his nerves build up as the moment of truth came. Alas, it was not to be. The award eventually went to Taiwanese actor Morning Mo for his role in Dear Tenant.

“When they announced the winner, all that nervousness went away," Mark said. "Of course, I was slightly disappointed but that feeling dissipated really quickly. All in all, I think I’ve gained more than I’ve lost. I had articles written about me almost every day in the Taiwanese media, and I got to exchange ideas with a lot of Taiwanese filmmakers and actors.”

Mark also managed to correct a number of misconceptions the Taiwanese have about Singapore’s film industry. “Some people asked us questions like, are movies about same-sex romances allowed in Singapore? I said, why not? But if you want to film a movie to earn money, you have to make it for the masses. A movie like that would definitely be R21 and that would shrink your audience by a lot,” Mark explained. “I told them that Singapore isn’t a country where you’ll get caned or fined for expressing your artistic freedom, and that we’re more open-minded than they think. The reason most Singaporean films are comedies is because our country has a small market, so we need to have family-friendly movies to be able to get good results at the box office.”

Mark did have a big win, albeit on the personal front, during his time at the awards. According to him, walking down the red carpet with his wife Catherine Ng was his very small way of thanking her for everything she’s done for him.

"Honestly, we’ve been through some very tough times during our marriage," mused Mark. "She’s stuck by my side through everything, and as wedding vows go, we should be together for better or for worse. I don’t see why she should only be there during the bad times, but not for the good. This was a very special opportunity for her to be by my side during a memorable milestone. I’m also very grateful to the Golden Horse team for agreeing to my request to let her walk the red carpet too. It might have been a short 120-meter walk, but it took us decades to get here together.”

As for his Golden Horse dreams, Mark chuckled that he has “plenty of years left in [him]” to give it another shot.

“I’ll keep acting until people are sick of me. It’s fine even if I don’t get leading roles as I get older,” he said. “I’ll take on any roles that I find interesting, and not just comedic ones. I’m glad to be able to make people laugh, but I’m thankful for other opportunities that will make people think, or cry, or feel a whole range of emotions with.”

 While Mark was serving his SHN, his older daughter Calista made sure to keep his spirits up. “She was so worried that I was heartbroken, so she kept repeating ‘You’re my idol!’ to me,” he revealed, laughing. “I told her to change her phone’s wallpaper to my face if that’s the truth. But she still has the photos of her American singers set as her lock screen." (P/S: Mark said he can't remember the names of the singers 'cos "they're all too difficult to pronounce".)

"She’d also tell me that her friends have been telling her about how her dad is really amazing, and I’m happy when I see her glow while talking to me about it. While I don’t think I’m the Number 1 in her heart, I think I’ve managed to make it into the Top 10. And that’s more than enough for me.”

Photos: Mark Lee's Instagram