Hong Kong's double Best Actress winner Loletta Lee broke away from her pure image and successfully transformed herself into a sex symbol in the 1990s by starring in Category III films such as "Spirit of Love" and "Crazy Love". Recently, in an interview with veteran journalist Wong Man-ling, Loletta admitted that she only agreed to shoot Category III films because she wanted to support her younger brother's studies abroad and due to a bottleneck in her career at the time. Her parents did not object and never interfered.
Loletta revealed that since her debut at 17, the roles she played were almost always pure schoolgirls. Seeking a career breakthrough, and because her brother wanted to study in Canada which required a large sum of money, Loletta referred to the style of Japanese photo books of the time and decided to try a more sensual performance. She recalled that when she went to Venice to shoot a photo album, after the director finished the first take and said it was good, "I immediately took off my clothes," urging the staff to hurry up and shoot. She was very open, not at all embarrassed or hesitant, because this path was her own choice and she had a very clear goal—to seek a breakthrough in her career.
When asked about her family's thoughts on her shooting sensual works, Loletta said that ever since she was little, her parents had never really managed what she did: "They just felt that I was playing some alternative roles, because they might not actually watch them."
After Loletta successfully transformed, her financial situation improved significantly, and her range of roles expanded, earning her many film offers. In 1999, she even won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for the film "Ordinary Heroes", evolving into a powerful actress.
More than 30 years later, Loletta has no regrets about shooting Category III films: "If I could go back, I would make the same choice." She also revealed that although many wealthy businessmen pursued her when she was young, she considered herself not materialistic and could not accept a relationship without love, so she chose to earn her own money.
Source: China Times