Louis Cheung Acts as the Intermediary for Filming in Malaysia, Ali Lee Shows a Black Face?

Hailing from Hong Kong, Louis Cheung and Best Actress Ali Lee have reunited for the first time in seven years since the TVB drama "BB Comes Home," coming to Malaysia to film Astro Originals' highly anticipated annual Chinese drama series "Unity and Harmony." Both stars admit that this collaboration has taken their chemistry to the next level.

Following last year’s "Descendants of Nobility," Astro Originals is once again bringing an annual Chinese drama production, "Unity and Harmony," and has invited "Malaysia regular" Louis Cheung as well as Ali Lee, who has not taken on a new project since her departure from TVB. According to Executive Producer Lee Chee Seng, the reason they were able to sign Ali Lee went smoothly was entirely because of Louis Cheung’s mediation.

The opening ceremony for "Unity and Harmony" was held Friday morning at a banquet hall in Kuala Lumpur, attended by Executive Producer Lee Chee Seng, Producer Dato Lim Boon Seong, Director Mark Ma Yiteng, actors Louis Cheung, Ali Lee, Xu Liangyu, Huang Chengxi, Lai Hongen, Leong Yu Ling, Zhang Jiawen, Liu Zixi, Wang Qijun, Chen Peijiang, Zeng Guohui, and Chen Liyang, among others.

After working together in "BB Comes Home," Louis Cheung and Ali Lee became a beloved on-screen couple. In recent years, they teamed up again for variety shows such as "Three Amigos, Season 3" and "With Heart and Depth." Louis Cheung expressed that he has known Ali Lee for over ten years and believes that their chemistry will be taken to a new level through this collaboration.

In addition to bringing long-time friend Ali Lee on board, Louis Cheung also showed great support for her during the press conference, not only recommending her as the singer for the drama’s theme song but also, calling himself the "Best Actress Booster," hoping Ali Lee can go international and win new awards with this drama.

Unlike their warm and fuzzy previous collaborations, this time the two play a gang leader and his boss lady. Louis Cheung shared that there will be lots of explosive, robbery, and car chase scenes in the drama, which will be a challenging experience for him. Ali Lee said her role is a refined and cultured "accountant."

Speaking about working together again, Ali Lee laughed, saying that because she and Louis Cheung are so familiar and have great chemistry, she can usually predict his reactions. However, this time, different from their usual heartwarming stories, she often has to give Cheung a "black face" and cry. As this is her first project since becoming a free agent, Ali Lee expressed her gratitude for the stage TVB gave her in the past to accumulate on-camera experience: "Now stepping out, I can focus on what I truly want to do. I have much more freedom and can better understand the direction and goals I want to pursue."

"Unity and Harmony" tells the story of a small town gang after the boss dies, where the boss's wife, the second-in-command, and new forces vie for power, depicting intense internal power struggles. With powerhouse casts from both Malaysia and Hong Kong, the dramatic tension makes this a must-see drama of the year for fans! The series is expected to air every Sunday at 9:30pm on Astro AEC (Channel 306), Astro GO, On Demand, and sooka starting mid-December this year—stay tuned!