Lee Leung has his fingers in many pies. The 22-year-old is a model, actor, dancer and aspiring designer. Since swaggering his way across the Guyana Fashion Week (GFW) runway back in 2016, he has garnered much praise from within the
Lee grew up in Georgetown and as a child mostly kept to himself, though he danced and took part in athletics during his year as a fifth former at Richard Ishmael’s Secondary School.
He was first introduced to modelling through a close friend of his family who was once a model. He auditioned for GFW with Sonia Noel and made the cut. The 6 ft tall Lee first strolled the runway at the launch of the seventh edition of Guyana Fashion Week at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre in May 2016 and he again graced the stage at the Pegasus Hotel some months later when the actual GFW event took place.
A longtime shy individual, modelling has made Lee a more confident and engaging person. “Modelling is a distraction that takes me away from my everyday life,” he said. “This is where I clear my head, forget about everything else and just walk the catwalk to the music. It has [boosted] my confidence, made me fearless, and help me to overcome my nervousness when dealing with people.
“It’s always exciting knowing that as models we’re the first set of people that get wear these [designer pieces] before they are put on sale.”
Recalling his first time on the catwalk, Lee said he chewed his lips before walking out as the experience was nerve-racking. Nonetheless, he put on a brave face and stepped out. Everything went well until the final segment of the launch when it was realized that
a model who was supposed to be part of that segment was not there. Lee was asked to fill in. He said it would not have been much of an issue for him if the routine was the same as what he had been practicing, but it was different. After some quick cramming of the routine he went on but forgot some of the steps and ultimately messed up the routine. However, with quick thinking he stayed positive and continue to strut confidently. Of course, the crowd clapped as none of them had a clue that he was not supposed to do what he did, so it ended well.
From then to now, the model has participated in an average of eight fashion shows and currently has two upcoming fashion shows for this year, the House of Pearson Fashion Show scheduled for next month and Strut III. Lee is also one of the contenders vying for the Mr Guyana 2020 title that is expected to be hosted by midyear.
Of all the designer wear he has modelled, Lee’s favourite was a white suit done by overseas-based Guyanese, Andrew Harris.
Lee said there are hardly any challenges for him when it comes to modelling. He feels that if one is a good listener and can follow instructions then he/she will not have any trouble in getting routines done. In addition, while models complain about the meagre pay, for Lee it is only part of the journey to getting where he needs to be. Though he did add that it is something that can be improved on.
To stay in shape, Lee keeps active and tries to maintain a healthy diet. He recently joined a gym, but prior to this he did calisthenics at home. He did confess to having cheat days.
Lee’s segue into acting was just as effortless. Shortly after strutting his way to a place in the modelling industry, the young man landed a spot in the famous “Nothing To Laugh About” comedy as an extra and eventually worked his way into the cast. Last year, Lee made it into “The Link Show” as a character; for the first time he had a script and lines.
To be able to pull it off, Lee said, while still having to deal with stage fright, “I pretended I was still at rehearsal where I only had to focus on remembering the lines and that distracted me from the people in the audience. Because the spotlight was on me, I couldn’t see them but when they began cheering and clapping, I was a bit distracted but remembered to stay focused. Hearing the audience getting excited also helps to encourage me. There’s that energy and vibe that is passed from them to me. What you give out, is always returned to you. The happiness and excitement I share, if I give one-fold, it always returns ten-fold or more. I love making people happy and hearing and seeing them laugh.”
Some of the prominent Guyanese actors Lee was honoured to have shared the stage with are Maria Benschop (writer), Sonia Yarde, Lyndon ‘Jumbie’ Jones, Mark Kazim, Mark Luke Edwards, Michael Ignatius, Clemencio Goddette, Simone Dowding, Simone Persaud and Zoya Moore.
As a dancer, Lee is mostly versed in the HipHop genre, but he dabbles in Soca and Afro. He always fancied dancing that stemmed from inspirations like Michael Jackson, and the movie Step Up. The first time he danced was in school as was mentioned earlier. Reminiscing, Lee shared that he was always considered to be an introvert and when his peers saw him on stage, they were shocked and excited about him being there though they had no knowledge of what he intended to do. They were in for a bigger shock when Lee began showing off his moves that he had been practicing secretly at home.
Later, Lee joined the once trending Euphoria Dance Crew. He stayed with them for two years until the group dissolved. Though he has been asked by other groups to join them, his experience with Euphoria made him skeptical and he has turned them all down. He has since returned to dancing at home.
Speaking on his wishes for the arts in Guyana, Lee said, “I’m hoping that that more can happen and that the different arts here can be recognized like the arts in the first world countries. I want the arts here to be as big as sports. Why can’t we have a federation for the arts? We have federation for football and federation for cycling and federation for everything else but not arts.”
The model/actor plans to someday pursue studies in acting and film with hopes of spearheading a programme that better prepares other Guyanese to produce high-end acting and films. The young man noted that for decades parents have been against their children getting involved in the arts.
To this he quoted the old saying, “You can mek them, but you can’t mek them mind” noting that parents who are controlling of everything their children do will have rebellious children in the future. The programme he has in mind caters for children in school and will encourage parents to be involved so that they have a better understanding of what their children are getting into.
Lee is also fascinated with designing and has created several designs which is currently still on paper. He hopes to design one day.
The Cancer-born model begins his day listening to Team Fearless, a group that shares inspirational messages on YouTube. He also enjoys watching true life movies in his free time.
His favourite dishes are meatballs and spaghetti, and lasagna that are often made for him by his girlfriend, who, he boasts, is a mean cook.
To see more of Lee’s photoshoots and photos from fashion shows, he can be followed on Instagram at Lee.r.martin.
