Movie TalkMeet Mason Lee: The Wolfpack’s Newest Member
The Wolfpack has a new member. Joining Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha in "The Hangover Part II" is Mason Lee. Lee plays Teddy, Helms's future brother-in-law. While the young actor isn't onscreen as much as the rest of the maniacs, he does play a pivotal role as the guy who goes missing and must be found.
Lee comes from a famous family of film. His father is Ang Lee, the Academy Award-winning director of "Brokeback Mountain," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "Lust, Caution." The younger Lee appeared in several of his dad's films. He played the baby in "The Wedding Banquet" and also had a more significant role in "Chosen," a short film starring Clive Owen.
Web searches on Mason Lee aren't at the level of his "Hangover" costars, but they are on the rise. Over the past seven days, online interest in "mason lee" and "mason lee hangover" both spiked over 50%.
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Lee is currently studying acting at New York University, but his career is proceeding far ahead of schedule with "The Hangover Part II" destined for box office success. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lee says his father didn't have much of an effect on his decision to enter acting. Instead, he credits Jackie Chan and Jet Li with inspiring him as a young child.
In another interview, Lee remarks that he wasn't even sure what movie he was hoping to land when he sent in his reel. It was only later that he learned he'd gotten a role in the sequel to one of the most successful comedies of all time.
While the shooting was fun (how could it not be?), Lee revealed in an interview with Asia Pacific Arts that one of his favorite moments was more on the mellow side. "There was one part of the movie where I had to play a little bit of cello. My character is kind of a prodigy and is good at everything, and I played cello in high school and middle school, so I practiced for most of the shoot period, trying to get this piece down. So that day was fun, getting to show off my cello skills, I guess."
Lee's famous father did have one bit of advice when he heard his son had a starring role in the raunchy comedy. Lee remarked that his father told him to make sure to keep his clothes on during the filming. Unlike several other members of the cast, Lee was happy to report that he succeeded.
"The Hangover Part II" is in theaters now. Watch an exclusive interview with the cast below.
