Controversial Actress Could Be Kicked Out Of New Series, Replaced By AI

Replacing her would cost millions of dollars.

An actress has found herself at the center of a scandal involving leaked audio — and possibly a lost job opportunity.

Eleanor Lee is a Singaporean actress and singer based in China. Some of her most recent works are the 2020 web film The Enchanting Phantom and the 2020 series Fake Princess. In 2021, Lee was nominated for “Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes” at Singapore’s Star Awards.

An audio clip, in which Lee allegedly said, “most people in China are idiots,” received backlash after it began to circulate on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote). The clip was released on Weibo by a netizen claiming to be Lee’s former assistant. Lee addressed the controversy and expressed her love for China, where she has lived and worked since she was 16 years old.

I have received many opportunities and (much) assistance [in China],” Lee continued, “and have been able to shine in my favourite career. I am completely in love with and grateful for this land, and I will never waver in any of my stances on any issue related to China.

— Eleanor Lee

Since the controversy began, there have been calls to boycott her upcoming Chinese period drama, The Journey of Legend (also known as Go to the Mountains and Sea). The series has already been filmed and is expected to hit screens on May 20…with or without Lee. Promotional materials featuring Lee have already been removed.

Now, according to some news outlets, rumors about Lee’s replacement have started to circulate online; the production team may use AI technology to replace Lee’s face with that of another actress, since cutting her out of the show would not be possible. The process would reportedly cost approximately 20 million yuan ($2.7 million USD), since Lee is one of The Journey of Legend lead actors.

This wouldn’t be the first time AI has been used to replace an actor. In 2023, the face of actor Dai Xiangyu was digitally pasted onto actor Wang Dong for the C-Drama A Date With The Future after Wang was accused of domestic violence.