Timothy Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong, and at the time INNOCENT was shot, he was a student at Hong Kong University. He has been a noted gay activist in Hong Kong and has been involved with several organizations promoting equal rights for gays and lesbians, as well as AIDS awareness.

Director Simon Chung discovered Timothy after seeing an audition tape and having him read for the part of Eric in INNOCENT. Chung realized that Timothy and the character shared a lot in common. For that reason (and a lot of innate talent), Timothy hit all the right notes with his portrayal, garnering rave reviews from the press.