It’s no surprise that celebs can make a whole lot of money in their career. However, it’s still surprising to hear how much a salary can increase from just one popular project.
As a prominent figure in the Hong Kong film industry with over 40 years of experience, veteran actor-turned-producer Charles Heung (向華強) have many stories about the industry and the stars he’s worked with throughout his career. Not too long ago, he shared these stories through his Douyin account – but one story about filmmaker Stephen Chow (周星馳) stood out the most.
@hypemalaysia Veteran Hong Kong film producer #CharlesHeung #向華強 revealed that #StephenChow #周星馳 saw a significant increase in his salary after starring in one movie.
According to the 74-year-old producer, after Stephen starred in the 1996 movie, “Forbidden City Cop” (大內密探零零發), he saw a surge in popularity, which led to an incredible jump in his salary. Charles said that after the movie’s success, Stephen’s salary for starring in one movie went from HK$60,000 (approximately RM36,000) to HK$15,000,000 (approximately RM9.05 million) in a span of six years.
“Forbidden City Cop” was a production of Win’s Entertainment, the company Charles founded with his brother Jimmy Heung (向華勝). Carina Lau (劉嘉玲), who starred in the movie as the female lead, also saw a significant boost in her career after the film. Charles said the movie did incredibly well because of the chemistry between Stephen and Carina, which left a deep impression on the audience. As the movie became her breakthrough film, Charles said the actress had even shared her gratitude to him because it led her to star in more productions.
Given that the movie has become a cult classic for Hong Kong film enthusiasts, the pay increase and the boost in popularity for both stars seemed well-deserved.
Source: Douyin
