TVB Lowering Shirley Yeung's Salary

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While some actresses’ commercial value have gone up after motherhood, such as Ada Choi (蔡少芬) and Aimee Chan (陳茵媺), the same cannot be said for single mother, Shirley Yeung (楊思琦). Due to Shirley’s scandalous past and declining public image as a single mom, TVB wants to cut her fees by 33 percent in an upcoming artiste contract.

After winning the 2001 Miss Hong Kong pageant, Shirley was heavily promoted by TVB. However, her messy love life ruined her career in 2011. It was reported that Shirley had cheated on boyfriend of nine years, Gregory Lee (李泳豪), with swimmer Andy Ng (吳帥). Although Shirley considered getting married with Andy, she decided to raise their daughter Krystal Yeung (楊卓穎) on her own when it was discovered that Andy was unreliable and straddled with financial debts.

Giving birth in Los Angeles in 2012, Shirley returned to Hong Kong and braved the negative press. Demoted and assigned to hosting variety programs at TVB, Shirley often performed at Mainland Chinese venues to earn side income.

After missing in action from TVB dramas for two years, Shirley was re-assigned to work in the drama department due to recent exodus of stars. Shirley portrays Linda Chung’s (鍾嘉欣) adulterous stepmother in All That is Bitter is Sweet <大藥坊>. Aside from the unflattering role, her screen time has been significantly cut down.

TVB Lowers Shirley’s Salary

Shirley’s management contract with TVB will expire in July. Discussions of the terms of her new contract were handled by TVB Artist Manager, Ho Kei Wing (何其穎). An insider revealed that as an aging, single mom, the 35-year-old actress will be able to command less money: “Ho Kei Wing told Shirley, ‘We can’t sell you as a maternal figure. Neither can we promote you as a young girl. You don’t have a lot of aired dramas. Your position is really awkward!’” As a result, Shirley’s remuneration will be reduced from $3,000 to $2,000 RMB per show.

Shirley does not seem to have a choice in the type of jobs she has to accept. After giving birth to Krystal, her endorsement deals and fees decreased. For her appearance in the movie, Black Comedy <黑色喜劇>, she was only paid $6000 HKD per day of work.

Asked about her decreased fees in show appearances, Shirley said, “[All the organizers] want to have a cheaper fee. I’m not sure of the prices. The company takes care of this.” Asked if she is bent on leaving TVB for Mainland China, Shirley said, “I love TVB. Of course, Mainland China has good opportunities, but I will consider TVB [first].”

Aside from Shirley, other single mothers in the Hong Kong entertainment industry do not have it easy either. Candy Law (羅霖) and Mia Chan (陳靜儀) survived due to their willingness for steamy scenes. While 48-year-old Candy had to film many bed scenes in Enthralled <愛．尋．迷>, 25-year-old Mia had to bare her body for Lan Kwai Fong 2 <喜愛夜蒲 2>.



Creds: ihktv