Paul Che is best known for his role in the 1998 TVB series 'The Duke Of Mount Deer' (left). He was invited to walk the runway at Shanghai Fashion Week last year. Photos: Handout, China Press
Former TVB actor Paul Che recently revealed that at one point of time, he was struggling so much financially that he couldn't afford to pay for his mother's funeral.
The 64-year-old actor acted in several TVB dramas in the 1980s but is best known for his role in The Duke Of Mount Deer (1998) opposite Jordan Chan.
He joined the Hong Kong broadcaster in 1997 but left after six years as he wasn't happy with the salary TVB offered – HK$2,000 (RM1,207) a year.
“I thought, forget it, no need to consider. How can I survive on (HK$2,000)? It's impossible,” he told HK01.
The 1.9m-tall actor then took on a job in insurance. Che said he would meet clients at bars and drink as part of his business.
“Even if I didn’t close the deal, it didn't matter, and I would just swipe my card. The interest was terrifying,” he said, adding that he once owed the bank HK$300,000 (RM181,000) in credit card debt. When he couldn't keep up with payment, he was forced to file for bankruptcy.
Che, who has taken up jobs such as security guard and construction worker, told the Hong Kong publication that when his mother passed away in 2011, he was too poor to pay for the funeral expenses.
Luckily, a kind Samaritan from TVB donated HK$700,000 (RM423,000) to Che, and with that money, the actor could give his mother a proper funeral.
However, things are looking up for Che these days.
In 2022, he was tapped to be an acting coach in the Mainland China reality show Memories Beyond Horizon. He revealed that he earned a “six-figure sum” in Hong Kong dollars for three days of filming.
Last year, he was invited by a fashion label to model its clothes at Shanghai Fashion Week.
