Excerpt from a 2006 news report
S: [..] But, freelancing can also create dire predicaments.
Once, while filming in Meizhou, one night we went to a local disco for an location filming for a scene. When we got there, suddenly there were people holding up banners; somehow it had become my concert. Even selling the admission ticket for 120+ yuan each. Turned out the film producer did not pay rental to the disco management; he tricked the owner into thinking that I would perform on stage to cover the rent; thus, I became the sacrificial lamb. I'm stubborn; I absolutely refused; the people wanted to beat me up. I said, "Go ahead, beat me to death here!"
How did it end? I called up Li Ru En’s husband (Ceng Zhi Ming) for help. His factory was in Meizhou. He sent in his factory foreman and called in the public security (police). So for the rest of the filming in Meizhou, I had a police escort. There’re things that artistes cannot easily take of. I didn’t want to deal with the mountain folks, and it just happened at that time, TVB sought me out. I thought the time was right to sign on.
excerpt source: 2006 sm red wine, fresh milk
related 2005 news I Don't Bite
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Incident described in more details: 2007 Anna Chau radio transcript
Extortion
A: As to your deepest impression of losing your temper, was it that one time when you were doing a stage performance?
S: oh, yes!
A: Can you talk about?
S: Sure, but it wasn’t a stage performance, it’s filming a movie.
A: but it became a stage performance.
S: At that time, it wasn’t plain losing my temper. Actually to protect myself, I transformed into a different person. What happened is that I went to a very remote, mountain town to shoot a movie. My whole contract was just to shoot a movie. Who knew, later one night, something wasn’t proper. That was during the on-location shoot of a disco scene. Even during the journey to the disco location, I already sensed that something wasn’t quite right. I did say I’m a very sensitive person. I felt that some of the crew were acting strangely. (gugu guai guai) At that time, a female assistant (tn: Tsui Jie - she has mentioned that incident in her weibo when both their lives were threatened.) accompanied me. There’s just us two from HK, the rest were from mainland. When we reached the site, something really fishy was going on. Wah, bat dak liu! Hanging all over the place, fluttering in the winds were red helium balloons and a huge banner, “Welcome Ma Chun Wai to tonight’s performance!” My poster was plastered outside and the ticket cost was 129 yuan.
A: Did you think, yee? just filming a scene had to be this real?
S: But that scene wasn’t about the real me, wasn’t about Ma Chun Wai; but about my character in the movie. When I saw it, I knew instantly that they wanted to extort me. But if I were to leave immediately without getting to the bottom of it, then it would be to my disadvantage. So I got inside for makeup and was getting ready to act the scene, and to speak with the director. The producer came and introduced the DJ to me, ha what? Why do I need to know him? The DJ asked me how to introduce me for my entrance onto the stage. I said: Ha? Why do I need an introduction to get on stage? I’m here to make a movie. Did you make a mistake? He said no. And then the producer pulled up someone supposedly the assistant producer, a big, tall, hefty man. Of course, I knew I was being extorted. But I’ve a stubborn personality. So you think you would extort me, well then I will fight back. So I sat down and said, “I won’t sing. I’m here to make a movie. You’ve made a mistake!” At first I was polite. I said how can you guys be so ridiculous. Then the producer said, “Please help, just go up there and sing 3 songs.”
Wah! 3 songs! I said, “As artistes, our work by nature has to be accounted for. Our work is tied in with a contract and a fixed price. Also we have management. I can’t do this, sorry!” Seeing my inflexibility, he got another big sized assistant producer. He came, rolled up his sleeves, like readying for a fight. He asked, “Are you going to sing or not?” I lifted up my head. I kept my seat. I refused to sing. No! So what now? Then the director and the crew came over and asked what’s going on? At the same time, I asked my assistant to call up the movie lo ban (boss) to come and resolve this predicament. When he was aggressive, the situation was really dangerous for me. Because I didn’t know if he had co-horts around. After that incident, found out that there were around 10 to 20 of his people in the province. After reporting the incident to the police, some co-workers introduced their local friends to me. I’ve never made a movie with a daily escort of two policemen. But I didn’t care. I’m making a movie you can’t extort me. Subsequently, they changed that producer. And finally managed to finish the movie. Actually in between there were some other problems but they didn’t affect me. It had nothing to do with me.
Now that I think back, wah, I was quite brave then. But that’s just my personality. Yes is yes, no is no. Don’t you try to extort me. If you exhort, I will not take it lying down. I asked him, “So, you want to beat me up? Go ahead! Beat me to death, but I still won’t sing. So that’s how it went. Actually, working in mainland does not pose this kind of problems, this was unusual. All my work there went smoothly with no problems and the people I worked with were all very nice. Except for this one time. The way I see it, is that a big tree has many branches, and occasionally will meet some bad apples.
A: I guess in all your years working, this must be you first time or the only time encountering such an incident. I heard from friends incidents like this not only happened in China but also in Malaysia.
S: I’ve never encountered the same in Malaysia. That was my first and only time.
A: Could it be that you are someone who will yield to soft pleading but not to hard force. Say at that time, it was not this humongous big guy but a petite delicate person like Angel in our Macao filmology. (Anna and Steven had previously collaborated in a short filmology on advertising Macao) There she was pleading with you. Like: Please, all the tickets are already sold out. Would you…?
S: In my position, I couldn’t help because this concerns the nature of my work. It would be against the rules. I had a contract with a management company. My company had a cut in my fees. I couldn’t forfeit your fees. If I privately agreed to perform because of your pitiful display, I would have done something wrong, which is to have betrayed my company. Or worse maybe my company might misunderstand and thought that I had collected your fees. I couldn’t do it. If I were freelance, like you say, and had no company backing, if a big, hefty guy approached me, I would definitely not sing. But if like that ‘pitiful’ girl, maybe I might help you out by singing one song, fine. The situation is resolved. So maybe without management contract I might do it but probably wouldn’t. Because this concerns principles. (ethics)
A: Actually that situation then was quite dangerous. That big guy and his co-horts. And you, all by yourself alone. Also those people were in covert while you’re in overt.
S. Which is why later….sometimes life is like that. Troubles find you even though you didn’t provoke them.
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Posts reposted from a 2009 AF discussion thread
Akazukin:
I love his strong hold onto principles and ethics. His courage in upholding them is very admirable. But men... can they never be able to escape what maybe a woman's trick? (re: above transcript italics) No matter if he/she is being offensive or pitiful, if he/she wanted to trick him into performing in order to get around paying rent and earn from the concert tickets, he/she is clearly unconscionably taking advantage of him. Such action, no matter how wallpapered, does not deserve to have him to sing for them. The thing is, if he sang one song for the 'pitiful' girl, he is not helping her, he is letting her taking advantage of him. If he wants to sing, the only reason he should sing is for the audiences that have bought their tickets with real money.
honeydaisy: Haha that is so funny. A woman's guiles are a man's downfall ... seen this happen many times in history, right? But I like to think that just goes to show what a gentleman he is!
Read the ensuing discussion here - scroll to page bottom.
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