73-year-old 'Big Brother' Sammo Hung is a legendary Hong Kong martial arts superstar. In his younger days, he was exceptionally skilled, and as early as the 1970s and 80s, he was already a big name in the film industry with endless movie offers. Recently, Sammo Hung appeared on Douyin with his eldest son Timmy Hung and third son Jimmy Hung to reminisce about the past. He revealed that, at the peak of his popularity, he didn’t understand the concept of "rising with the tide," so his acting fees were far below Jackie Chan’s. Even more, Sammo Hung worked unconditionally for Golden Harvest Films for 20 years, all because of a favor he received from the company’s boss, Raymond Chow.
Timmy Hung asked, "In the 1970s, because action movies were especially popular, you all could run several sets in a day—was it true you made a lot of money then?" Sammo Hung replied without hesitation: "I guess so, but I didn’t know how to manage money. I also didn’t understand what it means for value to rise with success. My price was never very high. When filming 'Heart of Dragon', my fee only increased to 4 million HKD (about 2.1 million MYR), yet after Jackie Chan shot 'Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow', he immediately got 10 million HKD (about 5.25 million MYR), and with 'Drunken Master', 20 million HKD (about 10.5 million MYR). I still just received a little bit of money."
Although his pay didn’t match Jackie Chan’s, Sammo Hung was also a hot martial arts star back then and was invited by many big studios to act. But he chose to remain with Golden Harvest. He explained: "The reason was a favor. There was a time when I had no money and no work, so I went to Golden Harvest to ask boss Raymond Chow for an advance, borrowing 4,000 HKD (about 2,102 MYR) a month. I borrowed like that for a year, and after that, when I had work, I slowly paid it back. That’s why I worked for Golden Harvest unconditionally for 20 years."
Timmy Hung asked if Sammo Hung ever developed a sense of vanity over the years. Sammo Hung laughed: "I’m too heavy to float—I don’t get carried away, and I don’t have that vanity. I had a hard childhood, so having a bit of money now just means life is a little better, I can buy the things I want." He said he doesn’t mind being recognized in public and feels that being surrounded by people means he’s doing well, and he enjoys it—but just a greeting is enough, while persistent pestering counts as harassment. Finally, Sammo Hung commented in the video: "When you’re popular, a crowd surrounds you; when you’re not, no one cares who you are. I figured this out long ago. So don’t think too highly of yourself, but also do your job as best as you can. Everything I have today is given by the audience, and I must live up to them."
Source: Hong Kong 01