Hong Kong beauty Irene Wan both invested in and starred in the movie "Lying Island Mermaid," which was filmed with a large crew in Taiwan. When it was released this year, it received poor reviews and suffered a disastrous box office, and now staff members have come forward accusing the production of unpaid wages. Although they tried to appeal to both the production company and the Hong Kong investors, both sides kept shirking responsibility, leaving the staff furious.
"Lying Island Mermaid" tells the story of Irene Wan's character going to Taiwan to recover from an emotional setback, where she unexpectedly meets a down-and-out screenwriter (played by Kent Tsai) on a dating app, leading to a romance about lies and true love. The film was shot in Kaohsiung, Green Island, and Kenting in Taiwan. The 59-year-old Irene Wan and 35-year-old Kent Tsai formed an on-screen couple, but the older woman with younger man concept failed to win over audiences. When the film was released in Hong Kong in April, the box office in six days was only 100,000 HKD (about 53,000 MYR). When it opened in Taiwan at the end of June, the first week's box office was about 66,000 TWD (about 8,782 MYR), making it look certain to be a huge loss.
Staff members have complained that it has been a year since filming ended, and they still have not received overtime pay. Even after approaching both the production company and investors, they only received various excuses and refusals to pay. Now the film has finished its theatrical run, but no one has stepped forward to resolve the issue, and attempts at mediation have gone nowhere.
Staff also hinted that the lead actress lacked acting skills and was not cooperative, often insisting on retakes because she didn't look beautiful enough. While an initial kissing scene was shot using camera tricks, she suddenly changed her mind the next day and demanded a real kiss, acting as if "I'm the boss because I paid for this." Although no names were mentioned, it was clear their dissatisfaction was aimed at Irene Wan.
News sources: Mirror Media + ETtoday Star Cloud