KUALA LUMPUR: Having started as a child actor, Hong Kong superstar Datuk Jackie Chan, 70, has decades of experience in the entertainment industry – some of it high, and some of it low.
China Press reported recently that as a stuntman he earned just HK$150 (RM85.5) a day.
After years of toiling in the industry, his big break saw him receiving a hefty paycheck for a successful movie in 1980.Chan remembered being very excited when he got paid a record-breaking HK$4.7 million (RM2.68 million) for his role in The Young Master, which grossed over HK$10 million (RM5.7 million).
Chan said that after receiving the huge sum, he splurged on seven luxury watches in a single trip to a watch store.
Chan also went to a designer store to get some high-end clothing, a stark contrast to his earlier days of scrimping and saving.
He said that the company that paid him that amount, Golden Harvest, had first approached him with a HK$1 million (RM573k) offer.
However, Chan initially turned down the deal.
Later, when Golden Harvest sweetened the deal, Chan finally made the leap, changing the trajectory of his career forever.