Stephen Chow Burned Friendships Because of Money
While Stephen Chow (周星馳) may enjoy the wealth that stems from his box-office success and investments, his personal relationships seem to draw a different story. Tin Kai Man (田啟文), most notable for playing Stephen’s wacky sidekick in various comedies, worked alongside with Stephen since 1996 but had a fall out in 2009. He revealed during a radio interview that while Stephen has a wide network of contacts, he is a loner and not good at maintaining interpersonal relationships.
During the interview, Tin Kai Man addressed the rumors that Stephen is a cheapskate. “I think Stephen knows exactly what he is doing with his money – he puts his money into the bigger items and watches it closely.” However, Tin Kai Man also shared that Stephen did rip him off before. “Stephen said he will buy me a shirt and told me to choose something off the rack. I was so happy and I ended up choosing a $200 HKD shirt. Afterwards I told him that I’ll treat him to watch a movie and he agreed, but he also wanted to invite some friends and asked me to purchase 13 movie tickets total. So actually, I ended up forking over more money for the movie tickets than the shirt itself!”
Tin Kai Man then pointed out that Stephen sometimes does not have other people’s best intentions in mind. He said, “I didn’t go out to dinner with the cast and crew one night after filming Shaolin Soccer <少林足球> because I went to see the doctor. When I explained to Stephen that I had to see the doctor for my back pain, he said, ‘Then you need to rest. But then we will also film your fight scene first thing tomorrow morning’.” At that point, Tin Kai Man really felt that Stephen was being truly unreasonable. Today, Tin Kai Man is happily working behind the scenes as Ronald Cheng’s (鄭中基) manager.
There are a slew of other celebrities who have had not-so-pleasant encounters with Stephen, including:
Athena Chu (朱茵)
Athena and Stephen dated for 3 years in the 1990s. Athena caught Stephen cheating in the relationship when she visited him at a hotel and realized there was a woman hiding in the bathroom. Athena was heartbroken and never forgave Stephen for his infidelity.
Danny Lee (李修賢)
Danny was actually the one who brought Stephen into the entertainment industry. He has publicly criticized Stephen for not remembering his roots by saying, “A person needs to honest with themselves. Money is not everything – friendship is more important.”
Ng Man Tat (吳孟達)
Ng Man Tat and Stephen were partners in crime – starring in many comedy hits together. When Ng could not commit to starring in Kung Fu <功夫> due to a scheduling conflict, they went their separate ways.
Lee Lik Chi (李力持)
Partnering with Stephen to direct box office hits such as The God of Cookery <食神>, Flirting Scholar <唐伯虎點秋香> and King of Comedy <喜劇之王>, Lee Lik Chi but has not worked together since Kung Fu due to conflicting opinions on production.
Alice Yu (于文鳳)
Stephen’s ex-girlfriend of 13 years, Alice Yu, sued him last year for $70 million HKD in investment earnings and consulting fees. Alice came from a wealthy background and possessed financial acumen to help Stephen earn lucrative profits through real estate investments.
Wong Jing (王晶)
Wong Jing and Stephen Chow collaborated for close to a decade, spinning out memorable classics such as God of Gamblers 2 <赌侠 2>. The partnership reportedly ended because of an argument over money. Wong Jing recently stated, “Many people think that I love money. Actually, I love movies more than money. He [Stephen Chow] definitely likes money more than movies.” Wong further jabbed that Stephen’s wealth was made largely from investments, in which his ex-girlfriend, Alice Yu, had helped him earn. Without naming names, Wong further hinted that Stephen had used his former girlfriend for her financial acumen and then kicked her aside when she no longer was valuable to him.
Regarding Wong’s criticisms, Stephen only said, “Actually, I don’t know Wong Jing that well.”
Sources: Apple Daily via ihktv.com, Dfdaily.com
This article is written by Natalie for JayneStars.com.
No wonder Anthena hated him so badly!!
Exactly. Till this day, Athena doesn’t even want to hear nor mention his name.
At least Athena is happily married and became a mother by now!
🙁 athena look so cute with stephen! seriously. so cute when i was watching the chinese Fight back to school 2
Of course, one should only have money in mind. That’s why I am proud of my idol —
He’ll only have money to grow old with and not a single true friend to talk to. Is it worth it??? Money is not everything. It is very important but there are a lot more things that are even more important in life.
It is true that money is not everything, however, it is needed for survival and to live well or at least decently. Honestly, you can live without friends since it’s not like your friends will raise you and take care of you. But your life will not be as complete and as happy without friends that you can talk to and share your feelings,problems and emotions with. However, without money, can you live and survive??
I believe a person’s state of mind impacts his/her creativity. If anyone has notice, his work has slowly gone downhill …
Friendships fall in and out but for men to be so outspoken about this, it has to signify something. Women are usually the petty ones. Men tend to let these small things go ….
He could always come back to TVB for few dollars he owe.
I never think highly of Stephen Chow. He does not seem to be a good man to any women, but am surprised a bit that he is not even a good man to other men.
Seems he’s a cold-hearted and scheming individual. He may be a genius onscreen, but the real person is nothing to respect.
You don’t know him personally so I don’t think you should say that…
I need to know all celebs personally before I can think they’re good or bad? Get real
-___-
No you don’t but at the same time, you should not judge them so harshly as well…
No it isnt. As a celebrity they are open to the whole worlds views bad or good. It is up to them how they project themselves. In Stephen Chows case, a right sh*** job he’s done with his own image.
its also a personal opinion so I will keep thinking he’s a bad person thank you very much.
eh dunnoe but it might be a bit harsh to judge someone like that due to rumors. best to know them by person to judge them like that. i mean everyone do something for a reason, whether it’s right or wrong, thinking makes it so. maybe others might be taking advantage of him? who knows? stephen is a pretty low profile person. he never talk bad about anyone who turn against him. he just play the dont care type and pretend he dont know them that well at the end.
The not-so-pleasant encounters list should be longer than that. You guys should watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTMA4hI5SMw
Thanks for the link, Eunice. His treatment towards Leung Si Ho is ridiculous!
Wow never knew he was such a jerk ! Will be remembered as someone who was funny in the earlier years but not a nice man at all.
He definitely should not be looked upon as a role model for the younger generation.
As bad as this video makes Stephen Chow look bad, for me, Leung’s emotional tirade on Stephen to the media made the tattle teller look worse. Anyway, just as easier one could google up someone who speaks highly of Stephen. Don’t understand why Leung would want to waste his time,energy and the limelight on someone he loathe? Why not use that time more positively to talk about his own work and aspiration? Just saying!
clarime,
the concept of Leung’s show is to tell/expose the truth about the hong kong entertainment business. So, he’s not tattle telling…more like sharing his experience with the audience. I actually really like the show…it’s nice to hear the truth from people in the business.
Even if this is not true about his characters, I never liked him and his jokes. I found his humor tedious and cheap and sometimes I strongly suspect that Overseas Chinese ROARED at his jokes because they never get conversations other than being told what to do at work or household family rearing concerns and it was just nice to have some kind of talk that was unrelated.
Even if he is wicked, would this change his entertainment value. I hate Leonardo Di Caprio but apparently he is much loved since he gets so many films.
Also, Mark Wahlberg beat a Vietnamese immigrant to the point of popping out his eye.
they know how to pick their battles don’t they? the whites that tend to commit these crimes, often their targets are Asians. shows how weak and cowardly Mark Wahlberg was. he never sought out nor apologized to the man he blinded. he had a light 45 day sentence cause his ppl helped him get out. they dont see the lives of anyone else worth anything compared to their own. Asians should STOP supporting Hollywood(the same place that passes hateful stereotypes of Asians) and films that star racists.
He also had half Japanese half German Tina Chow’s daughter Asia wrapped around his finger. She did not have the upper hand in that relationship which says a lot about her sense of dignity. She is a “Chow” in name only. She is really not raised to have a high eye level the way Chinese girls need to be raised.
Cleo,
I agree with you, he’s like jim carey…you either love or you can’t stand him…and i can’t them both.
Compare to other stars of his age/older, he’s not looking good…
I do not know. But sometimes friendship is really nothing. Maybe you guys never betrayed by friend before. But money wont betray you and will make you happy. He might be cold blooded but he did not do anything wrong.
It’s like saying just because a man cheated on you, you have no trust in men anymore.
In any case, even if one chooses to remain single, there’s no reason to be mean to the people beside you, like how he never cared for Tin Kai Man’s backpain.
Backpain or no backpain, the schedule is fixed. The studio etc all fixed and booked and paid for. He must withstand the backpain unless so serious he has to be hospitalised.
Never thought he is such a jerk. Thought that he’s a simple bloke who doesn’t give damn, but yet so mean and calculating. Guess I need to change my spec.
Stephen Chow is a very private man and therefore you will never find any reasons or excuses for any accusations from him. Maybe it is true about how he treats his friends, partners and women. But there is no denying he is a comic genius and often comic genius are loners and not funny in real life. He may like money a lot but perhaps there is a reason to everything. From the list in the articles, the suggestion that he had a fall out with each and everyone is not true.
I was watching an interview of Tony Leung Chiu Wai and I was shocked as Tony Leung spoke about his Ip Man kung fu I think and he showed to Stephen during dinner one time. I never knew he is a very close friends with Tony Leung who is equally private.
As for women, he has an eye for capable for women, no doubt. All relationships end, some ends better, some badly. I won’t judge him too harshly unless he abused them physically. Perhaps mentally as well.
But there is no denying there is only one Stephen Chow. He has tried and has moved on from his mou lei tao past. That is why he parts way from Wong Jing and the likes.
My only question now is is he on drugs? He looks like it.
Without Stephen Chow, the entertain world would not have Tony Leung. It’s Stephen who asked Tony to join TVB acting class. They already knew each other before they were artist.
Ahhh Tony was famous first before Stephen if I remember correctly. HOw different the routes they take as actors but yet how similar they’re as individuals.
Yes, it was Stephen that asked TOny to join the TVB acting class so it is not a surprise that they are close friends in real life.
I don’t think he is on drugs but probably lives a really stressful and unhappy life. That can also take a toll on your health and physical appearance as we can see in Yammie Lam’s case.
I seem to remember they were high school buddies. Stephen wanted to tryout for TVB acting glass and dragged Tony with him. Tony got accepted by Stephen had to wait another year.
I see!! Maybe money has never been an issue between them so they remained friends. And if they can remain friends for like… 3 decades or 4 decades? Stephen can’t be that bad!
By the way that interview was very revealing. Tony has relaxed over the years and his quote about Stephen’s reaction to his kung fu skills was funny.
funn,why can’t stephen be bad? because tony is a good guy then stephen cant do bad things? i dont think so,good example is alan tam with eric tsang,they have almost the opposite personality but still good friend for decades,E.T. is so bad…
I agree with Funn that Stephen can’t be that bad because Tony is hard to be close friends with anyone.. IF he is good friends with someone then it shows that Stephen can’t be that bad. We all know how selective Tony is when it comes to being friends with anyone.
@Funn: Do you have a link to that interview?
I think Tony and Stephen are the kind who want friends that don’t demand much from them. The kind that wants people to accept them as they are, ones that understand them without the need for words or any explanation.
Stephen has his own way of doing things and feels no need to justify his actions – as long as *he* knows what’s he doing, that’s probably all that matters. It’s unfortunate he’s managed to hurt some people along the way, but I don’t think he set out to be malicious…
Sorry no link. I saw on TV. The one by that TVB presenter who recently won the TVB award?
You mean “Telling Maria” ep 8….http://video.online.hk/watch/32494
i agree and disagree. I find him funny when i was 13…but if you ask me to sit thru one of his movies now…i’d rahter fold laundry. He has his moments but most his jokes are pretty lame. i find him very similar to Jim Carey…you either love him or you don’t…and I dont.
The article left out the good things Tin Kai Man said about Stephen Chan. One thing Tin Kai Man pointed out is very true. Many people has said bad things about Stephen Chow, but, he has never countered back. He never said back bad things about other people, not even those who critised him. How bad can such a person be?
Tin Kai Man actually got along well with Stephen.
“At that point, Tin Kai Man really felt that Stephen was being truly unreasonable. “
He was angry with Stephen at that moment, but, it’s only at that moment. He was actually very thankful for Stephen for the Stephen he has given him. And he knows how to deal with Stephen’s quirks.
I so happen to have listened to that interview while it was airing in CRHK. His tone was not resentful at all.
Sorry, I meant to say
He was actually very thankful to Stephen for the opportunities Stephen he has given him.
That’s why I feel this article is misleading and sensationalised.
Me too… Through the years, I have never heard such bad things about Stephen before. Of course he is not perfect but who is?? No one… I don’t feel that everything in this article is true…
Stephen one of its kind,he love to run against the winds.
Look at his appearance lately, whether his own decision or advise from his image consultant ?, he look so haggard old man.
I felt he did it purposely , he wanna people to acknowledge him ,’He is Different’!
he never countered because he knows its true, whats there to counter? maybe he sees them all as the dirt beneath his feet so why should be bother commenting back for? he did say he didnt “know them well.”
he doesnt look like a pleasant person at all either. even his muse Kitty Zhang had a lawsuit with him.
OMG, how old is this dude? He looks so damn old. N had no idea that Athea woman dated him before.
he has the look of a man that has no friends and only lives for money. it does something to a person, drain them of positive energy.
Creative, Smart-Ass BUT selfish, cheapskate, loner..etc blah etc blah
http://youtu.be/fNO6lfN2Uwo
feel sorry for Athena, Stephen Chow has a dubious poor character. no amount of perceived talent can make up for that.
How can he do that to Athena, they been going for a few years before catching him cheat. Athena is so cute
Wow… really disappointed to hear such things from my favorite Hong Kong actor…
I agree. Quite sad but why are there so many articles coming out with ppl testifying against him? I don’t know him personally so can’t say much. Can’t say I believe all those stuff but maybe some truth to it?
He’s a funny actor before. Now his movies are nr funny. Everyone said he’s a jerk. I think so too.. Like, Wong Yat Fei. SC put down his pants in Shaolin Soccer with out him knowing he’s gonna do it.
Was Athena a virgin that time she dated SC? If so, that’s why he cheated.
Stephen is an intelligent person but thinks too highly of himself. His arrogance has made him into a despicable and underhanded person burning bridges along the way. Sorry, his comic jokes are the low class and uncultured jokes that makes fun of others. One of these days when he is afflicted by a stroke or some sort of illness, he will definitely get payback for those jokes that he has inflicted on others.
Totally agree …….. “his comic jokes are the low class and uncultured jokes that makes fun of others.”, and I don’t them at all.
Except for the 2 ladies, Athena & Alice, the rest of the ‘complains’ sounded a little petty!!!
It takes 2 hands to clap, so there could be more to it than what these guys said.
How about Jacqueline Law, one of Stephen Chow girlfriends in his early acting days?
when jacqueline died last year,he didnt attend her crematory nor memorial event and not even a flower bouquet to send for her.nothing..,it shows how cold hearted he is as a person,he is definitely a comic genius but its a pity he doesnt possess the character from a great person like chow yun fat or jet li.so i think its true what this article has said about him.
Agree. The least he could do for Jacqueline Law was to send her some wreaths. A close friend would definitely do it. Stephen Chow is surely a cold-hearted person. That is why he is such a loner. He will never have any friends, and maybe not even a wife. He worries that his wife marries him just for the money.
I have a different view because he was not just any old friend of hers.He was an ex boyfriend so it would be a bit awkward for him to send flowers or anything since she was married and all.. Also, even if he did do something, he is someone really private so would not announce it to the world… Since he is a public figure, if he did openly send flowers, I really don’t even want to imagine all of these rumours that would pop up due to their past relationship….
oh, those 2 dated as well? wow, so this selfish loner had quite a few celeb actresses before. wow, wonder what the hell happened to him that he never even got married to any of them….
Personally I think sending flowers is okay even for an ex-boyfriend. It is only a token of friendship ……. common or close friends.
I think he were just a normal citizen, he probably would have.. But he is a public figure so something that we think is so simple and acceptable may not be looked upon that simply by the public eye..
Wow, that’s really disappointing. It’s sad but sometimes the jerks reap all the success whilst those who are nice and kind get trampled on.
The tabloids say he’s had sex with his “Sing Girls”. Vicki Zhao is confirmed.
Vicki Zhao? haha lol are you serious that taiwanese or china actress who is now married w/a kid to a malaysian man or something? they were in a film together before?? hahah oh well, celebs its all messed up…
Vicki is from China and I don’t think her husband is Malaysian. HE is from China too I think…
dunnoe but it was said that Viciki was once upset when Stephen didn’t show the same affection she wanted. she got drunk and started to kiss everyone.
Karen Mok was also his girlfriend before.
isn’t she’s the women who Athena saw in the bathroom?
i’m surprised that he had a fall out with Ng Man Tat. they have worked together for so long and in so many movies, you would think their friendship is pretty solid. but really? over a small petty, work schedule conflict and you ruined such a relationship? talk about “siu hey”.
YOu’d be shocked at how long and solid friendships just like relationships and marriages can end just like that… You can know someone for a long time and still not know them as well as you thought you did…
In that case, both Stephen Chow and Ng Man Tat are not generous people. They treasured other things, such as money, more than friendship
Of course there are many people like that in the world.
thats because ppl can chance in good or bad ways, and if there is money in the game even brothers can become enemies.
hm it gotta be his mom, bad parenting.
no friends, no women, no social life. he’s only going to grow old with $ and his mom.
what i meant to say that he’s not a bad character. i bet he’s those type of genius who see others as dumbo, and pathetic beings because no one can understand him. and at the end he do mean things. there’s those days when he wanted to be nice but, even though others feel that he means what he say but he was actually tying to test people, or see if ppl will take advantage of him. and he find the enjoyment of using other’s people need to find his own satisfactory because he feel that everyone can only see $ in their eyes. so $ become an important characteristic to his life too but honestly, i think he know that friends are more important than $. but most ppl only take advantage of it becuz they dont know how to get those $ but he do. tat’s why everyone feels like a fool, because they were mistreated by him. i’m just guessing. dont take this seriously x)
Sorry, I never think Stephen Chow is a smart person. All his jokes were low-class and cheap. I don’t like any of them personally.
That is because it is in the script. To judge him, look at Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7, TVB series he filmed, his much earlier works and the likes. There is something elegant in his crudeness. But those years when he was really crude didn’t belong to him, which was why he left to do his own thing.