Being a boss isn’t easy, especially when you have to deal with staff who have questionable work ethics.
Just ask local director Jack Neo.
Last week, during the celebration banquet for his Chinese New Year comedy Money No Enough 3, which topped the box office for three weeks and grossed S$2.3 million over the CNY weekend, the 64-year-old star expressed his frustrations about an actor he had to work with for the movie.
Despite the film receiving good ratings, Jack revealed that production was actually delayed by the actor, who repeatedly had NGs (No Good shots).
The worst part? The person even had the audacity to ask for overtime (OT) pay.
“What kind of logic is that?” Jack scorned.
Though he did not mention names, these grievances prompted Jack to start a talk show akin to Hong Kong comedian Dayo Wong’s, where he could share his experiences as a director. He hopes to launch it at the end of the year.
So does cast member Mark Lee, who was also present at the banquet, share the same sentiments about the actor?
“When an actor has an NG, it could be due to his inability to meet the expectations of the director. Or there could be issues with the framing or lighting. Some artistes charge by the day and their pay is calculated differently, so they have to be more flexible,” said Mark, adding that he has requested for OT pay before, though it rarely happened.
He suggested that artistes should have their pay stated on the casting contract to prevent future complications.
“And if you know that this artiste is someone who often has NG [takes], just don’t hire him in the future lah,” he quipped.