Hong Kong actor Lawrence Ng, 59, who has mostly worked in China for the past 17 years, recently returned home to star in his first TVB drama in eight years.
Lawrence, who plays a doctor in a segment of the upcoming anthology series Fei Fen Zhi Zui (非份之罪), was in attendance at the show’s praying ceremony earlier this week.
During an interview with HK01, the actor first joked that it wasn’t difficult to convince him to return for work as “there’s money to earn”.
He then revealed that it was all thanks to the show’s executive producer Amy Wong. They worked well together on the 2003 series Back To Square One (撲水冤家), and he immediately agreed to the new project when Amy reached out to him.
When asked about his rumoured billion-dollar net worth, a very chill Lawrence stated: “You’ll have to take away two zeroes! I don’t have billions, but I definitely do have a million.”
He also admitted that the hustle hasn’t stopped for him, and he’s not yet at the stage where he’s acting purely for fun.
“I have large expenses every month. Once I stop working, I stop earning money. My daughter is still young, she’s studying at an international school, and the fees are costly. She wants to study overseas in Canada next year, and that’s another huge sum of money,” he said.
Though he’ll miss his daughter, 15-year-old Hei Yee, when she leaves, Lawrence completely understands her wish to go overseas and explore the world.
He is also open minded when it comes to his daughter’s dating life. According to him, Hei Yee is well-behaved, and he will not stop her should she start dating.
All that aside, the doting dad is also super cool when it comes to the online chatter surrounding Hei Yee.
The teen was seen posing with an HK$300K (S$51K) Hermès bag in recent holiday pics, leading to talk as to whether she’s too young to be “showing off” luxury goods.
With regards to that, Lawrence said: “Perhaps she’s been influenced by her mum, who has taken her shopping since a young age. That may be why she’s more familiar with luxury goods. I try to fulfil her wants, and it seems like she’s interested in pursuing her studies in fashion management, which is closely related to luxury brands as well. I support her the best I can.”
Lawrence and Hei Yee’s mum, Chinese star Shi Yangzi, divorced in 2014 after seven years of marriage. He was reported to have given her HK$200K (S$34K) in monthly alimony fees.