Kingdom Yuen Takes Break From Acting To Be Live Streamer, Earns S$175K Per Session

The live stream e-commerce business is a very competitive one and those who succeed, can make serious bank — think millions from just one session.

It’s no wonder that Hong Kong actress Kingdom Yuen, 60, has decided to take a break from acting to focus on live streaming.

The comedian, best known for her role as Shek Lau in 1993’s Flirting Scholar, revealed the “new direction” in her career in a recent interview with Hong Kong media HK01.

Kingdom shifted the focus of her career to China, where she has been dabbling in live stream for three years.

She’s been doing pretty well for herself, earning some HK$1 million (S$175K) for one session.

“Some people are worried that it’s a waste of what I have achieved in the past, but how could that be? The audience has witnessed my [showbiz] journey for over four decades. They know how I act, what kind of actor I am. They know very well,” she said.

“If I were an actress making tens of millions for each film, then of course I would continue acting. But I don’t have that opportunity. However, I can earn HK$1mil (S$175K) for one live stream session. If you do four sessions every month, earning a million each time, you’d make a lot of money over the year.”

Financial reasons aside, being a live streamer also allows Kingdom to overcome her insecurity of being an actress.

“The acting profession is too passive. If the director doesn’t value you, you won’t have any work. There are many things you can’t control, which has made me feel a lack of security. But with live streaming, it’s different. I can choose what products to sell, how I want to sell them, without anyone interfering,” she reasoned.

“Also, in the realm of live streaming, I will definitely be the leading lady.”

While public opinion is that actors who go into live streaming are devaluing their worth, Kingdom disagrees.

“If you see live stream host as a sales role, then of course you can say, ‘Oh, you’re an actor, why are you selling products?’ But from my perspective, this is a challenge. I’m also interacting with the audience in a more direct way… I want to make you believe in me in a short period of time. To some extent, it’s similar to acting,” she said.

Photos: HK01, Kingdom Yuen/Weibo