Ex TVB Actor Paul Che, Who Was Once Bankrupt, Could Not Afford To Pay For His Mum’s Funeral

Former TVB actor Paul Che has been enjoying a career renaissance after returning to the small screen as an acting coach on Chinese reality show Memories Beyond Horizon in 2022.

Jobs have been streaming in for the 64-year-old and he was even invited to walk the runaway at Shanghai Fashion Week last year.

This is a far cry from his days of being in debt and had to file for bankruptcy. With no work and income, he owed months in rental arrears and was evicted by his landlord.

In an interview with Hong Kong media HK01, Paul, who is best known for playing Pang Tou She (胖头陀) in 1998 TVB drama The Duke of Mount Deer, opened up about what led to his financial struggles.

When he first entered showbiz four decades ago, he “committed all the major taboos in the entertainment industry”.

He was then with Rediffusion Televsion, which was later rebranded as Asia Television (ATV), and had a reputation for his poor work attitude.

He was constantly late, absent, or would simply no show.

“When word spread, who would want to hire you?” said Paul.

He later joined TVB in 1997 and though his career was stable, Paul left after six years.

The reason? TVB only offered him an annual salary of HK$2,000 (S$345) if he were to re-contract with them. Yes, HK$2,000 a year.

“When I heard HK$2,000, I thought, forget it, no need to consider. How can I survive on that? It’s impossible,” he said.

After leaving TVB, acting jobs were few and Paul ventured into insurance. And this was the beginning of his financial troubles.

Paul would often arrange to meet potential clients at karaoke bars and after talking shop, they would continue to make merry.

“Even if I didn’t close the deal, it didn’t matter, and I would just swipe my card. The interest was terrifying,” he said.

He racked up more than HK$300,000 (S$51.7K) in credit card debt and was forced to file for bankruptcy.

One of his darkest periods was in 2011 when his mum suddenly passed away.

Bankrupt and penniless, Paul could not even afford her funeral expenses.

It was all thanks to an anonymous HK$70,000 donation from someone at TVB that Paul managed to give his mum a proper send-off.

Over the past decade, Paul has taken on various odd jobs to make ends meet.

He’s worked as a construction worker, security guard and even as a sanitation worker during the pandemic. His last gig was as a health inspector in 2022.

Photos: HK01