Actress Syanie says she's disappointed to be offered just RM500 for acting gig

Syanie Hisham with husband, Zahril Hafiz.

Syanie Hisham expressed her disappointment at a local drama production house that offered her unreasonably low fee for an acting gig.

The 47-year-old said she didn't hesitate before rejecting the offer, as the payment did not equate to the amount of work she would do.

“A production manager had asked me to act in two episodes of a drama with the payment of RM500 only. Of course, I did not take up the offer,” she told mStar, The Star’s Malay portal.

“Not to say I am being demanding or anything, but at least make sure the payment reflects the effort we put into our work.

“I have acted in many dramas and films but that is the reality in Malaysia – after acting so long, our worth seems to decrease.

“When I told the person to hire an extra or another actress, the person said, ‘It’s OK. There are other artistes’.”

According to her, she felt more disappointed than angry at this situation.

“I feel it is better not to accept a role in this case,” she said.

She also shared that her worth as an actress is being measured based on the number of followers she has on Instagram.

Having been in the industry for 30 years, Syanie felt her capabilities as an actress shouldn’t be compared to the number of followers she has on social media.

“If I can last for 30 years in this industry, that means my work is good ... I'm not saying I am great, but the fact that I have been around for 30 years should mean something.

She added: “I can’t believe my credibility is related to how many Instagram followers I have.”

Syanie said she is not a skilled social media user. At the same time, she refuses to fill her social media with “nonsensical” content that might gain her more followers.

“That is against my principle – to include content for the sole purpose of increasing the number of followers.

“If that is how one is measured, then of course I am far behind than those new actresses who have hundreds of followers.”