Award-winning actress Sandra Ng was named Hong Kong's box office queen in 2005, with her films grossing over HK$700mil (RM390mil).
However, her journey to get there wasn't always easy.
In a recent episode of Carol Cheng's The Do Show, Ng revealed that she left TVB due to low pay.
After signing with the broadcaster in 1984, she only landed roles in five dramas.
Ng left TVB after a brief stint on the variety show Enjoy Yourself Tonight to focus on making films in the late 1980s.
When Cheng, 66, praised Ng for her foresight, the latter clarified that her decision to leave was actually unplanned.
"I was really frustrated. The broadcaster gave me a raise of HK$50 (RM27.88) a month. Would you keep working for that?" the 59-year-old lamented.
Ng further described her career at TVB as unpredictable, likening it to "being out at sea and waiting for the producer to pick you".
"Although it's the same with films, I figured my pay wouldn't be as bad for acting in movies," she said.
Ng emphasised that she wasn't criticising the industry but simply stating facts.
She mentioned that while TVB offered fame and exposure, artistes had to seek their own financial opportunities through endorsements or side gigs.
"There were no bonuses too. The whole system worked like that.
"I even doubted myself. Am I really worth that little? You're giving me HK$500 (RM278.80) per show and only offering me a HK$50 raise," she said.
Despite the uncertainties that came with movie roles back then, Ng said she would take things as they go and not be too calculative.
Ng and Cheng previously worked together on radio shows in the mid-1990s. The latter left TVB in 2022 after 44 years with the broadcaster.
Ng admitted that she took the radio job for financial reasons, as her films back then wasn't highly profitable.
In fact, the actress once had to sell her house to pay off her loan and debts incurred from making her first film, 4 Faces Of Eve (1996).
Though the movie wasn't a box office hit, it earned Ng a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
She has also starred in successful films such as Golden Chicken 3 (2014), Monster Hunt (2015) and Jian Bing Man (2015).
