Veteran Hong Kong actress Jessica Hsuan recently shared candid insights into her tumultuous 33-year career, including a high-profile 1994 confrontation with TVB management and her eventual departure from the broadcaster, during an appearance on Commercial Radio’s program It’s Time to Say Goodbye on the Same Day, hosted by Stephen Chan Chi-wan. Hsuan, who addressed topics ranging from her film A Warrior’s Call (formerly A Step into the Past) to her views on professionalism and personal ethics, revealed that perceived double standards regarding on-set punctuality and a shifting corporate culture ultimately drove her to leave the network where she achieved stardom.
The 1994 Standoff and Corporate Accountability
The discussion reached a pivotal moment as Chan, a former TVB general manager, revisited a notorious incident from 1994 where Hsuan and colleagues, including Louis Koo, appeared on the show K-100 to publicly challenge senior executives. At the time, Hsuan had strongly criticized TVB for relying heavily on singers for dramatic roles, noting that these external talents frequently arrived late, disrupting production schedules.
Hsuan’s outspoken comments—which have resurfaced as a topic of online discussion—were based on a perceived lack of occupational integrity. She clarified the specific dynamics of the workplace environment, pointing out a discrepancy in how internal artists and external singers were disciplined.
“When problems arose, people within the company would be scolded, but those external, the singers, would not face the same scrutiny,” Hsuan explained.
Chan revealed that he had been present during the broadcast, prompting Hsuan to playfully remark, “Thank you so much for not freezing my career.” While Chan initially suggested that the low pay for singers compared to actors might have been a factor, Hsuan firmly refuted the economic argument. “It wasn’t about the money; it was a matter of professional conduct and ethics,” she stressed.
Departing TVB: Ethics Over Ambition
Hsuan further elaborated on the core reasons for her eventual exit from the network, emphasizing that the decision was based on fundamental misalignment with the company’s operational style. She confessed that she had previously operated under the belief that skill and merit were the sole determinants of success and appreciation in the workplace.
“It’s very simple; the entire operational methodology just made me uncomfortable,” she stated.
The actress maintained that in her own professional decisions, she prioritizes competence over personal affinity. “I would put aside whether your personality aligns with mine. If you are the right person for the job, I would still choose you. I think that is fair.”
However, she realized that the working environment had begun demanding actions that compromised her values. Hsuan indicated that success increasingly required ingratiation and pleasing people she did not respect, a task she found impossible to undertake.
“I asked myself, can I possibly resort to flattery, to please people I don’t want to please? The answer was no,” she said.
Hsuan ultimately described her professional life as being governed by her instincts and a pursuit of happiness. Her final trigger for leaving TVB stemmed from internal instability and turnover. “I left TVB because there were so many internal changes at the time, many respected colleagues left, and new people came in,” she concluded. “The old group had a good synergy. When that synergy disappeared, so many problems arose. I operate purely on feeling; if I’m not happy, I leave.”
Hsuan’s enduring commitment to meritocracy and professional integrity provides a rare glimpse into the complex pressures faced by artists in large media corporations, underscoring the universal struggle between ambition and personal ethics.
