Selena Lee: From Riches to Rags, and Rags to Riches
Known for her refined and tasteful preferences, it may come as no surprise that Selena Lee (李施嬅) was born and raised in a wealthy family. Her father owned a company that produced calculators, so Selena’s childhood was free from financial worries. She was often spoiled with brand name items and had many opportunities to travel and study abroad.
After participating in the 2003 Miss Hong Kong competition, Selena officially stepped foot in the entertainment industry. At the time, she continued to live a comfortable life, residing in an apartment that cost $50,000 HKD per month.
Financial Rock Bottom
Only one year after starting her career, however, her father’s company went bankrupt and owed more than $120 million HKD in debt. For the young Selena, she not only had to earn money to support herself at the time, but also took an active role in saving money to help her family pay off the debt. Recalling this low tide, Selena shared, “At one point, I only had $1 left in my account. For one entire day, I remember spending only $8 on bread to eat.”
Selena’s rise to popularity was slow and steady. For many years, there was not a single drama where she gained extreme recognition and boosted her popularity to A-list level. However, her consistent acting and diversified roles made her a staple in many high-budget dramas. Although she did not have a significantly memorable role, her consistent performances were often met with praise.
Thanks to the audience’s acknowledgement and her charm, Selena was able to earn extra income through commercials and other endorsements. In 2010, in addition to her acting career, Selena began dabbling in business. She has invested in a beauty school, fashion business, skincare clinic, and food business. Through these varied investments, Selena earned quite a large sum of money. She also previously invested in real estate, purchasing a property for $4 million HKD. Now, the property is worth more than $8 million HKD.
Source: QQ
This article is written by Huynh for JayneStars.com.
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I didn’t know she came from a wealthy background. That explains her elegance. I have always liked her acting and always wondered why she never got promoted at TVB like the other actresses did. I remember her in that one ancient series where she was the female lead and played a twin and couple with Kenneth Ma. And another time when she played the wife of Frankie Lam in the medicine series. But overall, TVB really didn’t give her as many opportunities as other fadans. I suspect it must be because of her personality. She seems like someone who is really nice, classy, and mellow. So perhaps not really knowing how to schmooze or utilize interpersonal skills to further develop her career and relationships with people. There seems to be a rather aloof and detached feeling to her. And in this industry where you need charisma to shine and help you move forward, that is where she gets left behind I guess. Sucks but that is the reality of the entertainment industry for you. Actually any industry would require people skills but moreso in entertainment.