Actor Donnie Yen insures limbs for S$17.9m eachPosted: 07 January 2010 1250 hrs
BEIJING: Action star Donnie Yen has reportedly insured each of his limbs for HK$100 million (S$17.9 million) and put his wife, former beauty queen Cissy Wang, as the beneficiary of the policies.
46-year-old Yen had insisted on doing most of his own stunts since he started his acting career in 1984 and suffered numerous injuries on the job.
Yen had only recently aggravated an old hip condition when shooting the film "14 Blades", forcing him to undergo daily acupuncture treatment for his ailment.
It is no surprise that the action star is making sure his family is taken care of, should he be unable to work, since his children are still very young.
The "Bodyguards and Assassins" star has a daughter, Jasmine, 6, and a son, three-year-old James, with Wang, his wife of six years.
Yen's insurance policies must have cost him a pretty penny in premiums but it is probably just a tiny fraction of the 60 million yuan (S12.2 million) he made from the four movies he acted in last year.
His recent films have done well in the box office and caused his acting fees to skyrocket from 5 million yuan (S$1 million) to 20 million yuan (S$4 million) per film, almost double the 11 million yuan (S$2.2 million) fee Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu Wai commands and Heavenly King Andy Lau's 9 million yuan ($1.8 million) asking price.
However, Yen still trails behind Jet Li and Chow Yun Fat who both command a 25 million yuan (S$5 million) fee and Jackie Chan's price tag of 30 million yuan (S$6.1 million) per film.
Yen might be able to close the gap if the film "Ip Man 2", in which he stars, does well at the box office when it is released in the middle of this year.
- CNA/ha
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1029077/1/.html
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