PUBLISHED ONOctober 17, 2023 9:43 AMByYeo Shu HuiWhen it comes to money, there is never enough for anyone to have.
So among Singapore's iconic comedy trio — Jack Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia — who is the most "money no enough" among them?
Speaking to AsiaOne in a recent interview for their new movie Money No Enough 3, they weighed in on each other's fortunes.
"Of course the person with the most money is Henry. Because all his kids are grown up now and earning their own money… Jack's kids are also grown up and married with their own family, so he doesn't have to worry too much about spending money on them," Mark said.
The 55-year-old, who revealed that his monthly family expenses range from about $15,000 to $16,000, added: "The one with the least amount of money is me. I still have to make plans for my family and children. My eldest daughter has yet to take her O-Levels. My second kid just took his Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE). The youngest one is in Primary 4, so I still have a very long way to go [in financially supporting them]."
In response, Henry said: "I eat all three of my meals at home and I'm very frugal. When I'm not filming anything, I'll just be at home playing with my pets."
These days, the 71-year-old, who is half-retired, shared that he takes care of his lovebirds and dogs and grows vegetables at home.
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On the other hand, Jack felt that wealth between the three of them is "very evenly distributed".
The 63-year-old said: "How much we each earn is based on our capabilities. Those of us in the movie industry, how much can we really earn? A lot of people have this funny misconception. They think I pocket all the earnings from ticket sales."
But that's not how it works.
Jack added: "There was a report previously on the 10 richest celebrities in Singapore and I am in that list. A lot of people believe that. To be honest, I really hope that is the case, but how is that possible? What we earn in Singapore is definitely not comparable to other places because their film industry is much bigger... But in Singapore, our box office market is just this small, so we can only roughly gauge the people that we can attract."
'When I want some money, you have to give it to me'
Beside every successful man is a strong woman. So who manages the trio's respective finances? Their wives.
Jack said: "If they want to borrow money from me, they have to ask my wife, not me."
He shared that he can still purchase items that he wants, such as cameras, computers and other electronics, provided that he clarifies it with his wife Irene Kng.
"She would ask, 'Do you really have to buy it?'" he added with a chuckle.
As for Mark, he shared that although he doesn't have a joint account with his wife Catherine Ng, he is always willing to give her his phone to check and authorise transactions.
However, he has one criterion.
"When I want some money, you have to give it to me," he said, adding that he would reward himself with a purchase every month.
He said: "Every month I will buy something for myself, from $10, $20 to $10,000, $20,000. Maybe I'll buy a $10 face wash, it still makes me feel good. Maybe someone will tell me, 'Your Rolex is here, do you want to pick it up?' Then I'll go and pay for it.
"I can give her my phone and if she needs money, I can transfer to her, for travel, tuition fees or whatever, as long as I get to buy when I want to. The most important thing for me is as long as we're alive, we should enjoy life."
Likewise, Henry also shared that he would give his phone to his wife so that she can purchase whatever she wants online, adding that he spent about $1,000 per month on online purchases.
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'Didn't you say you must buy it?'
Despite that, all of them appreciate their wives for it.
"Honestly speaking, it's good to have someone who looks after your finances. Otherwise, we will spend with no limit," Mark said.
Jack agreed, adding: "Sometimes we purchase stuff and end up not using them. You can ask Henry, he left it all in his storeroom. There have been times where I was very excited to buy something and ended up not using it. My wife would show me the item and say, 'Didn't you say you must buy it?'"
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It has been 25 years since the first Money No Enough movie was released and 15 years since the second, and Jack, Mark and Henry are returning for the third movie. They play Ah Qiang, Ah Huang and Ah Hui respectively, who are young seniors with their own family and financial problems.
Ah Huang borrows money from his friends to operate an illegal business to pay his debts, but refuses to repay them once his business prospers. When one of his businesses eventually collapses, it affects not just his family but also Ah Hui's and Ah Qiang's loved ones, which makes them reflect on whether money is really the solution to everything.
Money No Enough 3 also stars veteran local actress Xiang Yun as Ah Hui's wife, comedian-actress Patricia Mok as Ah Hui's younger sister and ex-television drama actress Tang Miaoling as Ah Qiang's wife. The movie will be released during Chinese New Year next year.
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