Chinese Actor Zhao Kechun, who gained fame by starring in the short drama “What a Good Girl,” which broke 2 billion views online, recently revealed on the variety show “Beyond Class 3” that after quoting a daily fee of 20,000 yuan (RMB), no production team approached him for work. He jokingly blamed himself for being too candid, causing a stir in the industry.
Known as the “top star” of short dramas, Zhao Kechun confessed during the live broadcast that although he mentioned his daily rate for appearing in the show was 20,000 yuan, he had never actually received such an offer. His acclaimed work “What a Good Girl” was a major success in the short drama industry, taking 14 days to film, and he ultimately received a fee of 500,000 yuan. He explained that this fee was a package deal for the entire project, not settled on a per-day basis, and his actual income was not as optimistic as it appeared to the public.
Zhao Kechun further revealed that his demand for a 20,000 yuan daily fee scared off potential collaborations, leading to a significant decrease in offers, even putting him in a situation of having “no work.” He humorously admitted that his own words had caused this predicament, eliciting laughter from the audience.
As a leading star in short dramas, Zhao Kechun expressed that the intensity of working on short dramas far exceeds that of traditional film and television. He shared that he once shot 62 scenes in a day, including 20 crying scenes, and the high-intensity “finish a drama in three days” schedule, while bringing in viewership and commercial value, also greatly impacted his health.
According to industry insiders quoted by Sohu Net, the daily salary for top actors in vertical screen short dramas generally ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 yuan. Zhao Kechun’s quoted 20,000 yuan fee falls within the industry standard range, but actual earnings often shrink due to various factors. The article cited an unnamed example of a top actor who agreed to a daily wage of 20,000 yuan but due to overtime shooting for 4 hours daily, only received 28,000 yuan as actual earnings. Coupled with the team’s operating costs, the real income falls far below expectations, showing the disparity between the “high” and “low” actual earnings for top actors.
The article also mentioned that supporting actors face even more challenging survival conditions, with daily rates typically ranging from 1,500 to 5,000 yuan, and some projects even adopting a “zero salary profit-sharing” cooperation model. For instance, if a supporting actor participates in a short drama with a cost of 200,000 yuan, the final share may be less than 10,000 yuan.
Recently, Zhao Kechun has been attempting to venture into the long drama market, but veteran actress Hao Lei criticized his crying scenes as overly technical with a lack of emotional depth. Moreover, due to fierce competition in the short drama market, popular actors may struggle due to market saturation or aesthetic fatigue, facing challenges at every turn.
Zhao Kechun’s salary sparked discussions among netizens, with some expressing disbelief as they don’t even earn 20,000 yuan a month. Others praised his honesty and suggested that he could adjust his pricing strategy to satisfy producers and potentially return to the peak of short dramas.