KUALA LUMPUR: Having bravely aired his dissatisfaction over pay squeeze, renowned actor Jalil Hamid had to endure the backlash when he found himself out of job for seven months.
The 62-year-old artiste had, in October last year, made his frustration known with a posting on Instagram detailing how insulted he felt when offered the leading actor role at only RM1,500.
Jalil who still maintains his stand that productions should stop insulting veteran and experienced actors by offering pittance payment, said: “This issue has been brought up time and time again, but till today, nothing much has changed.”
“I wasn’t the first one to raise the matter, but the production companies will always say that payment rates go by popularity, so those who are in the same boat as I am should accept that reality,” he said in a news report yesterday.
Jalil said that among the reasons given by producers was that payment from TV stations remained unchanged since 1986.
“The producers said since they are also at a disadvantage with low profit margin, some things needed to be cut too,” he added.
However, Jalil feels fortunate that his “unemployment” period only lasted seven months.
He is currently filming a 24-episode TV drama Rindu Yang Terlarang, alongside a young cast comprising Fikry Ibrahim dan Zahirah MacWilson.
In his four-decade long career, Jalil has amassed eight awards including Best Actor at Anugerah Skrin 1995 and Popular Male Comedian at Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian in 1992.