Local veteran actor Chen Shucheng, who is turning 70 this month, received an early birthday present from Mediacorp.

Chen, 69, told the Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao in an interview that his contract was recently renewed for another two years by Mediacorp, and he was "very satisfied and grateful" with his contract terms.

Pay increment of 100 per cent

When asked about his pay increment, Chen straightforwardly answered "100 per cent".

However, he clarified that it was a doubling of the increment rate, not the entire salary.

"The pay raise in the new contract was doubled, not the entire salary. For example, if the last pay raise was S$100, then it's an increase of S$200 this time," he explained.

The Mediacorp veteran bagged two awards at the Star Awards Ceremony 2019 in April, winning the Best Supporting Actor title and Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes at the annual awards show.

No plans to retire yet

Chen's wife, Huang Peiru, was apparently quite happy about his contract renewal, according to him.

"She congratulated me," he said while chuckling.

The actor explained that his wife, who was a former actress, hoped that he will continue working as an actor, so that he wouldn't be idle at home.

He also joked that his wife preferred him to continue working, so that she could go on holiday with her friends.

On the other hand, his daughter has been hoping for him to retire, often asking him about his retirement plans.

When asked by Zaobao about his retirement plans, the actor said that he had no plans to retire anytime soon.

"I love acting too much, so I haven't really considered retirement yet," Chen replied.

Self-professed workaholic

Chen called himself a workaholic, and confessed during the interview that he disliked exercising.

Due to old injuries from a horseback riding accident in the past, his doctor had ordered him not to exert himself.

As such, being able to walk around while acting for shoots became his main form of exercise, Chen explained.

"Acting also gives me lots of opportunities to work my brain, and that keeps me alert.

The older generation shouldn't think that they've become redundant because of their age. There is always a way to contribute to society within one's capabilities," the veteran actor added, as a word of encouragement.

Top image via @xabrynakek/Twitter