Film Producer Tiffany Chen Calls “Spoiled” Younger Son “Her Pain”

Fans of Hong Kong showbiz will probably be familiar with film producers Tiffany Chen and Charles Heung’s son Jacky Heung, 41, who followed in his parents’ footsteps to become an actor.

But did you know the couple also have a younger son, Jonathan, 38?

Unlike Jacky, Jonathan is not in showbiz. Tiffany, 65, also rarely mentions him on social media.

That silence, she revealed recently in a Douyin video, stems from deep heartache.

“He is my pain,” Tiffany admitted. “I only understood the meaning of the saying ‘a kind mother often raises a spoiled son’ when I was in my 50s. I really regret it.”

Jonathan has made headlines twice for brushes with the law.

In 2009, Jonathan got into a physical altercation with two men. All three were charged with fighting in a public place, though the case was later dropped by prosecutors.

Then in 2015, he was involved in a road rage incident, where he assaulted a taxi driver and reportedly shouted: “Do you know who my dad is?”

He was convicted of assault and sentenced to six months in prison.

Tiffany shared that Jonathan told his psychologist since childhood that his mum favoured his older brother.

But she insisted she treated both sons equally, even hiring Hong Kong’s best coaches to train them in every skill.

Jacky won swimming and tennis championships, while Jonathan just muddled through.

“He just wanted attention. I don’t know why. I don’t understand his mindset. You see, the two incidents he got into were both because he couldn’t control his temper,” she said.

When the brothers studied in the UK during their teens, Jonathan’s monthly phone bill was as high as HK$20,000 (S$3.3K), yet he never once called home.

In contrast, Jacky’s phone bill was HK$2,000 (S$330) and every call he made was to his mum.

Tiffany revealed that whenever Jonathan asked his family for money, he would speak very sweetly and agree to everything they said.  

“He would say: ‘Mum, I’ll definitely change,’ and agree to anything. But once he got the money, he immediately forgot,” she said.

“Actually, forgiving him is the same as indulging him. Every time he said some nice words, I’d just let it go and give him money again. In the end, I raised him into a lazy bum. Whenever he ran out of money, he’d just come home to ask for more.”

Over the years, Tiffany has supported Jonathan through various ventures, from funding a pet shop and a restaurant, to encouraging his early interest in art.

“It’s useless to keep paving the way for him,” Tiffany said. “If someone has no talent, they just have no talent. He always wanted to make it big on his own, but it never worked.”

She reflected that parents often believe doing everything for their children was an act of love — that even if they didn’t become what she envisioned, at least they won’t go astray.

“But reality is never like our expectations,” she said.

Looking back, Tiffany admitted she regrets being too indulgent and offered parenting advice drawn from her experience.

“Wealthy families shouldn’t give your children too much money. When your child graduates from university and wants to start a business, if they truly have the talent, just give them a startup fund. With that first sum, you’ll see if they really have what it takes,” she said.

 “For ordinary families, once your child graduates, your job as a parent is done — they should learn to be self-reliant.”

Tiffany said she hopes others won’t make the same mistake she did — spoiling their children.