Zhao Lusi is the most famous female star of the post-1995 generation of beauties in the Chinese entertainment industry. But recently, the actress has become the focus of public opinion not because of an explosive work or her personal life, but because of her conflict with management company Galaxy Cool Entertainment.
What is unpredictable is that even a famous actress like Zhao Lusi does not have a voice in the company. After a long period of suffering from injustice, Zhao Lusi decided to speak up to expose the acts that were considered oppressing Galaxy Cool artists.
page 163 described Zhao Lusi as "not wanting to maintain the image of the domestic entertainment industry anymore".
This contract dispute once again raises inherently painful issues in the entertainment industry, such as the power of companies, the "big guys" in the industry; the complicated relationship between management companies and artists; or the pressures and pressures that artists face...
Artists have no voice, are oppressed
Zhao Lusi said that she signed a contract with Galaxy Cool at the age of 17, and in 2023, the actress had to extend her contract in an unfavorable situation.
When Zhao Lusi fell ill in December 2024 and temporarily stopped working, Galaxy Cool promised to "take responsibility". But in the end, the actress herself had to compensate for the damages to the canceled advertising contracts and the film project.
Galaxy Cool controlled Zhao Lusi by revoking her private workspace control, threatening her with a cation ban.
Earlier this year, Zhao Lusi shocked everyone when she revealed that she had suffered from depression since 2019, which was also the time when the actress had to temporarily go to another company to work because Galaxy Cool was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Zhao Lusi confirmed that she was beaten and humiliated by the company's leaders for being out of character, her former manager used many threatening tricks to demand a huge " parting fee".
When Zhao Lusi fell ill and had to use a wheelchair, Galaxy Cool did not take her to the hospital immediately, but locked her in a hotel, inviting her to perform an exorcism.
Zhao Lusi proposed to terminate the contract, but the company always tried to delay and not resolve it.
The power of management companies
According to 163, every artist entering the entertainment industry has a period of rookiehood, easily controlled and exploited by management companies, thereby becoming exploitation.
When they started their career, artists only cared about their dreams, but lacked a legal foundation, so they often signed unfair contracts.
When they became famous, the contract became a prison for them, and it was very difficult to negotiate changing the terms or terminate the contract.
It is reported that Truong Nghe Hung (a member of EXO) when he wanted to set up his own studio in China in 2015, had to accept a sharing ratio of 10:90 with SM Entertainment (SM kept 90% of revenue).
In 2021, before leaving Hoan Thuy The Ky, Duong Tu was forced to participate in the film "Tram Nhat Phai" produced by this company, to support other artists in the company.
Duong Mich's 2010 speech also caused a stir again. The 24-year-old girl at that time declared: "If you have courage, kill me. If you can't kill me, just wait and see how strong I get."
At that time, because she refused to sign a contract with the owner of the film production company "Tien Thuong Thuong Thuong Nam 3", Duong Mich's development path was blocked, causing difficulties for a long time.
Many famous artists, despite going through injustice, still choose to endure until the contract expires to avoid trouble.
Therefore, Zhao Lusi's fight with the company was a risky move. Industry insiders estimate that the actress will have to compensate 400 million yuan if she wants to terminate the contract 5 years in advance.
