Actress Bea Hayden on life after marrying tycoon’s son: fewer acting jobs, financial support from mother-in-law

According to Ettodaythe 41-year-old drew attention when she appeared at a beauty brand promotional event in Taipei on Dec. 10, marking one of her rare public appearances since marrying Hong Kong actor Jacky Heung in 2019. Heung is the son of entertainment tycoon Charles Heung and film producer Tiffany Chen.

Bea said she now spends most of her time in Taiwan, where she feels most comfortable in familiar surroundings caring for her children and pets. Asked about her husband’s frequent absences due to work commitments, she said she is not troubled by the long-distance nature of their marriage, adding that her main concern is whether he regularly video-calls their children. If he contacts them too infrequently, she said, she reminds him.

The actress said she lives apart from her in-laws, who are based in Hong Kong, noting that she had made it clear before marriage that she preferred to live in Taipei. She added that her parents-in-law respected her decision.

Bea confirmed for the first time that her mother-in-law “sends a great deal of money” to support her household. The comment echoed a previously shared social media video in which Chen said Bea has taken in hundreds of abandoned animals. To support her daughter-in-law’s efforts, Chen purchased land and allowed Bea to work with an architect to design facilities for the animals. She has also gifted Bea several properties near the home of Bea’s parents.

“Not making things difficult for your daughter-in-law is the same as not making things difficult for your son,” Chen said in the video. “A mother-in-law should not interfere too much in her children’s family affairs, and it is best not to live together.”

At the Taipei event, Bea also denied rumors that she had been pressured by her mother-in-law to have children, saying that having two children was primarily her own wish. Her children, now five and three years old, attend an international school.

Bea said she grew up in an ordinary family, recalling that her parents once made a living by selling soy milk. She added that she had known Chen’s name since childhood because of Chen’s prominence in the entertainment industry, and had long viewed her as an elegant and affluent producer. Bea said she is pleased by online comments suggesting she increasingly resembles her mother-in-law.

Bea, 41, is best known for her role in the “Tiny Times” film series. She married Jacky, also 41, in 2019.

Her father-in-law Charles Heung, 77, founded Win’s Entertainment in the 1980s and later established China Star Entertainment, a leading Hong Kong-listed production company credited with helping launch the careers of film icons such as Jet Li, Chow Yun Fat, Stephen Chow, Andy Lau and Johnnie To, according to Variety.

In 2022, the South China Morning Post estimated Charles’ net worth at US$1.2 billion.