I recently saw actor Kamimura Kenshin’s announcement from earlier this year that he is returning to the entertainment industry, and it made me stop and think. I have been pondering the issue of actors who commit wrongdoings, and whether it does—or should—affect someone’s decision to watch their dramas.
When thinking about problematic actors, Kamimura Kenshin and Zhang Zhehan (of Word of Honor) are two actors that come to my mind. Kamimura Kenshin committed the far more grievous act—in 2025 he was convicted of indecent assault against an interpreter at an event in Hong Kong and was forced to pay a fine of 15,000 Hong Kong dollars (roughly 1,700 euros). Zhang Zhehan’s crime was much more moral than criminal— in 2021, photographs were leaked of his prior visit to the polemic Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda, Japan, at which several Japanese war criminals are enshrined. As large parts of China suffered under the occupation of Japan during the second Sino-Japanese war/WW2, it is a controversial site, and Zhang Zhehan he had brand endorsements pulled, projects cancelled, and was blacklisted from the Chinese entertainment industry.
Some people refuse on principle to watch series with problematic actors out of the fear of supporting their careers, while others argue that art should be separated from the artist. While non-Chinese viewers of Zhang Zhehan’s series may feel unbothered by his actions, and feel unaffected while watching his series, some may draw the line at watching a series with a convicted criminal like Kamimura Kenshin.
So, by watching a drama, are you supporting the actors?
The short answer is no. Actors get paid per episode of a series that they feature in—pay that is unaffected by views or fan engagement. It’s a fixed amount that is decided based on the actor’s popularity and experience, not by how many people watch the series. So no, just by watching episodes of a series, you aren’t directly supporting the actors monetarily.
However, the lines become more blurred when it comes to social media. The more attention a series receives, the more it will trend on social media, the more popular the actors will become, and the more brand endorsements those actors will receive. Although actors obviously receive money from acting in series, the real big money often comes from endorsement contracts, being brand ambassadors for companies. (For more detail about this read my article here about Thai actors and brand endorsements.)
So, no, the actors in a series you watch will not directly receive money from your viewership. However, if you interact with content featuring those actors, helping them trend, and raising their popularity, you may well have some influence in how popular, and how well paid these actors become.
So, is this even an issue? Is it a problem to support the works of problematic actors? Especially if their actions are morally wrong, rather than actual crimes?
There is no right answer to this question, it really depends on your own point of view.
Personally, I struggle to separate the art from the artist. When I see actors like Joss Wayar, or Justin Moir, who have both been fairly problematic in their own way, I struggle to look past their face and see the character they are portraying, because of my poor opinion of them. However, I don’t fault anyone who does decide to watch dramas that feature problematic actors. If can do so, without mindlessly defending their actions and without feeding into the social media popularity that gives these actors brand endorsements and support, I have no problem with that.
I think it is important to think about it in this way: if you knew this actor personally, are they the kind of person you would want to be supporting, and wishing them success? That will perhaps help you consider this topic more carefully, and form an opinion.
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