Actor-singer Edison Chen Koon-hei will have to leave local show business for good, critics say, as the Hong Kong media has abandoned him because of the nude photo saga, and he is unlikely to make it big in Hollywood.
'This is a very difficult time for him, as a saga like this is so embarrassing,' said film critic Long Tin.
'Now he should work out what he'll be doing in the future. It probably won't be something that enables him to stay in showbiz.'
Long said Chen's career had gone pretty smoothly, showing tremendous improvement between Infernal Affairs II in 2003 and A-1 Headline in 2004. 'But after a crisis like this, he'd be better off staying away.'
Chinese University journalism professor Anthony Fung Ying-him said that even if the public wanted him back, 'with so many complaints raised over the scandal, media outlets would avoid him'.
Long said that even if Chen wanted to develop his acting career in Hollywood, the chance for him to succeed would be slim.
'If he made a film like Brokeback Mountain, which could win him some awards, he might stand a chance,' he said. 'But I doubt he is talented or good-looking enough.'