HONG KONG • Actor Nicholas Tse is not mincing his words when it comes to the state of Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

While promoting his latest action movie Raging Fire last week, the 40-year-old, who has been in show business since he was 16, said it was the same few directors and actors who were making movies.

"This is not a healthy cycle, this is a phenomenon of living off past gains," said Tse, whose father is iconic actor Patrick Tse, 84.

He also pointed out that he had seen recent publicity posters which featured the "same old faces" such as veteran singers Alan Tam, 70, and Eason Chan, 47, as well as his own.

Asked about the lack of fresh talent, he said: "Wow, I will probably be whipped for saying this. The problem is we are unwilling to invest time and money."

"Other trainees can practise for eight or nine years before debuting," he said, alluding to how artistes in South Korea and China undergo rigorous training before making their debut.

Referring to Hong Kong, he added: "After nine months of training, we feel that someone is ready to make money. And that is the problem."

"We see trainees and singers from overseas who are able to sing so well, dance so well, fight so well. This is because they are not hoping to make money in the short term.

"They have invested so much time to train and so they can now emerge like soldiers, one by one, and go to war in show business."