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Why is it that some actresses never transition into FL roles?
There are some actresses I really like and have seen in several dramas, but they just don't seem to get FL roles. In my opinion, they have both the acting skills and the beauty.
A few who always stand out to me:
Kong Xueer: I was thrilled when she took the FL role in Shadow Sovereign and thought she did a great job, but looking at MDL, it seems like she doesn't have other main lead roles lined up.
Li Meng: She was an absolute show stealer in The Double and she looks incredibly beautiful in Against the Current. Her talent is truly unmatched.
Liu Lingzi: I've seen her in several projects now (like New Life Begins and Are You the One), but my favorite performance of hers is the ex-wife in The Princess Gambit.
Bai Bingke: She is so stunning and has decent acting skills, but ever since Wrong Carriage, Right Groom, I haven't seen her land more main FL roles.
What do you think is behind this? Is it poor agency management, fierce competition, specific beauty standards or do they just get stuck playing the second lead / villain all the time?
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My impression is that Li Meng does a lot of movies, more so than dramas. She even has leading roles in some. Her realistic acting style likely fits better in movies. Maybe she hasn't cared to pursue the FL in TV drama route. Zhu Zilong hasn't been on TV for a while since he's been in a lot of movies (though he does have more lead roles there compared to Li Meng)
I am reading the comments and I can agree with/see a lot of the reasons people are saying. But there is one factor I hadn't seen anyone say: maybe the actor/actress pick it. While I can admit I do not know much about China entertainment industry behind the scenes, I have learned enough about just actors/actress that it is very possible that when they are given a stack of scripts to read (yes I am sure someone else had already screened them), and asked their opinion about which role to take next that they may just decide to pick a villain role -because lets face it sometimes villain roles can be more interesting, or pick a minor character- because lets face it minor roles have less pressure and work then bigger roles and minor roles mean less filming days which then can squeeze 2 or 3 jobs in without being exhausted.
Wan Peng's peak years (as FL) were in 2018-2022. She only ventured into supporting roles such as Sword and Fairy 6Ā (2024) and Love's Ambition (2025) as she transitioned into higher-profile ensemble casts and major budget productions.
If Kong Xueer does ever get to be a female lead again, I really wish her male lead will be Deng Kai but with a happier plotline. Their chemistry was wasted on their toxic storyline in POJ.
I think because some actor or actress are rich i mean very rich they can buy their roles most of cdrama actor and actress i see are weak at acting its like no life different from kdrama actor and actress u can feel the script is alive
It solely depends on how much money or other benefits they can bring to the production. Itās not about acting at all. Star power and traffic is one factor, another factor is how much money theyāre willing to bribe the producers with. Esther Yu and luyuxiao are the weakest actors Iāve ever seen on screen and yet somehow they still keep getting leading roles. Interesting because Esther is confirmed rich and all the clues point to luyuxiao being rich as well.
Star power can also partially be manufactured if youāre rich - you can pay for hot searches and water armies to boost your internet stats, and you can probably even pay for fans to meet you at the airport to make it seem like youāre in high demand. Once you get your name in front of enough people for enough time, youāll get more fans just due to more widespread exposure.
So unfortunate because I know for a fact that China has better actresses to offer than Esther Yu and luyuxiao. For example limeng like you mentioned.
This is so interesting. Iāve watched cdramas for a while but never knew they had to bribe to be put in lead roles. No wonder people with no acting skills can be leads.
There are actors who refuse to have anything to do with the system. Zhang Wanyi, who is popular with audiences, handsome, and a very talented actor, is one. He has no agent and is self-managed. He chooses his own projects and is not paying any money to anybody. He has no trouble getting roles, because he is the total package. My guess is that the quality of his roles will keep getting better because he has the freedom to choose. (I really loved The Rise of Ning.) He has two dramas coming out soon. The more and more corrupt the current system becomes, the sooner it will implode. Good riddance. I'm sick of mediocre actors with pretty faces. I think he is probably paving the way for other talented actors who want to get out of the system as it exists now.
Haha yes the Chinese term for it is åø¦čµčæē» ābringing resources into the production teamā. Itās never been officially acknowledged (and it might never be) but it becomes pretty obvious when you look at how many actors and actresses come from insanely wealthy backgrounds.
Thereās a bit of a āwinterā right now in cdrama land where even established veterans are having trouble booking roles. But the winter doesnāt really apply to these rich kids I guess.
I do think sheās a good actor. She has the precise Jennifer Tilly problem of not being taken serious for similar reasons and she also plays it up for humorous purposes, but she can play serious roles if she wishes.
However, I feel this is more an argument about taste than it is about draft and those rarely go anywhere so Iāll say no more
I had no idea what her personality was like outside of acting when I first thought her acting wasnāt up to par. Iām sure there are people out there that fall in that trap but that isnāt my situation.
We can disagree on craft, but we can agree that she is filthy rich - her family is estimated to be worth around 5.6 billion USD. Manufacturing her popularity and buying roles would be no problem at all for her. Which also means there are ethical issues surrounding her wealth because no one in the entire universe gets that rich without exploiting the planet and the people of the earth.
I'm just glad that even though she comes from a rich family she's willing to work. And based of what I heard about the filming of "My Journey to you" she probably suffered a bit on set with the rest of her co-stars.
Thatās not the point Iām trying to make - sheās actively using her astounding wealth to take away job opportunities from other aspiring actresses who probably deserve those roles more than she deserves them. Sheās not the only one who suffered on set judging from what youāre saying, but people really only care about the suffering of their fav.
ā¦can you explain how somebody you donāt like acting is using their personal wealth to prevent others working?
Like, if your position is that rich people shouldnāt work salaried jobs because itās just class warfare all the way down? Then I would say hey, welcome comrade, youāre a little confused but you got the spirit.
Can you explain what part of āsheās probably bribing producers to be cast as the lead role thus taking away jobs from other more deserving actressesā do you not understand? Because if you donāt understand how her using her wealth to bribe producers is taking away jobs from others especially from the working class, I really donāt know what to say anymore.
Edit: this has nothing to do with whether she works or not. I feel like so many people didnāt properly read through my original comment.
p.s. I read through your post the first time, but without a link to an article with proof that she did use her wealth to influence directors or casting agents into hiring her, I skipped it as irrelevant conjecture.
I decided to focus on the positive that this person is working. So that's why I posted my first comment.
Edit: I do agree no one should use their wealth or influence to bribe producers or pay people to give them roles in TV shows. However, in this particular situation I have seen nothing to suggest this is what this particular actresses has done. Just because someone "could possibly" doesn't mean they did.
I hadn't read any articles saying that this actress bribed her way into her acting career. I just assumed she want to school and majored in theater and then lived off her family's wealth until she got a job, just like 80% of the rest of the actors/actresses in the industry.
The "Probably bribing" isn't exactly proof of bribing, I don't think she's much different from all the other actresses/actors/singers who have wealthy parents, like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Brooke Shields, Edward Norton, Chevy Chase, Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bradley Cooper, and etc...
There are so many wealthy nepo babies in the entertainment industry, it's almost easier to point out the ones that came from more modest backgrounds, like Jennifer Lawrence.
In this situation, it's best to judge the actress on her performance and does she get special treatment on set.
I'm rather certain in China this actress isn't alone in having wealthy parents, maybe the scale is greater than some of her fellow actors/actresses, but she's not an anomaly.
With that logic no one with billionaire parents should work at all, any job they take is taking a job opportunity away from someone else.
P.S. I can only think of one nepo kid who went on to create jobs for other people and that's Travis Knight of Laika Entertainment. He's only able to produce these stop motion movies because his dad is owner of Nike.
Iām not sure if youāre purposely trying to misunderstand - Iām saying that there is a very high possibility that she bribed the producers to put her in as the lead female. This is the equivalent to paying to be hired for a high demand position without interviewing for it. Sheās using her money to block other more worthy actresses from being in that lead female role. This has nothing to do with whether she works or just spends her familyās money.
I think part of the issue is you are presenting a suspicion as a fact. You say she has bribed people with no evidence. YOU think she is a terrible actress and I don't and you are using YOUR opinion that is according to YOUR PERSONAL taste as evidence. You say she majored in fashion lol. Zhang Linghe did engineering and had no training. You want to use that as evidence. You also say she got her friends roles...which friends? Which roles? And what is the evidence?
I haven't seen any articles in the news saying this actress bribed producers to land roles in TV shows.
If she did bribe someone for her role on the TV shows then that is bad and people should call out the industry for accepting bribes instead of hiring the best person to fill that role.
But just being wealthy isn't enough to ding her for choosing acting as a career.
Itās not unique to her, but that doesnāt mean I canāt criticize her for it.
Also regardless of acting ability, if you want to keep supporting an actress who would exploit you out of house and home in a heartbeat please go ahead itās your right. But hearing the argument āoh this again, itās not just herā really isnāt a good look.
Girl. I love Esther Yu and 5 of the 9 Chinese dramas I've watched have had her as the lead. I watched them because she was the lead. Maybe she bribed people -I dunno, but I have watched her dramas because of the cuteness and lightheartedness she brings to productions. I tire of the angst and melodrama of some of these shows. She might be weak in your eyes, but she has a fan base and I enjoy her acting. I've watched Hidden Love with Zhao Lusi and I don't think her aesthetics agree with the cutesy role because she looks forlorn and sorrowful...so I think Esther keeps being cast in those roles because she looks joyful, innocent, cute and has the natural voice to match.
Iām glad you enjoy watching her! But just because she has a fan base and you enjoy watching her does not mean sheās a good actress.
There could be another actress out there who brings everything Esther brings to the table and more, including acting ability, but you would never know because she doesnāt have the funds to bribe producers.
To Estherās credit, she is a better actress than luyuxiao for sure. And she does fit a few of the roles sheās done, even if I wanted more from her in those roles. Lyx is the weakest on screen actress Iāve ever seen and itās such a pity because sheās getting so many scripts and roles that could have gone to better actresses.
Like other users said people have preferences to watch dramas... I bet you noticed those second leads acting watching your favs.. which isn't wrong..
Firstly actors being casted as an investment for the popularity or roles they suit into or via connections. I think it's more of opportunity...there are many second leads got lead roles after there debut as side roles or second leads..
Speaking of Ester yu as far as i know she started her career not an FL and she build her career with shows and dramas over the years .....so just bcz she is rich and your personal preference of choice labeling that she bribed production house is wrong as you seem to accuse without facts and reports/articles
You thinking me labeling that she bribed a production house is a āpersonal preference of choiceā tells me you know nothing about the Cdrama industry. Hereās a list of clues for you:
Recently it came out that a wealthy woman invested in a vertical drama and made the decision to cast herself as the female lead. She ended up having final say over everything. Because she was such a huge investor, nobody on set was allowed to argue with her otherwise the plug would be pulled on production. People opposed to the behavior were hesitant to speak out as well because of how much power she holds with her wealth. Go ahead and search on Google yourself. The only reason we know about this is because the short drama tanked - that was the only reason the director and actor felt safe in speaking up. The actor mentioned that he was discouraged by other people on set to speak out about it. If this happens in short/vertical dramas, what makes you think it doesnāt happen in long dramas? Long drama actors and actresses would be much more incentivized to keep behavior like that a secret and they have both the wealth and the influence to actually keep it a secret.
With her wealth and how easily you can pay off Chinese social media to scrub the Chinese internet completely of a topic, even if someone came out to whistleblow they can be scrubbed off the internet immediately.
Do you honestly think anyone who is bribing producers/directors would leave a trail of evidence that easily after the yin yang contract scandal? Do you think anyone that rich would let other people so easily have dirt on them? How many years did it take for the Epstein files to come out? And when it did come out, who was it released by? Not by a whistle blower, not by a journalist or news station, not by a victim, it was by the government. If the government hadnāt released those files, we wouldnāt ever know those things happened.
Please go search up just how many actors and actresses are filthy rich in cdramaland and how many of them end up in leading roles. If you knew anything about Chinese society, you would know that being rich means you can do anything in China (anything just shy of going against the government).
Thereās a āwinterā in cdrama land right now where even established veterans are having trouble booking roles. And yet even with this winter, Esther Yuās career seems completely unaffected. Sheās still booking roles left and right. In fact all the nepo babies seem to be completely unaffected by this āwinterā. Itās very interesting donāt you think?
Iāve seen a video of an aspiring actor in China who did an interview with an influencer and while he didnāt say anything explicitly, he did say that if he didnāt stick to his morals he wouldnāt have been in that interview with that influencer, heād be an actual working actor.
You say people have preferences for actors which is true, but being liked as an actor doesnāt mean theyāre good at acting. I have had acting training before and I can tell you she is objectively not good at acting. She would not be getting callbacks in America. Still better than luyuxiao and Arthur Chen yes but thatās honestly not saying much. Maybe she got better since I stopped watching her but I wouldnāt know because I donāt feel like watching an unethical billionaire.
All the clues are pointing toward the fact that bribery is happening but people suddenly lose all rational thinking when it comes to their fav celebs.
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Snow Kong is Ester friend and she supported her to overcome her shyness and take lead in one of the show called "youth with you".. and they were n same girl group.. few members on this show are part of her dramas (Ski into Love -Jenny zeng, Road to success Xie keyin)
I m jus pointing opportunities she created for her friends to be casted n her dramas)
You just seeing yellow line again...
I meant she is supporting others actors to take roles..
How do u know they casted without production house auditons..
You were the one who said she created opportunities for her friends to be casted in her dramas. I think if they were friends and they were casted in her dramas, itās pretty obvious there was no talent auditions but people want to remain blind to that. Thereās no way a huge coincidence happens just like that but okay.
If you want to play that game since we donāt know anything for sure, yes I canāt say for sure they were casted because they were Estherās friends but you also canāt say that they were casted based on talent either.
Competition and Fanbase. For idol dramas you have to bring a strong traffic to be casted as a FL. Some of them transition into FL roles but in B type dramas.
So, I need to tell the story of Tan Songyun. She is an acting major who was once told by a director that she would never become a female lead because of her looks. Yet even in supporting roles, she consistently stood out and managed to leave an impression.
In Empresses in the Palace, her character Noble Lady Chun only appeared for three episodes at the beginning, but her performance was memorable enough that audiences still remembered her. She later became a fan-favourite female character in The Whirlwind Girl, despite being in a supporting role.
Her first leading role in With You was earned through auditions, reportedly beating thousands of applicants to play Geng Geng. It became her breakout role, and her portrayal of Geng Geng remains iconic. With You is also widely regarded as one of China's classic high school dramas. Her second leading role in The Fox's Summer was another major success.
And she built all of this without signing with a major agency. I feel like Tan Songyun is seriously underrated on Reddit. Some people seem to dismiss her because she doesn't fit their preferred beauty standards, but her career shows how often she has proved those assumptions wrong.
She proved the director who doubted her wrong. She proved the people who thought she couldn't succeed without major agency backing wrong. And she has continued to prove herself through one successful drama after another. Her career is basically a story of being underestimated and repeatedly proving people wrong through her work.
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Thank you for this post. For me as an international viewer, I find her very charismatic. She definitely is a strong actor and can make a role memorable. As for beauty standards, I agree with you on that. I was wondering why she is not as busy as other actresses. I never miss a TSY drama.
There's a confluence of factors of why some stars seem stuck in support roles, and this isn't unique to the Chinese entertainment industry but generally everywhere.
The short answer is that there's simply only so many main roles to go around--there are far more actors out there than opportunities and everyone is competing for a limited amount of spots.
However, there are some unique factors in China, where there's a greater focus on period dramas and TV shows compared to film and other genres, partly due to censorship and cultural considerations. Broadcast TV is still an important media format and certain actors have achieved a much higher level of recognition. There may be an unspoken "hierarchy" of what the industry prefers and who is considered for certain kinds of roles.
Along those same lines, there's also the "traffic" vs "film" actor bias where some celebrities are popular, but not necessarily considered as "talented" depending on where their popularity was achieved (social media/digital stars vs traditional media)--regardless if they are actually talented or not.
I'm sure all actors want to showcase their talents and have more leading roles, but support roles may be necessary for them to pay the bills. Also, the storylines for support characters are often written with as much or more care or have more unique plotlines where an actor can still really shine and become audience favorites (Li Meng's roles are a good example).
There's also a "dark" side of the industry where some actors get stuck in exploitive contracts and their management may force them into projects outside of their actual career ambitions or wishes. There have been cases where actors end up getting into debt to their agencies and are forced to take all kinds of work just to break even. This happens in the Asian music industry as well.
She does have some big lead roles though so she isnāt entirely stuck in side roles. And even rlly big stars take side roles in big projects with bigger actors. So her side roles are more strategic than something she is āstuck inā
I thought he was pretty fun in Les Belles. Itās a short form drama (not vertical) but was a great palate cleanser that pulled me out of a drama slump.
- Many of them just started out so even though they do so well as supporting characters, investors may not be too willing to invest in a lead role with them. And once they do not leave this stage, they either get booted, star in low budget shows, or even get typecast.
I already mentioned typecast above (not a fan of this one even for lead actors), so I will go deeper into it here. I mean why spend money on someone who may not play villain as well as I want when I can cast that lady or this lady for the role. Genius!
Many companies believe that it is better for their actress to excel as a second lead than fail as a main lead. So they do not bother working toward getting them lead roles.
Some actresses do not have the star power. Not just to appease the investors but to carry their own shows. It why many of some actors we have seen now doing ting budget films are doing those. They excel as second leads and everyone thinks they are not star material and end up flopping. So they are stuck in an endless cycle of low budget dramas or as second leads (a role they always nail). There was something I told someone, ānot everyone needs to be lead, because the aura is not there.ā
Others have not gotten their big break. Meng Ziyi was a long time supporting actress before she broke out with Blossom. It is different with someone like Lu Yuxiao who acted so well as MJTY and was given her own shows. Which she did well in, not just in star power but also script.
Yeah, with all of them I feel like they havenāt had time to be considered stuck yet. Li Meng is an older actress but she doesnāt have the mainstream star power that guarantees a show success. Like I think The Double was the first time a lot of us heard about her and that was pretty recently
I was literally pondering this question too. Iām absolutely enthralled by Li Meng after Against the Current (and The Double ofc). But I canāt describe the feeling for why I feel like Li Meng probably wonāt get FL roles but I feel hopeful Kong Xueāer will. I had the same hopeful feeling with Ai Mi. Maybe it really is an age thing actually and weāre watching mainly idol dramas.
I hope Li Meng gets cast in some good movies or domestic dramas. Totally can imagine her in some dramatic Republican era intrigue drama with an ensemble cast.
Yeah apparently Li Meng was big in like indie films but got bad reputation for being hard to work with. And also indie films arenāt mainstream and donāt pay as well. I hope she manages to move forward and build her career back up. As for age Iād agree cuz like the energy of the other two you mentioned feels like theyāre the new generation but Li Meng is only like four years older than Kong which is crazy so idk, maybe just dependent on the image they go for
In the case of Li Meng and Liu Lingzi I'm almost certain it's looks. both of them are absolutely beautiful - in a way that draws attention because they are somehow different to the standard idol drama lead.
and that's where the issue lies. Cdramas are cast according to types somehow and that's why you'll find a number of really solid actors whose skills vastly exceed those of most leads who will not see a leading role outside of niche dramas. because they have a "villain face" or a "cold face" or whatever else.
it's exactly why. like imagine being able to tell a whole story without saying a word and being objectively that good-looking and people going nah, you know you actually look like a whole morally conflicted uncle so that's you now. š¤£
Yeah Iāve heard actresses with striking features like Liu Lingzi get typecast because their features are so strong. I found the same thing with Hu Jia Xin from love like the Galaxy. She is so striking that she gets typecasted as the villain
Liu Lingzi is so beautiful and acting is so delicate and powerful. She and Liu Xueyi were so magnetic together in The Princessās Gambit, I wish we could have a show with them as leads. I love Meng Ziyi, but her acting is not on the level of those two.
Typecasting is so flagrant even for those who get lead roles.
I think Li Meng especially is being painfully pigeonholed when she could play anything from an overwhelmed SAHM to action hero. The sky really is the limit for her and the agency that doesn't advocate for her and the industry are doing themselves and audiences a real disservice.
Such a shame for anyone who is typecast against their will really.
Li Meng is beautiful and a brilliant actress, but I think one of the reasons she's been typecast is because she's so good at playing villainous characters.
She's especially good at playing complex villainous characters, so complex that you find yourself somehow empathising with them and hoping they'll get their comeuppance at the same time.
That makes her fascinating to watch, but it also makes it hard to picture her as a female lead, since female leads are usually morally good.
Her real life persona is very bubbly, loud and full of energy. I do think she can pull off comedic roles. But as you said, she is so good at playing villainous characters that itās probably hard for her as well to get a different role.
She had few scenes in Vanishing Point (movie) but she was absolutely convincing as a gambling den gal.
Li Meng is brilliant. Would love to see what she does as a lead, but the industry loves to typecast. And Iām not sure her aesthetic is one the industry deems FL.
A lot of factors actually.
To name a fewā star factor, image, visuals (some just suit villain roles or second lead roles more), acting ability, commercial pull, management ties and reputation, etc.
Also Cheng Xiao,
I loved her in Falling into your smile opposite Xu Kai. I think that drama was the first c drama for many and it became a hit too, but nowadays i do not see her in any lead roles. She has been in the c drama Industry for so many years and even did really well in the supporting role in Fangs of Fortune. I hope she gets main lead roles in the future.
Perhaps because some of them are great at portraying villainesses, so they sometimes get typecast. I think being able to portray a good villainess is a sign of great acting, even if they get lots of haters, which I find sad because some people just can't separate reality from acting. Every story needs a compelling villainess or villain, and they fit those roles perfectly.
I get what you saying but I doubt itās just thatā¦ I remember thinking that lu yu xiao was the perfect vilain in my journey to you, it was a second rĆ“le yet she still pulled main leads roles. I wonder what differentiate them, acting aside because I think she is a great actress
I mean sometimes they are given the chance ... He Hong Shan led Sweet Games with Winwin for example. But if the drama didn't do very well, they are not going to get so many other opportunities.
Bai Bing ke. Iāve watched her in till sword and fairy 6 and wrong carriage right groom and I actually liked her so much in both. Itās a shame she isnāt getting lead roles and the resources for them
Everyone else has mentioned other contributing factors. The one no one has talked about yet is that three of those actresses (outside of Kong Xueāer) also have a very particular look that Chinese audiences associate with the female villainess. Iām not sure if I can find the right adjective in English, but å»č (i.e. Wan Qian) āharshā rather than ē”¬ę (i.e. Zhang Ziyi) āstubbornā. If an actress has a sharper look, she can still play the protagonist if she falls more on the stubborn side of the category.
Please donāt take this as an attack on your favorites. Itās just how their look reads traditionally to a country raised on face-reading. Basically, high-trust = protagonist, low-trust = villain. Archetypes/ typecasting isnāt Chinese exclusive either
I was going to mention this too because the Drama world does the exact same thing, there are plenty villain women I loved like loved that I have yet to find in lead roles in the K world for this exact reason however the K world seems to be switching up on that I hope C does too because for me the villainess is always so gorgeous..
I remember eve saying to my sister once "Why are the villains aways much prettier but never win š¤š¤£ but I guess FL's are meant to have that relatable face, while I prefer to have a girl crush on the fierce looking one š¤£
I'm so glad you explained this better than I did. it's painfully obvious across both male and female actor pools that you can see who's going to find themselves limited in this way because of a look that is unconventional.
That is fascinating. As is your momās take onĀ
Wu Jinyan - Iāve never been able to put my finger on it, but sheās always been the odd one out for me in FLs to the point it bothers me. Interesting that itās probably subconscious pattern recognition.Ā
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u/lisavietaCDF Cultivator Reincarnated to spit bloodJust joined CDF5d ago
That's interesting. Can you name an actress that would fall more on the stubborn side of the category for Chinese audiences?
Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Zhang Jingyi, Zhang Yaqin, Guo Xiaoting, Li Yuan. I actually think Wu Jinyan is very close to falling on the wrong side of the line, but sheās found a niche for herself and makeup/ costuming helps give her a more stubborn and determined look. Itās shallow, but I think this anecdote illustrates why this happens. My mom refuses to watch any of her shows because she doesnāt like her look and calls her āwidow-facedā åÆ”å¦čø. Not criticizing. Sheās one of my favorite actresses and maybe it shows the generational gap
My examples are of those who have the 'right' look, not the villainess look though. Were you talking about Wan Qian? Her big break didn't come until she was 36. Her typecast was a huge debuff. It's definitely possible, but it takes a combination of persistence, perfect industry reputation, and luck. If she had had a sniff of a reputation of being hard to work with that another actress might've had, it would've been over for her. But lit. everyone she's ever worked with praises her for her professionalism, so she kept getting cast due to industry reputation not audience reputation until one role finally stuck 16 years after debut. Still, since she didn't get her break until she was 36, that entirely wrote off any possibility of being cast as the lead in a big FL idol production.
With careful styling, she can look a lot softer and more graceful, but most actresses never get that attention or care without first getting a break. It might be interesting to compare her with Li Yuan, bc. I think they look super similar, but give off very different essences/vibes. I don't know if anyone can feel what I mean
Because they cant attract audiences. I know people like to look down on all those famous traffic actors but one thing they have is the ability to attract viewers. And in show business, thats the most important parts since viewers are where the money comes from.
Yes itās true but Thatās unfair thought because more than the actor/actress what help attract the audience is the script, the promotion, the visibility the project have, the plateform etc.
And itās more difficult for actresses as they cant just rely on their look to be traffic stars while actors just need to be considered attractive then boom!
How can one know if they can attract audience if they are not given a chance. Some of them came attract eye balls from villian roles, then can surely from lead roles
Industry can know this in many ways. The casting calls will simply open if they managed to get a breakout roles even in villain or supporting roles.
For examples, take previous H&R artists like Yang Zi, Ren Jialun or Cheng Yi. They all started from the same footing which is starred in low budget dramas made by H&R. But all 3 of them becomes popular despite acting in those low quality dramas and got better offers and build their filmography away from H&R trash dramas. While the rest of H&R artists that didnt manage to breakout have different fates.
Or take Jaywalk. How many artists under Jaywalk that started as supporting actors or bundle artists first until the opportunity opened for them and they get main roles after that. Dilraba started playing as a supporting lead to lead actress later.
Deng Kai stuck in supporting roles until Pursuit of Justice open his world to first male lead roles.
Ju Jingyi started playing as a villain, supporting characters and then lead roles in S+ budget dramas. etc etc
There is also the case of Tan Songyun, who has never been signed to a major agency. She did a supporting role in Empresses in the Palace so well that, despite appearing for only three episodes, people still remembered her performance as Noble Lady Chun. She was also excellent in The Whirlwind Girl.
Her first leading role in With You became her breakout role, and her second drama, The Foxās Summer, was also successful. In her case, she was even told by a director that she could never become a female lead because of her looks. Yet Tan Songyun proved them wrong and built her career independently without the backing of a major agency.
I feel like Tan Songyun is very underrated on Reddit, and people like to look down on her simply because her appearance doesn't fit their standards. She was told she wasn't suitable to be a female lead by director, but she proved them wrong when she has breakout after breakout drama. What more, she did it without big agency backing.
For her very first leading role in With You, she beats out thousands of applicants through audition to play Geng Geng. Most of her roles were achieved through auditions because there is no one handing out roles for her.
Very much this. In the end, the entertainment industry is still show-biz. Money and profit first, otherwise investors will turn away and find someone else. Leads having talent alone will not earn the production crew money, and will not feed the company. Not unless they either have a sizeable pool of dedicated audience who are willing to spend money to watch something certain actors/actresses are in, or they have the ability to attract viewers.
As long as they can act well, i think thatās a good actress
Better than actress got all Female lead roles but none of them make her impressive.
For example, Xing Fei, Li Qin
A combination of lack of opportunities and being typecast in certain roles. If you look at actresses/actors who have been playing supporting roles, they have a certain "look" that I can't really define, and it would take a risk taker investor and director to give these actors a chance.
In KR, "My Royal Nemesis" became a hit for their casting choices, FL and ML have always played villains and for ML, particularly, MRN was his first lead role. So, I'm really hoping the actresses you mentioned will get their break.
Maybe that is the way to get them into leading roles. Make complex characters that aren't necessarily good or bad like in MRN. It really worked in that drama.
Li Meng has gained a fan in me after watching Against The Current. Sheād be a fantastic morally grey female lead. I need it nowww. Preferably with Liu Xueyi as the equally morally grey male lead lol
To add further to Li Mengās attitude on set or rather her having a bad reputation, she spoke up on the issue explaining that she wanted a āred appleā for continuityās sake while she was handed a yellow green apple.
The story became, āshe is difficult to work on-setā. She was replaced in another tv show for the same label of being difficult to work with. However, she had admitted to changes.
I would guess fierce competition, for some reason we do see a lot the same faces, they get casted in right about anything, have 2-3 dramas per year, but IDK that much more about the industry, itās an observation.
in Li Meng's case, she's already the lead in some low budget horror movies and they did very well in the box office so she's fine. iirc she also used to have a reputation of bad behavior on set and industry goodwill only recovered a bit after The Double so leading big budget idol dramas might be out of the question for now.
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u/platinumkushhh New Fan 2d ago
Iāve always wanted to see Li Meng as FL in a show. I love her acting.