Getting acquainted with China’s three rising stars
BEIJING: Last year has been a fruitful year for China’s rising actors Kenny Lin Gengxin, Chen Xiao, and Shawn Dou.
All have snagged important roles in critically successful dramas that would guarantee them a bright future ahead.
In 2017, both Kenny and Shawn headlined the uber-successful ‘Princess Agents’ alongside Zanilia Zhao Liying — the historical action drama went on to become the highest-rated television drama of the year, and is the first Chinese television drama to surpass 40 billion clicks during its run. Chen Xiao, on the other, starred opposite Sun Li in the popular ‘Nothing Cold Can Stay’, which brought his popularity up another notch.
Much like his ‘Princess Agents’ costar, Kenny’s debut work was a high-profile release. Portraying the Fourteenth Prince in the cultural hit ‘Scarlet Heart’, Kenny caught the attention of Hong Kong producers such as Tsui Hark) and Stephen Chow, who have casted him in blockbuster films such as ‘Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon’ and ‘Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back’. Despite having a successful film career and winning rookie acting awards, Kenny failed to find a break in his popularity.
With the success of ‘Princess Agents’, however, Kenny is getting back into the radar of producers, and rumours are saying that Tsui Hark is eying Kenny to portray Yang Guo in his film version of ‘Return of the Condor Heroes’. Fans are also trying to round up support for Kenny to be considered for a role in Disney’s live-action ‘Mulan’, which will star Crystal Liu Yifei.
According to reports, Kenny’s pay was increased to 80 million yuan per drama after appearing in ‘Princess Agents’. But with Kenny’s lax attitude towards work, being China’s highestpaid actor doesn’t seem to be his goal. Kenny has said in interviews that he refuses to sacrifice his private life for work, and insists on doing only about one to two acting jobs per year. Nonetheless, Kenny still managed to make it to the 43rd spot in 2017’s Forbes China Celebrity List.
Like Kenny, Shawn also had a high-profile debut, appearing for the first time in Zhang Yimou’s ‘Under the Hawthorne Tree’. While his costar Zhou Dongyu’ went on to become an award-winning actress, Shawn’s own career stagnated. It was ‘Princess Agents’, his first television drama, that had put him back on the spotlight.
Shawn’s role in ‘Princess Agents’, Yan Xun, was not an easy character to portray. He toys around two extremes, and Yan Xun eventually turns into a villainous character. Nonetheless, the role rounded up a huge fan base, making Shawn one of the most popular rising stars of 2017. Shawn is currently starring in ‘Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy’ and will soon appear in ‘Tears in Heaven’.
Chen Xiao, who made his debut through Yu Zheng dramas, was best known for starring in the controversial ‘The Romance of the Condor Heroes’ and being Michelle Chen’s husband until he snagged a leading role in ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’, starring opposite “Queen of Television” Sun Li. Breaking out of the shadows of idol dramas, Chen Xiao’s pay reportedly increased to 50 million yuan per drama after the broadcast of ‘Nothing Cold Can Stay’.
There was a rumour that Chen Xiao planned on retiring from showbiz to take care of his wife and daughter, but the simple response “always walking forward” quickly ended those speculations.