Chinese star wants his body of work to have ‘diversity’
Chinese heart-throb Dylan Wang’s star has been on the rise since he made his acting debut as the rich and cocky college student Daoming Si in the 2018 Chinese remake of iconic Taiwanese idol drama Meteor Garden (2001).
While the reboot received mixed reviews, his charismatic performance and bad-boy looks gained him a strong following.
The Sichuan native went on to become the leading man in a string of dramas, and his popularity skyrocketed with his portrayal of demon lord Dongfang Qingcang in the hit 2022 Chinese fantasy romance Love Between Fairy And Devil, an adaptation of the novel by Chinese writer Jiu Lu Fei Xiang.
Wang’s social media reach includes five million followers on Instagram and 20 million followers on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. He has been referred to as a rising star or “ding liu”, a Chinese term referring to celebrities who have large fan bases and can generate a lot of Internet traffic.
Asked how he feels about these labels when he was in town in late January, the 25-year-old says in Mandarin: “Whether good or bad, they spur me on and are a reminder to fulfil my core duty as an actor.”
Wang was speaking to The Straits Times at Marina Bay Sands on Jan 27 for the Yuewen Global IP Awards, where he was honoured as the outstanding impact actor of adaptations.
The awards, held for the first time outside China, celebrates Chinese literature and recognises the work of distinguished Chinese writers, creators and artists across multiple mediums, including animation, film, television and video games.
His star power was evident from the frenzy he whipped up at Changi Airport when he landed on Jan 26, as well as his public appearance alongside other Chinese celebrities at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands prior to the awards ceremony.
During the show at the Sands Grand Ballroom, he was among those who received the loudest cheers and applause.
Each time he took to the stage, the room lit up in swathes of purple – his fan support colour – from attendees holding lightsticks and LED banners. Candid shots of him eating and shopping around Singapore, snapped by sharp-eyed fans, have also circulated online.
Although Wang is better known for roles that fit the “ba zong” (or domineering chief executive officer) archetype, he is not worried about being typecast, pointing out that he has taken on a range of different characters.
These include intern Bai Mashuai in lighthearted workplace sitcom Never Give Up (2023) and Qi Xiao, an assistant to a career woman whom he gets romantically involved with, in The Rational Life (2021).
“I will not limit myself to playing any one type of character. I want my body of work and roles to have diversity, and to improve and learn in my next role,” he says.
He does not give specific examples of roles or scripts, but hopes to work with directors or actors he has yet to collaborate with.
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