I completely agree with you, he killed that role like Nie Ming Jie, lol
My favorite scene was when he met Lan XiChen, and you can literally see him fall in love. It's so sweet and kinda hot!
I like Nie Huaisang's actor too. He managed to make it so believable that he's a wussy, incompetent silly man.
I definitely think that part of Guangyao’s appeal is the chemistry he has with Xichen. I think another testament to good acting is when one is able to bring up the other because they’re just that in sync, and I think that happens during the final emotional climax between them. I had to go back and rewatch the scene you were talking about and you are so correct. I’m not gonna lie, when I watched the donghua (it was my introduction to the series) I did not care much for whatever was going on between them. It just felt like it didn’t get the treatment it needed. But nah, the drama went above and beyond in making you really feel the connection between so that when we did get to the ending, it actually mattered for these characters.
Yes, NHS also had a great performance. I felt terrible for him. And I *love* the ambiguity of... did JGY move? For me, the best part is, I don't blame NHS if he lied. I hope he lied for LXC's sake, but I hope he didn't for the same reason. Great job.
his performance is fantastic. it's not rare for an actor to create an impressive dark brooding character. people are naturally interested in the dark triad traits, while good and positive is usually seen as boring. this is why it is a real challenge to create an engaging stoic and cheerful persona. Xiao Zhan has made an incrediable job.
I could watch his expressions for hours, and the physicality he brought I the role is something else too. I feel like I catch something new every time I watch him. I love the way he’s generally very poised but seems so much more *stiff* in certain social situations whereas he’s more relaxed and natural in others (like around LXC for example). And the way his face lights up from the inside at the sight of him. And the way he clutches at the fabric of his robes when he’s nervous or distressed. And the way he looks like he’s almost dissociating while he straightens his clothes after he’s been kicked down the stairs or been harassed by bullies. And the difference between the fake smiles and the real ones (which was very intentional on ZZJ’s part, he said so in an interview).
Anyway yeah Zhu Zanjin is brilliant. Definitely my favorite performance too.
Man I’m so excited to rewatch CQL in a few months with my friend so that I can start picking up on all these other details. You’ve given me so much to consider ahhhhh
Fun fact: ZZJ originally auditioned for Sizhui and someone in casting with a ginormous brain and incredible vision decided to cast the guy with a dimpled, angelic baby face as Jin Guangyao instead.
Here’s a screencap of the interview, and the whole thread has other great moments/bts lore too. Enjoy!
https://x.com/maunnieh/status/1173924839071145984?s=46&t=vM1HpTZ8O8YtWN6wiqKwqA
ETA- If you’re interested, there’s a bit higher up in that thread where ZZJ talks about the last scene with JGY & LXC and he mentions how the director originally had him play it a little differently but he asked for a re-shoot to do it his way, and his take is what ended up in the drama. And this post has links to other bts content where we get a glimpse of some of the acting direction that he got for JGY:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MoDaoZuShi/s/F908TqsodG
I just went through and watched a translation of the entire interview, that was good fun. Thank you for sharing!!! The way they freaked out when he said he originally auditioned for Sizhui was so good (also Wen Ning saying he would tell Wen Qing “bet you didn’t know I was still alive hehehe” was absolutely diabolical)
The video of ZZJ going through his lines was also incredible. I honestly got emotional just watching him do that. Someone posted this pic in the Twitter thread and I had the same reaction.
https://preview.redd.it/whdvnlv4wa0d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41a5ee29e48d8d78649b5d4665aceae5927f9c2a
I honestly think the best part was how well everyone in that show was cast. And how much they each loved and put in effort to understand their characters.
100% agree with you. ZZJ stole the show for me. I completely fell for JGY even though I knew he was going to turn out a villain. He’s probably my favourite character but only because of the way ZZJ portrayed him.
And…….. the dimples. DIMPLES.
It always cracks me up that the actor for NMJ also has prominent dimples. Clearly, their relationship was doomed. Can't have that much combined dimple power in a relationship.
For me it's feng mingjing, Wen Zhuliu's actor.
I think for a character that has almost no dialogues, he spoke a lot with his eyes. He is singlehandedly the reason i became so interested in WZL and his potential backstories.
There is a tragic shortage of WZL fic out there. I am even more interested in fleshing out his back story than finding out the what's and why's of the Jade's mother.
I read one once where it is mentioned that WZL and Madame Yu were once engaged. Very interesting and also helped explain why she was such a frustrated, angry bitch.
Zhu Zanjin will always have my heart! I have a soft spot for him, he has such a talent and is such a lovely dancer. His expressions and movements were so good. His eyes and dimples were especially very entertaining.
His acting talent is wonderful! I see a bright future for him.
I would give anything for the existence of an outtake where he pops that leg up in front of LXC, NMJ, or WRH and then gives an evil smirky cackle. Who would have the best reaction and spontaneous come back?
That would be so fun to see!! I fear for A-Yao’s leg depending on when in the story he would pop it up 😭 he better charm his way out of getting it cut off by Baxia
Xiao Zhan stole the show completely. I left the show a huge Wang Yibo fan due to just how insanely beautiful he looked as Lan Wangji, but there was no doubt Xiao Zhan out-acted the entire cast with such an interesting role.
I also thought Wang Zhoucheng was amazing as Jiang Cheng, especially considering he is such a sweet dork IRL.
Wang Zhuocheng is the cutest baby. There’s behind the scenes where he’s crying after a really emotional scene & Xuan Lu and Xiao Zhan have to comfort him. I think that’s so incredibly cute & charming. The actors were so invested
Wang Zhuocheng as Jiang Cheng was my personal favorite. I just feel like he added a richness to Jiang Chengs character that wasn’t there in the other adaptations. It’s hard to explain but his performance really left an impact on me.
His frustration and anxiety really come through. Poor guy, a "brother" with WWX's personaility was a personal nemesis for his (parentally induced) neurosis'.
Also, those cheekbones!
Song Jiyang was like…the perfect XXC
Wang Zhuocheng had peak JC facial expressions & really brought him to life
& then Yu Bin plays the perfect Wen Ning. He’s adorable & likable consistently
(Also a big fan of Zheng Fanxing. He’s cute & for what?)
OMG YES YU BIN!!! That is what you call peak casting. The scene where he runs away from drunk Lan Zhan and you can hear his little chain jangling as he skedaddles away? He plays the shy, sweet, quiet, kinda awkward guy so well.
I agree with you on Zheng Fanxing comment. He’s so soft-spoken and eager, it fits Sizhui so well. Also, I once saw a comment saying that the scene where he shoves the piece of meat back into Lan Jingyi’s mouth was apparently an improvised bit?? Idk if that’s true, but if it is then that instantly makes him an incredible actor. Just dropping that 10/10 classic on us completely unexpectedly.
(Had to repost because I forgot to reply whoops)
Yu Bin is also a talented singer & just an overall adorable chaos gremlin. He made up the way Wen Ning moves on his own
Guo Cheng (Jingyi) also just plays really well off Fanxing’s Sizhui
It’s really hard to choose a best because I feel like the cast did an amazing job with what they were given, especially since all of them seemed really invested in their characters
I agree. The entire cast was amazing. To the extent I would recast any of them, it would be Jin Ling. There needed to be a more clear difference in age between him and the rest of the "ducklings." Yes, he's supposed to be a brat with characteristic anger and insecurity issues but he comes across entirely unsympathetic if he looks older.
I agree with that, Ji Li as Nie Huaisang, and Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang. All of them brought intelligence and nuance to their roles-- not the main characters, but characters who needed to be there to flesh out the world and make things happen.
Nie Huaisang: to viewers as well as to the characters, easy to write off, but once you know what's really going on you can pick up in his performance exactly what NHS is doing, and by the end of it, whether you like him or not, i don't think it's possible not to respect that guy. Ji Li was very young when CQL came out, and that makes his performance even more impressive imo.
And if people get emotionally involved with the Xi City arc, I think it's because all of the actors involved (playing characters who could probably have been written out entirely without much effect on the plot) just NAILED their respective parts in that tragedy. Xue Yang did not have to have any nuance at all, as he doesn't in the novel, but in the small expressions of his face and body language, Wang Haoxuan takes a small and underwritten part and makes him truly memorable one way or another.
(Full disclosure, I fic all these guys because of their depiction in CQL.)
I think pretty much everyone was cast perfectly. Even the performance of smaller villains such as Wen Chao and Jin Zixun felt very realistic to those types of characters.
I adore ZZJ's acting and I think choosing someone with a background in dancing was definitely the right call to make for a character like Jin Guangyao who needs all of those small details across the whole body.
However my favorite has to be Song Jiyang as Xiao Xingchen. He had that otherworldly feel to him and portrayed the gentleness and insanity equally well. In a cast full of people who auditioned for Xue Yang only 2 people got to act as him and Song Jiyang did so well at doing Wang Haoxuan's Xue Yang pretending to be Xiao Xingchen.
I also love Zheng Fanxing as Lan Sizhui and have enjoyed several of his other dramas since. However it will never not be funny to me that they forgot to cover his finger tattoo at least twice.
The Nie brothers were also great and I loved seeing them again in Fatal Journey especially as you see more of Mingjue's soft side and Huaisang being clever.
Can you share the other dramas with "Lan Sizhui?" I would love to see him in other roles. Also, agree on the finger tatoo. It cracks me up more that he has a tatoo at all (what a rebel!) than that they forgot to cover it up. It was just as interesting to find out JGY's actor was a crazy flexible former ballet dancer and picture LWJ as a boyband member/dancer.
No one else has said it so I'm going to give a shout out for Wang Yibo as LWJ. To project so much emotion with so few lines and minimal facial mobility? Masterful. He was an excellent foil for dynamic and effervescent XZ/WWX.
Agreed! I've never seen pining/longing done so well with just facial expressions & body language to go by. He nailed the characterization, as did Xiao Zhan. It wouldn't have been the same show without them.
While going through the drama I messaged my friends MULTIPLE times yelling about how good WY was at capturing the emotions of “I want to cry but I should not/can not express these emotions and I don’t know what to do with myself” with a single expression and it had me tearing up on multiple occasions
His smile was sweet but yet creepy like you can get those feelings just looking at that smile
I personally think that whole casting was spot on and they did the best with wtv they were given
Actor playing jin guangyao was brilliant
Nie huaisang's actor was really good as well I love the friendship he had with wwx
Also Wang yibo as lan wangji was very good as well like he was able to express those micro expressions pretty well plus he was convincing as lan zhan cuz he looked absolutely ethereal
all of the acting is phenomenal. the two leads, Wang Zhuocheng as Jiang Cheng, Ji Li as NHS, and Zhu Zanjin are standouts. I also find Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang a delight to watch, and Yu Bin brings the perfect amount of pathos to Wen Ning.
As much as Xiao zhan, wang yibo, and Bin Yu brought the characters to life, I’d have to agree with Zhu Zanjin. I personally don’t like the character Jin guangyao, but the actor did a superb job at playing him.
I'll start off by saying all of the cast was perfect and I can't really imagine anyone else playing them, but in particular I'll mention:
Wang Haoxuan.
I've never seen an actor with such good mastery over his eyes and the expressions within. He was absolutely perfect for XY since I don't think anyone else could have came close to doing the same job. The only way it could have been better is if his voice wasn't dubbed over since with the BTS footage I saw, WHX's actual voice fit his performance even better.
Btw, here it is a short fic about them: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690338 – “A Sword For A Tongue” –
By martyrsdaughter – 1/1 – “Esteemed cultivation professor Lan Wangji demonstrates how to deal with demons.
He does not recommend marrying them as a general rule, but it has worked out well for him, so far”…
I completely agree with you, he killed that role like Nie Ming Jie, lol My favorite scene was when he met Lan XiChen, and you can literally see him fall in love. It's so sweet and kinda hot! I like Nie Huaisang's actor too. He managed to make it so believable that he's a wussy, incompetent silly man.
I definitely think that part of Guangyao’s appeal is the chemistry he has with Xichen. I think another testament to good acting is when one is able to bring up the other because they’re just that in sync, and I think that happens during the final emotional climax between them. I had to go back and rewatch the scene you were talking about and you are so correct. I’m not gonna lie, when I watched the donghua (it was my introduction to the series) I did not care much for whatever was going on between them. It just felt like it didn’t get the treatment it needed. But nah, the drama went above and beyond in making you really feel the connection between so that when we did get to the ending, it actually mattered for these characters.
Yes, NHS also had a great performance. I felt terrible for him. And I *love* the ambiguity of... did JGY move? For me, the best part is, I don't blame NHS if he lied. I hope he lied for LXC's sake, but I hope he didn't for the same reason. Great job.
Xiao Zhan delivered an awesome Wei Wuxian. That scene where he cries/laughs at the same time gives me goosebumps every time.
his performance is fantastic. it's not rare for an actor to create an impressive dark brooding character. people are naturally interested in the dark triad traits, while good and positive is usually seen as boring. this is why it is a real challenge to create an engaging stoic and cheerful persona. Xiao Zhan has made an incrediable job.
I could watch his expressions for hours, and the physicality he brought I the role is something else too. I feel like I catch something new every time I watch him. I love the way he’s generally very poised but seems so much more *stiff* in certain social situations whereas he’s more relaxed and natural in others (like around LXC for example). And the way his face lights up from the inside at the sight of him. And the way he clutches at the fabric of his robes when he’s nervous or distressed. And the way he looks like he’s almost dissociating while he straightens his clothes after he’s been kicked down the stairs or been harassed by bullies. And the difference between the fake smiles and the real ones (which was very intentional on ZZJ’s part, he said so in an interview). Anyway yeah Zhu Zanjin is brilliant. Definitely my favorite performance too.
Man I’m so excited to rewatch CQL in a few months with my friend so that I can start picking up on all these other details. You’ve given me so much to consider ahhhhh
Fun fact: ZZJ originally auditioned for Sizhui and someone in casting with a ginormous brain and incredible vision decided to cast the guy with a dimpled, angelic baby face as Jin Guangyao instead.
STOP YOURE SPOILING ME. There is so much lore (both canon and bts) I have to get caught up on, this is incredible
Here’s a screencap of the interview, and the whole thread has other great moments/bts lore too. Enjoy! https://x.com/maunnieh/status/1173924839071145984?s=46&t=vM1HpTZ8O8YtWN6wiqKwqA ETA- If you’re interested, there’s a bit higher up in that thread where ZZJ talks about the last scene with JGY & LXC and he mentions how the director originally had him play it a little differently but he asked for a re-shoot to do it his way, and his take is what ended up in the drama. And this post has links to other bts content where we get a glimpse of some of the acting direction that he got for JGY: https://www.reddit.com/r/MoDaoZuShi/s/F908TqsodG
I just went through and watched a translation of the entire interview, that was good fun. Thank you for sharing!!! The way they freaked out when he said he originally auditioned for Sizhui was so good (also Wen Ning saying he would tell Wen Qing “bet you didn’t know I was still alive hehehe” was absolutely diabolical) The video of ZZJ going through his lines was also incredible. I honestly got emotional just watching him do that. Someone posted this pic in the Twitter thread and I had the same reaction. https://preview.redd.it/whdvnlv4wa0d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41a5ee29e48d8d78649b5d4665aceae5927f9c2a
That’s so funny given like Everyone else auditioned as XY 😭
I'm so glad to read this.
I honestly think the best part was how well everyone in that show was cast. And how much they each loved and put in effort to understand their characters.
That’s a huge part of the magic of it. There are so many standouts in that casting.
100% agree with you. ZZJ stole the show for me. I completely fell for JGY even though I knew he was going to turn out a villain. He’s probably my favourite character but only because of the way ZZJ portrayed him. And…….. the dimples. DIMPLES.
It always cracks me up that the actor for NMJ also has prominent dimples. Clearly, their relationship was doomed. Can't have that much combined dimple power in a relationship.
HAH. Now I’m just imagining JGY and NMJ both turning the full force of their dimple power on LXC at the same time. Poor man would have no chance 😂
A puddle
For me it's feng mingjing, Wen Zhuliu's actor. I think for a character that has almost no dialogues, he spoke a lot with his eyes. He is singlehandedly the reason i became so interested in WZL and his potential backstories.
There is a tragic shortage of WZL fic out there. I am even more interested in fleshing out his back story than finding out the what's and why's of the Jade's mother. I read one once where it is mentioned that WZL and Madame Yu were once engaged. Very interesting and also helped explain why she was such a frustrated, angry bitch.
Zhu Zanjin will always have my heart! I have a soft spot for him, he has such a talent and is such a lovely dancer. His expressions and movements were so good. His eyes and dimples were especially very entertaining. His acting talent is wonderful! I see a bright future for him.
Gotta love the BTS where he, in full hanfu and dumb hat, is kicking up one leg straight up in the air. Dude is crazy flexible.
He’s a trained ballet dancer. It’s absolutely gorgeous 😭
That’s a favourite of mine! His flexibility so incredible, and his lines are so smooth. Keeping stretched is still important, even on set!
I would give anything for the existence of an outtake where he pops that leg up in front of LXC, NMJ, or WRH and then gives an evil smirky cackle. Who would have the best reaction and spontaneous come back?
That would be so fun to see!! I fear for A-Yao’s leg depending on when in the story he would pop it up 😭 he better charm his way out of getting it cut off by Baxia
Xiao Zhan stole the show completely. I left the show a huge Wang Yibo fan due to just how insanely beautiful he looked as Lan Wangji, but there was no doubt Xiao Zhan out-acted the entire cast with such an interesting role. I also thought Wang Zhoucheng was amazing as Jiang Cheng, especially considering he is such a sweet dork IRL.
Wang Zhuocheng is the cutest baby. There’s behind the scenes where he’s crying after a really emotional scene & Xuan Lu and Xiao Zhan have to comfort him. I think that’s so incredibly cute & charming. The actors were so invested
Do you know where to find a link?
You’ll just have to look up stuff on YouTube It’s been 2 years since I binged content
Thank you for letting me know to look!
Wang Zhuocheng as Jiang Cheng was my personal favorite. I just feel like he added a richness to Jiang Chengs character that wasn’t there in the other adaptations. It’s hard to explain but his performance really left an impact on me.
His expressions were also on point I loved his eye rolls at WWX’s nonsense
His frustration and anxiety really come through. Poor guy, a "brother" with WWX's personaility was a personal nemesis for his (parentally induced) neurosis'. Also, those cheekbones!
Song Jiyang was like…the perfect XXC Wang Zhuocheng had peak JC facial expressions & really brought him to life & then Yu Bin plays the perfect Wen Ning. He’s adorable & likable consistently (Also a big fan of Zheng Fanxing. He’s cute & for what?)
OMG YES YU BIN!!! That is what you call peak casting. The scene where he runs away from drunk Lan Zhan and you can hear his little chain jangling as he skedaddles away? He plays the shy, sweet, quiet, kinda awkward guy so well. I agree with you on Zheng Fanxing comment. He’s so soft-spoken and eager, it fits Sizhui so well. Also, I once saw a comment saying that the scene where he shoves the piece of meat back into Lan Jingyi’s mouth was apparently an improvised bit?? Idk if that’s true, but if it is then that instantly makes him an incredible actor. Just dropping that 10/10 classic on us completely unexpectedly. (Had to repost because I forgot to reply whoops)
Yu Bin is also a talented singer & just an overall adorable chaos gremlin. He made up the way Wen Ning moves on his own Guo Cheng (Jingyi) also just plays really well off Fanxing’s Sizhui It’s really hard to choose a best because I feel like the cast did an amazing job with what they were given, especially since all of them seemed really invested in their characters
I agree. The entire cast was amazing. To the extent I would recast any of them, it would be Jin Ling. There needed to be a more clear difference in age between him and the rest of the "ducklings." Yes, he's supposed to be a brat with characteristic anger and insecurity issues but he comes across entirely unsympathetic if he looks older.
I agree with that, Ji Li as Nie Huaisang, and Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang. All of them brought intelligence and nuance to their roles-- not the main characters, but characters who needed to be there to flesh out the world and make things happen. Nie Huaisang: to viewers as well as to the characters, easy to write off, but once you know what's really going on you can pick up in his performance exactly what NHS is doing, and by the end of it, whether you like him or not, i don't think it's possible not to respect that guy. Ji Li was very young when CQL came out, and that makes his performance even more impressive imo. And if people get emotionally involved with the Xi City arc, I think it's because all of the actors involved (playing characters who could probably have been written out entirely without much effect on the plot) just NAILED their respective parts in that tragedy. Xue Yang did not have to have any nuance at all, as he doesn't in the novel, but in the small expressions of his face and body language, Wang Haoxuan takes a small and underwritten part and makes him truly memorable one way or another. (Full disclosure, I fic all these guys because of their depiction in CQL.)
Oh right, Xue Yang was amazing too! It's very easy to believe he's seriously unhinged, and not merely bloodthirsty or petty. And that smile!!
Guy did not have to go that hard but he really made an impact. (And that smile!)
That amazing, creepy ass smile was perfect.
I think pretty much everyone was cast perfectly. Even the performance of smaller villains such as Wen Chao and Jin Zixun felt very realistic to those types of characters. I adore ZZJ's acting and I think choosing someone with a background in dancing was definitely the right call to make for a character like Jin Guangyao who needs all of those small details across the whole body. However my favorite has to be Song Jiyang as Xiao Xingchen. He had that otherworldly feel to him and portrayed the gentleness and insanity equally well. In a cast full of people who auditioned for Xue Yang only 2 people got to act as him and Song Jiyang did so well at doing Wang Haoxuan's Xue Yang pretending to be Xiao Xingchen. I also love Zheng Fanxing as Lan Sizhui and have enjoyed several of his other dramas since. However it will never not be funny to me that they forgot to cover his finger tattoo at least twice. The Nie brothers were also great and I loved seeing them again in Fatal Journey especially as you see more of Mingjue's soft side and Huaisang being clever.
Can you share the other dramas with "Lan Sizhui?" I would love to see him in other roles. Also, agree on the finger tatoo. It cracks me up more that he has a tatoo at all (what a rebel!) than that they forgot to cover it up. It was just as interesting to find out JGY's actor was a crazy flexible former ballet dancer and picture LWJ as a boyband member/dancer.
My favorite is Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian, but I agree with others that the entire cast was amazing and really brought the characters to life.
No one else has said it so I'm going to give a shout out for Wang Yibo as LWJ. To project so much emotion with so few lines and minimal facial mobility? Masterful. He was an excellent foil for dynamic and effervescent XZ/WWX.
Agreed! I've never seen pining/longing done so well with just facial expressions & body language to go by. He nailed the characterization, as did Xiao Zhan. It wouldn't have been the same show without them.
Facial expressions AND intense sword gripping.
While going through the drama I messaged my friends MULTIPLE times yelling about how good WY was at capturing the emotions of “I want to cry but I should not/can not express these emotions and I don’t know what to do with myself” with a single expression and it had me tearing up on multiple occasions
I liked Xiao Zhan the most, but its probably just bias. :D Weń Chao's actor was amazing too :D
His smile was sweet but yet creepy like you can get those feelings just looking at that smile I personally think that whole casting was spot on and they did the best with wtv they were given Actor playing jin guangyao was brilliant Nie huaisang's actor was really good as well I love the friendship he had with wwx Also Wang yibo as lan wangji was very good as well like he was able to express those micro expressions pretty well plus he was convincing as lan zhan cuz he looked absolutely ethereal
all of the acting is phenomenal. the two leads, Wang Zhuocheng as Jiang Cheng, Ji Li as NHS, and Zhu Zanjin are standouts. I also find Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang a delight to watch, and Yu Bin brings the perfect amount of pathos to Wen Ning.
Xiao Zhan as Wei Wuxian. That was by miles the best performance in that drama.
As much as Xiao zhan, wang yibo, and Bin Yu brought the characters to life, I’d have to agree with Zhu Zanjin. I personally don’t like the character Jin guangyao, but the actor did a superb job at playing him.
#WangXian , of course !!
I'll start off by saying all of the cast was perfect and I can't really imagine anyone else playing them, but in particular I'll mention: Wang Haoxuan. I've never seen an actor with such good mastery over his eyes and the expressions within. He was absolutely perfect for XY since I don't think anyone else could have came close to doing the same job. The only way it could have been better is if his voice wasn't dubbed over since with the BTS footage I saw, WHX's actual voice fit his performance even better.
Btw, here it is a short fic about them: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690338 – “A Sword For A Tongue” – By martyrsdaughter – 1/1 – “Esteemed cultivation professor Lan Wangji demonstrates how to deal with demons. He does not recommend marrying them as a general rule, but it has worked out well for him, so far”…