Chinese dramas and films

Chen Zhe Yuan unexpectedly hopped onto Weibo for a live chat with fans during his lunch break, while simultaneously having his makeup done for the next shooting scene. He opened up a Q&A session in the comments.

The actor stayed in the chat for about 45 minutes and answered roughly 27 questions.

He cracked many jokes in the comments and revealed several behind-the-scenes nuggets about the drama «Royal Betrothal» (Yu Ting Yao, 御廷瑶, 江山为聘, The Empire as Betrothal, Royal Court Ballad).

Brief summary: Filming was lively and fun; the stairs of the throne hall are sprayed with water and become slippery; from the height of the throne, you can’t see anyone down below; no, he doesn’t drink on set; he’s not happy with his body in the pool; being thinner makes you look more mature (in his opinion); he doesn’t want to act in idol dramas; after wrapping up filming for “Tales of the Floating World” (Fu Sheng, 浮生) he hopes to get at least a little rest.

Read more below. Photos of either Chen Zhe Yuan or the people in the chat

To kick things off, the actor posted a meme about himself. It can be compared to the classic meme: “Me at work – Me off work”.

到王位了 – “Reached the throne”
下班了 – “Off work”.
With one twist: the Chinese expression “reached the throne” or “sitting on the throne” also has a secondary meaning – “perching on the toilet”.

About food and appearance

During the chat, a photo of a chicken leg was shown – the actor was happily munching on it at that moment.

— Are you off your fitness diet now?
Chen Zhe Yuan: I already ate it! And it only whetted my appetite, didn’t it?

— So, how do you like your body in the pool? Satisfied? 😏
Chen Zhe Yuan: No.

— Please eat more 😭 You look so thin as Ying Gua!
Chen Zhe Yuan: Well, doesn’t being thinner make you look more mature? 😉

— «Royal Betrothal» and Ying Gua are so awesome!!!
Chen Zhe Yuan: Yeah, I watch it and notice my face is much thinner there than now.

— What a cute peach 🍑

Chen Zhe Yuan (in character): I am imperial majesty itself, and you call me a peach?!

About the drama «Royal Betrothal»

— Bro, which episode have you watched up to?
Chen Zhe Yuan: Just finished episode nine.

— Which episode did you think was the best?
Chen Zhe Yuan: The part where Huang Bo spoke in a female voice just cracked me up, hahahaha! 😂

(In «Royal Betrothal», there is a scene where the character Huang Bo, played by Song Qi, changes his voice to a female one.)

— You played that drunken scene so brilliantly!!!
Chen Zhe Yuan: I love that scene too, hehe.

— You looked so cute hugging that Left Minister in that scene!
Chen Zhe Yuan (in character): I command you, never call me (the emperor) cute again!

— When you shot the drunk scene, did you drink real alcohol?
Chen Zhe Yuan: Actually, I only drank real alcohol on set once in my entire career.

— So, how’s your alcohol tolerance, bro?
Chen Zhe Yuan: After that incident, I decided I would never drink on set again. 🙂

Everyone immediately became curious about which project that was, but the actor didn’t answer. The public suspected it might have been during “Mr. Bad” or “Hidden Love”.

— Do you like the court scenes? I absolutely love them!!!
Chen Zhe Yuan: To be honest, I was a bit worried about them, but after the director’s editing, they turned out great!

— You go to morning court every day and climb the stairs as if it’s a workout, right?

Chen Zhe Yuan: Oh, come on! 😂 Ha-ha-ha... Actually, about that throne hall – to make it look good on camera, they spray the floor with water, and it becomes really slippery. Every time I have to move with great difficulty – my feet just slide!

— Сan you actually see the people down there from the imperial throne?
Chen Zhe Yuan: To be honest, you can hardly see a thing, hahahaha! 🤣

— How does it feel to work with Teacher Zhao Bin for the third lifetime in a row? 🥺 (drooling emoji – I love it so much!) I really like your pairing!
Chen Zhe Yuan: I like it too, hehe 😄

Zhao Bin and Chen Zhe Yuan have worked together on three projects. In two of them – “Our Secret” and “Fated Hearts” – they played father and son. In «Royal Betrothal», Chen Zhe Yuan plays the young emperor, while Zhao Bin plays the Grand Mentor – which is almost like a father figure too.

About future plans

— When are you starting your next project? 😂
Chen Zhe Yuan: ? I haven’t even wrapped up this one yet, boss.

— What are your plans after finishing “Tales of the Floating World”?
Chen Zhe Yuan: Can I just slack off a little? 😄

— Would you like to do a modern series next?
Chen Zhe Yuan: Can it not be an idol romance drama? 😄

— Can you be constantly showering in your next drama?
Chen Zhe Yuan: ?????? Hahahahahaha! 🤣

— Yuan-Yuan, next time you shoot “Great Escape”, you can skip the makeup and hairstyling – you’ll mess it all up anyway 😂
Chen Zhe Yuan: That’s actually something I can consider.

Then the actor was called to the set and said goodbye with the words: “Alright, I’m off. I need to go shoot. Won’t bother you while you eat.”

It must be said that Chen Zhe Yuan is making great efforts to accompany the premiere of his drama (and not just this one) with all sorts of social activities.

The drama premiered so suddenly that there was virtually no advertising campaign or paid integrations. Nevertheless, as of day four of broadcast, it already has five brand advertisers, each running 3–4 spots per episode. On television, the drama achieved a high audience share (rating of 2.14%). However, somewhat unexpectedly, its online performance is lower, although it still ranks fifth in overall online popularity. Total views on the Mango TV platform exceeded 300 million over three days.

Yesterday, the drama «Mystic Nine 2» (九门) starring William Chan, Zeng Shunxi, and Chen Yao premiered. That series immediately captured 14.3% of the audience and became the main competitor for «Империя как выкуп».

We are following :))