The upcoming FTV cable network TW-drama You Light Up My Star has started filming and with it comes the first look at the intriguing drama produced and directed by acclaimed Taiwanese director Qu Yo Ning (Director Winnie). He’s worked with both Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng multiple times together in their most famous turns in the It Started with a Kiss series, and even worked with them apart before. Two years ago he helped Ariel reinvent herself into a mature acting image with In Time With You, and now he’s back to present Joe post military service and I’m super curious to see what ensues. You Light Up My Star reunites Joe with his Honey and Clover co-star Janine Chang and it’s a pairing that is as sold as it gets. There is so much co-star swapping in Taiwan dramas any way since the acting pool is so small compared to Japan, Korea, and especially China. Janine’s best friend Ivy Chen visited the filming set last week and was roped into playing an extra for the day. Ivy is also good friends with both Director Winnie (who directed her in the C-drama version of Tiny Times) as well as Joe. Hilariously her role required her to literally play dead and Ivy expressed a great appreciation for extras since there is so much waiting around for just a few seconds of screen time. Ivy teased that she wanted her extra role to have a kiss scene with Janine, and it would be awesome if she could steal Janine from Joe in the drama plot. Sadly Director Winnie needed her to play dead and even dabbled some fake blood on her lips and had her lay on a hospital gurney for the entirety of the filming. I read that Joe’s character in the drama is an actor who is suffering from depression and may even have multiple personalities, hence Joe has expressed great pressure to really deliver on this role. Joe’s last few dramas have all been duds for me (Channel X, Love Actually) but he’s definitely talented and I trust Director Winnie has an interesting story to tell. On a side note, does anyone think Joe’s a dead ringer for his BFF Mike He with his floppy looking hairstyle?
On the 1st still I just couldn’t keep my eyes away from both Ivy and Janine’s stilettos – dang! So stylish and such high heels. Needs some practice to walk and even run around in these.
and even in stilettos, Joe is still taller… awesome!!!
Me too, I keep staring at the stilettos!
Huh! Me four!! Especially Ivy’s! Dang, lusting for those black heels!
Love the second to the last pic. Joe staring at Janine with THAT look! – sold me to watch this drama. Looking forward to their chemistry.
I think that’s a wig on Joe. He is probably in some old timeline scene here. He looks so thin. Well Joe Cheng always reminds me of Colin Firth, esp. in Bridget Jones. This guy is probably Eurasian.
wait, whatever happened to the tiny times drama???
When did Winnie go blonde?
Ivy!!
He’s been blond for a while now
He’s quite fond of dying his hair blond actually. Way back ISWAK days you’ll find pictures of him sporting a blond hairstyle.
I dont know what it is, but when Joe grows his hair, he is infinitely hotter…anyways I am dying for this show come out already
He totally looks like Mike He! I was kind of startled when I looked at the pic after reading the article title! I love both of them so it’s a win-win anyways! 🙂 Hopefully this drama turns out well I haven’t watched a TW drama in forever and a day!
I thought it was Mike He until you mentioned Mike He and I remembered Mike He is not this Mike He-lookalike.
(Read that out loud 10x hehe)
And when you said that Joe’s hair look like Mike He, you reminded me that Janine and Mike did a drama together too!