Chen Zhe Yuan’s Camp is Insisting on Equal Billing with Dilraba Dilmurat with Their New Drama Love on the Turquoise Land

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• Maybe because she has peaked and cannot really act and has to rely on young up and comers for leading men? Why are you defining this as good vs evil?

  • I agree with Jana , they r just asking for equal billing not top billed why is it suppose to be a good or bad thing 🤔. We don't know what the script is like weather he plays major part has much has she is,besides equal billing should be more used than the whole First billing.At the end of the day, we mostly watch for both leads especially when cp is involve, I guess billing is really important to the Chinese industry,which I feel is not suppose to be because there r instances where the supporting characters outshines the leads.

  • Orrr maybe his team is trying to set a precedent to abolish this billing nonsense. It's truly mind-boggling to me the billing circus in C-ent. SMH.

    • What nonsense is this, looks like his team/fans have come up with a new idea to whitewash themselves? If his team wants to set a precedent to abolish billing, then they should do it with a newbie actress as his female lead and give equal billing to that newbie actress. Or they only want equal billing when it's to their benefit?

    • Yeah I don't see his team giving equal billing to his lesser popular co-stars like Shen Yue, Xing Fei and Liang Jie, who arent' even newbies and have representative works.

    • "This billing nonsense" exists everywhere in the world.

      Are you ignorant or are just desperate to whitewash your arrogant nugu? Lmfao

• Wow. Is this for real? It sounds absurd, especially after a flop. And let's face it, Hidden Love was a hit thanks to Lusi, every more-than-average-looking ML would have done the trick.

  • I also consider Zhao Lusi, not Chen Zhe Yuan, the main contributor to the commercial success of Hidden Love.

    • I did enjoy Chen Zhe Yuan in the drama but I too agree it is Zhou Lusi that shine in it. She is the reason for the success..

    • Agree. She carried the the show. I thought the brother actor contributed a lot to the show. He reminded me of my four brothers!
      CZY character got smug and unlikable midway. I wish they had focused a bit more on his vulnerabilities trying to survive a traumatic boyhood and being basically orphaned and indebted financially. and emotionally and mentally tortured by the crazy gal.
      That scene on New Year’s eve when she protects him - probably the first time in his life when he’s been trying to survive on his own all his life and reminds him that he does not owe anything to the crazy lady was such a big psychological break- thru for him was very good story telling. He arrives home to find the psycho on his doorstep but this time he no longer feels guilty or beholden and tells her to get lost. He realizes the little girl he was supposed to take care of had actually protected and empowered him. It’s such a revelation for him and then the NY fireworks go off and he goes to the roof top to watch and they find out tho they are in different places they are under the same sky watching the same fireworks. So beautifully done.
      Also the scene after he drops off his drunk rich friend and is sitting in their garden unable to sleep worrying about his vegetable dad and mounting bills and she just comes and sits by and is kind to him. I wish we had more scenes like that.

    • Please let’s stop pitting actors against each other especially when they both acted in the drama and did their part well. This is one of the reasons why c-ent is so toxic with the fan wars. There is no need to bring another person down to uplift another.

    • That being said, I did not discredit CZY for his performance in Hidden Love. CZY's acting in HL was relaxing, not over the top. He's convincing as a senior crush of buddy's lil sis. That's why I consider him a better actor than Reba even the latter is obviously more popular in C-ent. Reba overacted A LOT. But still, the narratives of Hidden Love were mainly from heroine's perspectives and Zhao lusi is justified to be largely credited for the success of the drama cos she had been the focus of the storytelling from the get-to to the end. I'm not so sure if Hidden Love wouldn't have been such a hit if CZY had been replaced by another actor. But I'm almost sure HL might not have been so popular without ZLS. ZLS had such a unique and recognizable acting style that lighted up the character to shine to the maximum. If I say HL is ZLS' drama, nobody shouldn't argue about it.

    • I guess I am in the minority that think Zhao LuSi is not all that ? Her acting was terrible in GenZ or The Last Immortal for example.
      I see intl fans praising her a lot but all I see is the I-am-a-chick-flicks-actress-look-at-my-over-the-top-cute-expressions type of acting !

  • I’m not so sure about that. I think he was perfect for his role and as the male lead in Hidden Love. The way he emotes and his expressive eyes, his acting was very nuanced. Please don’t discredit his hard work. Just because Zhao Lusi is more popular and more successful does not mean he did not put in his own efforts. I am her fan but don’t agree on this narrative.

    • I agree, CZY played his part well equal to ZLS to make the show success, even victor ma brought his own charm to it, I will give pros to CZY for not quitting when the show run into trouble during the early productions stage. Such as losing the first director,because it was a low buget drama they couldn't cast certain actors, lusi calls up her friends and colleagues to consider taking up roles in the drama, when some cast were criticise by fans for getting casted because they didn't suite the character, she encouraged them to do their best,suggestion on their cloths they had to wear during filming concerning the other leads, she pratically wearing her own wedrobe during the filming by the way, what she did helped keep the production going to creat the show that is a success today,if we consider these aspect, apart from her acting, i agree in some sense she played a bigger role in the show success but i wont leave CZY out either for sticking to his end of the deal when the show almost got cancelled in the early stages of production.

    • I liked CZY a lot in HD. I didn’t like what they did to his character. He was so touching in the first half. I think he is a good actor and has great potential. He was great in HS and Mr Bad. He’s so gorgeous. Those close ups of him in HL highlighted his flawless looks. Since Dilraba has star power I hope this drama works out for him. He needs the exposure and she needs a good supporting cast because her acting is so one note.

• One can think of Dilreba’s acting prowess whatever one likes, but it is undeniable that she has a number of successful dramas in her portfolio and a certain standing in the industry. Whereas Chen Zhe Yuan is a relative newbie and his acting isn’t anything extraordinary either, which makes his insistence on the top spot look rather like a child throwing tantrums.
  And we all know what will happen if such a spoilt brat gets away with it time and time again…

• Like it or not Dilireba is a top tier celebrity. CZY's camp is crazy to demand for equal billing.

• He is gaining a difficult to work with reputation. This is very unfortunate. His fan base isn't large enough to bring traffic to this project and many say he doesn't match the character or her vibe. Quite a sour taste and this hasn't even started filming.

• CZY's camp is doing this as if the C-ent were approaching bankruptcy and they were trying very hard to get as much money out of the dump as possible. LOL. Although I consider CZY a better actor than Reba with greater acting potential, I'm afraid his camp's aggressiveness in making business deals has left a bad taste in ppl's mouths in the industry. C-ent is pretty competitive in terms of talent pool. Unless he has very strong backing, he may not last long with such a haughty personality in the industry.

  • He is asking for equal billing, not first billing or top billing so I’m not sure what the furor is. He has every right to ask? He knows his worth

    • Agree

    • Any other actor, I think it is fair to negotiate. The problem is, it is CZY that is asking. This is on the heels of him being perceived as stealing the billing from his partner in SF4. The drama was a flop and his acting was also criticized. People question his worth. CZY should have laid low for at least 1 drama to build up goodwill again.

    • I'm not dismissing him. Here I'm talking about the way his camp approaching new contracts after his breakout drama HL. Chinese people may not appreciate that. In the west, there's no such ridiculous arrangement like billing status. Whoever has more marketable merits and can convince production teams of greater contribution to the success of final products will get higher pays. But I don't think that's how it works in C-ent. There are many unreasonable factors coming into play in China in getting business done. C-ent is no exception. I just don't think his team's approach will do him any good. But let's see.

    • He is a literal nobody and she is the top female star of Chinese entertainment.

      Stop smoking whatever you are smoking, it's rotting your brain.

• Honestly I feel like lead actors needs to start demanding equal billing going forward, the success of a show is not just base on one person only, unless the actors are older, with experience and acting caliber under their belt,we give them that due respect of them having first billing but even with that if they r of equal peers they can request for equal billing too and when they r youngsters, trying to find their place in the industry, when some are better acting actors than others then they should go at it too imo.

  • Agree, I was like he's asking for equal billing and not top billing. I thought most of us on this blog disliked the top billing rank and want it to end, but when an actor does ask for equal billing and now it becomes an issue because he apparently doesn't deserve it with only one hit under his belt so I guess this billing issue will never end. Whether people like it or not, they still subconsciously want the ranking to happen thus C-ent is still pulling in these billing ranks.

    • The reason this is an issue is because his status in the industry is several levels below Dilraba. Requesting for equal billing here is to his advantage. I would have praised him and supported his team's/fans' bid for equal billing if he was the one at disadvantage in such situation, e.g. the female lead is someone of the same level as or lower than him.

  • Nonsense.

    This is how the world works, yes the world, not China and it's so funny to see you yelling looks how ignorant we are in order to wash your nugu.

    She is the top female Chinese star. Compared to her, he is nothing. No, he doesn't get equal billing. You know what he will get with this? Being jobless.

• Having this kind of mindset just promotes the toxicity of c-ent with first lead, second lead when they are both main leads. It does not make sense. I’m all for equal billing for both main leads.

  • I encourage CZY to drop this drama, pick up another drama with a newbie actress as his female lead and then request for equal billing. 😇

    • Why should he? It was offered to him for a reason, they obviously want him and think he is fit for the role. Also is he still considered a newbie? For you to suggest him pairing up with a newbie and giving them equal billing. Define newbie. Yes he’s younger than Dilreba and has lesser fans, she’s also been in the industry longer. His filmography and acting is better though.

    • See? Double standards. You don't want him to give equal billing to a junior actress yet okay for him to request equal billing from Dilraba who is more senior and has higher status than him. And his acting isn't any better imo.

    • Indeed. Everyone seems to be pro equal billing only when it's their gege that profits from it. Should he act with a newbie actress though, they are all "oh no, he's far more popular than her".

    • What you were saying was ludicrous, for him to drop it and take a whole new drama and you had to stress newbie, in my mind a completely nee actress with no acting credits? That’s what I was opposing to. If in the future, this happens vice versa then yes I’m also all for it. Negotiating contracts is par for the course! But C-ent with their billing issues and most especially the fans who flame it, is just ridiculous! I am not even a czy fan. I’m jumping in bec of everyone attacking him when everyone not just him can request for equal billing. That’s the stage they’re on, if it’s given to him then kudos to him!

    • @Kris The only thing that's ludicrous here is him requesting for equal billing against Dilraba. You get it? The reason why most people criticised this request is because he's up against someone several levels higher than him. No one would have bat an eyelid if this request was against someone of similar level as him such as Tian Xiwei or Lu Yuxiao.

    • @Kris Going by your logic, if the newbie actress was selected because she fit the role, then why shouldn't she get equal billing?

      In all seriousness tho, when I first read this post, I thought the boy was acting too big for his britches. Who is he to request equal billing against a star with monstrous fandom like Dilreba? He doesn't have the resources to support that request.

      But on the other hand, I also see where you're coming from, Kris, in that it is good for costars to get equal billing, because why shouldn't they? They are both leads and will contribute equally to a drama's success. Why should either of the leads get discredited just because of some popularity billing contest? It is biased and disrespectful.

      I think it's healthier for c-ent to put everyone on equal footing, with both leads getting same billing (even if they're on different payscale.) After all, they both were selected for their suitability for a role.

    • Dilraba attracts 10000000x more viewer than CZY. Her market value is 10000000x above CZY. I have even more respect for Dilraba's attitude to match top billing with CZY but I also dont want her to work CZY at all after this incident. CZY should appreciate to work with Dilraba and get more exposure. CZY has the right to fight/request top/equal billing. Sadly, if he keeps wanting equal billing (* I saw some posts that it is not first time asking for top/equal billing), he will get dropped by c-ent just to humble him. I did not watch any of his drama.
      You can be A-list with huge fans, hard work, good attitude & personality, awards, or experience. He is not even close not even awards. I like Dilraba and I hope Dilraba improves her acting because I feel her acting is lacking. Liu Yuning did a lot of supporting role until a breakout w/ "A journey to love". Let the award, media, and publicity do the talk.

• The better question is WHY IS THIS NEWS? Aren't negotiations like these par for the course before the dotted line is signed? Why bring it up to the public to try to smear his reputation and damage it more than it already has been damaged? When negotiating a contract, you can ask for more money, equal billing and so on, then the other party can state their terms and when an agreement has been made you sign the dotted line and everyone moves on with their business. Releasing contractual haggling before the dotted line is signed, quite frankly leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

  Dilraba is being very classy the way she's handling it, which shows she has enough regard for CZY that she wants to work with him. And if SHE's not complaining, why should we?

  My two cents: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

  • Exactly! I completely agree with you on all points.

• So many leaks from every pores of this contract... all these are games the agencies plays during negotiation ...and plays right into the hands of senseless fans who then create loud noise everywhere...

  I have never really enjoys Diraba's dramas but I do like her in Divas Hit the Road. I really never realised just how popular she is till I watch the many award shows these few weeks. She is one always sitting by the front rows, she is like the queen of the day, her entrance is followed by many. Yang Zi, Liu Shishi, Yang Mi, Tang Yan are on front rolls too but they arrive earlier and have a quieter entrance. Regardless how she is not a great actress, she has huge commercial value...

  • Dilraba had another breakout this CNY with her Xinjiang dance on this year's Spring Festival Gala too. She's one of the top in terms of public recognition and commercial value.

    • I agree...I saw the dance too. She is very good. I spend my CNY watching all the available CNY variety shows to absorb CNY Spirit...

      I have to say have watched a great number of sketches on the shows... the most boring were Spring Festival Gala , BRTV- Beijing, Mango TV, Shanghai are all better...

      Hope you had a enjoyable CNY!!!! @Lilith

    • Yup it was especially great this year with my family, so much so that I haven't had the time to visit this blog until today. Hope you enjoyed it too!

  • Yes I noticed she is always front row. Definitely top of A list. And I have yet to see CZY in front so...

    • Yes..her popularity is definitely very high.

  • Always in front row or not, or having commercial values or not, it doesn't negate the fact that she isn't an A-list actress cos she just can't act other than having good chemistry with one actor in one drama. Another example is Huang Xiao Ming who's also always seated in the front row with the powerful cos he has money but he can't act either. LOL.

    Although I don't think it's wise for CZY's camp to be this aggressive in negotiating new contracts (if all that being rumored is true), I do think he's a better actor than Reba. And from acting perspective, nothing wrong at all for him to ask for equal billing as Reba if he were working in the West cos the latter may not be able to attract viewership. In China, ppl put a lot of weight on status, power, and network backing. In the West, marketability speaks for your values. In the West, filming industry wants to make money and those who can attract audience surely will be paid more.

    • What are you smoking? Dilraba is A-list. She may not be great in acting but she still attracts more viewership than CZY regardless. Look at his Sword and Fairy 4's failure, he doesn't even have a single breakout, Hidden Love didn't put him on the popularity list at all, he has no marketability. That's the reason why most people think it's ridiculous for him to request equal billing against Dilraba, it's not like his acting is loads better until it warrants him getting equal billing.

    • I disagree...she is a A-list, it is not based on why you think. It is a fact. As international audience...what we think will not change what is a fact in China. There are many top lister are top for reason as overseas viewers I may not understand but as locals, they do. Dilraba is clearly very well liked as a artiste and respected as one too. I will not mitigated nor take away these fact.

    • What are you talking about? Even I know Reba is A-List. It's not about whether you think she can act or not. There is a reason why she is chosen to sit in the front row, why the government picked her to be in the CNY gala show and why she trends in whatever fashion she wear. There is a reason why she was given equal billing with Yang Yang for You Are My Glory and that's because she's A-List and they wanted her to star with Yang Yang who is another being criticized for not being able to act and is definitely A-list.

    • I think nobody can argue that Dilreba is A-list, she is a much bigger star and regardless of whether she can act better than anyone or not, she is still top tier. But I’m not taking it against anyone to ask for equal billing, that is their prerogative, if they get it why not, that doesn’t make them arrogant, it means they’re trying to negotiate a contract. This goes for anyone in the world in whatever industry you’re in.

    • @Liz, I agree with you in terms of negotiating contracts that is just a normal process in any free markets. Ppl here are justifying the practice in China that I think is BS. I'm not speaking for others. My OP represents my voice only. I don't think Reba is an A-list by my definition that she can't act. I came to this conclusion after checking out and watching many of her dramas. She's a liuliang but not an A-list actress. LOL. You can disagree with my assessment of her acting caliber that's equally applied to K-drama, Hollywood, British, or European films. But you can't justify why she's regarded as an A-lister actor. She is a popular celeb but not an A-list actor by my standards. LOL

    • @Lilith, BTW, better watch out for your insolent language! Your first sentence is quite offensive! I usually won't be nice to those who are rhetorically aggressive and I found you habitually have predisposition to be rude! You don't have to be offensive to be engaged in online conversation! But I'm not surprised since rude language is so common among a lot of ethnic Chinese netizens, you included! You started off with a brash tone that negates all your remaining points regardless of whether they make sense or not. Go take some lessons learning online etiquette!

      Marketability is not for you to decide. Marketable or not, the production team will make their own assessment and that's why contract negotiation. It's a normal business practice in any industry anywhere else in the world. Stop positioning yourself all the time as if a showbiz buff to tell ppl what to think or say cos you're just a keyboard nugu like everyone else visiting this blog. LMAO

    • Lmao, in which way was I rude? I'm sure I did better than your blatant racism and usage of exclamation marks. You should practise what you preach. Marketability isn't something hard to understand for normal people but you won't get it, of course. :)

    • LMAO @Lilith, you're surely uneducated if not knowing the wording "what are you smoking" is provocative!!!!! Other commenters have different opinions from mine but they are reasonable and verbally polite. So, it's fine for them to just voice their own opinions that actually made the same points as you. But you don't have a civil manner and have been consistently rude to people who have different opinions from you. You deserve being addressed with a lot of !!!!!!!!!!!! LOL. You always react over the top without knowing being excessive. Just get yourself educated with appropriate online etiquette and the public forums will have more peace! Stop tarnishing English forums with those Chinese expressions overdone that would be regarded embarrassing outside China! SMH

    • Nope, it's just you being so easily triggered as though you have emotional dysregulation.

    • @Lilith, LOL. I've been always thinking your mental state needs a checkup given how you defended CCP in the past and whatnot about C-ent. Now, I'm even more sure about that. There're time stamps on all the comments to show clearly the right sequence of the comments. Who's the one getting triggered first and so easily? It's you with that obviously inflammatory language, "smoking!" If you start a fight, don't expect you won't receive a bombardment of offense in return. LOL. You reap what you sow. Go learn online etiquette for Western SM.

    • I'm sure majority here think of you as a racist looney who can only keep harping about CCP and Chinese people whenever you lost an argument as if you think being anti-China will automatically make people agree with your fallacies. It may have worked in your racist America but this is the global Internet. The fact that you think non-Chinese social media and forums as "Western" when people from non-Western countries also use them already shows your narrow-mindedness.

    • @Lilith, this is my last reply to you cos I've been wasting too much time on deranged Chinese nonsense like your and Lam's BS. A reminder to your dementia head: Koalasplayground.com is originated in the US. Her IP address is located in the US territory and therefore this blogging site is a legit western forum. When "Western" is referred, it's meant to include other English-speaking democracy like Australia and New Zealand. You're ill-informed to be ignorant of this fact!

      When you label American as racists, it's already exposed your true color being CCP lackey cos that's exactly the lie CCP has been pressing so hard for propaganda, not knowing it's a loud but moronic strategy that just sabotages the collective image of the Chinese in the international community. And you and Lamo the like are equally doing more harm than good to your own race with aggressive rhetoric all the time! You ignoramuses have a fetish picking fights starting with name calling and cussing. It's fine for you to debate or even argue with ppl. But it's unbearable for you to start with provocative wording like "smoking" and for nitwit Lmao to call ppl "imbecile." You're literally bullying ppl who disagree with you and this type of behavior has been encouraged by CCP. Per several polls conducted throughout the world, China and aggressive Chinese behavior outside China are hated most among all countries and nationalities. You morons are bringing bad names to your own race even on entertainment social media!!!! A few Chinese commenters here, you and Lmao in particular, were apparently brought up in uneducated upbringing with very poor manner. Examples? Plenty! Just tracked all your comments starting cussing and name calling when ppl had different opinions than yours !!! CCP cronies like you are just like parasites in the West and infected pus on English social media. Better move back to China where you can comfortably bully whoever online! LOL

    • You've been parroting the same thing forever yet never practising what you preach LOL. You think only the Chinese think Americans are racists? Goes to show you either live in the propaganda bubble that America has created for its lapdogs like you or you just refused to believe that the people who contradict your opinions are non-Chinese. Just go look at Kpop news sites, I recall seeing plenty of articles about America being racist, are you gonna call them Chinese too? I'm pretty sure my Korean friends there will devour you. I bet even your white masters see you as a big embarrassment to their country.