Wuxia C-drama Tales of Dark River Closer to Confirming Leads Gong Jun, Yang Yu Tong, and Chang Hua Sen

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• "carry the drama's thespian requirements" kekeke I suggest getting a cardboard cutout of Gong Jun, then make the real Gong Jun dress as a woman, have him be his own female lead and act against the cardboard cutout of himself. Problem solved, no decrease in acting quality and even some comedic value. Kekeke

  • Y'know its kind of funny because Gong Jun fans said that Zhang Yuxi's features resemble him so it would be like twins acting alongside each other if they cast her. Acting wise, both are kinda on the same level as well.

• Wait! Gong Jun's fans really said that to Zhang Yu Xi?? Speechless! Not Zhang Yu Xi fan, but she is decent in both visuals and acting. She deserves at least some respect as an actress.

  • Agreed.

• Gong Jun fans should have went after the ML2 candidate instead lol. Be careful of dirty tricks and being used as a stepping stone, Gong Jun

• Lol she is a better actress than he is.

  GJ fans need to face reality that his career is seriously on the decline and that at this point, being nice to people is a way better tactic.

• In terms of energy, I believe there are three categories of actresses:

  1) One that brings life to the character, is engaging and makes you want to watch and look forward to more of the drama/plot.

  2) One that is just bland - doesn't bring anything to the plot/drama but doesn't suck either.

  3) One that sucks all the energy out of the drama and makes watching the performance/drama tedious and tiring.

  Zhang Yu Xi is unfortunately, the third kind of actress. She's not just bland or boring, she's exhausting to watch, so I don't watch her unless she's in a minor or supporting role. I can give examples of actresses who I believe fall in category 1 or 2 but I don't want to start a fan war. Anyway, this classification is highly subjective to viewer's experiences and preferences.

  • Yep, don't mention names, it will definitely start a fanwar, even mere opinions start a fanwar, not taking about actual being critical.

  • Want to know your examples of category 2. I know it's subjective.

    • Li Yi Tong is a great example, to me she's so bland she could be wall paper. I usually end up dropping her dramas, but I'm proud to say I finished one of them because she infused a charming personality into that role (Warm on a Cold Night).

      Jing Tian used to be in that category earlier in her career until Rattan, where she crystalized to become the third category and a joy to watch. Her performances after Rattan are so captivating.

      Yang Zi used to be in the first or second category for me as a viewer (bland in Noble Aspirations), (awful in the Oath of Love, Ashes of Love, The Psychologist) but when I watched her in 'Lost You Forever', I became completely captivated and enchanted by her acting, and her performance in the recently aired 'Best Choice Ever' was one of the best acting I have ever seen from her - realistic, empathetic and stirring. So it is possible for an actress to start off in one category, improve over time and blossom to reach the height of their potential.

    • *** sorry I meant crystalize to become the first category. Jing tian's acting nowadays is so much improved, that it's exciting watching her.

      Yang Zi has improved so much as well, to me she used to be bland, but nowadays her acting is first rate. Her recently completed dramas have this extra oomph to her acting that makes her fascinating to watch.

  • She's the 2nd type for me. But her latest drama was actually good. She fit the role.

    • Your categories fit actors too.

    • @Guest - Yes these categories fit actors as well.

      I would liken Gong Jun as a black hole as well, he sucks the life out of the production by his acting so it puts me off. I rarely complete his dramas.

      Xu Kai, when he's not feeling it, is a pretty bland actor, you can tell he's not immersed in his role and is just going through the motions.

      When an actor/actress feels their roles, they bring an extra 'oomph' to their performances that makes the viewer excited to watch them. But if an actor/actress have little control over their choice of acting projects, they may likely burn out and start churning in sub-standard performances, coasting on the glory of their one-breakout performance. That's why rest, relaxation and rejuvenation, breaks between acting is so critical to the actor's screen performance.

      In general, actors who have their own agencies and have more control over their scripts tend to put in better work over the lifetime of their acting career than those who don't. Of course, as Halle Berry once said, sometimes you pick substandard roles cause you gotta pay the bills, but on the long run, they can more easily pick up roles which they are passionate about that enables them to shine.

  • Agree.

    I know she's pretty and talented but i got tired every time i watched her. Some actors have the same energy as her.

    This reminds me of Yutong. But for some reasons, i could finish watching her drama with Li Xian. Probably, a specific role did suit someone.

    GJ is straight to no.2. But well, with great script, im not that exhausted watching him.

  • I agree with your actor and actresses examples.

• GJ's acting is like dead man walking at this point. There seems no hope to see him rise from the coffin to bring his characters to life. LOL.

• Urgh, that's hypocritical of GJ's fans. The only reason he got any boost of popularity was because of a BL drama. It wasn't as if his acting was spectacular. It was just that it was one of the few BL dramas to air before the censorship became stricter.

• Some Fans can be quite toxic, that’s why fanwars can be very hurtful. But why are the artists being blamed? I cannot control my own kids too much nowadays. How can an artist (Gong Jun in this case) be responsible for the actions or words of his fans who are often total strangers and are not even related?!?!!! Letting off the frustration on GJ won’t change anything. The drama will still tank if no one watches it. Difficult to find investors if no one supports it.

• I like Gong Jun in Word of Honor, but have not managed to finish any of his works since. With that said, I still have some goodwill towards him so I'll still watch his Fox Spirit Matchmaker drama and this, since he seems to fit the wuxia/xianxia genre more.

  • Looks like it'll be the first time I sit through a Gong Jun drama with him as a male lead just because I want to watch Fox Spirit Matchmaker 2 & 3. Hopefully, I don't drop FSM1.

    • I dont think you need to watch FSM1 to watch 2 & 3. They are independent stories.