C-actor Xu Kai Reportedly to Renew His Contract with Yu Zheng’s Agency Because He Finds its Too Much Work to Open His Own
I love C-actor Xu Kai despite his myriad limitations as an actor, he’s always watchable for me and I think he’s super derpy in real life and love that contrast. He’s contract with his long time agency run by Yu Zheng is coming to an end this year and reportedly he will renew, which was not always guaranteed as stars who get as big as he did typically branch off on their own. The reported reason for his renewal is that he thinks its too much work to set up his own management office and he has to pay someone fees might as well pay it to Yu Zheng, who has been good to him through his career. Lol, both are true and sometimes the devil you know is better than the unknown.
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He is an adult so his choice, his consequences. Good luck!
One of my top fav cdrama actor although not a good actor. Perhaps its cos he’s of guangdong descent that i take a liking to him. But he’s definitely handsome. Good luck to Xu Kai.
I’m confused. Why are the options only YZ’s agency or his own agency? Aren’t there other agencies he could sign too? Or
Except leaving to establish his own agency which he seems not to be ready to, he probably doesn’t see any reason to sign up with another agency since he has no issue with his current agency.
@Sunny on you sign a contract with an agency for two reasons, they provide you with better resources or get u more satisfactory earning percentage, opening an agency means getting all your earnings to urself but may not get enough resources even if you are a big star, and signing with a new agency may not necessary give you a better margin.
@Fey @Merry: Thanks. Makes sense as creating your own agency is a lot of work and responsibility and no need to move elsewhere if he is happy with YZ.
I never watched anything with him but boy do I love his personality…man is so easy-going and laid-back in rl.
He got work and that’s all that matters to him I guess. I also think opening your own agency is too much trouble/hassle. Switching is also a risk, how many artists have been screwed by their former agencies? No, I 100% support his decision and wish him the best for his future endeavors.
Yu Zheng does take care of him very well.. I am not surprised he stayed on.
I had to laugh at seeing him beeing called “derpy”, since this is the exact same impression I had of him. Good to look at and that’s it. Didn’t get the hype about him. I like him best paired with Bai Lu or Jing Tian. Maybe because I like to watch both ladies. For all I know… I didn’t watch a lot of his work.
I love his chraracteristic
He is actually better than a lot of pretty boy actors. He’s charismatic, has a sweet personality, is innocuous, and his acting can be good in the right role and with the right partner. I wouldn’t watch a drama just for him, but he can be fun.
It’s hard to fight for resources. Yu Zheng is a jerk, but he has made his career.
He is not the best actor out there but I think he’s better than a lot of cdrama actors nowadays. Irl he also seems very sincere and down-to-ealth which is very endearing.
I like Xu Kai and to be honest I totally get his choice. If I were in his shoes, I would milk my good looks and serviceable acting to a maximum extent to save money, invest in real estate and then quit at about 40 to be an entrepreneur.
this!! lol I feel like you wrote out my exact thoughts.
It’s normal for actors and actresses to prefer being under an agency, just like normal people, some prefer being entrepreneurs and some prefer being employees.
Looks good but acting lacks punch. Lately he has been in forgettable dramas.
Sounds valid. Yu Zheng does indeed seem to treat him well and Xu Kai does seem too laidback and chill not to care about the finer details.
My issue, however, is the script choices. Every actor needs at least one “trifecta” project that is intelligently written, beautifully directed, and is well-acted by a team of seasoned veterans and charismatic new stars. I doubt he’ll get such a career-defining project with Yu Zheng. In Xu Kai’s others previous shows, his character disappears for a bit during the middle stretch to give a chance in the spotlight for younger actors that Yu Zheng wants to boost—often at the expense of a coherent or tight storytelling.
Second issue I just remembered is the danger of overfamiliarity and the actor is taken for granted by the agency. Take Jang Hyuk who wouldn’t leave SidusHQ for like two decades when all the other talented ones moved on (Kim Sun Ah, Jun Ji Hyun etc). He ended up being their only big star left and his career stagnated. Another case is that of Lee Seung Gi who stayed in his agency out of loyalty and then turns out they were cheating him so bad out of his royalties.
Perhaps a non-exclusive contract with Yu Zheng is best for Xu Kai. He still has a familiar company to lean on but with options of exploring, growing, and collaborating with more seasoned actors and bigger productions. Just my two cents.
@Snals: You make some really good points. I think your suggestion of a non-exclusive contract is a better option. At this stage in his career h really should be trying to step outside of the Yu zheng box. However I think it might require a level of ambition that maybe XK doesn’t have from what the other comments are saying. Everyone here is saying how he is so laid back so maybe his mindset is just as long as he’s getting work and getting paid that’s all that matters rather than pushing for better dramas or better roles.
Jang Hyuk sticking with Sidus years after everyone else had left that sinking ship is so sad. He should be a much bigger and awarded star than he is as he is so talented but staying there really hamstrung his career. LSG’s situation was very sad as well. They were robbing him blind for years until he found out the truth. Shows how important it is to have your own independent accountant or financial adviser if you are a high earner.
Yes and especially in cases of actor-agency partnerships like this, no matter how warm or civil, it’s always best to take steps not to be taken for granted. Yu Zheng always has an upcoming actor/actress he’s ready to boost, money is his bottomline. And this may not always align with Xu Kai’s.
I actually like that he’s self reflective enough to realize he might not have the skills to start his own studio. He seems to have a very laid back, easy going personality so it makes sense to me.
Yu Zheng has been nothing but a pain in the butt for Xu Kai, he squeezed him dry in his own drama by putting in as much as his company artists to the point xu kai’s own scenes are less than even a supporting role. But even if he quit Huanyu the other company is much less same hence the no point in changing company.
If Yu Zheng set up the role of Han Ting (As Beautiful As You) for Xu Kai, he was moving in the right direction. Great part working opposite one of the best actresses, Tan Song Yun. Xu Kai was fabulous as Han Ting, and the part was perfect for him once the screenwriters changed the brutally ruthless Han Ting from the book to the professional straight-laced CEO of the drama. The screenwriters even gave Han Ting and Ji Xing a 10-year backstory and made Han Ting an orphan, all to soften the character so the millions of Xu Kai fans would be sure to be impressed by him. If Yu Zheng arranged all of that for Xu Kai for such an excellent role as an actor and would do it often enough in the future, then Xu Kai would be foolish to leave. In fact, was the promise of more As Beautiful As You projects the real reason Xu Kai decided to stay?