Vid rec: my favourite BY, ZYL interview so far

[mekare]

So I’m guessing most of you have seen this already, both are interviewed separately for/by Sina Entertainment (a TV channel??).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xHIs_RPpJoo

I like several things about this vid:

- they mostly focus on professional questions
- they give them space to answer

As fun as the quick question rounds are in other vids, I get kind of thirsty to hear some real thoughts from both of them, not just on internet culture and their fame. I also really loved their answers for their characters, and how they felt about the show Guardian (yes they are both aware it has flaws).

Interesting things:
Zhu Yilong:

In the scene where Zhao Yunlan catches Shen Wei cutting himself, they simply "reacted to what the other one acted" and didn’t rehearse the emotional stuff. On improvisation, he says that he felt able to improvise with Bai Yu because he "dared give him" his spontaneous ideas during the scene. He also describes Bai Yu as looking a bit dorky and childish but "being exquisite in the heart” *teeters dangerously near the rpf cliff*
He wishes for more logic in the plotline and that the focus wouldn’t be as tightly on Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan though I'm guessing most fans would disagree with that statement ;-) But he also defends the show against some trash talk because he says no one (or two) actor(s) could be responsible for the success of a drama, all departments contribute (I feel so vindicated).

Bai Yu's thoughts on the show were very interesting too. It seems initially he wasn't sure it could be done (after he read the novel) and his team convinced him to do it because it had been changed to "brotherhood". He thinks of Zhao Yunlan as at first glance a 'man of pleasure' but with something delicate inside (which I'll forever take as confirmed headcanon). Oh and agreement was that ZYL is a good leader (at least that, since he doesn’t have any powers on the show).

Comments

[naye]

Quick link for anyone curious:
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1002871/chinese-celebrities-given-social-responsibility-rankings

[solo]

Oookay, so while that is still creepy, it's not a thing that has been an official thing forever. I was picturing a government department there, keeping track of everyone's charitable deeds and patriotic fervour.

Still. Ugh.

[naye]

Oh no, see - this was introduced 2018, but tracking social responsibility is totally what they're doing going forward. So it will absolutely be keeping track of everyone in perpetuity. (They're also rolling this out for ordinary citizens. It's already a thing. Social rating too low? You get banned from buying plane and train tickets. They're officially going to keep tabs on EVERYONE - pairing it with surveillance tech/ face recognition.)

[solo]

Oh my god. In my other fandom, I read an AU fic which was based on some... film, I think, which has something like that going on. CREEPY AS FUCK.

I can't even...