I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

As for how high the ratings of this TV series will ultimately be, no one dares to predict it easily at the moment, but most people in the industry believe that this series is very likely to break the highest ratings record for domestic dramas this year, become the annual ratings champion, and may even become the most popular historical drama in recent years.

After the hit drama "Princess Pingyang Zhao", the male and female leads, Tong Yaya and Wu Yue, became the most talked-about figures in the industry, and their popularity soared.

Before this drama aired, Wu Yue was only a second or third-tier artist. Although he had some works, he was never well-known and could only play supporting roles in some dramas. It was even difficult for him to get a decent role.

However, with the immense popularity of "Princess Pingyang Zhao", his portrayal of Chai Shao has deeply resonated with audiences. Although he did not directly rise to the ranks of top-tier artists, he successfully touched the edge of becoming a near-top-tier artist, and his popularity and fame skyrocketed.

In addition, thanks to the popularity of his character in the drama, Wu Yue's commercial value has also increased significantly. He has recently gained many advertising endorsements and commercial promotion activities, transforming from someone who was previously ignored into someone who is now highly sought after.

The increased fame has also brought him a large number of fans. Although these fans cannot bring him direct benefits in the short term, they are of great help to his future acting career and role selection.

What flattered Wu Yue even more was that he recently received many excellent opportunities offered to him by people in the industry, all of which were leading roles.

You should know that in the past, in order to get a slightly better supporting role, he had to beg people everywhere, be humble, and even almost kneel down to get the opportunity.

But now, after his sudden rise to fame, major production companies are actively seeking him out, offering him high-quality male lead roles. This stark contrast in treatment has left Wu Yue with a mix of emotions.

If Wu Yue is like this, then Tong Yaya, the lead actress in this female-centric drama, is even more incredibly popular.

During the airing of "Princess Pingyang Zhao", almost no female celebrity in the entire entertainment industry could "beat" her. Different topics about her would appear on the trending searches every day, and her popularity remained high.

Many media outlets even send people to stake out Tong Yaya and film her daily outings, meals, and work. Even some trivial news stories can easily garner over ten million clicks, demonstrating just how popular Tong Yaya is.

Of course, Tong Yaya's sudden rise to fame is also inseparable from the behind-the-scenes support of Shengli Film and Television Company. In order to maintain her popularity and traffic, the company has arranged many interview programs and variety shows for her, constantly increasing her exposure and keeping her in the public eye. Topics keep coming one after another, and her popularity has never stopped.

With her role in "Princess Pingyang Zhao," Tong Yaya reaped the benefits of the hit drama, instantly transforming from a second- or third-tier actress into a top-tier female star and becoming one of the most sought-after actresses in the industry.

This has made many female celebrities in the industry extremely envious—they work hard to film and participate in events, and try their best to become famous, but they are always frustrated and unsuccessful. Tong Yaya, on the other hand, achieved a life-changing reversal and rose to fame in one step with just one TV series.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. In order to further consolidate Tong Yaya's popularity and status, Shengli Film and Television Company specially arranged a small fan meeting for Tong Yaya during the celebration banquet for "Princess Pingyang Zhao".

Unexpectedly, on the day of the meet-and-greet, Tong Yaya's fans surrounded the hotel where the celebration banquet was held, creating a huge crowd and a very lively scene.

If it weren't for the police officers maintaining order and providing protection at the scene, chaos and safety issues would likely have occurred.

The immense popularity of "Princess Pingyang Zhao" not only propelled the male and female leads to fame, but also helped many supporting actors gain wider recognition and popularity. Among them, Zheng Guolin, who played Li Shimin, received widespread attention once again.

Zheng Guolin is already considered a "professional" at playing Li Shimin. Nowadays, whenever there is a film or television production involving the role of Li Shimin, he will be invited to star in it as soon as possible.

It can be said that the role of Li Shimin made Zheng Guolin famous, making him known to audiences across the country and gaining him a large number of fans; but at the same time, this role also limited his acting career and became a "shackle" that he could not get rid of.

Since his breakout role in "The Great Tang Dynasty," Zheng Guolin has tried taking on several different types of scripts in an attempt to change his image, but the results have been less than satisfactory.

As soon as viewers see the character he plays, they can't help but associate him with the image of Li Shimin, making it impossible for them to immerse themselves in the new role. This has led to his new works being frequently criticized for being "out of place".

His portrayal of Li Shimin in "The Great Tang Dynasty" has become the deepest "mark" of his acting career.

This role once brought him to the pinnacle of his acting career, winning the love and recognition of countless viewers. However, it also caused difficulties for his subsequent works, as he could not shake off the shadow of Li Shimin no matter how hard he tried.

Even if he tries his best to transform his image and try different types of roles, the audience will still subconsciously think "he is Li Shimin" and cannot accept his other images.

I wonder if Zheng Guolin ever regrets playing the role of Li Shimin when the night is quiet—a role that made him famous overnight, but also trapped him for life.

It's worth mentioning that Fu Dalong also starred in this TV series, and he played the villainous role of Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty.

If it were any other company preparing this drama, Fu Dalong would absolutely not have played the role of Yang Guang.

After all, with his status as a Venice Film Festival Best Actor winner, he is already a top artist in the industry. He usually either stars in big-budget movies or plays the core positive role in TV series. If he were to condescend to play a villain in a TV series, many people would think that it would be a loss of face.

But Fu Dalong always knew in his heart that his achievements today were inseparable from Cheng Sheng's help and guidance.

If Cheng Sheng hadn't given him crucial resources and opportunities back then, he might not have made it this far, let alone won the Venice Film Festival Best Actor award.

Therefore, after the news of casting for "Princess Pingyang Zhao" was released, Fu Dalong took the initiative to contact Shengli Film and Television Company and directly requested to play the role of Yang Guang, regardless of the amount of screen time or whether the role was good or bad.

This move delighted the entire production team of "Princess Pingyang Zhao".

It's worth noting that Fu Dalong is a Venice Film Festival Best Actor winner, his acting skills are beyond question. Having him and Zheng Guolin, a "Li Shimin specialist," share the screen will undoubtedly be a major highlight of the drama, greatly enhancing its quality and attracting more attention. (End of Chapter)