Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

The sea breeze in Shantou at the end of August is gentle and long, and the century-old arcade buildings are dappled with light and shadow. The filming of "A Love Letter to Grandma" was gentle and healing.

The entire crew didn't feel the pressure of rushing to meet deadlines. They filmed, refined their emotions, and experienced the local life in the hometown of overseas Chinese. There were many interesting things that happened on set, and the atmosphere was relaxed and warm.

Since joining the production team, Gu Zhiyan has ignored the noise from the outside world and immersed himself in the old streets of Shantou, portraying the overseas Chinese youth Zheng Musheng.

Newcomer actress Li Sitong fully embraced a "fan-following and idol-training mode" throughout the entire process. During breaks, she didn't play on her phone or chat idly; instead, she squatted beside Gu Zhiyan, watching her rehearse and analyzing her emotions, filling her notebook with detailed notes about her performance.

After each scene with another actor, she would immediately review her shortcomings and humbly seek advice on handling emotions through blank spaces.

Gu Zhiyan was also patient and gentle, helping her to break down Xie Nanzhi's restrained and patient character core line by line, turning the set into a gentle and healing acting classroom.

The production team used a large number of amateur actors and residents of the old streets in Shantou, and the neighbors were exceptionally kind and simple.

Grandmas and grandpas often brought Kung Fu tea and Chaozhou-style rice cakes to the film set. When they heard that the male lead, who played an overseas Chinese, was Gu Zhiyan, they were all very enthusiastic.

An elderly woman from the old street who had personally experienced the era of overseas Chinese remittances told the actors on the spot the true story of how overseas Chinese went to Southeast Asia and how a letter from home was worth a fortune, helping the entire cast to quickly immerse themselves in the emotions of that era.

The most joyful moment on set was when all the Chaoshan food props were sold out in seconds.

In the show, all the rice cakes, braised dishes, soup noodles, and herbal teas were made on the spot. As soon as the director yelled "cut," the actors and crew members would immediately gather around to share the food. The crew jokingly called themselves the most down-to-earth foodie crew.

Li Sitong is also a foodie, and she encourages Gu Zhiyan to have beef hot pot, licorice fruit, and old-fashioned sweet soup every day after work.

Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes photos taken by passersby on the Shantou film set were quietly leaked, causing an instant uproar online.

There was no retouching, no lighting, and no glamorous styling.

In the photo, Gu Zhiyan is dressed in simple old clothes, with neat black hair and a slender and clean figure. Standing on the century-old arcade street, his eyebrows and eyes are gentle and clean, carrying the naivety of a young man leaving home, the trepidation about the road ahead, and the longing for his homeland.

Once the Reuters report spread, within just half an hour, the hashtags "[Gu Zhiyan and Zheng Musheng's unedited photos without makeup]" and "[Gu Zhiyan brought the overseas Chinese hometown boy to life]" quickly rose to the top of the trending searches, flooding the internet with memes and various creative discussions.

"Help! Gu Zhiyan has instantly transformed into a rural overseas Chinese teenager; his potential is terrifying!"

"One second he's a cold and domineering CEO, the next he's a poor boy from the old streets of Shantou. The seamless switching is flawless; this is truly the pinnacle of versatility!"

"Others rely on makeup and costumes to transform their roles, but Gu Zhiyan relies on her charisma to embody them. Feng Dajiao is rugged and earthy, while Zheng Musheng is clean and gentle!"

"Now I finally understand what it means to have a thousand faces in one person! Fan Xian is carefree, Feng Dajiao is resilient, Shen Haoming is patient, and Zheng Musheng is gentle—these four characters are completely different!"

"A Tsinghua University graduate playing a lower-class overseas Chinese character feels completely natural; his demeanor is perfectly controlled. He's the actor in the Chinese entertainment industry who best knows how to conceal his charisma!"

"This look is so realistic! This is exactly what a clean-cut, simple, and bright-eyed young man from Chaoshan who went to Southeast Asia in the 1980s looked like!"

"Other top celebrities' candid photos are meticulously staged, but his candid shots are full of everyday life, he's truly immersing himself in the role!"

There are also a large number of netizens using the "role contrast" meme.

"First half of the year: three Magnolia Awards for Best Actor, Huabiao Awards for Best Actor, top internet celebrity; second half of the year: farmers, overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia, and young people from old streets. The main theme is someone who can reach the top and also be down-to-earth."

"While others are caught up in the intense competition, Gu Zhiyan is caught up in the wide range of roles, conquering serious dramas, historical romances, modern romances, and art films."

Local netizens from the Chaoshan region expressed their strong empathy.

"As a Shantou native, I swear! This demeanor is definitely that of a gentle and trustworthy young man from Chaoshan back in the day, skilled in writing overseas remittances!"

"The arcade buildings, old streets, and worn-out clothes create an amazing atmosphere; I'm already looking forward to 'Love Letters to Grandma'!"

During the Reuters photoshoot, the video garnered over 600 million views in a single day, and the number of casual viewers skyrocketed. Countless viewers were captivated by the unedited photos of the male lead in this period drama, calling him the cleanest and most heartwarming male lead ever.

Why is everyone lining up to have Gu Zhiyan act in their plays?

Besides being "unbeatable" and always generating buzz, the fact that it generates hype even before airing is also a significant reason why it never lacks attention.

Amidst the frenzy of trending topics and memes circulating online, Gu Zhiyan, living under the arcades of Shantou, remains completely undisturbed.

He still goes to work on time every day, immersing himself in the life of the hometown of overseas Chinese.

The atmosphere on the Shantou set was gentle and pure, without the restlessness and noise of a large film crew. Everyone was focused on creating this art film about the hometown of overseas Chinese. The person whom the director, staff, and new actors admired the most was Gu Zhiyan.

He has no airs of a movie star, no ostentatious behavior, is never late or leaves early, and never juggles multiple filming schedules. He arrives half an hour early every day to style himself, do his own silent acting, and rehearse camera positions, perfectly embodying the slow-paced and deliberate style of art films.

Director Lan Hongchun has extremely high requirements for the emotional nuances of actors and rarely praises them during filming.

But less than a week into filming, the director publicly expressed his feelings on set, praising Gu Zhiyan in front of everyone on more than one occasion: "Gu Zhiyan is the most insightful, worry-free, and knowledgeable actress I have worked with in recent years."

Many actors, when portraying suffering or homesickness, like to exert themselves, furrow their brows, make a bitter face, and deliberately evoke emotions.

But the character of Zheng Musheng is a young man who goes far away from home, showing his naivety, forbearance, and worries. His suffering is in his heart, not on his face.

Gu Zhiyan understood perfectly. He could control his emotions and suppress his sharpness, and his eyes were clear yet profound.

Top-tier acting isn't about explosive performances, it's about restraint; he mastered that to the extreme.

Lan Hongchun also specifically mentioned a detail.

In August, Shantou is sweltering and hot. The arcade buildings offer no shade from the scorching sun. The costumes for period dramas are heavy, and the actors often have to wipe away sweat, get restless, and adjust their clothes.

Gu Zhiyan, however, remained completely still throughout every long take and static emotional scene, breathing very lightly and maintaining a stable state. There was not a trace of restlessness or agitation on screen; he was completely immersed in the human condition.

The entire crew, including script supervisor, cinematographer, and lighting technician, unanimously agreed: "Gu Zhiyan's scenes are the most economical in terms of equipment and time. He gets it in one take, is incredibly steady, and his emotions are precise down to the frame. There are almost no unusable shots."

Even the amateur local actors he worked with were won over by his professionalism and gentleness.

Many elderly men and women from the old street were nervous and forgot their lines when filming for the first time, and their eyes were flustered. Gu Zhiyan never rushed them or showed any impatience. Instead, she took the initiative to slow down the pace, gently guide them, and help the amateur actors get into character, waiting for them to calm down before continuing.

There was a farewell scene with a local grandmother. The grandmother was so nervous that she kept stumbling over the words, and the scene had to be reshot more than ten times.

All the staff members were quietly tense, but Gu Zhiyan always managed to reset her emotions, remaining gentle and sincere, with her eyes still showing the same youthful reluctance, without the slightest perfunctoriness or weariness.

After filming, the grandmother felt very guilty and apologized repeatedly. He gently comforted her, saying, "It's okay, Auntie. That's how filming is. Take your time."

The crew members took this to heart and privately remarked: the more top-tier the actor, the more humble and gentle they are.

Now I finally understand why he can have hit dramas every year and win so many awards.

His talent already surpasses everyone else's, yet he is more self-disciplined, more down-to-earth, and more respectful of his role than anyone else.