costume drama "Walking with the Phoenix" has been aired for more than half of its time. Not only does it dominate the charts on multiple platforms, it also ranks first in Tencent Entertainment's influence rankings, showing the impressive performance of being "a masterpiece".
Although the play also features powerful actors such as Lin Gengxin and Zeng Li, it must be said that Zhao Liying, who plays the heroine, deserves a lot of credit.
Moreover, she is also the producer of the show, participating in the operation and planning of the work, and her importance is comparable to that of the director - this is also her first cross-border attempt.
There is no doubt that as one of the "85 top artists", Zhao Liying can now be called a "superstar".
But everyone who knows her knows that it not only took her 18 years to get to this point, but she also single-handedly changed the choice of "round-faced heroines" in domestic entertainment.
From the beginning of her career, she was defined by industry insiders as “not being able to be a heroine” and now she has become the most powerful heroine in dramas. How was her legend created?
1. The "round-faced girl" who was questioned as being unable to be a heroine
"In the past seven years, I kept hearing people say to me that a round face cannot be a protagonist.
Because such a face shape has limitations and is not impressive, acting I couldn't play particularly important roles, I could only play maids, daughters, granddaughters, sisters...
That's true, I played them all.
I was very unconvinced at the time. I didn't understand why an actor's value should be defined by his face. "
In May 2017, Zhao Liying, who has always been poor at speaking, made her speech debut in "Starry Sky Speech" with the theme "My Little Heroism". In the
program, she talked about her journey over the years since her debut.
especially mentioned that he had been questioned by people in the industry and could not play the leading role.
Indeed, the popular female stars in those years were either Yang Mi, Jing Tian, or Liu Yifei, Yang Ying and other florets. The mainstream aesthetic also favored European-style double eyelids, high nose bridges and pointed chins.
This appearance is very different from Zhao Liying's typical "square face".
So despite her best efforts, her development was indeed hampered at one point.
But this does not seem to be the most critical, because in addition to appearance, Zhao Liying is incomparable with any "top" in domestic entertainment today, and there is also her background.
In 1987, she was born in a rural family in Langfang, Hebei Province. Both her parents were farmers and had no background.
Therefore, although she had dreamed of becoming a star since she was a child, her ordinary family could not provide her with any help.
After growing up, Zhao Liying was admitted to a technical secondary school to major in flight attendant. After graduation, due to family constraints, she had no choice but to give up the opportunity to apply for a flight attendant, and then worked as a secretary in a company that specializes in pipeline anti-corrosion.
This job is leisurely and worry-free. It is only 10 minutes away from home. I only need to make phone calls every day, and occasionally I can go to Beijing for a business trip with my boss.
Many years later, she said in an interview with a smile: "It is precisely because there is no pressure that I have time to participate in competitions online."
The competition in which Zhao Liying debuted was a national talent show organized by Hunan Satellite TV and Yahoo.com at the time. The organizer of
invested 30 million at that time and invited three directors, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige and Zhang Jizhong, with the purpose of selecting three amateurs and turning them into stars.
Perhaps Zhao Liying did not expect at the time that she would go all the way and become the champion of Feng Xiaogang's group in the end.
After the competition, she successfully participated in the commercial directed by Feng Xiaogang. At the same time, she also signed a contract with Huayi Brothers and officially entered the industry.
But this is just where the dream begins.
Because she had no background, education, or experience, Zhao Liying was completely "free" after entering the industry and had no chance at all.
But she did not give up, and went to Hengdian alone, starting a career as a bit player for many years.
In those years, Zhao Liying acted in many works such as "Golden Wedding", "The King of Nanyue", "Lock the Autumn", "Sky of the Pleiades", etc. She played either a daughter or a maid, and she didn't have many roles.
It is worth mentioning that at this stage, she had already met her future husband Feng Shaofeng, who had become a big star, through filming, but their status was completely different.
Especially the heroine An Yixuan in "Lock Up", because he saw her hard work and practicality, he encouraged her privately: "You will definitely succeed in the future!"
And An Yixuan turned around and was rumored to have an affair with the male protagonist Feng Shaofeng - -I have to say that when the gears of fate turn, everyone is involved, and we don’t know what our future will bring.
Many years later, she once again talked about the seven years of playing a small role. It was just a few words, but few people knew what Zhao Liying had experienced in these seven years:
She only took a few days off a year, and spent the rest of the time in Hengdian Looking for opportunities;
When she starred in "Love Killing Jiuhe Hall" in 2009, the crew mistyped her name;
Occasionally, the producer questioned: "Your mouth is like a pig's mouth";
Another time she I was filming in the mountains, but was forgotten by the staff when the work was over. I had no choice but to spend the night alone on a big rock...
2. The "clear stream in your circle" who offends others because of your uprightness
But God will eventually reward those who don't give up. .
In 2010, Zhao Liying appeared in the costume drama "Dream of Red Mansions", playing the role of Xing Xiuyan, who knows the book and is a gifted person, and gained a small amount of attention.
The following year, she played the role of Qing'er who understands righteousness in "The Return of the Princess". Although this role was preceded by Wang Yanzhuyu, Zhao Liying's performance was equally deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
It was also this year that she began to appear in the works of Yu Zheng as a producer. In fact, the two had met through the recommendation of an assistant director as early as 2008.
The other party was very interested in her at that time and expressed the hope to sign a contract with her after the establishment of his studio.
But Zhao Liying, who has always been known for her uprightness, refused herself:
"I already have an agent, why do I need to sign it?"
Until five years later, she was reminded of Yu Zheng again because of the filming of "Huan Zhuge Ge", The other party said to her: "You should be able to be the female lead."
But if she wants to play Yu Zheng's female lead, the premise is that she must first make a cameo in his work to let the other party see her potential.
So in 2010, Zhao Liying made a guest appearance as Lily in "Palace Lock Bead Curtain". The role of
also started her relationship with Chen Xiao. The two later collaborated on "The Legend of Lu Zhen", which brought each other's careers to the top.
Before that, although Zhao Liying's career had improved, her popularity among the public was only average.
As mentioned above, she was able to reject even the olive branch extended by Yu Zheng, which shows how straight her character is. Because of this, she has "offended" many people and was nicknamed "Zhao Xiaodao".
In 2011, because she was dissatisfied with being recognized by Yang Mi's fans, Zhao Liying posted angrily on social platforms:
"Don't you know what your idols look like? Are Yang Mi the only ones with big eyes and middle parting?"
Moreover, when filming "My Princess", there were rumors that she had a tense relationship with Li Sheng, who played the heroine. Later, the latter angrily denied it on social platforms.
But when the two were recording "Quick Book" together, there was indeed an embarrassing scene where Zhao Liying snatched the props from Li Sheng.
And later, she directly took the water that the other party wanted to drink and drank it, which triggered an online violence.
However, with the popularity of "Legend of Lu Zhen" the following year, Zhao Liying embarked on the fast track to fame, and then filmed the movie "Gongsuo Agarwood", unlocking big screen resources.
However, during the filming of this film, because she was understated, she was treated unfairly when she collaborated with Zhu Zixiao in a large-scale intimate scene.
There is an unwritten rule in the industry that the set must be cleared when filming large-scale scenes, but Zhao Liying did not receive such treatment. She was still "scrutinized" by the on-site staff while wearing cool clothes.
Afterwards, she asked the director why he didn't clear the show, but the other party just said lightly: "I forgot."
In 2014, Zhao Liying starred in "The Wife's Secret" and "Shanshan Is Coming", and became the goddess of the Golden Eagle Festival with the latter. Smoothly squeezed into the front line.
After that, she continued to play roles, and works such as "Flower Thousand Bones", "Come on Intern" and "Qingyun Zhi" were aired one after another, showing a status of "dominating the screen".
Despite this, Zhao Liying still found time to make guest appearances in Yu Zheng's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Song of Romance in the Clouds". The reason was just to "repay the favor".
Just like what Yu Zheng said about her many years ago: "She is not a pitiful girl, she will be able to take on big responsibilities in the future."
And until now, when the other party mentioned looking for Zhao Liying again, she still praised her without hesitation and said bluntly, " Proud of her."
However, except for "Bole" Yu Zheng, her reputation in the industry is not outstanding, and it was even rumored that she could not get along with other celebrities.
This may also be related to Zhao Liying's uprightness:
When she was recording "Men on the Left, Women on the Right", she came to the rescue of Yuan Shanshan but was misunderstood as "framed";
When recording "The Idol Is Coming", she "offended" Ning Jing by wearing a dress. Being called a "buddy" by the other party;
During the interview, she ignored the "variety show star" Zheng Kai sitting next to her. There was a script until the variety show recording, which made the other party embarrassed...
But no one can deny the success that Zhao Liying has achieved in the 18 years since her debut: From being unrecognized to becoming a "big heroine" with constant drama appointments, this legend continues.
3. The "grassroots heroine" who "talks less and does more"
In 2017, Zhao Liying met the actor Feng Shaofeng while filming the movie "Journey to the West". Think about it after giving birth to a son a few months later.
But this marriage only lasted for more than three years and ended. As for the reason, she never talked much about it.
During this period, Zhao Liying was nominated for the Magnolia Award and the Huading Award for her film "Do You Know Should Be Green, Fat, Red, and Thin"?
In addition to her identity as an actress, little is known about her plans for her business territory.
After "A Thousand Bones", Zhao Liying bought the shares of Hairun Film and Television Group and became one of its shareholders. Then she joined Wu Qilong's Straw Bear Pictures, which was valued at tens of millions a few years later.
Not only that, she also established her own film and television company, and "The Legend of Chu Qiao" was invested by her "Blue Boiling Point" company.
People in the industry once calculated that the investment in this drama was about 200 million, but it later sold 520 million, not counting other broadcast fees. It can be said that she made a lot of money from just one drama... …
In addition, Zhao Liying began to transform after her divorce, and starred in three modern dramas with different themes: "Who is the Murderer", "Happiness to Ten Thousands of Houses" and "Wind Blowing Pinellia", allowing the audience to see the potential of her acting skills Progress, and ambition for the profession of actor.
At the beginning of this year, Zhao Liying single-handedly made the realistic movie "Article 20" very popular.
In fact, she didn't have many roles, but she was recognized by Zhang Yimou and the audience. The role of a mute mother she played had no lines and could make people cry.
Then there is "Traveling with the Phoenix", which is her first part-time costume drama. It is her most familiar comfort zone, and it is certainly effortless to act.
Zeng Li, who played her master in the drama, also praised Zhao Liying angrily in an interview:
"She is a rare actress. You see she is so small, but she is very strict with herself on the set. She is very strict in all aspects." The requirements are extreme. I see the strength of women in her."
Indeed, from the beginning, where her appearance was suppressed, her emotional intelligence was scolded, and her quality was criticized, Zhao Liying has overcome all kinds of criticism step by step, using the stupid method of "talk less, do more" and use actions. The power of
