Wang Duo Career choices and the role of fans
I'm relatively new to Chinese entertainment and I am wondering how much choice does Wang Duo have in the roles he takes? Is he simply a victim of typecasting or, is it possible he finds the roles he's taken (i.e. the guy who doesn't get the girl) more complex and interesting as an actor. I sometimes detect a certain dissatisfaction here amongst fans that he's not the main lead.
From my point of view, Nan Xuyue was the best part in The Blossoming Love (Mu Xuanling did *not* deserve him and he certainly deserved better than her 😁).
I've only seen him in two other things. First, the movie Per Aspera Ad Astra. It wasn't a huge part but memorable and powerful. On the order of Heath Ledger's performance in that batman movie. The other was his small part in Veil of Shadows where again, he's giving a great and completely different performance in a small role.
I hear people comment over and over that his other supporting roles are the best part of the respective shows they're in.
This all just leads me to wonder if there's some "method to his madness" of remaining more low key. Sure he's not a global luxury brand ambassador but he's got some domestic endorsements. So he's getting some attention.
Sure, he doesn't have the level of fandom of artists that won't be named here, but he has a good fan base that isn't batsh*t crazy and he still has relative freedom. You know, he reminds me of another artist who is similar in their commitment to be a serious actor. I think Wang Duo has more natural ability but they both seem to love the profession and work hard to improve their skills and give great performances. I bet that other artist would like to have some of the freedom back that Wang Duo has, while still being able to grow as a professional actor. But there's no "putting that genie back in the bottle" once its out. 😔
The thing is, he does stay busy. He seems to get plenty of good roles without the heavy responsibility that comes with being first on the call sheet. He has good relationships with other creators who want to work with him. Seems he may be sitting in the acting fame sweet spot.
So... what does he say in interviews? Does he ever talk about the roles he'd like to play in the future? Does he express any frustration in not getting the roles he wants? He seems like an interesting person outside the roles he plays and can still be his genuine self (those couple of vlogs I watched where he's eating noodles are hysterical, didn't want them to end 🤣)
Personally, I think his talent speaks for itself and he's going to have a long successful career. Even if the characters he plays never get the girl (and maybe even because of that).
For me, if there's someone I'm a fan of, I pay to see their work. Truth time: I drove over an hour to see Per Aspera Ad Astra in the theater, but it was to see Song Qian and Wang Hedi. But now, I would drive far to see something Wang Duo is in. There was a young couple I met at the theater that drove more than twice as far as me just for Wang Duo! They were the ones that pointed me to The Blossoming Love.
So what do y'all think? Is he choosing these roles because it's what he wants? As fans, is it our role to lobby for the parts we want to see him in? Or, if he's in fact choosing the roles he gets, to support his performances with our hard earned money and encouraging others to do the same?
FWIW, I did already consult google's AI regarding how much he can choose and got a pretty good answer, but I still wonder what y'all think about this.