Using excellent acting skills to break the "childhood filter" with their own hands may be their best destination.
When "Starfall Condensed into Sugar" was a hit, some netizens took a screenshot of the crying scene of the male protagonist Chen Xingxu, thinking that he cried "humble and not fairy". As a result, more netizens took out Chen Xingxu's 3-year-old crying scene in "The Years of Passion Burning", proving that he has cried so sincerely since he was a child.
As Chen Xingxu's "child star black history" was dug up, the heroine Li Randi's child star crying scene clips also began to be widely disseminated. Some netizens even made the two child star crying scenes into memes to urge more outside.
Chen Xingxu and Li Randi in childhood
In addition to the double starring of child stars in "Starfall into Sugar", now, more popular dramas have also begun to be provoked by post-95 child stars. For example, Wu Lei in "Star Han Splendid, Moon Rising into the Sea", Zhao Jinmai in "The Beginning", Song Zuer in "Children of the Qiao Family", Zhang Zifeng in "The Daughter Who Came Back", Guan Xiaotong in "Twenty Not Confused" and so on. In 2019, CCTV6 will even award the title of the new generation of four little Hua Dan of the acting school, all of which are awarded to four post-95 child stars - Zhang Zifeng, Wen Qi, Zhang Xueying and Guan Xiaotong.
Different from the silence of the first generation of child stars such as Shi Xiaolong and Cao Jun when they grew up, these post-95 child stars supported half of the drama circle with their high appearance, high education and high acting skills. These seemingly "pampered" post-95 child stars must not only maintain the public image of "younger brothers", "sisters", and even "sons" and "daughters", but also continue to launch works that can catch up with their own growth. The slightest deviation from public expectations can be immediately countered.
So, compared to the previous generation of child stars, how did the post-95 child stars grow up "in equal proportions"? For them, is the "childhood filter" an olive branch to enter the public eye, or a "stumbling block" to future transformation? Can the works of these child stars when they grow up match their growth?
Top: "The Beginning" Zhao Jinmai, "Star Han Splendid, Moon Rising into the Sea" Wu Lei, "Children of the Qiao Family" Song Zuer Below: "The Daughter Who Came Back" Zhang Zifeng, "Twenty Not Confused" Guan Xiaotong
Why are the first generation of child stars "bleak"?
Since the reform and opening up, the first batch of well-known child stars in China grew up in Hong Kong-style action movies.
In 1993, when director Wang Jing filmed the action movie "New Shaolin Five Ancestors", he needed a group of children who could learn martial arts. In the Children's Palace, a five-year-old boy passed layers of selection and finally got the opportunity to co-star in movies with Jet Li and Qiu Shuzhen. The child's name was Semyon.
Subsequently, Xie Miao co-starred with Wu Mengda in the comedy movie "Peter Pan", co-starred with Chow Yun-fat in the movie "God of Gamblers 2", and also played Jet Li's son in "Chizi Weilong", which was unique for a while.
"The Five Ancestors of New Shaolin", Semyon
At this time, another little boy who also knew kung fu also began to enter the public eye.
In 1993, Shi Xiaolong, who had studied martial arts in Shaolin Temple since he was a child, co-starred with Lin Zhiying and Hao Shaowen in the comedy movie "Laughing Lin Kid", and thus entered the entertainment industry. Subsequently, he co-starred with Wu Mengda and Hao Shaowen in "Laughing Forest Kid II: New Oolong Courtyard" fire, and the combination of Shi Xiaolong and Hao Shaowen's "One Wu and One Meng" was also loved by many audiences. In 1999, the hit drama "Young Bao Qingtian" was broadcast, and the cute and playable Zhan Zhao once again brought Shi Xiaolong into the field of vision of mainland audiences.
"Laughing Forest Kid", Shi Xiaolong
However, after the millennium, the golden period of Hong Kong-style action films was no longer there, a large number of film and television professionals lost talents, and child stars such as Xie Miao and Shi Xiaolong chose to suspend their acting activities and concentrate on their studies.
When they return from their studies, the film and television market has long entered the era of big IP. The action scenes played by real knives and guns are far less cost-effective than "handsome men and beautiful women + cutout special effects", and many Hong Kong-style action film directors have also changed and become the royal directors of fairy puppets. Zheng Yecheng, who specializes in Peking Opera martial arts and is good at playing, now receives mostly idol drama roles, and his kung fu can only be displayed in the variety show "Infinite Beyond Class".
These child stars who rely on kung fu are therefore useless - after Semyon's comeback, he starred in more action themes and online movies, but it was always tepid. Shi Xiaolong slowly transformed behind the scenes, began to work as a director and action director, and never regained his childhood glory. Cao Jun, a child star who once had martial arts skills and later became popular with "Baolian Lantern", also questioned whether he was not suitable for being an actor in variety shows.
"Baolian Lantern", Cao Jun
Another group of child stars who grew up in sitcoms and children's dramas are trapped in the transformation of appearance.
Also in 1993, the first domestic sitcom "I Love My Home" was broadcast, which swept the streets. Guan Ling, who played Jia Yuanyuan in the play, became popular overnight because of her cute appearance and natural acting skills, and became the first "national girl" in China.
In 2004, a TV series "Little Soldier Zhang Ga" that gathered many child stars was broadcast. At this time, what made Zhang Yishan "match" was a good-looking boy - Xie Mengwei. This is the first film and television work he has starred in after learning Peking Opera since he was a child. Although it is a remake, the play's excellent presentation of the juvenile group portrait has become a childhood memory for a generation. The image of Gazi was thus bound to Xie Mengwei.
In the same year, the costume sitcom "Wulin Gaiden" became popular. Wang Shasha, who first emerged in "Little Soldier Zhang Ga", became a household name with the eccentric Mo Xiaobei in the play and became a new generation of "national girls".
In order: "I Love My Home" Guan Ling, "Little Soldier Zhang Ga" Zhang Yishan and Xie Mengwei, "Wulin Gaiden" Wang Shasha
These three child stars also chose to focus on their studies after the explosion. At the age of 21, Guan Ling was admitted to Beijing Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in international trade, and also obtained a master's degree in management and economics. Xie Mengwei was admitted to the China Opera Academy with the first place in the overall ranking of students, dan, clean and ugly majors in China. Wang Shasha was admitted to the acting department of Shanghai Theater Academy and graduated with a master's degree.
When they returned to the entertainment industry again, sitcoms gradually declined under the impact of short videos, variety shows and other content. Back then, they came out of the circle with their cute, humble and other appearance conditions, and it was difficult for them to have a place in the market full of IP dramas.
At the same time, Yang Zi is the most successful representative of the transformation of child stars in the sitcom category. Once said by Song Dandan that she was "not beautiful enough", she first proved her acting skills with mainstream dramas such as "War Changsha" and "Ode to Joy", and then actively embraced idol dramas such as "Fragrant Honey Sinks Like Frost" and "Dear, Love", constantly proving her appeal and plasticity in the current film and television market.
"Dear, Love", Yang Zi
The transformation of other child stars has not been so successful. After realizing that the theater path was limited, Guan Ling chose to switch to the hosting industry. After Xie Mengwei became a director, he plunged into the wave of live broadcast goods. After Wang Shasha failed to try the romantic drama "Falling in Love with the Chef Next Door", she chose to take a step back and play supporting roles in dramas such as "Mountain and Sea Love", "The Bottom Line" and "Love Full of Nine Daowan".
The child stars in these memories gradually "disappeared" with the decline of Hong Kong-style action movies and sitcoms.
"Mountains and Seas", Wang Shasha (left)
A post-95s child star with a smooth sail
Compared with the first generation of child stars who rely on their martial arts skills and affinity, post-95 child stars are more likely to come out of advertisements, and high appearance is their initial "weapon".
In 1999, when Chen Xingxu, who was only 3 years old, went to the zoo with his parents to play, he was discovered by scouts because of his outstanding temperament, and then shot a series of commercials. In 2000, 4-year-old Chen Xingxu was selected to participate in "The Years of Passion Burning", playing the role of Xiaoshi Hai, and officially entered the entertainment industry. In 2006, the producer of the TV series "Shining Red Star" found Chen Xingxu through the role of Xiao Shihai, and after passing the audition, he became a new generation of "Pan Dongzi".
Coincidentally, in 2002, Wu Lei, also 3 years old, was selected by the advertising director and shot more than 50 commercials in the next two years. When the crew of "Feng Shen List: Phoenix Ming Qishan" went to the art school to pick young actors, 6-year-old Wu Lei plucked up the courage to recommend himself out of his love for acting. After the director saw his information, he settled on the role, and since then there is a cute little Nezha with big eyes and cute eyes in the play.
In 2005, four-and-a-half-year-old Zhang Zifeng performed the skit "Little Blind Girl Looking for Mother" in the Super Baby Competition. After the competition, a judge from the Beijing Film Academy approached Zhang Zifeng's mother and hoped that she would take her daughter to Beijing for development. After coming to Beijing, Zhang Zifeng began to shoot many advertisements. In 2009, Zhang Zifeng auditioned for the movie "Tangshan Earthquake" and played Xiao Fangdeng, and this role also made her the youngest winner of the Best Newcomer Award of the Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award at that time.
This group of child stars who have been crawling in advertisements and dramas since they were young people are also young people who grew up in the Internet era. In their best years, they ushered in a rapid outbreak period of the domestic film and television industry. The face of "growing up in equal proportions" and the acting skills polished since childhood give them more advantages and choices than actors of the same age in today's film and television market.
In order: "The Burning Years of Passion" Chen Xingxu, "Feng Ming Qishan" Wu Lei of "Feng Shen List", Zhang Zifeng of "Tangshan Earthquake"
Liu Ning, the producer of "Starfall into Sugar", once mentioned in a conversation with Entertainment Studio that the reason why Chen Xingxu and Li Randi were chosen to play is not only because of their appearance and temperament, but also because the acting skills of Yedu and Xuanshang are more difficult, and they are born as child stars with strong professional ability and are enough to control these two roles.
Other post-95 child stars also have their own masterpieces in the "big IP era". Wu Lei was well known to the audience for Xiao Yang Guo in "The Condor Heroes", and then became synonymous with beautiful men in ancient costume with the flying flow out of the circle in "Langya List"; Zhang Zifeng became the "national sister" for "Detective Chinatown", "My Sister" and "Basic Law of Genius"; Zhao Jinmai proved his acting skills in "The Wandering Earth" and "The Beginning"; Song Zuer once surprised the audience with "Kyushu Ethereal Record", and later showed acting skills that are not limited to idol dramas in "Children of the Qiao Family".
In order: "East Palace" Chen Xingxu, "Hello, Old Time" Li Randi, "Langya List" Wu Lei
In addition, the film and television environment in which early child stars survived was more difficult, there were no stand-ins, cutouts, and dubbing, and young actors had to spend a lot of time on shooting. This has made many child stars realize that academic and acting cannot be done at the same time. In the golden period of career development, Shi Xiaolong, Xie Miao, and Cao Jun all chose to suspend their acting careers and focus on their studies. But when they returned from school, the environment of the film and television industry had already changed greatly, and they also lost the market they originally relied on.
Post-95 child stars choose to "work and study" more, study while filming, and most of them graduated from professional colleges with excellent grades. Chen Xingxu and Zhao Jinmai were both admitted to the Central Academy of Drama with the first score in the acting major; Li Randi was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama with the second highest professional score in the country; Wu Lei was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy with the first score in the country in the acting major; Song Zuer and Zhang Zifeng were admitted to the Beijing Film Academy with the third highest score in the country in the acting major. When recording "Longing for Life", Zhang Zifeng, who was preparing for the college entrance examination, also had a special study table in the mushroom house, and she could often be found brushing questions under the lens.
The rise of post-95 child stars has both the opportunities given by the times and the addition of their own efforts. This allows them to stand at a higher starting point earlier than actors of the same age.
"Double Child Star" starring in the series: "Starfall into Sugar" and "In Blizzard"
Stuck in a "childhood filter"?
Although most of these post-95 child stars have classic images deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, they also need to always have high-quality works to undertake growth, so that they can always be presented in the best appearance. Because once they encounter inappropriate characters, after there is a gap in the quantity or quality of works, their reputation and popularity will plummet.
Take the four little Hua Dan of the new generation of acting mentioned at the beginning as an example. After stunning performances in movies such as "Detective Chinatown" and "My Sister", "Basic Law of Genius" starring Zhang Zifeng was broadcast in July 2022, which is her first work to return to the small screen after four years. But the adaptation effect of this work was not as expected, and Zhang Zifeng was also suspected of playing himself, and the performance style was the same as in the variety show "Longing for Life". By the time "Daughter Back" was broadcast at the end of 2022, Zhang Zifeng encountered the same acting controversy again.
"Basic Law of Genius", Zhang Zifeng
Zhang Xueying, who was discovered by Liu Xiaoqing on the set when he was a child, starred in the movie "Dog Thirteen" at the age of 17, which won the Special Recommendation Award of the International Jury of the Crystal Bear Unit of the Berlin Film Festival and the Best Film Award of the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival. But after "Dog Thirteen", Zhang Xueying has not had any high-quality works online. Works such as "Secret Love, Orange Born Huainan", "Mo Bai" and "Legend of Choosing a Jun" are not only mediocre in popularity, but also have a Douban score of less than 6 points.
"Dog Thirteen", Zhang Xueying
Guan Xiaotong, who has outstanding performance in life dramas such as "Mr. Good" and "One Servant and Two Masters", has also been known as the "national girl" with her unique temperament and flexible acting skills. But in the silly white sweet roles of a series of idol dramas such as "Sweet Crit", "Aurora Love" and "Phoenix Prisoner", her aura is missing. It was not until after the broadcast of "Twenty Not Confused" that Liang Shuang, who dared to love and hate and had a straightforward personality, made Guan Xiaotong's aura appear again.
"Twenty Not Confused", Guan Xiaotong
Wen Qi, who was nominated for Best Actress at the 54th Golden Horse Awards for the movie "Carnival", and won the 54th Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress with the movie "Blood Guanyin", is also a representative of talented child stars. But in the small-screen "Life Home" and "Fatal Wish", her mysterious girl filter in the movie was broken, and problems such as unnatural acting skills and unclear lines were gradually exposed.
"Blood Guanyin", Wen Qi
These child stars who have lived on the set since childhood lack the opportunity to observe life and lack rich social experience, and are more likely to fall into the dilemma of templated performance than other actors. Once you encounter an unsuitable character, it is easy to "go the wrong way". In films with long shooting cycles and rich lens language, they may be able to make up for it with talent and skill. But in episodes with short shooting cycles and simple sound and light paintings, these shortcomings will be exposed.
In the Internet era, too much exposure of private life has also become a double-edged sword. Netizens are like "Chinese-style parents", they relish the "equal proportion of growing up" of child stars' appearance, and the "top" of college entrance examination results, but they do not accept the way to grow up outside the "younger siblings" filter.
When child stars have a relationship that does not seem to be "rooted and red", the filters of netizens will be greatly broken, and they will look at their next works with colored glasses. For example, the rumors of Zhang Zifeng and Yan Xujia's romance, and Zhang Xueying's "spicy soup incident" have all caused harm to their popularity as "sisters".
However, no one can really grow up "in equal proportions", and no one can always be a "younger sibling". Child stars who regard acting as their main career should hide themselves behind their roles. Using excellent acting skills to break the "childhood filter" with their own hands may be their best destination.