1. Controversy is once again in the air
On May 12, 2024, the film "Burning Winter", co-starring the much-talked-about actors Zhou Dongyu and Liu Haoran and the new generation of powerful actor Qu Chuxiao, officially unveiled the mystery and appeared on the big screen in the anticipation of hundreds of millions of fans across China.
Originally, this should have been a widely acclaimed masterpiece, however, due to an inappropriate move, the heroine Zhou Dongyu was once again pushed to the forefront of public opinion.
In order to better promote this new film, the film released a trailer in advance as early as August 11. However, one of the shots sparked a heated discussion: in a scene about Zhou Dongyu's bathing, the actor Liu Haoran actually put his hand on her back through the shower curtain and stroked it gently, the two did not show any uncomfortable expressions, but looked very intimate and natural, as if they were a couple in love.
According to the leakage of the internal staff, this "ambiguous picture" was not originally the director's original intention, but originated from the spontaneous private agreement of the two leading actors. Once this secret is revealed, this shot is even more full of imagination.
Since Zhou Dongyu and Liu Haoran had an affair two years ago, many viewers have regarded them as a real-life couple. Now, their intimate interaction on the big screen makes one wonder if they are taking the opportunity to publicly show their love.
As a result, questioning voices such as "embarrassing performances" and "deliberately selling sexy" have once again spread rapidly on the Internet and social media.
As a female star with a relatively flat figure, Zhou Dongyu often falls into an embarrassing situation when trying to show off her sexy charm. In addition, the plot setting of "Burning Winter" itself is quite peculiar and complex, which has aroused doubts and criticism from the outside world.
Second, the little girl who was recognized by Director Zhang's eyes
Back in 2009, Zhou Dongyu was just a girl from a small county town with no name. Her academic performance is not outstanding, and her appearance is not outstanding, only the posture and soft body lines that she has exercised through learning gymnastics are a little eye-catching.
Just when Zhou Dongyu felt lost about the road ahead, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity quietly came, opening a new chapter in her life - the famous director Zhang Yimou took a fancy to her from many candidates when he was looking for a heroine for his new film "The Love of the Hawthorn Tree".
"She is the only one who can exude that unique beauty." Director Zhang Yimou commented with such straightforward and slightly discriminatory words, which sparked heated discussions from all walks of life at that time.
However, for Zhou Dongyu, it is this evaluation that has become a turning point in her life.
Under the careful guidance of Zhang Yimou, Zhou Dongyu made her debut on the big screen with the image of a rural girl "Jingqiu" who has gone through vicissitudes, and won the honor of the Best Newcomer Award of the year with her superb performance, which received rave reviews for a while.
In order to repay her mentor's cultivation, she resolutely decided to give up the college entrance examination that year, followed the steps of her mentor, and was successfully admitted to Beijing Film Academy to further improve her acting skills.
A few years later, the "two wars" between Zhang Yimou and the capital party Zhang Weiping made many "Mou girls" fall into a difficult choice situation. However, Zhou Dongyu skillfully balanced the interests of all parties with his clever words, avoided the dilemma of standing in line directly, not only did not lose the support of any party, but also successfully made a new investor - the powerful Ms. Du Yang, who has since become her new "godmother" in the entertainment industry.
With the strong support of Ms. Du Yang, Zhou Dongyu successfully realized the gorgeous transformation from "pure and lovely first love face" to "acting strength Hua Dan".
3. The story behind the pinnacle of his career
In 2022, the movie "Young You" starring Zhou Dongyu brought a new peak to her career. In this award-winning masterpiece, at the age of 25, she successfully portrayed the role of a 16-year-old middle school student "Chen Nian", without any sense of disobedience, natural and sincere, and finally won the crown of Best Actress of the Year with this outstanding performance.
However, during the filming of this acclaimed film, a hilarious anecdote was revealed. In order to shoot the scene of "Chen Nian" shaving her hair, Zhou Dongyu actually made a jaw-dropping request: if she is willing to shave her long hair, the entire crew will also need to shave her head to tide over the difficulties with her.
At first, everyone thought that Zhou Dongyu was just joking, after all, such a ridiculous request was really hard to believe that it would be accepted. However, the reality dealt us a heavy blow in an extremely ironic way - the members of the filming team were forced by Zhou Dongyu to reluctantly shave their own hair and let her be at her mercy.
In the end, even Zhou Dongyu himself was "cut off three thousand troubles" and turned into a bald head to take a group photo with other "fellow refugees".
At that time, there was a mocking joke flowing inside the studio: maybe this is the prelude to "Chen Nian" transforming from a victim to an abuser! A seemingly harmonious and joyful group photo actually reveals another side of Zhou Dongyu's character.
Since then, her past scandals have also been exposed, further damaging her good reputation in the film industry: such as secretly filming a little girl changing diapers, ridiculing her friend's fat body, and forcibly forcing a 17-year-old boy to sign a contract.
Part 4: Repeatedly trying the sexy route but getting into an embarrassing situation
In some early film and television works, Zhou Dongyu has always shown people with a fresh and refined "first love face". Delicate facial features, immature temperament, and the word sexy seem to be far away.
However, it was this girl who seemed to have nothing to do with glamour, and after she came to prominence, she began to try her best to take the "sexy style" route, only to fall into an embarrassing situation repeatedly.
Thin and slightly thin, and relatively short in height, these factors undoubtedly make it difficult for Zhou Dongyu to easily create a mature and charming sexy charm. However, she has an unusually passionate passion and dedication to showcasing her unique femininity, so she wears more and more daring clothes, such as an open waist, an open back, and a high slit...... However, in front of the camera, her posture often seems too pretentious, which causes everyone to laugh.
Whenever she walks on the red carpet, the comment section on the Internet is always full of the word "embarrassing". Many viewers said frankly, "With her qualifications, it may be more appropriate to honestly serve as the second female lead."
It is true that looking back on the past, Zhou Dongyu has long proved his efforts to shape his image with practical actions. Her distinctive husky voice was once ridiculed as a "little yellow duck", and the stage style was too slender and flat to fully show the elegant and generous feminine style.
However, even in the face of many challenges, Zhou Dongyu has always been undaunted, she is obsessed with showing her sexy figure, and even when her relationship with Ruan Jingtian is spreading, she boldly posted a short video wearing a three-point swimsuit, eager to show the world the other side of her sexy charm, but in the end it ended in "embarrassing ending".
Recently, Zhou Dongyu once again showed this persistent preference in the movie "Burning Winter" starring him. Her intimate interaction with the actor Liu Haoran in the film has aroused strong public disgust for her blatant show of affection, which has made the criticism of her "deliberately showing off her sexiness" more and more intense.
However, despite the embarrassment that Zhou Dongyu has encountered many times in trying to show her sexy charm and has been questioned due to some of her past behaviors, by around 2023, she has gained a firm foothold in the film and television industry and has become a pivotal figure.
At the jury of the Beijing International Film Festival that year, the former "little girl" Zhou Dongyu was able to sit side by side with her mentor Zhang Yimou, and the two were equal in status, which shows her high status in the industry.
At the scene of various large-scale variety shows, we can see Zhou Dongyu and Jackie Chan and other first-line film and television superstars sitting in the front row on the same stage, and her intimate relationship with these "big guys" makes it impossible to simply regard her as a "small role".
Even the movie "Burning Winter" starring her, although the plot setting is quite peculiar and the reputation is mixed, it was successfully shortlisted for the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival with only one premiere, and also won the Jury Prize, which is enough to prove the strength of the film's production team and the excellence of the production level.
With the dual blessing of internal qualifications and external honors, Zhou Dongyu already has the confidence to "play sexy", even if it will cause some controversy, it will not have a substantial impact on her acting career.
The neglected "small role" in the past is not a gorgeous transformation into today's "industry giant" overnight, but a brilliant achievement through down-to-earth, steady and orderly development! Shaped and cultivated by many industry elites such as the outstanding director Zhang Yimou, Zhang Weiping and Du Yang, this talented woman has won their high attention and cultivation, thus establishing her unshakable position in the industry today.