Zhong Yufei, an up-and-coming Chinese short drama actor, recently took to social media to speak about the nightmare he experienced on the set of a production that was supposed to be his big break. The 23-year-old actor was allegedly constantly harassed on set by his-co star, who just happened to be the sole investor in the project.
The wealthy woman reportedly set two main conditions for bankrolling the 50-episode short drama series: she had to play the lead female role, and she had the final say on the script. This gave her free rein over production, and because she could always pull the plug on the whole thing, no one dared argue with her, no matter how absurd her decisions were.
For example, the script she greenlit featured over sixty kissing scenes, and no matter how many times the director and other members of the filming crew tried telling her that the unusually high number of smooching scenes risked disrupting the rhythm of the plot and making the audience lose immersion, she never listened.
“I’ve seen more short dramas than you’ve ever made,” the woman allegedly said, completely ignoring any and all advice.
23-year-old Zhong Yufei, who was selected to play the male lead in the drama series, said that he was shocked when he felt his co-star French-kiss him during their first of many romantic scenes. He instinctively tried backing away but she allegedly grabbed the back of his head with one hand and held him there as she forcibly kissed him.
The young actor, who had only played a couple of supporting roles in short dramas before, felt like this series could be his big break, so he didn’t object despite the constant harassment. He claims he was also discouraged from speaking out by the behavior of the other people on set who chose to ignore what was happening under their very eyes.
Film producer Meng Xing revealed that due to the unusually high number of kissing scenes, the series was rejected by the platform it was supposed to stream on. After filming was completed and the series entered post-production editing, the platform reviewed a few episodes and rejected them outright because they were too explicit, with too many kissing scenes, which could easily violate regulations.
Given the commercial disaster of the drama series and the negative reactions of the general public to the poorly scripted mess, producer Meng Xing decided to come forward and explain that he and his team had n]almost no say, and that all decisions were made by the lead actress/sole investor.
The recent revelations went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a heated debate about the harassment that young actors are subjected to on set, with accusations that capital turns film sets into private hunting grounds where actors are treated as objects to be disposed of at will.
