The Wolf PD Chen Yushan Interview - Xiao Zhan Focus Only
The hot TV drama, "Your Highness the Wolf," has been attracting attention since its launch on various platforms last week, and has been continuously searched. There have been endless discussions about the tragic setting of the plot, the confession lines, the wolf child setting of the main character, and the "strongest second son in history. Recently, Frontline interviewed Chen Yushan, the producer and chief director of the drama, to read the story behind this hit drama.
FrontLine: This was the third time you worked with him after Our Times, why did you choose him to play King Bo?
Chen Yushan: This story precedes "Our Times," where Darren Wang is like a dark horse that comes out of nowhere. There's a fight scene in the movie where he goes crazy and hits someone with a crowbar, and at that moment I thought, "Wow, he's really wild. He has a kind of male hormone that a lot of guys don't have. In fact, he's super pale, his mom is pale, he bought a tanning machine at home, and he's a very funny, neurotic guy. After the movie was finished, I said to him. I have a TV series that you might want to try out. I think he'd be a super fit, but I also worry: Will he find it difficult to play a wolf, or the cold-hearted King Bo? Because he's usually so much like a cute golden retriever. I think, maybe he can play the wolf boy well, but I don't know if King Bo will work.
FrontLine: Were you surprised later in the show?
Chen Yushan: Very much, it's beyond my expectations. As for King Bo's transformation, I didn't spend a lot of effort to adjust him. But I didn't praise him during the entire shooting of the play. I let him have the feeling that I might not be satisfied with him, which made him tremble with fear. I would even deliberately say to him, "Xiao Zhan is really good". I would tell him not to take it lightly and to focus more, so that he would have some sense of crisis.
In contrast, Xiao Zhan may be a bit over-worried. He said in an interview that he has a sense of crisis, but in fact he was working really hard. I felt very comfortable with him.
FrontLine: In regards to Xiao Zhan, you just mentioned that you were very relieved about him. Why did you choose him at that time?
Chen Yushan: Actually, I met with the entire X NINE to cast Ji Chong, not just with him. The funny thing is that I asked them to sing and dance for me. They should also find it very funny. Because how could a producer just ask for that kind of subject.
When we were chatting, he talked to me about what variety show they had been on. I looked at him, and indeed he was the most impressive of the group to me. I remember that he wasn't young, he was very ambitious, he wanted to move up, and he knew that time wouldn't wait for him.
FrontLine: Ji Chong's character feels very different from him, very rugged.
Chen Yushan: He looks very gentle, but I think he is very ambitious. During the role assignment stage, I said to him: I'm different from many people, I know you're already handsome, which you can see on TV, but do you have other qualities? Ji Chong, for example, needs to be rugged, but Xiao Zhan is slender, he is thin and delicate. I told him very plainly: I'm going to destroy this delicate image. He suddenly brightened up and said, "Yes, yes, yes"
I like people who don't really care about their face value, actors should be conscious of being actors. We should stay close to the character.
Since Ji Chong is like that, he is supposed to look unkempt, so I wanted him to have stubble. So I also made sure: You have stubble, right? Stop shaving that stubble. I want to see what your stubble looks like. I have even confirmed it. In terms of styling, the foundation will be a little gray, like a layer of wind and sand on your face. In order to give the character a sense of strength, he said, "Okay, okay. I will try to eat as much as possible." He worked hard to eat on the set, and seemed to have a sense of strength. After the performance in the evening, he will also talk to me about his confusions and understandings regarding the drama.
All of these kids worked very hard, and they all felt that it was not easy to get a good script, and it was so hard to shoot in the highlands.
FrontLine: But in the end, the snowy scene in the opening credits with Xiao Zhan and Li Qin did not appear in the drama, was it deleted?
Chen Yushan: No, that snow scene was not expected. In fact, there was no such scene at all, but since we encountered this unexpected snow, it was a gift from heaven. It's a pity not to collect the beautiful scenery in front of you. Since I wanted to make good use of it, we took the protagonists out to shoot some footage that can be used at the opening and end credits. I didn't cut any scenes!
