After marrying actress Gao Yuanyuan, Zhao Youting, whose career shifted focus to the Chinese mainland, recently revealed in an interview with the Chinese magazine “People” that he had only received around 10 scripts in the first half of this year. Compared to the peak of his career when he was receiving scripts in multiples, the decline was significant. He described the industry as “so quiet that you don’t even need to turn on the air conditioning at home in the summer,” and lamented that “movies are gone.”
In 2012, Zhao Youting fell in love with Gao Yuanyuan while filming the movie “Search” and they got married in 2014. In 2017, he gained immense popularity in China with his role as Ye Hua in the drama “Eternal Love,” which he starred in alongside Yang Mi. His acting was highly praised, securing his position as one of the top male stars in China, with a constant stream of commercial value and drama contracts.
However, currently promoting the yet-to-be-filmed drama series “The Righteous 2,” Zhao Youting revealed in the interview that he had only received about 10 scripts in the first half of the year. While this number may not be considered low for an average actor, for a powerhouse actor who used to have a plethora of resources and contracts lined up, the drop is substantial. Zhao Youting poignantly described his current situation with a metaphor: “The film and television industry is now so cold that you don’t even need to use air conditioning at home in the summer.”
As a once-picky actor when it came to choosing scripts, Zhao Youting now faces the harsh reality of having no projects to work on. He admitted that in his younger days, not starring in a film for a year was not a big deal, but now, not being on set for half a year makes him feel unsettled and even panicked. This shift from “choosing projects” to “waiting for projects” reflects the direct impact of the sluggish film and television market on actors.
Zhao Youting also confirmed that many colleagues around him who used to be extremely busy and hard to schedule meetings with are now available at almost any time. This indicates that with the decline in capital, the number of project greenlights is decreasing significantly, leaving many actors in a state of waiting.
Discussing the current state of the film and television industry, Zhao Youting candidly expressed that audience preferences are changing, with more people leaning towards fragmented viewing of short videos, leading to a continuous decrease in the audience completing a full long drama series. He mentioned that even he, who used to watch over ten movies in a year, now only watches about five or six. Viewing habits are unwittingly shifting, and he lamented that “movies are gone.”
Zhao Youting lamented that actors having no projects to work on reflects the dilemma faced by the entire film and television industry. From screenwriters and directors to the backstage crew, a project coming to a halt affects the livelihoods of numerous individuals.
Currently, Zhao Youting treasures family life more than ever. He admits to being a homebody at heart and spends his free time with his wife and daughter when not filming, placing almost all of his focus on his family.
Having been married to Gao Yuanyuan for 12 years, their daughter Rhea is now 7 years old. There is curiosity from the public about whether their daughter will follow in her parents’ footsteps and enter the entertainment industry as a “second-generation star.” In response, Zhao Youting openly stated, “If she can do something else, I’d rather she do something else.” Faced with the current state of the film and television industry, he jokingly said, “Should she still enter this circle? Forget it!”
Nevertheless, Zhao Youting also acknowledged that it may be difficult to discourage his daughter if she develops a strong passion for performance in the future. He chuckled, saying, “Genetics is a powerful thing,” unable to hide his mixed feelings.