Due to health reasons and contract disputes, mainland Chinese actress Zhao Lusi has not worked on a film in 20 months. On August 16, she officially announced the acquisition of 9 film and television intellectual property rights, marking her transition from an actor who used to “wait for scripts” to a content creator with decision-making power.
Twenty-seven-year-old Zhao Lusi rose to fame with her consecutive lead roles in “Starlight,” “Can’t Hide Love,” and “Granting You a Dreamlike Life.” Having not started a new drama in 20 months, she was supposed to begin filming “How Beautiful You Are” but faced demands from the investors to sign a “risk liability agreement.” According to the agreement, if filming is interrupted or halted due to personal reasons of the actor, all economic losses must be borne solely by the actor. Zhao Lusi refused to sign such a harsh agreement as she had fallen ill during the filming of “Lovers” at the end of 2024, leading to the cancellation of the project and subsequent loss of other film and television invitations.
On July 21, Zhao Lusi revealed during a live broadcast that she had indeed planned to start filming in August but had not yet received the completed script revisions, making it impossible to confirm the actual start date. Her studio is currently soliciting original scripts, and she doesn’t rule out investing in her own projects in the future.
On July 23, Zhao Lusi’s studio issued a public notice for open collaboration with all content creators, without setting any identity or qualification restrictions. On August 16, they officially announced the acquisition of 9 intellectual properties. The rapid pace of Zhao Lusi’s projects, from solicitation to execution, within less than a month has been dubbed as the “Zhao Lusi Speed.” The collection methods include both one-time purchase of individual short stories (with a lump-sum payment) and long-term deep collaboration (retaining the creator’s permanent naming rights, sharing revenue from series playback and IP derivatives).
The types of 9 projects announced by Zhao Lusi’s studio are diverse, covering various genres such as historical dramas, modern stories, and suspense, including 3 original scripts, 4 novel adaptations, and 2 mature IPs purchased or jointly created by companies. The first project, “Sonder · I’m Not Just an NPC,” is set to begin filming on August 22 in Hengdian, with Zhao Lusi serving as the producer, featuring a cast of four female leads.
Reports from mainland media indicate that after a prolonged period of inactivity and project setbacks, Zhao Lusi suddenly decided to take action by buying intellectual property rights and becoming the boss, opting to directly create content. The reasons behind this shift were primarily to achieve a leap in her career, transitioning from a “chosen actor” to a decision-maker, and to avoid past script disputes by personally overseeing the content and production direction.
During the filming of “Lovers” at the end of the previous year, while Zhao Lusi was sick and collapsed, well-known paparazzo Liu Dachui revealed that she had been treated unfairly on set and encountered a “dual-script” situation. She began to notice discrepancies between the script and the original story and attempted to have the director revert the script, but the issue remained unresolved. The film’s producer and director, who were a married couple, held a unified stance, thwarting Zhao Lusi’s efforts repeatedly. She had no choice but to persevere through the shoot, yet the immense pressure led her to develop severe depression.
Additionally, it is revealed that besides transitioning to a producer role, Zhao Lusi will personally star in two historical dramas, “Memoirs Under Lantern Light” and “The Shuttlemaid.” In the future, whether she decides to act herself or cast her favorite actors in her projects, Zhao Lusi holds absolute creative control to prevent a repeat of the controversy surrounding the “dual-script” incident during the filming of “Lovers.”
Zhao Lusi also disclosed the reasons for acquiring film and television IP rights during a recent brand live broadcast. She admitted that she is not one to passively wait or stagnate. Waiting for a good script or a perfect one that puts her at ease can lead to a lot of anxiety. As she stated to her fans, “If you feel anxious, just go ahead and do it.” Her proactive approach has earned admiration from netizens.