Chinese Actor Shen Teng, known for his packed schedule, recently joked about fulfilling his wish of taking a “half-year break” on the latest season of the variety show “Ready to Go Now,” only to have his work reduced to zero, sparking laughter and discussions in the audience and being dubbed as the “most comical wish backfire scene of the year.”
In the “interview” segment of the show “Ready to Go Now 4,” Shen Teng revealed that he had made a wish last year to work for half a year and rest for the other half, hoping to achieve a balance between work and leisure. While he has indeed accomplished the half-year break, his work has directly “hit zero,” as he has not been on set for over half a year.
His co-star Fan Chengcheng quickly chimed in, saying, “I’ve also been on a break, following your lead.” The two jokingly acknowledged that they both have had nothing to do for half a year.
Internet users who checked Shen Teng’s schedule found that he currently only has one cameo appearance, leading to jests about him having “no inventory left.”
Upon seeing Shen Teng lamenting that “it’s been over half a year with nothing going on,” actor Bai Jingting jokingly quipped, “If you have nothing to do, I’ll find something for you when I get to the company.” Shen Teng quickly clarified with a smile, saying, “I want work, not just random tasks.”
Furthermore, during a recent episode of the variety show “Hello Saturday,” 24-year-old actress Zhao Jinmai casually mentioned, “I have to hurry back to Hengdian for filming,” to which Li Xiaoran immediately responded, “You still have projects to film?” Actor Wei Daxun then asked Zhao Jinmai, “Are you showing off?” Zhao Jinmai burst into laughter on the spot, hesitating to respond, seemingly afraid of touching upon other stars’ sore points.
According to reports from mainland media, Chinese actors used to gather and discuss topics like “what genre is your next project” and “how challenging is your upcoming role.” Now, the conversations have shifted to “have you started filming this year?” and “when was the last time you were on set?”
At the Weibo Movie Night held on June 14, Dong Zijian was awarded “Outstanding Filmmaker of the Year” for his self-written and directed film “My Friend André.” During his acceptance speech, he skipped the customary acknowledgments and directly addressed the directors and producers in the audience, saying, “Let me reintroduce myself. I am actor Dong Zijian, currently with lots of free time. Thank you. Feel free to reach out for collaborations.”
This “job-seeking declaration” quickly made headlines. Young artists like Cheng Xiao and Liu Haoran also expressed their availability for work at the red carpet and ceremony that evening, leading to media jests about the large-scale public job fair in the Chinese entertainment industry amidst the cold spell in the film and television industry.
In addition to Dong Zijian’s statement, interactions among actors like Shen Teng and Li Xiaoran on variety shows about the lack of projects have sparked discussions about the “winter” in the Chinese film and television industry. Facing a sluggish film market, actor Hu Ge recently, in an interview with Chinese GQ, expressed his resignation, stating that he can no longer choose scripts based on personal preferences as before, lamenting that “there’s no choice now.”