Chinese actor Wang Kai, who rose to fame for his role as the “Prince Jing” in the drama “Nirvana in Fire,” revealed during an interview on “Chen Luyu’s Slow Talk” on October 19 that the main reason for his “disappearance” from screens in the past two years was due to the withdrawal of hot money from the film and television industry. The production of long dramas decreased sharply, leaving him with no good roles to play and refusing to take on mediocre scripts to fill the gap.
Back then, Wang Kai skyrocketed to fame overnight with the success of “The Disguiser” and “Nirvana in Fire,” transitioning from a relatively unknown supporting actor to a top-tier figure in the Chinese entertainment industry. During the broadcast and aftermath of “Nirvana in Fire,” Wang Kai’s schedule was packed to the brim, requiring him to shuttle between multiple cities in a single day for promotion of his new drama “Love Me If You Dare,” magazine photoshoots, frequent media interviews, as well as attending major award ceremonies and commercial events.
In those hectic months, his daily sleep was often compressed to just two to three hours, almost living in a cycle of “closing his eyes and then rushing to catch a flight, catching up on sleep on the plane, landing and going straight to the stage for styling.”
In the following two to three months after his rise to stardom, Wang Kai was constantly featured in headlines of entertainment news and graced magazine covers. His Weibo fan base grew rapidly at a rate of nearly ten thousand followers per day, quickly surpassing several million from the initial few hundred thousand. Countless scripts, endorsements, and variety show invitations flooded in like snowflakes, with him starring in five to six films a year. Such a sudden surge in workload posed a “limitless challenge” to any actor accustomed to a normal filming rhythm.
However, despite his immense popularity, Wang Kai seemed to have vanished from the spotlight in the past two years. Without any new works, red carpet appearances, or participation in variety shows, the public grew curious. Speculations ranged from him falling out of favor, to being unable to find suitable roles to act in, and even rumors of health issues or discreetly settling abroad.
When asked about the reduced number of works in the past two years, Wang Kai candidly acknowledged that it was not due to a decline in his abilities, but rather the rapid changes in the industry. With the withdrawal of hot money from the film and television sector, the opportunities to work on “A-list” (Super) traditional long dramas throughout the year became scarce, resulting in a shortage of quality scripts due to the shifting market dynamics.
In previous years when hot money flooded the industry, projects of various genres such as historical, modern, and suspense dramas commenced production in abundance, leading to skyrocketing actor fees and it being common for established actors to juggle multiple roles simultaneously.
Reports indicated that during that time, the belief was as long as an actor had popularity and public recognition, they would not lack work. Previously, actors chose scripts, but now scripts chose actors, with the majority of resources focusing on a few select projects, leaving the rest scrambling for limited opportunities. Even for established actors like Wang Kai, with a strong fan base and notable works, the reduced options for selecting projects posed a challenge, not to mention actors in the middle and lower tiers of the industry.
Facing a market inundated with homogeneity, formulaic content, and attempts to replicate past successful formulas in scripts, Wang Kai expressed his reluctance to forcefully take on roles that lacked challenge or involved repetitive characters simply to maintain exposure.
The harsh winter in the film and television industry left Wang Kai without a new project for over two years. However, Chinese media clarified, “It’s not that Wang Kai has no work to do, it’s that the entire film and television industry is facing financial constraints.”
Considering Wang Kai’s past experience of undergoing lung nodule surgery and the passing of his father, he chose to spend his time resting and with his family during this challenging period. He emphasized that in an era where worthwhile projects are scarce, “resting well is more important than engaging in meaningless work.”