Actor Li Mingde, originally set to play the second male lead in the mainland Chinese drama “Three’s a Crowd,” took to Weibo on January 4 to criticize the drama’s leading man for acting like a diva on set, sparking a flurry of hot searches. Although Li did not explicitly name the actor exhibiting diva behavior, information previously released by the production team identified the lead actor as Ma Tianyu. In response to Li’s claims, both the drama crew and Ma Tianyu’s studio issued statements on the early morning of January 5.
Li Mingde, known for his roles in dramas such as “Love and Passion” and “Jade Bones Distant,” posted several negative posts on Weibo on the 4th, raising questions about the “Three’s a Crowd” production team and the casting director Zheng Jianyang. He questioned why a certain male lead was absent during the group reading session, despite it being mandatory for the entire cast, and why this actor could arrive late to set by forty minutes without repercussions due to his popularity and large fanbase.
Li Mingde claimed that he had to endure freezing temperatures in Changchun, Jilin, waiting for Ma Tianyu while the latter arrived unprepared and struggled with his lines, causing inconvenience.
In another post, Li Mingde threatened, “If you (referring to Ma Tianyu) want me to keep quiet, you should voluntarily withdraw and compensate the team for all losses incurred during the five days, because you are not worth the salary. Meanwhile, I want to fully develop my character ‘Zhao Zuoyou’ because I love him more than anyone.”
However, the official Weibo account of the “Three’s a Crowd” drama crew released an emergency statement on the evening of the 4th, offering a completely different version from Li Mingde’s claims. According to their statement, after signing the contract, Li did not attend makeup sessions or group readings on time, left the set without notice multiple times, and even caused damage to hotel property through violent behavior, which led to delays in filming. Consequently, the production team decided to terminate their collaboration with Li Mingde based on contract breaches.
In the early hours of January 5, Ma Tianyu’s studio issued a statement asserting that Ma Tianyu had always shown sincere expectations for the collaboration since joining the team, arriving promptly as per the production notices and never causing delays due to personal reasons. Despite two incidents of other actors leaving the set without notice on the first and last shooting day of January 2 and 3, out of respect for their colleagues’ privacy and understanding of potential unforeseen circumstances, Ma Tianyu remained patient throughout an hour-long waiting process and did not express any dissatisfaction.
The statement clarified that Ma Tianyu did not engage in any behavior described as “acting like a diva.” Subsequently, Ma Tianyu himself took to Weibo to deny being late, acting like a diva, or neglecting the script.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media “Red Star News,” Li Mingde’s management company, “Hesheng Media,” stated that they amicably reached an agreement to terminate the contract with actor Li Mingde on December 24, 2024, without receiving any share of Li Mingde’s remuneration. The report mentioned that “Three’s a Crowd” had been in production for less than a week. On December 29 of the previous year, “Three’s a Crowd” officially announced the commencement of filming in Changchun, with the storyline kept under wraps. From the promotional materials, it was disclosed that Ma Tianyu starred as the lead, while Li Mingde was cast as the second male lead.
Currently, the situation is still unfolding, and it seems challenging to determine right from wrong. Netizens are closely monitoring the developments of this incident.