Chinese actress Zhao Liying, who transitioned from being the “TV Drama Ratings Queen” to filming movies, is set to release a new film titled “Sunflower · Flower” in collaboration with director Feng Xiaogang. Recently, the film’s promotional activities have been underway. However, a report by a Chinese media outlet was criticized by Zhao Liying as “fake news,” sparking a trending topic online.
On the 20th, the Chinese media outlet “Elephant News” posted on Weibo about the challenges faced by female ex-convicts in the movie “Sunflower · Flower,” releasing a creative featurette titled “The Edge of Kindness” on March 19th, tagging it as “Zhao Liying interprets the kind bad girl with strength.”
The post mentioned that Zhao Liying, the lead actress in the film, stated, “Through the character Gao Yue Xiang, I saw a different kind of kindness with edges. Regardless of the hardships in life, she never gave up the desire to survive, showing the power of a small character’s fate.”
Unexpectedly, Zhao Liying later posted a screenshot of the news on Weibo and captioned it, “Never interviewed, fake news.” This immediately became a hot topic on Weibo.
From the screenshot, it can be seen that the post by “Elephant News” mentioned the high compatibility between Zhao Liying and her character Gao Yue Xiang, also involving Zhao Liying’s understanding of the character. Although the entire content of the news revolved around the creative featurette of “Sunflower · Flower,” the presentation made it seem like Zhao Liying was expressing the producer’s interpretation of the character Gao Yue Xiang.
On the 21st, director Feng Xiaogang released a statement on Weibo, stating that the media content “originated from statements made by other crew members during the production featurette released by the film on March 19th. The main creators of the film have not yet participated in any media interviews.”
Feng Xiaogang explained, “After the incident, we have actively communicated with all parties to clarify the truth and actively dispel misunderstandings.” Zhao Liying also reposted Feng Xiaogang’s statement, expressing, “Every piece of work is the effort and dedication of the entire crew. We welcome everyone to focus on the work itself and engage in rational discussions, seeking truth and authenticity.”
Zhao Liying’s condemnation of “fake news” won her praise from many netizens. Although some internet users criticized her for being “ungrateful,” stating that the media was helping promote the new film, and there was no need to nitpick the news presentation, some fans pointed out that Zhao Liying’s anger stemmed from the fact that the media had previously released multiple negative reports and rumors about her, reaching a breaking point.