Chinese actress Jia Ling, who rose to fame through crosstalk and skits, once lost 100 pounds for the comedy film “Hi, Mom” before rumors circulated about her regaining weight. On April 29th, Jia Ling celebrated her 43rd birthday, and her friends shared photos from the celebration. Passersby praised her figure as slim and beautiful, with a beaming smile and her trademark dimples prominently displayed.
On the day of her birthday celebration, Jia Ling was spotted by passersby along with her friends. She appeared at a high-end restaurant in Shanghai, dressed in stylish attire, with her hair styled elegantly. Netizens who happened to be dining at the same restaurant were surprised to recognize her familiar laughter and found out that it was indeed Jia Ling in person. In the photos taken by her friends, Jia Ling looked relaxed, full of smiles, and even greeted fans actively. Netizens commented, “Jia Ling is really slim, who said she gained weight back?”
In recent years, Jia Ling’s directorial debut films “Hi, Mom” and “Hello, Li Huanying” have both achieved remarkable box office success. According to Jia Ling, to portray the role of a boxer in “Hi, Mom,” she intentionally gained 40 pounds to reach 210 pounds for the first half of filming; she then underwent a difficult period of loneliness, pressure, and weight loss challenges to shed another 100 pounds within 8 months. This weight loss transformation was like shedding half of herself to complete the character development of “Du Leying” in the movie.
As of January 2025, industry data from “Mtime Pro” showed that “Hi, Mom” grossed 3.5 billion RMB, securing the top spot in China’s 2024 box office rankings with an 8.1% market share, making Jia Ling the first female director in Chinese cinema history to achieve this milestone.
Jia Ling’s rapid weight loss led to issues such as loose skin and visible wrinkles, sparking public debates multiple times. Even after successfully losing weight, Jia Ling remains under constant scrutiny regarding potential weight fluctuations. In response, Jia Ling once admitted that she did gain a bit of weight back, as during filming “Hi, Mom,” her body fat percentage was too low at 115 pounds, with “only a layer of skin covering muscles to showcase muscle definition.”
Despite the natural tendency for fat to return after completing a film, causing a slight weight gain, Jia Ling remains unfazed. She describes herself as an optimistic person and jokingly says, “If my weight ‘bounces back,’ the audience can just adapt to it,” seemingly addressing comments circulating in the public about her appearance before and after weight loss.