Janice Man Not Beautiful Enough for “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils” Role?
Although there are five television adaptations of Louis Cha’s (金庸) famous wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils <天龍八部>, a new version will soon be filmed again. Taiwanese actor Tony Yang (楊祐寧) will star as Qiao Feng, newcomer Bai Shu (白澍) as Duan Yu, Hong Kong actress Janice Man (文詠珊) as Wang Yuyan, and Mainland actress Su Qing (蘇青) as Azhu.
Netizens reacted strongly to the casting choices, especially Janice as the beautiful and elegant Wang Yuyan. They felt that Janice lacked the “celestial beauty” required to portray the character convincingly, citing her devilish beauty to be more suitable for the bold character, Azi, instead.
Comparing Janice to former actresses who played Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, netizens felt that Idy Chan (陳玉蓮), Carmen Lee (李若彤), and Crystal Liu (劉亦菲) were known for the gentle and elegant beauty and embodied the character well. Janice does not possess the same aura as her predecessors.
Shifting her career from modeling to acting, Janice is considered to be a promising talent in the Hong Kong film industry, impressing with her portrayal as a victim of sexual abuse in Nessun Dorma <兇手還未睡>. Last year, Janice splashed into the Mainland Chinese market with her role in Tribes and Empires-Storm of Prophecy <九州·海上牧雲記>. Despite fans’ initial caution, Janice’s casting in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils will only raise her profile in the Mainland market further.
Above: Idy Chan, Carman Lee, and Crystal Liu successfully portrayed Wang Yuyan in previous adaptations.
Above: Tony Yang, Su Qing, and Bai Shu are the new cast for Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
Source: HK01
This article is written by Su for JayneStars.com.
i too also think she lacks that stunning factor as wang zuyang. janice is indeed very pretty but lacks that ethereal aura. her pic above indeed makes her look more suitable for azi which is also supposed to be pretty too.
Nah I think Janice’s face fits the profile of Wang Yuyan just fine. Her acting is another story.
Bai Shu (白澍) as Duan Yu is the questionable cast member.
Mediocre skills aside, I think she’s quite pretty… I do, however, feel her features have a very modern look/appeal, which is a bit unfitting for ancient dramas.
@sugarcane
haha, she’s got that permanent pout look going on
At least I think she would be a better match than what happened in 2013, the lady was way too mature or old looking for the young girl WYY.
No interest in these remakes, getting worse and worse
@davy they actually share the same birthday & same year. But when the last remake was filmed in 2012, the lady was around 23-24 years old. Janice Man, on the other hand, will be around 30 years old if they film this version in 2018/2019.
Can’t they just find a new script rather than just remakes that seems to be worse and worse.
I completely agree with her casting as Wang Yu Yan. If you had watched Shawn Yue’s version of The Great Adventurer Wesley (2018), she had the “ethereal beauty” vibe in it.
What does anyone think of Tony Yang as Qiao Feng? Is he rugged enough?
Did they do the casting with the last DGSD, the one with Wallace Chung as Xiao Feng and Zhang Meng as Wang Yu Yan as comparison?
Don’t know much about Janice Man, she looks average in some photos and good in others but the photos so far seem to suggest she lacks the elegance and quiet beauty.