Mark Chao Plays a Seasoned Manager in “The Ordinary Glory”
The currently airing Mainland workplace drama, The Ordinary Glory <平凡的荣耀> offers a realistic reflection of office life and politics in the modern world through the main cast of Mark Chao (赵又廷) and Bai Jingting (白敬亭). As the Chinese version of the South Korean hit series, Misaeng: The Incomplete (2014), The Ordinary Glory also provokes viewers to question the meaning of life and the difference between dreams and reality. Unlike other cliche workplace stories that focus on a dominating boss or a clumsy female intern, this series stands out with its relatable illustrations of senior-junior relationships, friendships, struggles, growth, and achievements at work.
Similar to a warzone, office life is also all about the survival of the fittest. Trying to secure a job is already hard enough, let alone the stress of competing with others for promotion. This tough reality is brought to life in The Ordinary Glory, which shows how learning the ropes or climbing the corporate ladder is not as easy as one may think unless connections, money, and status are possessed.
The Ordinary Glory follows the mentor-student relationship between Wu Ke Zhi (played by Mark) and Sun Yi Qiu (played by Jingting) and tells a story of how they charge through the office battlefield shoulder to shoulder with their desire to survive and grow together. Although this may appear like a coldblooded fight, a series of managing business cases reveal the great emphasis on warm moments like working as a team and growing meaningfully together as every member learns to trust and have each other’s back.
Mark Wanted to Gain Weight For His Role
Portraying an old and experienced manager who has not received a promotion in years, Mark shared he took a long time contemplating on how he should make himself look aged and pessimistic. He said, “Because the gap between Jingting and I is quite small, I thought about various ways to purposely widen it like gaining weight, even though it was immediately dismissed. Later, I considered growing a beard and dyeing some strands white to make it look as natural as possible.”
Interested in the character’s personality and values, Mark expressed that he really liked Wu Ke Zhi’s sense of dilemma between staying true to his beliefs or risk losing himself to follow the crowd. “While filming the drama, I also reflected on the same question in terms of acting. Should I insist on performing how I want, or should I cater to what others want? It’s a real dilemma I’ve been struggling with in recent years,” he shared.
Jingting Was Once Similar to His Character
Playing as a new intern who got assigned under the unwilling Ke Zhi, Jingting was reminded of the unfamiliar and uncertain feeling he got when he first entered the entertainment industry like an “airborne soldier.” He recalled his mentality at the time, and expressed, “I was very sensitive, but I was more like Ke Zhi because I am not soft at work. I would stay alert and sharp-minded. As such, it was quite challenging for me to play Yi Qiu because aside from his different state of mind, I also tried to get rid of my heavy Beijing accent and work on articulating my words more clearly.”
“The Ordinary Glory” Trailer
Source: BJNews
This article is written by Minna for JayneStars.com.
