Wallace Huo Felt Like Zhao Liying’s Uncle in “The Journey of Flower”
Taiwanese actor Wallace Huo (霍建華) and mainland Chinese actress Zhao Liying (趙麗穎) are starring in one of the hottest television dramas this summer, the fantasy-wuxia series The Journey of Flower <花千骨>. In a recent interview with Chinese Business View, Wallace talked about the large age gap between him and his costar, the difficulties he experienced when filming, and the interesting way he interacts with fans.
“It Always Felt Like We Were Father and Daughter”
In The Journey of Flower, Wallace plays stern immortal Bai Zihua, who later takes Hua Qiangu (Zhao Liying) as his sole disciple. The two become embroiled in a forbidden romance, leading to events that shake both the mortal world and the immortal realms.
Though he has always kept himself fit, Wallace felt that a thinner appearance would bring more of an “immortal feel” to his character. As a result, he worked hard to lose weight and attain a slimmer build. “It could be that because I’m getting older, it’s harder to lose weight,” said Wallace, who turns 36 in December.
Age has also become a factor regarding his fans – he admitted that there is a generational gap between him and the young viewers of The Journey of Flower – as well as his chemistry with costar Zhao Liying, who will turn 28 in October.
“When Zhao Liying and I first got in contact, it always felt like we were father and daughter,” Wallace shared. “Afterward, we got to know each other better, but it still felt like I was an uncle and she was a Lolita. Only later did it slowly feel like we became a couple.”
Perhaps because of The Journey of Flower, Wallace stated that he would be “cautious” about a real-life relationship with a large age gap. “In the drama, this relationship is very obscured and oppressed,” he said. “If it happened in real life, I would be very cautious in considering it.”
“I’m the One Acting, So I Look for My Own Method”
When the crew of The Journey of Flower first approached Wallace about portraying Bai Zihua, the actor hesitated for a long time because he was unsure if he wanted to commit to another fantasy-wuxia drama. After half a year of being persuaded by the crew, Wallace gave in. “Their sincerity really touched me,” he remarked.
Wallace would soon discover, however, that Bai Zihua was one of the most difficult characters he had ever played. “I felt like my acting skills were really put to the test,” he said. “How should one portray a character who is above the common people, who then learns to understand love after Xiao Gu’s investment, and who then goes through unspeakable pain after losing her?”
His character’s cold personality also brought a new challenge to Wallace. “Bai Zihua is very hard to interpret,” he shared. “If you don’t have any expressions, then everyone will say your face is paralyzed. But if you have a lot of expressions, everyone will feel that you are not Bai Zihua.
“In reality, everyone has their own way of looking at it,” Wallace went on. “Since I’m the one acting, I just look for my own method. It’s true that Bai Zihua cannot be too expressive, so it’s easy for others to think I’m wooden. I hope to express him through the expression in my eyes.”
Wallace also revealed that the flying scenes took a toll on him, especially when the weather was hot. Moreover, almost every single day, he would have to wear wires around his crotch for the whole day. “I couldn’t even take them off when I went to the bathroom or ate a meal, because I could be asked to film a flying scene at any time,” he said.
“I Don’t Know How to Coax Fans into Being Happy”
Since Wallace is known for being intensely private, it comes as no surprise that he has yet to open an official Sina Weibo account – a popular way for actors to interact with their fans. When asked why he has held out, Wallace responded, “I don’t know how to coax fans into being happy.”
Wallace shared that he has even scolded fans who brought him gifts or skipped class to attend his press conferences. “I know that fans want to make me happy,” he said, “but the gifts they give me surpass what they, at their age, can support. They should not be doing this.”
Source: Sina.com
This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.
Double 2 fingers pose! Again!
Ahhh what a beautiful picture. Gorgeous man.
Well known fact 1;
He doesn’t like fans buying him gifts. You make them, he is ok but he’d rather you don’t give him anything.
Well known fact 2;
He doesn’t have nor want to open a weibo acct. The reason is because he doesn’t want to get caught up in comparisons, how many hits per posts, how many likes, etc etc which he personally thinks is a waste of time. He’d rather his work represent him.
Well known fact 3;
He interacts with fans by way of emails which he reads and does respond. He claimed he responded when one fan called him a “Chi Huo” aka foodie but in old term especially in Taiwan it may mean “good for nothing” which he was very very offended by that term.
As for the uncle/father comparison, Zhao Liying is already 28 or 29. He is 35. Hardly a large gap. Why he said that is simply to avoid gossip. These days he preambles any discussion of his chemistry with his female costar with “we are very good friends” or “I feel like I am her uncle” with one aim; to dispel any rumours before it even begin. With Yang Zi who he is very fond of and who has a larger gap, he says the same thing or almost the same thing. He feels himself is old when frankly 35 is an actor’s prime. He isn’t old, he just makes himself feel or behave old. Wait till he’s 50.
As for BZH, yes it took him 6 months and friends explaining the story to him then he felt it was something different. He tried losing weight because the director insisted. Frankly, he actually look just right, so I suppose he didn’t achieve that thinness in Battle of Changsha and now that Close Your Eyes series. Thank you for that because every angle is quite simply exquisite.
Yes, filming was difficult because it was dead summer, they were in heavy costume and the wiring took a toll because I read he hurt is back many years ago, so that didn’t help. I didn’t know about the crotch thing so let’s hope his chances of fatherhood is not severely diminished by those darn wires.
He is not intensely private, he just doesn’t want to play the fame celebrity game. He has relaxed a bit these days.
He not only scold fans with gifts but younger costars buying gifts is something he frowns upon. To him it is work and work.
Strangely I never thought BZH was cold. I thought he was expressionless or rather very controlled but he was also kind in his demeanour. It isn’t cold.
So far I feel this is his best performance and his most beautiful. The costumes, hair and make up really help.
But the CGI and kung fu stuff are forgettable. Ahhh two fingers, again!
Bring in more Wallace Huo articles!!
@funnlim
I checked out the comments section to see whether you had replied to the article and all three comments were urs!
Ruco vs Wallace, who would you choose?
@heather one in HK and one in shanghai. No need to choose. I have enuff love to divide between the 2. #RucoSoHotChan #WallaceHottestImmortalEverHuo
@funnlim
He has both problems back and crotch or only back problem? never heard about crotch
I suppose he means in real life, the relationships are father-daughter, uncle-Lolita, a couple, so his last feeling is “a couple” in real life, right?
@cuckoo back problems is old injury. Crotch area I suppose is just the harness and wiring causing some chafing and difficulties during filming. Doubt there’s any lasting effect. I suppose actors doing wuxia or lots of wiring stunts will have that problem.
@funnlim Bai Zi Hua is stoic. Wu Gou is the cold one.
New fan here. Those “well known facts” aren’t very well known to me. So I appreciate @funnlim !
“I hope to express him through the expression in my eyes” -You sooooo achieved this! I do love his eyes… ah, why am I lying, I love everything about him atm!!! LOL
Do watch this, especially the 2nd segment on the fashion week thing.
https://youtu.be/4w5B5Fat7iU
Is that uncle to you?? Hardly.
Wallace Huo is 35 and Zhao Liying is 27. That’s only 8 years apart. It’s nothing with today’s standard. I think it’s very smart of him to say that because that will stop any rumor from starting about them. Certainly I hope he will find a nice girl to date and get marry soon.
@dramas4me I agree. Both Wallace and ZLY have attracted many unwanted “romance scandals” in recent years and I think he is wise to deny any possibility in the first place because with the popularity of TJOF at the moment, media will jump at the slightest chance and weave it into another scandal. I think both of them are tired of being asked about the scandals.
Best wishes for Wallace though.