“The Condor Heroes” TV Drama Seeks to Reinterpret Classics
Above: Chen Xiao and Michelle Chen star in “The Condor Heroes”.
The newest adaptation of the wuxia novel, Return of the Condor Heroes <神鵰俠侶>, which stars Chen Xiao (陳曉) as Yang Guo and Michelle Chen (陳妍希) as the Little Dragon Girl, recently accepted media interviews during filming at Hengdian World Studios. Although netizens have found fault with almost every aspect of the drama, from the casting to the costuming, producer/ screenwriter Yu Zheng (于正) remains unfazed by the online disputes and maintains that this version will be a new interpretation of the wuxia classic.
Michelle Chen: “Classics Are Called Classics Because They Cannot Be Duplicated”
Female lead Michelle Chen has undeniably come under the most fire after she was announced as Little Dragon Girl. Many netizens derided her as looking too much like “the girl next door,” an image that helped her gain widespread popularity in the 2011 Taiwanese romantic movie, You Are the Apple of My Eye <那些年，我們一起追的女孩>, but that does not seem to fit Little Dragon Girl, one of the most beautiful characters created by novelist Jin Yong (金庸).
However, Michelle has stayed calm and collected in the face of such fire, explaining that everyone has his or her own image of what constitutes a classic. “My classic Little Dragon Girl is the Carman Lee (李若彤) version,” she shared. “No matter who comes out, there will be someone saying, ‘This is not my version of Little Dragon Girl.’ But classics are called classics because they cannot be duplicated – there is already a classic there.
“I hope to give everyone a different kind of image,” she went on. “I can guarantee that this new version of Little Dragon Girl will bring forth a completely new interpretation when compared to the previous versions!”
Male lead Chen Xiao shared a similar sentiment, saying that he has confidence despite the frequent online criticism: “Since it’s a classic, people will have different opinions, so [disputing] is understandable. But we have confidence that we will be able to create an entirely new work with a different feeling!”
Michelle to Portray a More Emotional Little Dragon Girl
According to Chen Xiao, he and Michelle hit it off well during filming, which helped them become immersed in the scenes more quickly. Nevertheless, Michelle’s lively disposition on set caused some to wonder how she would portray the icy exterior that has become expected of Little Dragon Girl.
“In the book, Little Dragon Girl is not as emotional before meeting Yang Guo, and she really is a cold and austere person,” said Michelle, who added that she was a loyal Jin Yong fan and read his entire works during middle and high school. “But after she meets Yang Guo, she slowly begins to have human emotions. She actually is a very emotional person.
“No one stipulated that Little Dragon Girl must have a quiet and cold image,” Michelle continued. “That’s only in the beginning, when she’s in the Ancient Tomb, before she meets Yang Guo. There are also times when she is cute, witty, and livelier. People think she doesn’t smile very much at first, but in Jin Yong’s novel, there are times when she is described as giving a charming smile. So there are moments when she’s happy. The Little Dragon Girl in this version will smile more.”
As for the rumors that she had lost weight to play the role, Michelle confirmed that she is currently adhering to a strict diet of no oil or salt, but only for health reasons. “Rather than say it’s to lose weight, why don’t you say it’s so I can prepare myself to be healthy and be in the best state possible?” she asked. “My current state is already much better than before.”
Yu Zheng Refuses to Change in Face of Criticism
Like Michelle and Chen Xiao, Yu Zheng maintains that disputes are unavoidable when taking on a high-profile work like Return of the Condor Heroes. “Everyone will have a different opinion on everything,” he said. “There are a thousand different versions of Little Dragon Girl in people’s minds.
“I don’t care much about [disputes],” he went on. “But you can’t change yourself to someone mediocre who has no breakthroughs, just because of disputes. I’m still willing to do only the things I like to do, as well as the things that challenge me.”
Nevertheless, Yu Zheng still made sure not to stray too far from the beaten path when it came to the main romantic storyline of Return of the Condor Heroes. After Swordman <笑傲江湖>, Yu Zheng’s latest wuxia adaptation, some netizens feared that Little Dragon Girl would be relegated to a supporting character, with villain Li Mochou, portrayed by Viann Zhang (張馨予), becoming Yang Guo’s main love interest.
Yu Zheng was quick to assure viewers that he would not make too many changes to the storyline this time. “The core of Return of the Condor Heroes will definitely be Yang Guo and Little Dragon Girl’s love,” he confirmed. “Everyone else serves as a foil to this incomparable love. I want to tell everyone that no matter the size of the setbacks and obstacles you encounter in this complicated and disorderly world, you will reach true love if you persist until the end.”
Source: Hengdianworld.com
This article is written by Joanna for JayneStars.com.
Oh dear, Chen Xiao’s look here is not very flattering. His hair makes him look dorky
i see a very unrealistic version of the novel.
dont ppl usually portray new version for higher standard, raising the bar and not lowering the bar???? lol it’s like instead of using apple phones you have to use pigeons for communications again.
Lol! Good comparison. I just hate it when people these days try to reproduce ancient novels with modern clothing. They had fewer resources back in the past, but the costumes and hair styles were much better.
You must be kidding. They look like they should be in a pokemon or dragon ball gt movie. What was the director smoking when he decided to have them play the lead? I would have to consider even to cast them in minor role. I guess the standards has drop considerably.
i really hate this man, he’s an ass that only cares about money, wrecking classics. he only wants attn to make his dramas the topic of discussion. no creativity, lots of debauchery. wish of all things, china would ban him and his dramas for good.
he’s a pseudo-producer who does not respect other ppl’s original works. he wants to borrow the name, then add his own steaming horse pile on it. he’s lazy to even follow the original story so he does it to his own whim just so its easy and have an excuse to say it would be different to escape being compared. what a d-bagg.
Chen xiao is a good actor but this hairstyle is so mehh
I’m actually looking forward to Michelle’s interpretation. But that is not a flattering picture of Chen Xiao. I have a problem with the costume but mostly with that hair. It’s 2013, what the heck is that?
What is up with Chen Xiao’s hair and costume?? So weird looking…
Chen Xiao’s costume is indeed too colorful. But, given that Yu Zheng wants to make this adaptation a fantasy comedy drama, the colourful costume is appropriate I guess.
http://hester77.blogspot.com/2013/09/yu-zheng-wants-torture-audiences.html
YZ will spend a lot of time and money on special effects to make MC looks slimmer, taller, more beautiful on screen. Just like he PS-ed all of her released stills.
sorry to be cruel but XLN’s image will not be looked at in the same light after, Michelle and Yu Zheng really think too highly of themselves, just shameless at what they are doing to JY’s revered work. the only reason JY books are so popular is because of the way it is. i don’t want the image of wong cho lam’s cousin in my mind when im thinking of XLN, Michelle can be vasted in idol teen movies but why does she have to foot herself into this classic franchise? JY’s masterpiece and work is too good for the likes of Yu Zheng and Michelle Chen to even attempt to masquerade it as something else. they really debauched this version like crazy. shameless. shameless.
One thing to reinterprete, another to rewrite the whole thing. Frankly I want this series to bomb and it will in terms of story and performances but ratings will be high; 50% fans and 50% watching the train wreck.
“Everyone else serves as a foil to this incomparable love.
And that, is my worst fear. Classic YZ move.
What the heck, Li Mo Chou falling in love with YG?? You must be kidding me!!! It would make more sense if it was her student, but her? Oh goodness… But then again, in XAJH they had LHC falling for DFBB so what’s new???