The original article was published by VOGUE on August 15, 2019
Photography: Zhou Xiaofan FUNN
Styling: Charlie Chin
Edited by: Delis Dai
Written by: Yan Xia
Makeup: Qingjun
Hairstyle: Zeng Jie
Production: Julie Wang
Fashion Assistant: Kevin Jiang
Behind-the-scenes photographer: Si Tuyang
Coordinating Assistant: Yu Zihe
Studio provided by: Shangde Elephant Photography Studio
Xiao Zhan is one of the most noteworthy names during the summer season. Last night, the hit drama “The Untamed” concluded its run, and his portrayal of Wei Wuxian captivated countless fans with his natural acting style. His striking good looks have also led to his expansion into other fields, making him the most dazzling star of the summer.
Xiao Zhan came directly from the fan meeting for “The Untamed.” It was already evening, and he had only finished half of his work for the day. “It’s okay! Just a little busy,” Xiao Zhan said with a smile. He admitted that he was still a bit “shy” in lively social situations, but this also gave him a sense of security. He wanted to maximize his sensitivity, hoping to maintain a responsive approach to people and situations. “Once you become too familiar with something, the feeling isn’t as strong when you actually use it.”
Who is Xiao Zhan? I don’t know him.
When Xiao Zhan accepted the role in “The Untamed,” he felt surrounded by a multitude of voices. His inner thoughts, external approval or criticism, and the advice of his friends were all present. “They said the script was very important, the drama was very important, so at the time I thought I had to do a good job; there was no turning back this time,” he said. In the early stages of filming, discussions with the director and producer were constant due to uncertainty. In Xiao Zhan’s view, Wei Wuxian wasn’t a “paper doll”; he had an independent life. As if carrying a mission, Xiao Zhan began with the desire to “make everyone love him,” proceeding cautiously at every step. He would always ask the producer, “How was today? Has the editing been done? What are your opinions? Is this acting bad?” In a behind-the-scenes clip of a script reading, Xiao Zhan, experiencing the disintegration of happy moments in the story, cried uncontrollably. He wiped away his tears with his palms, his eyes red like a rabbit’s. During the filming of this scene, the director told Xiao Zhan, “You have to hold back your tears until the very last moment before they fall.” Looking back now, he can’t remember the embarrassing situation of wanting to cry but not being able to, with snot “running wildly,” but “extremely uncomfortable” is the only clear emotion. Similar moments came one after another, and Xiao Zhan found that what happened to the character began to truly become a part of him. “So in the middle of filming, I said, ‘I don’t care anymore, I’ll just act according to my own feelings, that’s how I’ll act.’” Xiao Zhan said with a smile, making a bold statement. It was about believing in himself and letting go of himself in front of the camera. “Who is Xiao Zhan? I don’t know him,” he said, adding that he often gets into this state. Since the work aired, Xiao Zhan said he would quietly keep the praise to himself, as well as the criticism. There are regrets, but these are all part of the process of gradually accumulating experience. However, the other side of regret is often the unplanned brilliance. Xiao Zhan is already blurry about what happened during the filming of the scene where Wei Wuxian rescues Jiang Cheng from Lotus Pier, but when he looks back, he says, “Hmm! It’s not bad!” It turns out that at that time, he was truly in that person.
Xiao Zhan is noticeably busier now. Having already starred in several period dramas, he’s looking to take on a modern role next. But the lingering impact of “Wei Wuxian” is so strong that even now, when he scrolls through Weibo and sees readers’ “essays” about the character, he thinks: “I really regret not seeing these articles sooner; they would definitely have been helpful.” To allow the pain and joy of the role to settle, after finishing filming “The Untamed,” Xiao Zhan traveled to Japan with friends. He preferred the leisurely and natural atmosphere of Hakone to the bustling metropolises. During those days, he strolled through narrow streets, visited art galleries, and saw masterpieces he’d always wanted to see while studying painting—”I felt cleansed.” But when the drama aired, some of those emotions returned intensely. The drama did well, and Xiao Zhan couldn’t tell whether he was happy for himself or for the young actor. He truly loves Wei Wuxian; even now, when he talks about it, he still says in a low voice, “He’s so pitiful. When I was acting, I felt I couldn’t treat him like that; you can’t bully him like that.”
Fighting spirit
Xiao Zhan loves his name. “You won’t believe it,” he says, “but my name came about very casually.” His parents originally named him “Xiao Zan,” but his mother worried that the character “Zan” was difficult to write, so his father changed it to “Zhan.” Hard work and striving replaced innate praise, becoming the defining characteristic of the boy’s life. “How wonderful! How ambitious!” Xiao Zhan is indeed full of fighting spirit as he pursues his goals. He’s taking acting lessons, and his immediate objective is to stop “eating snails” (a common Chinese expression for speaking in Chongqing dialect). Although his Chongqing accent is considered cute and forgivable by his fans, Xiao Zhan is putting in a lot of effort to eliminate these flaws—he’s already an actor. He’s no longer the boy who, for the first time, stood in front of the camera, wondering, “Am I not suited for this?” “Why is the performance different from what I envisioned?” “Should I just give up?” Regardless of whether the changes stem from what he said, “life pushes people along,” from his first official role in “The Wolf” to “The Untamed,” which truly gave him confidence, Xiao Zhan increasingly enjoys the adventures that acting brings him—the ups and downs, the great sorrows and joys, the constraints of time, and the fearlessness of time. He can use his life to explore the boundaries of emotions and feelings many times.
House
The sky-blue plush patchwork sweater, black trousers, black leather belt, and black canvas belt are all by Prada.
White shirt and black tie, both by Celine.
Although he seems mischievous now, Xiao Zhan knows he’s actually a very quiet person. When he was learning to draw as a child, while other kids couldn’t sit still, he could sit for eight hours straight. For a long time, Xiao Zhan quietly observed details, angles, and the texture and direction of hair in portraits. However, at some point in his life, Wei Wuxian’s unrestrained and carefree spirit brought him back to his childhood before he became a quiet boy. In his childhood neighborhood, he and his playmates would sometimes playfully wrestle. When asked what made him so quiet, Xiao Zhan said with a touch of melancholy, “Life, life.”
Life moves forward, and Xiao Zhan has also left his childhood paradise. His Beijing residence is simply furnished, “It’s rented, just a place to live.” There, he spends most of his time lounging on the sofa and carpet, sometimes watching movies, sometimes playing games. Although he bought an elliptical machine to use, he still maintains a “wanting to do something, but not really doing anything” attitude, remaining a homebody. “So if someone were to film a day in my life, it would probably be quite boring,” Xiao Zhan said. Before becoming an actor, Xiao Zhan was already a creator, and he knows how terrible it can be to lose his sensitivity. Unlike when he first entered the industry and used to judge things based on emotion, Xiao Zhan believes that at this stage, he must remain rational and weed out options that don’t help him but will drain his energy from many choices and temptations. He is also afraid of becoming “tired,” of being subtly dulled by the noise. Before his debut, Xiao Zhan had never left home. When he went to university, his father drove him to school, which only took 15 minutes. “I’m already 28, and it would be childish to say that,” Xiao Zhan said. “But after living my own life, I really miss them.” From the competition until now, people always bring up Xiao Zhan’s age. He’s not bothered, but he occasionally asks himself, “Am I really that old already?” In Xiao Zhan’s view, leaving home late made him less aware of growing up. But now that things are piling up, he’s certain that he “needs to analyze and think.” Besides considering “Will doing this be good? Will I be happy?”, ultimately, like Wei Wuxian, he “needs to do what he thinks is right.”
Takeout
Because he needs to manage his physique, Xiao Zhan, who particularly loves meat and cheese, no longer eats high-calorie foods at night, which often leaves him feeling hungry before bed. But the thought of “having a big meal tomorrow at noon” makes him happy again. Xiao Zhan says he imagines every dish he’ll order for lunch the next day, and orders takeout as soon as he wakes up the next morning. The excitement reaches its peak the moment the food arrives. As he said this, his hand was on his lap, and a faint red scratch on the back of his hand was quite noticeable. When asked, he explained that it was from being scratched by a rabbit during filming the previous day. “Hey, minor injuries are nothing to an actor,” Xiao Zhan said with a hint of pride. He mentioned that everyone often bumps and scrapes themselves while filming action scenes in period dramas, but he always manages to stand up, dust himself off, and say, “Director, I’m fine!” While highly sensitive in one aspect, Xiao Zhan is also simple and rough around the edges in another.
After chatting at length about recent events, Xiao Zhan immediately went to film his video. Around 1 a.m., his followers finally saw a Weibo post announcing his day’s end—”Shocking! He’s been working since early morning!!” It was a long day, ordinary, fulfilling, and unrepeatable. Thankfully, in a few hours, he’d be able to enjoy delicious takeout again.
