20 things about The Untamed - Part 1
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, source
I’m going to attempt to translate this article about The Untamed because I think it has a lot of useful information! my Chinese is not good…please, if you see any corrections let me know! If someone else is already translating this article, let me know! thanks @hoamoclan for linking me the article <3
20 things about The Untamed - Part 1
“Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)” has already been broadcast passed the halfway mark. This drama, which was adapted from a well-known web novel, has become a summer explosion. It also allows Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo to harvest a large number of fans.
A few days ago, Entertainment Studio talked with Yang Xia, chief producer, chief editor and artistic director of “Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)”, director Zheng Wei-wen, and Hua Yunxia, performance group instructor. From the creation of the script to the selection of actors, from the sentimental handling of the conversation to the question of adding the female lead, the story behind the explosion is revealed.
The original title of “Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)” has four or five alternatives, and the final choice of “Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)” means “Chen Qing, a song Commands the World.” The title of the drama derives from Wei Wuxian’s flute Chenqing. The word “Chen Qing” also represents all the characters in the drama and expresses their feelings in the interweaving of various plots.
Wei Wuxian and his flute Chenqing
One year before the start of “Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)”, a friend in the industry recommended a new actor to producer Yang Xia, she saved the photo of this actor on her mobile phone. At that time, she did not know that this was Xiao Zhan, but felt the smile in the photo was very appealing.
Two casting teams were responsible for finding actors for “Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed)”, but starring roles were nominated and finalized by New Paper and Penguin Pictures.
When Yang Xia first met with Xiao Zhan, Xiao Zhan talked about the interpretation of the role of Wei Wuxian. The same understanding of the roles became the key to the success of “Chen Qing Ling (The Untamed).”
Xiao Zhan plays Wei Wuxian
“Although he did not graduate from a major class, it is because of his rich experience in life and society that he has a much more mature understanding of the script than his peers. The first time I heard him talk, he said he never felt that Wei Wuxian was blackened, and it wasn’t like he was a different person after he came from the Burial Mounds.
This ideology is very good, in fact, no matter what he does, the optimistic and free-spirited foundation Wei Wuxian had laid in his youth has not changed. He did not say that I want revenge. This character has always been very positive. So we don’t want to say that he changed his style after becoming Yiling Patriarch.
The 20th episode is a very good interpretation. When he first reunited with Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji as Yiling Patriarch, his condition was very natural and relaxed, he was still laughing, but he did not have the spirit of the past. There is no smile in his eyes. But his way of speaking is no different from what he used to be, the way he talks is no different from before, his jokes may have been really joking. At that time, it was a feeling of pretending to be a joke so Lan Zhan said "Wei Ying, don’t make a joke”. I think Xiao Zhan performed very well in that scene.“
During the stage of watching photos and choosing actors, Wang Yibo was once passed.
"But later when we tried auditions, we still took a testing attitude and asked Wang Yibo if he would like to auditions for the drama. It’s hard for him. He flew in from other places. It is no exaggeration to say that the moment he walked in from the door, I thought he was Lan Wangji because his temperament is very unique. With a very cold temperament, but not arrogant, quietly with a kind of aura that he is not close to strangers.” That day was the first time that Yang Xia met Wang Yibo, although he did not wear costumes, Yang Xia already thought Wang Yibo was Lan Wangji.
On the same day, Wang Yibo tried to play the major part in Xuanwu Cave. The deputy director of the casting group temporarily played the role of Wei Wuxian. "At the time, it was definitely not as accurate as it was in the drama, but we felt that it was really good. Mr. Wang had a very restrained but accurate expression of acting for an actor of this age.“
