"Thrilling, exciting, everything you can think of, we have it." This is how Xiao Zhan, the lead actor of "Legend of the Hidden Sea", described his new work in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency.
The costume drama "The Legend of the Canghai" directed by Zheng Xiaolong and Cao Yiwen, written by Zhao Liuyi, and starring Xiao Zhan, Zhang Jingyi, Zhou Qi and Huang Jue is currently airing on CCTV-8 and Youku.
The play tells the story of the son of the director of the Imperial Observatory of Dayong State, who witnessed the destruction of his entire family, and returned to the capital ten years later under the pseudonym "Cang Hai". Relying on the construction skills and tactics he learned over the years, he outsmarted the treacherous and uncovered the conspiracy, and joined hands with his beloved friend to defend the country.
The popularity of "Legend of the Hidden Sea" on Youku exceeded 10,200
On May 20, the popularity value of "Legend of the Tibetan Sea" on Youku exceeded 10,200, becoming the fastest drama to break 10,100 since 2024. It topped the Yunhe Hot Broadcasting Domination List 4 days after its launch, and received the S+ rating certification, with an effective market share of 22%, rising for 4 consecutive days. It ranked first on the Internet Domination List for 2 consecutive days, the Public Opinion Hotness List for 5 consecutive days, and the Domination Character List for 4 consecutive days, ranking first.
In terms of ratings, it ranked No. 1 in CVB prime-time TV dramas on the first day of its broadcast, and its Kuyun live broadcast peak ratings were 2.4216%, also ranking No. 1 in the country. On May 23, the show's Kuyun real-time ratings exceeded 2.1%.
Ratings continue to rise
At the same time, netizens have also been "going crazy" about the "love-hate" relationship between many characters in the play, and there have been many wonderful secondary creations of "being addicted to their own creations and unable to extricate themselves".
Netizens' secondary creations are booming
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, Xiao Zhan described "Legend of the Tibetan Sea" as follows: "Thrilling, exciting, everything you can think of, we have it."
Screenshot of Xiao Zhan’s interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Talking about his view of Zang Hai, Xiao Zhan said: "Zang Hai is a very complex person. It is difficult to summarize him with one character. He has the determination to seek revenge, but he also has the softest part of human nature. He possesses both."
Xiao Zhan as Cang Hai
Talking about his scenes with Huang Jue, who plays the villain of the drama, Pingjin Hou, Xiao Zhan said: "When I first met Brother Jue, I felt that he was Pingjin Hou himself. He didn't need to speak, just put on the costume and stood there, he had that kind of deterrent power, which shocked me."
As for Zhang Jingyi, who plays the role of "Boss Xiang", Xiao Zhan believes that "she has a sense of mystery, which makes people feel a little bit unable to see through her."
"Brother Zhou Qi", in Xiao Zhan's eyes, "he fits the role of Zhuang Zhixing very well, he's very cute."
Xiao Zhan and Huang Jue's rivalry
In an interview with People's Daily, Xiao Zhan admitted that he was still very nervous after work every day because the character had a lot of lines. As his "first costume drama with synchronous sound", the lines of the character Cang Hai contain many terms and ancient sayings such as geomancy, which he "had never come across before, and he didn't know how to say it in the way of the ancients, so that the audience and the other actors could understand it." Xiao Zhan said that on the set, he would communicate with the director in a timely manner and adjust the processing method according to the emphasis of the lines.
When talking about Zang Hai's growth line, Xiao Zhan put in 100% of his serious research spirit. "I refined the character's growth line from beginning to end and made a list similar to PPT, like a life chart. It shows what the character is like at which stage, what his psychological state is like, what his relationship with other characters is like according to the plot, and what his sense of distance is from each character. Because it is a jump shot, a very specific division is required, so when shooting, it is necessary to find the character's current state very accurately."
On the set, he often immersed himself in the atmosphere of filming and forgot about time. "Every day I was in the pitch-black studio, locked in the tomb passage. Sometimes I would forget what time it was and whether it was dark or day outside. But this is actually quite interesting, and it makes you feel that time passes very quickly."
Talking about the difference between this and the costume dramas he filmed in the past, Xiao Zhan said that it was mainly a change in the performance style. "In many cases, I have to be a little restrained. I can't be too exaggerated, but I can't be nothing either. Sometimes after shooting a take, I will go to the monitor to discuss with the director, asking if this degree is okay, whether I need to show it out a little more, or whether I need to be a little more restrained."
Stills from The Legend of the Hidden Sea
