A 75-year-old Chinese actress recently drew criticism for playing a teen girl in a short-form drama series.
In particular, veteran actress Liu Xiaoqing plays an 18-year-old embroiderer who becomes the king’s wife in the drama Splendid Tranquility, which aired in February and has 80 two-minute episodes.
To achieve a youthful appearance and portray the role, Ms Liu used makeup and a beauty filter in addition to her remarkable acting skills, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
Source: Yahoo Style
The most controversial scene in the drama was where Ms Liu’s character shared an intimate kiss with the king, played by 45-year-old actor Jin Jia.
According to SCMP, the kissing scene was meticulously rehearsed and filmed from several angles.
Source: Yahoo Style
However, it drew criticism due to the actors’ 30-year age gap.
“The kiss made me uncomfortable. It felt like a grandmother falling in love with her grandson,” a netizen reportedly commented.
Meanwhile, another user accused the actress of refusing to accept her age.
“She just refuses to confront her ageing. Next, is she going to play a child?” they reportedly wrote.
Meanwhile, some commended the actress and called her a “role model for our generation”.
“Liu dares to challenge age boundaries and has paved the way for older actresses. She is a true trailblazer in the industry,” a netizen reportedly said.
One user also questioned why actresses are judged harshly, while another said the actor should feel fortunate to work with an influential and powerful actress such as Ms Liu.
Source: Yahoo Style
A gender activist, Wang Yang, also praised Ms Liu’s health and vitality, adding that her presence in the drama elevated Jin Jia’s career.
They questioned, “If the roles were reversed, with a male actor 30 years older than his female co-star, would criticism be as pronounced?”
According to SCMP, Ms Liu has also responded to the criticism, saying the kissing scene was an important part of the script.
Netizens were not the only ones to scrutinise the kissing scene between Ms Liu and Jin Jia.
Gu Yanxiu, who is believed to be an actor playing a supporting role in the drama, liked a comment describing it as a “work-related injury”.
Translation: This is a work injury.
Source: UDN
Netizens slammed Gu, saying he had no respect for Ms Liu.
Following this, Gu reportedly posted an apology on 26 Feb, saying, “Thank you for your corrections and criticisms. I will correct these bad habits and improve myself.”
However, the drama’s production team later released a statement saying there was no cast or crew member named Gu Yanxiu, Red Star News reported.
Splendid Tranquility is not Ms Liu’s first foray into playing teen roles.
At the age of 58, she portrayed a 16-year-old princess in Hero Sui and Tang Dynasties 3.
Three years ago, she also played an 18-year-old bandit, with an actor 18 years younger than her cast as her father.
According to SCMP, Ms Liu is dubbed “ageless goddess” for her youthfulness and commitment to her craft.
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Featured image adapted from Yahoo Style, Southyule.