Zhang Jing Yi describes her ‘The Legend of Zang Hai’ character as a ‘little drama queen’

Zhang Jing Yi shares her experience playing a businesswoman and a princess living in the enemy nation in The Legend of Zang Hai.

Recently, actress Zhang Jing Yi sat for an interview with Chinese media to talk about her latest drama, The Legend of Zang Hai.

The C-drama tells the story of the son of the Imperial Astronomer of the Da Yong Empire, who experienced the catastrophe of his entire family’s annihilation. Ten years later, he returns to the capital under the alias Zang Hai. Relying on his geomancy skills and strategic expertise he honed over the years, he outwits treacherous villains, uncovers conspiracies, and joins forces with beloved friends to protect the nation.

Zhang Jing Yi plays the role of Xiang An Tu, a businesswoman with a tragic past.

Talking about Xiang An Tu, she described her as no ordinary princess. She’s always got an abacus in hand, and her ornaments clink when she walks. She’s like a “human calculator.”

It is reported that director Zheng Xiao Long’s standards for this character were so demanding that even the force used to push open a door had to be measured down to the Newton.

Zhang Jing Yi recalls that her very first scene was pushing the door open and walking into a room. She originally intended to make it look graceful, but the director immediately called “Cut!” and said, “Are you going on a date or what? Use some force! Like you’re about to split the door panel in two!”

When it comes to action scenes, Zhang Jing Yi really went through the wringer. She originally thought that fight scenes in costume dramas would be like striking cool poses. But the stunt coordinator turned out to be very strict. “The way I swung my sword got roasted for looking like I was chopping dumpling filling,” she laughed. “And when I was throwing hidden weapons, it looked more like I was tossing a frisbee.” She laughed as she recalled. But after watching Bai Lu’s smooth fight scenes, Zhang Jingyi couldn’t help but admire her. “Now that’s what you call a true action heroine. Compared to her, I’m just a street performer.”

The costume and props team for The Legend of Zang Hai really went all out. The headpiece worn by Xiang An Tu jingled with every step. Zhang Jing Yi said she was so careful wearing it that she barely dared to move her head wearing it, afraid she might ruin the prop artist’s hard work. There was a scene where she had to handle an abacus, and the props team especially found an antique one. But Zhang Jing Yi got so into character that she almost sent the beads flying.

“The way the props master looked at me then — I felt like I was about to get blacklisted any second now,” Zhang said.

Speaking about working with Xiao Zhan, Zhang Jing Yi couldn’t praise him enough. Humble and hard-working, he often stayed up late discussing the characters with the director. “There was one scene where I felt the emotions weren’t quite there, and he suggested we reshoot. His professionalism is really beyond words.”

The actress also revealed that director Zheng Xiao Long often improvised on set. In one scene that was originally well-planned, the director suddenly asked her to add an eye roll. “That eye-roll basically became Xiang An Tu’s signature expression. Now netizens are even making memes out of it.”

The filming of The Legend of Zang Hai took over five months, and Zhang said this was the role she enjoyed playing the most.

“Xiang An Tu may seem arrogant on the outside, but deep down, she’s very lonely. Her sharp tongue is basically an armor to hide her true feelings.” She added, “By the time we wrapped up filming, I actually felt a bit reluctant to say goodbye to this ‘little drama queen.’”

Now that the series has aired and gotten an enthusiastic response from the domestic audience, Zhang is taking it all in stride: “As long as the audience likes it, I’m good. I’ll take the criticism too. After all, Xiang An Tu is just a ‘little drama queen.’”

Source: Baidu