Chinese actress Yang Zi opens up about friendship, turning 30, her latest drama, Psychologist, and seeking weightier roles
- Yang Zi made her name as a child actress in China in the Home With Kids films, and moved into TV dramas, where she played young women looking for romance
- With her latest role, as the cool-headed He Dun in Psychologist, broadcast on Youku, she is stepping out of her comfort zone
Popular Chinese actress Yang Zi has won legions of fans playing beautiful and adorable ingénues in search of romantic love in TV dramas. But that is about to change – the 29-year-old plans to get out of her comfort zone and take on more serious roles.
“The roles I have played are always younger women with a lovely personality. I have never deliberately chosen these roles. [They are] just the scripts that I like and that I believe I can handle,” she tells the Post.
For her latest TV drama, Psychologist, which has been airing on Youku in China since November, she shed the girl-next-door image to portray a highly intelligent, cool-headed psychologist with a past.
“The role of He Dun is completely different from what I played in the past and I was quite worried whether the audience would accept this change,” Yang says, admitting to checking popular film and TV review site Douban, China’s equivalent of Rotten Tomatoes, to see how the show was received.
“Some say we are good. I try to find out why some people don’t like it … Their analyses and views are actually very good,” the actress says.
A central plotline in Psychologist – which currently ranks second on Maoyan, behind hit period drama Luoyang – is how her character heals old wounds through her romantic relationship with an optimistic radio host, played by Jing Boran.
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To research her role, Yang went to Beijing Normal University to learn from academics and therapists.
“When I was young, I thought psychologists were like the role played by Kelly Chen Wai-lam in Infernal Affairs,” says Yang. Movies often portray them as doctors who can put patients to sleep with a pocket watch, she adds.
“Psychologists are doctors who treat mental illnesses. China suffers from a severe shortage of psychologists. The public should pay attention to this,” the actress says.
In the drama, He is a strong-willed and compassionate woman eager to help needy people. Yang says: “I love this role. I hope this TV series can help those who are now in a mental abyss. We will have attained our mission if they feel some encouragement or consolation from watching the show.”
The former child star was only four when she was sent to drama training school. She made her acting debut in 2002 period drama Xiaozhuang Mishi. She starred as an academic prodigy in the 2005 series Home with Kids and its sequel Home with Kids 2 (2005).
Her portrayal of Xiaxue, a vivacious and down-to-earth student with brilliant school results, in the Home with Kids series turned her into a household name in China.
Yang, who turns 30 in 2022, is not worried about ageing. “I am actually quite excited [about growing older]. I look forward to turning 40 and even 50 years old,” she says.
Yang says she is an ordinary person who has her share of emotional ups and downs, and she derives great happiness and mental support from her friendship with her school friend. “Friendship is the most precious form of human bonding. I have known my best friend since senior secondary school. We are like family,” Yang says.
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“She watches every episode of my drama series and gives her opinion. She will give me encouragement when she thinks my performances are good. When she is not impressed or when others are praising me [for a lacklustre performance], she will tell me the truth.
“If she runs into any problems [in life], I will be by her side giving her support. We won’t send any greetings to each other during festive seasons or birthdays. Our friendship has transcended such stuff. I am happy [to have her in my life].”
