Netizens Slam Chinese Drama For Making 43YO Michelle Ye Play 18YO Role

We see 20-somethings playing teenagers in Hollywood all the time, and even they look too mature to play youngsters.

And people already take issue with that. There has been a lot of online discourse about casting actual teenagers to play teenagers in movies and shows.

If 20-somethings are bad enough, imagine how people would react if they found out that a 43-year-old was playing an 18-year-old.

Well, that actually happened. Netizens were unhappy that 43-year-old actress Michelle Ye was playing a younger version of her character.

Read on to see this bizarre drama unfold.

“Do You Think the Audiences Are Blind?”

Michelle Ye, 43, is a former TVB actress best known for her roles in the dramas Eternal Happiness and Triumph in the Skies. She is starring as Madam Xian in a new drama of the same name.

The drama surrounds Lady Xian, a real historical figure who fought for secession and to maintain national unity.

She and her co-star Ren Zhong, 44, play the younger versions of their characters in the drama.

The show received a lot of flak on Weibo for using the two actors to play their younger selves, although they could have hired younger actors to play them.

Commenters questioned why the actors, who were in their forties, were playing 20-year-olds and wondered if the China entertainment industry needed to have more younger actors.

People also said that Ye did not look like she was 18 at all and even asked the director, “Do you think the audiences are blind?”

Others also joked that they did not want to watch a love story between old people.

She Responds

On Monday (15 May), Ye did an interview with CCTV where she addressed the discourse over her playing an 18-year-old.

She said that since she was older now, she had more life experiences that enabled her to better play the younger and older versions of Lady Xian.

She said it was more difficult for her to play someone older when she was younger as she did not have the experiences that an older person would have.

Many Haters

This is not Ye’s first time being involved in some kind of backlash. Recently on 13 February, she had a live stream that boggled the minds of many.

Appearing vastly different from her usual elegant state, she wore a skin-coloured top and had her hair up in pigtails.

There were some things she did in the live stream that viewers found questionable, such as reaching under her pants to scratch her groin.

She was also seen picking her nose and cutting her toenails, which is probably an attempt to be more intimate with fans.

While some found her actions funny, many criticised her in the live stream comments, calling her crazy and asking what was wrong with her.

One even went as far as to say that her actions made them feel “ill at ease.”

Following this, Ye set her Weibo profile picture to a photo of her with two mango candies in her teeth to mimic vampire fangs.

Perhaps this was method acting for the role as young Lady Xian.