It’s no secret that Yu Zheng has no qualms about speaking his mind especially about stuff that pisses him off. He also doesn’t hesitate to name names in his tirades. The most recent person to get on Yu Zheng’s bad side is Well-Intended Love actor Ian Yi Po-chen who is also a member of the boyband SpeXial.
Yu Zheng singled out Ian in his online post where he says that he didn’t know Ian initially. It was Ian’s agent, Zhou Hao, who told him about Ian. Yu Zheng had ended up liking Zhou Hao’s recommended actors that he casted them in Untouchable Lovers and The Legend of Haolan in the past so he was more than willing to try another one of his recommendations. This time, Yu Zheng had planned for actor Ian Yi to play a role in Arsenal Military Academy. Yu Zheng had the director contact Ian. As Ian was in Taiwan, he sent his measurements so that the wardrobe team can start making the costumes. According to Yu Zheng, that was all they discussed.
However, Yu Zheng says that Ian was supposed to attend the drama rehearsal for Arsenal Military Academy but didn’t show since he was too tired from doing the military training. When Yu Zheng asked the art director about Ian, the art director said that Ian had his makeup done in the afternoon but refused to let the stylist do his hair, which offended the stylist. Yu Zheng then says that Ian began making unreasonable demands, including asking for more money to play the role. Yu Zheng tried to contact Zhou Hao through WeChat but the latter didn’t reply. This was when Yu Zheng decided to recast the role and drop Ian Yi.
Fans of Ian Yi defended him by saying that his role in the original Arsenal Military Academy script was very different from the role Ian had to play and the change was tantamount to cheating. Ian Yi’s studio also issued a statement, “The whole matter was due to staff from both sides having different understandings about their verbal agreement. We regret that the contract signing wasn’t successful. After one year, we apologize for taking up the time of the media and thankful for Yu Zheng’s attention towards Ian Yi. As a new actor, Ian Yi has always exhibited a conscientious and humble attitude towards his career and has regarded his cast mates as seniors and friends. Whether in the past and in the future, Ian Yi will maintain his professional and moral standards and work hard for every project and every role.”
As the war of words continue on, it seems that only one thing is for certain, the two parties involved will not be working together in the foreseeable future.
Anonymous
Yu Zheng is such a b****. He clearly has such leverage over these rookie actors that he can (and does) ruin their reputation with a single Weibo post. This is not a one off where someone did something so atrocious that Yu Zheng had to make a public statement. He does this all the time to people who are far less powerful than he. If these rookie actors are unprofessional, he can sue them (if legal grounds exist) or blackball them from his and his friends' projects. But he makes these b***** public Weibo pronouncements to his millions of followers that no rookie actor can overcome. I used to like him for his projects, but now I join the rank of people who despise him for his failure as a decent human being.
ZhuMei
Yeah I wouldn't believe Yu Zheng's words either. This guy has more bark than bite, his attitude shows no display of professionalism. This could've easily been settled amicably in private, but he decided to burn bridges, and air his dirty laundry to the public instead. Despite that I have to give him credibility for some successes he's achieved (ie Yanxi, Jade Palace), the guy's a toxic narcissist who remorselessly plagiarizes other more prominent works as his own.
Anonymous
He supports those who he likes, and ruins those who he don't like.