Taiwanese actor Darren Chen made his acting debut in 2016 as the second lead in the gender-swap drama Proud of Love. His next project wasn’t until a year later when he landed the role of Hua Zelei in the 2018 remake of Meteor Garden.
It’s definitely opened doors for him as he now stars in his first leading role in The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty 成化十四年 which has him putting sleuthing skills to work as part of an investigative trio. Somehow, the theme seems popular lately with Hu Yitian’s My Roommate is a Detective also with a similar setup.
However, Darren Chen’s acting skills has been met with some criticism for being too childish. In an interview with Sina, he responds, “In my heart, Tang Fan is a character that’s very real who will convey all of his truest feelings.” Darren Chan also understands people’s perceptions of him. With regards to the differences in understanding between the viewer and actor on how the role should be, Darren says, “The drama’s script is quite subjective, I also like to hear praise and criticism, I can accept all of it, keep the good and change the bad.”
Darren’s honesty drew praise. In the past, he has said that he likes friends with different opinions because it means more choices. As such, he’ll be more accepting of other’s voices and think on their behalf. Darren’s role as Tang Fan is a sixth rank official who loves food and always needs money. It’s actually a cute quirk for the righteous detective but maybe it’s not for everyone. It’s only his first third acting role anyway, so I’d be interesting to see how he’ll improve as he gains more experience.
Source: 1
Claire Xiao
You're amazing Darren Chen, jiayou! !!!
Anonymous
That's what exactly how his character supposed to do^^!! Darren is doing amazing!
Anonymous
His performance is not above expectation but not below, it meets the expectation. I'm not a fan of baby face men like him, but his acting isn't all that bad.
Anonymous
So it is not just me.. He was so bad in this drama, sorry for saying that but i think tge writing is also bad & boring adding to all this the other mainlead is charismatic & very good acting his role… Hope he work more hard or chose more suitable projects in the future
Anonymous
Honestly the acting of both male leads is really not that good in this drama. But nonetheless I am enjoying it.
Perhaps fans of the original novel would be more critical, as I heard that alot has been changed, including weakening Tang Fan's character.
I am enjoying My Roommate is a Detective as well. Hope they make more of these male-centric detective dramas.
Unknown
This is his third role, he is amazing, bravo Darren!
Anonymous
And although Tang Fan annoys me at first, his whiny character gradually grows on me and became an endearing trait. I am looking forward to Darren's next drama – Yu Zhao Ling!
Toh li ping
This show deserves a second season!