Three years after his success in Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, actor Mark Chao returned to the small screens with a fresh new look for his latest drama Ordinary Glory 平凡的荣耀. And by fresh new look, I mean he turned himself into the opposite of his (literal) godly persona in TLTTMoPB! Mark Chao ’s transformation into a disheveled middle aged “uncle” as Manager Wu Kezhi might be a far cry from his resplendent Yehua, but dang, it really shows you just how dedicated he can be in the name of his craft.
When it comes to playing Bai Jinting’s mentor in the Chinese adaptation of Misaeng, Mark points out the importance of emphasizing the age gap between his character and Bai Jinting’s Sun Yi Qiu (Im Si Wan’s Geu Rae in the Korean version). Otherwise, they’ll only end up looking like brothers and not as a mentor who has already experienced many things in life and his protégée.
In fact, Mark recently revealed that he was very much willing to alter his physical appearance just to make playing his Wu Kezhi persona more believable; and that putting on a lot of weight, going for a bald look with thinning hair and appearing more “oilier” were just some of the changes he suggested. Unfortunately though, his recommendations were shot down by the show’s producers who told him he still has to “be worthy of his fans”. Instead they opted for less drastic methods to age him like making his face appear greasier and extra puffy, painting on darker bags under his eyes and adding in white streaks in his hair.
In recent years it’s become the norm for some actors to alter their appearance as a way to prepare for a role. Having not been given the chance to do so, Mark says he’s a bit regretful. He was hoping to give audiences a chance to see a different side of himself in this drama. He had been hopeful viewers can catch a glimpse of “something fresh and never been seen before in each of his projects.” He further adds that “being a male god is a big burden to carry, but that’s alright because, I’m not one”. Mmm hmm are you sure about that Mark? *lol*
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