Newcomer actress Li Sitong (李思潼), age 22, has shot up to popularity after her acting debut in the surprise hit Dear You (Letters to Grandma lit. 给阿嬷的情书). The indie film, which had a small budget, featured a novice cast and was filmed largely in the Teochew dialect, has turned into a box office success. Incidentally, Thai actress Usha “Taew” Seamkhum, who made her film debut in her late 70s through the hit movie How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, also joined the cast to play a grandma once more.
Winning with a Story That Touched Hearts
Dear You is a touching drama about overseas Chinese in the 1940s who emigrated to Southeast Asia in search of better opportunities. Teochew grandmother Ye Shurou spent half her life waiting for letters from the man she believed was her husband abroad. Her grandson Xiaowei travels to Thailand, only to discover that the person who had been corresponding with her all those years was a stranger named Xie Nanzhi. Thanks to its authentic story and strong word-of-mouth, it has earned a Douban rating above 9.0 and already surpassed 150 million yuan (USD 22 million) at the box office.
Li Sitong’s performance became the emotional core of the film. She was chosen out of a thousand when the director insisted they wouldn’t start filming unless they found the right Nan Zhi, and they certainly have. They had looked through a pool of “ordinary” people with no acting background, proving that even the ordinary can possess extraordinary talent.
Li Sitong now has “station sisters,” dedicated fans taking photos of her at different venues, a testament to her new star status. The newcomer actress is feeling the love, greeting fans at the airport with her signature “smiling eyes.” Her success is being seen as a “win” in an entertainment industry so heavily dominated by money and commercial power. It’s also proof that “good content will eventually be recognized” as the cast and crew garner praise and attention.
foulthings
Aw I love this