Who was supposed to play Wei Shao in the drama "Prisoner of Beauty"?

Кто должен был сыграть Вэй Шао в дораме «Узник красоты»?
Who was supposed to play Wei Shao in the drama "Prisoner of Beauty"? (Image via original source)

Popular drama "Prisoner of Beauty"

The drama "Prisoner of Beauty" is nearing the end of its run and has already managed to win the hearts of viewers. Its popularity is due to the strong chemistry between the main characters, Song Zu Er and Liu Yu Ning, a well-thought-out plot and convincing acting. The series confidently ranks second in Yunhe's rankings in terms of online views and entered the top 2 most popular dramas on Tencent in 2025.

Chosen but not played

It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Wei Shao, but the actor Zhang Wan Yi was originally chosen for the role. The producers were happy with him, and filming was about to start. However, investors were worried that Zhang Wan Yi was not popular enough. At that time, in the summer of 2023, he was just starting his path to fame, and he became famous after the release of the drama "Endless Longing in Separation".

In the book, Wei Shao's character is described as tall, powerful and imposing. Zhang Wan Yi has a softer type, which does not quite match this image. Investors were also interested in the actor's growing popularity.

Liu Yu Ning is the ideal Wei Shao

Eventually, the producers turned their attention to Liu Yu Ning, who perfectly suited the image of Wei Shao. He got into the role so well that it is now difficult to imagine another actor in this role. Liu Yu Ning has greatly improved his acting skills thanks to his work on "Prisoner of Beauty", and his kissing scenes exceeded all expectations. Previously, the actor was considered shy about such scenes, but in "Prisoner of Beauty" he demonstrated confidence and skill. He was helped in this by director Dan Ke, who talked with Liu Yu Ning a lot about this topic and cited the kissing scene from his series "Journey with the Phoenix" as an example.

Popularity of the drama

The drama "Prisoner of Beauty" became one of the most discussed series of the spring and gathered a huge army of fans.

News Express Team
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