The controversy over Yu Zheng’s insinuations of a casting couch scandal involving the director of the Chinese drama 'Genius Girlfriend' continues to escalate. Actress Zhao Jiamin, under Yu Zheng’s management, was replaced, and the role went to 22-year-old actress He Shiyu. Yu Zheng wrote a 'mini essay', stating: “The girl who replaced her worked harder and deserved to get the role, but she is clean, and being clean comes with a price.” However, he simultaneously added, “Any similarity is purely coincidental,” to avoid legal liability. As a result, He Shiyu was maliciously questioned by netizens: “Did you sleep your way to the top?” She angrily clapped back at trolls: “Do you need a lawyer’s letter?” but did not directly confront Yu Zheng. Meanwhile, insiders stood up for her, with some saying Yu Zheng had no evidence but was spreading indecent rumors about the actress. Others stated that He Shiyu was only confirmed to play the role yesterday, after Zhao Jiamin’s replacement was decided, and wasn’t brought in to deliberately replace Zhao Jiamin.
Yu Zheng claims his artist landed the role through proper auditions, but after joining the cast, the director harshly criticized her and replaced her on the first day — implying the director changed actresses because the “casting couch” didn’t work. However, some entertainment bloggers analyzed that, in current Chinese drama productions, casting is not solely decided by the director; directors are just salaried workers for the platform. Yu Zheng himself often arranges for his own people to be cast: usually, when the platform allows a starring actor from his company, “Huanyu Entertainment,” he’ll simultaneously request the second male or female lead to be a lesser-known artist from his company as well, slipping them into the production.
Source: Apple Online News