Actor He Yu: The More Labels an Actor Has, The Better it Shows Recognition

29-year-old Chinese rising star He Yu entered the entertainment industry in 2019 with the martial arts romance comedy "Lian Lian Jiang Hu." Although not formally trained, over the past seven years he has accumulated acting experience and popularity through various film and television works. After gaining high popularity at the end of 2025 with the romance drama "Shuang Gui" co-starring Yu Shuxin, He Yu has once again teamed up with Meng Ziyi for the recently premiered historical intrigue romance drama "Bai Hua Sha."

In "Bai Hua Sha," He Yu plays Crown Prince Xiao Huayong, who exudes both a "sickly charm" from years of illness caused by poisoning and a "scheming aura" with his sharp eyes and calculated moves. When asked how he switches between these states, He Yu revealed in an email interview with "Lianhe Zaobao" that when portraying Xiao Huayong's illness, he deliberately distinguishes between "feigning weakness in front of others" and "genuine attacks of illness."

He explained that Xiao Huayong presents different states to different people—he has a thousand faces—"In front of others, there are some 'performed' and exaggerated manners, but when he is truly ill, he shows strong endurance and resilience." Accurately capturing the nuances of each state is no small challenge for him. As for the aura and scheming aspect of the character, he conveys them mainly through subtle glances and body language.

As the drama gained popularity, many book fans and drama viewers felt that He Yu's temperament perfectly fits characters like Xiao Huayong, who appear gentle but are in fact dark and manipulative. When asked whether he minds being labeled by viewers as a "specialist in sickly and scheming roles," He Yu candidly said the more labels an actor has, the better: "It means everyone recognizes you're suited to this type of character."

As for what roles he would like to try in the future, he said he's currently interested in contemporary dramas, such as suspense or slice-of-life stories, and wants to challenge himself with roles that have a strong sense of contrast.

Going the extra mile to play a "medicine addict"
To portray Xiao Huayong as the perennial "medicine addict," He Yu paid great attention to details. He gave an example: "Xiao Huayong often keeps his hands in his sleeves because he (feels) very cold. At the same time, some hand movements were designed in the show to reflect the posture of an Eastern Palace Crown Prince in power."

He also mentioned a humorous scene where, after the character's wedding, he attends court for the first time: Xiao Huayong deliberately sticks out his neck straight just so his former "rival in love" in the court can see the hickey-like bruise on his neck. This deliberate gesture of raising his neck to show off was specially designed by He Yu for the character.

Whenever he has time, He Yu watches the drama in real time with live comments (danmu). Regarding which comments left an impression on him, he said: "Every time Xiao Huayong coughs, the comments inevitably say 'Your QQ friend is online.'" It turns out that the sound Xiao Huayong makes coughing before entering a scene is reminiscent of the old notification on China's social app QQ when a friend comes online, so whenever he coughs, the comment section is flooded with "Your QQ friend is online," joking that the frail crown prince has "come online" again.

Personality more straightforward than the prince

In He Yu's view, Xiao Huayong is mentally strong—despite a decade of suffering, his heart remains set on greater good and national responsibilities. Besides this patriotic spirit, the character is also very pure in matters of affection. Discussing the character's view on love, He Yu said: "His love for Shen Xihe (played by Meng Ziyi) is about 100% respect and recognition. He is willing to support Xihe's aspirations and ideals wholeheartedly, rather than sheltering her under his own wing as a subordinate."

As for the biggest difference between himself and Xiao Huayong, he pointed out: "The biggest difference is that I'm from the northwest of China and am more straightforward, while Xiao Huayong is more 'tea art' (meaning manipulative)." By "tea art," he's humorously referring to Xiao Huayong's habit of feigning innocence and frailness to elicit sympathy and attention from his beloved.

From Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng in "Jin Yong's Martial Arts World" to Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe in "Bai Hua Sha," He Yu said of working with Meng Ziyi again: Meng Ziyi deliberately makes herself resemble her character Shen Xihe's "淡人" (a person who is calm and detached, rarely showing emotions) on set—"(In the play) she is cold and aloof, very different from her usual self."