Huang Xiaoming Recalls His Lowest Moments: “It’s Like Even the Dogs Were Laughing At Me”
Huang Xiaoming (黄晓明) went candid on the talk show A Day with Luyu <鲁豫有约>, where he talked about his struggled with popularity, and how his fame ended up backfiring on him. He also talked about his family, including wife Angelababy and son “Little Sponge”, and how they helped shape his values and actions. “I have to take care of my family now. We have a child, so I can’t let anything happen to me,” he said.
The 40-year-old, who debuted in 1998, found fame after starring as the young Han dynasty king Liu Che in the 2001 historical drama The Prince of Han Dynasty <大汉天子>, a show that spawned two other sequels. Xiaoming’s popularity peaked after starring as Yang Guo in the 2006 remake of Return of the Condor Heroes <神雕侠侣>, but that popularity quickly backfired. In the year following his ROTC success, Xiaoming was cast as Hui Man-keung in China’s remake of The Bund <上海灘>. His performance was constantly compared to Chow Yun-fat’s (周潤發), which added more stress and pressure. In 2008, his cover of the Olympic song “One World One Dream” became a popular meme due to his poor English pronunciation and poor singing ability.
“It was definitely the lowest point in my career,” he said. “I felt horrible. I did try to defend myself online, but that didn’t really work. I felt like even the dogs were laughing at me with their eyes.” Xiaoming says that experience matured him a great deal, and he no longer takes criticism too personally.
Xiaoming and Angelababy tied the knot in an extravagant wedding back in 2015, and according to the actor, his father is a big influence. “My parents have been married for many years, and even to this day, whenever my father goes out to eat, he’ll bring some food back to my mother.”
His son with Angelabay, “Little Sponge”, is also a big influence in his life. Xiaoming’s life was turned upside down after welcoming him to the world, and his life now revolves around him. “When I choose a new movie to do, I would always consider my son. I always think about whether or not my son would watch this movie in the future, so I have to be careful with what I make. I want to set a good example for him.” He added that he has also developed a fear of flights, explaining, “I have to take care of my family now. We have a son, so I can’t let anything happen to me.”
Source: HK01.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
Oh puleeese, give me a moment! Candid, where the candid at?! Somebody better show me where the candid at cause I ain’t seeing it. I thought that he was going to talk about the work he had done. This man does not strike me as a very smart man at all. He has said some lame duck things before that made him look very stupid and backward. So his poor singing and eglish pronunciation made him feel so low that he considered that the lowest point of his life. He became even more famous because of that, and it did not hurt his career. In fact, it added to his career, in a fun and positive way. Oh please, give me a damn break. How dramatic is this man?!!. I thought the lowest point of his life would be when his wife got that joker of a doctor and went on TV and made an as.s, sorry I mean donkey of herself.
All fine now. They are easily one of the highest paid celebs. Travel by train then. Safer than flying. Or make sure there is a big estate for son in case anything happens.
Huang Xiaoming should * and spare us from these pathetic sympathy stories. When I read the title of the article ‘lowest point of his life and dogs seems to be laughing at him’ I expected him to reveal that he used to earn pennies and lived on the streets or possibly had depression. It turns out he felt so low due to some deserved criticism whilst he was still ‘leading all the biggest mainland productions’. He has had the smoothest and luckiest of careers and it rubs salts in wounds for most actors since they would give their right arm to have Huang Xiaoming’s lowest points. Now he is muttering this ‘I cant let anything happen to me because I have a family’ rubbish to display he is a great human being. Give me a break! You would think he was near death and taking life theatening risks with these pathetic comments. I’m sure we feel for him. He’s had a tough run…..
@jimmyszeto I know, right? You said it right. Looks like he is an over the top drama personality, just like his wife. I too thought the lowest point of HXM’s life was exactly like you described. His ebiz life has been very pampered and easy, despite the fact that he is no great talent. Other artists are struggling and can’t get on the roster like he did. They struggle to pay bills, put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. They also get depressed because they know they are talented and just cannot seem to get a break. Huang Xiaoming lives high off the hog while running on minimum talent. I have noticed that he says the most asinine things when he opens his mouth.
@bubbletea
Well said and one of the factors in some people’s lives is luck which is what many do not have so must suffer and work from the bottom up. Many struggle for each meal, keep a roof over their head and must be frugal on each little thing but yet they still endure and work hard. But here he is whining about these petty things. When anyone is pampered too much in life, even a tiny little problem will make them cry like a little kid.
@jimmyszeto
I agree and some people just cannot feel even a little bit of pain in their life versus others who truly suffer. Sadly when anyone’s life is too good, even one little setback will make them cry like a baby. He and his wife are truly meant to be a couple. His wife is more annoying though, especially with trying to prove that she is natural when she truly is not. She must think we are all blind or stupid.
@jimmyszeto you couldn’t say it any better! I had the same feeling reading the title then the article. While idm him in drama, his personality is a distaste, to the point where if I can I prefer not to watch any of his drama! And I might get backlash for saying this, but after reading whatever he needed to say, I feel like go buy those inflatable boxing doll, stuck his face on it and start hitting lol. Im not a violent person but this dude is seriously irritating lol, good motivation to get fit lawl!
@littlefish
I mean seriously ‘it’s even like the dogs were laughing at me’. He does know there are a lot of poor, homeless people living on the streets in terrible conditions right? Especially with him coming from China where there are a lot of rural areas and poverty.
@jimmyszeto yup! He’s like trump… keep talking for people to laugh at >_> at least, it’s one way to be relevant, even though that means being the laughing stock of the internet 🙂
I actually quite like HXM as a person. I do not think he is talentless, but he needs a lot of guidance from the directors and co-stars when he is in front of a camera to reign in his emotions. He does his best when he is playing subtle characters and I wish his manager would realise that and stop signing him in a string of stupid roles where he is let loose to overact.
HXM tends to give me that the impression that he can be overconfident and he enjoys the attention, which opens him up to the spotlight as well as the criticism that comes with it.
@elizabeth
there might be hope for HXM. Here’s a quote from a critic:
“The biggest acting surprise of Nirvana II, however, is actually Huang Xiaoming. A major presence in the first half of the series, he delivers one of the best performances of his entire career, utterly shedding the handsomely smarmy mugging he has become notorious for in recent years. It’s a Huang Xiaoming we haven’t seen onscreen in a long while: subtle, solemn, humble and sincere. It goes to show how important the right role and right director are for an actor. “
Haiz… HXM used to have so much potential. I was a fan way back when. But then something happened to him (too much botox? PS?), I don’t know, but he doesn’t look the same anymore. He’s started to look swarmy/smug and arrogant and too much of an attention-seeker. I can’t tell if it’s his personality that changed or his looks. Unfortunately if a celebrity has the wrong look, it can repel a lot of people.
The fact he married AB is also a major turn off. I feel a little bad here because AB didn’t do anything to wager my antagonism – I only think she doesn’t deserve the fame, fortune and opportunities that her face brought her, considering that she’s not even that pretty! Together they are an infamous pair. The Kim & Kanye
@coralie
agree completely with you. I liked him in early 2000s when he starred in Hanwu king. Un-fanned him as years passed when he dropped his girlfriend for AB, and especially when he shut down Shanghai traffic for that lavish wedding. It’s not jealousy speaking here, but AB turned him into someone trying too hard to be cool and smooth. I think she knew he was a ticket to fame and riches in China due to his connections. Why else would a model with poor acting skills get so many starring roles.
@msxie0714 I don’t know if it’s AB that pushed him to be this way or he wants to be this way for AB. Or he was this way when AB met him. It’s hard to say. Either way, it’s not good for him, but he’s rich now so he doesn’t have to care =/.
I do not think he has any botox. 40yo is not old for a man. Maybe another 15 years if he needs one. He has a production house I think so he is able to support and recommend interesting roles for his wife. He can choose good scripts.
@mangotango are you saying that HZM has never had anything done in terms of PS or Botox?
@bubbletea His smile above looks natural. He has fine lines around his eyes. I do not know about PS. I do not think PS was as prevalent in China 20 years ago. Maybe the K Pop PS phenomena may have caught on now on China. Look at all the boys and girls band.
I haven’t seen any of HXM dramas when he was young. Hey we should get a young photo to compare his features. Lol.
@mangotango well, I must inform you. HZM had work done, and lots of it.
@bubbletea I am curious. Any link to photos?
@mangotango
Actually I used to be his fan back when he first started and he does not look that much different. I saw his childhood photos too and he looks the same. His facial features are about the same but his facial structure is different. His older facial structure looked more squarish while his current one looks more oval. His chin looks a bit more sharp compared to before. I think he is like Lynn Xiong. Lynn Xiong changed her squarish facial structure to oval but I think her facial features are natural.
I also do not think he used Botox since his face is not stiff. His smile in the above photo is natural and he has some lines. Plus he is only 40-41 so I do not think he would need Botox yet as he is still young.
HK entertainment biz is a different breed in comparison to their Chinese counterparts. In China, artists are compensated for their time and struggles. There’s some basic respect there. In HK, artists are given neither. A leisure scoop can drag up hundreds of struggling celebrities in HK/TVB. It’s sad.
@coralie There should be struggling actors in China too. We so far only know of the successful ones.
China is a big market. They appear not controlled by a handful of producers so actors have choice to open their own studios once they are better known. I remember reading that HXM was given a share in thd big company he used to work for. Huayi? I think HK is controlled by a few tv stations? Hence they control the work and exposure of actors.