Johnny Huang On What It Takes to Be a Good Actor

As Love Designer <幸福，觸手可及！> ends its broadcast, lead actor Johnny Huang (黄景瑜) is asked to reflect on his character Song Lin, the young boss of a start-up e-commerce company. At only 27 years old, Johnny himself is also young, and because of his youth and experience, he was able to find many similarities with his role.

“He’s not like the CEOs you see in many dramas nowadays,” he said. “He’s very young. He doesn’t wear suits all the time. He prefers to live more flexibly.”

Co-starring in the series is Dilireba (迪丽热巴) as Zhou Fang, the main protagonist and Johnny’s girlfriend. Both competitive with a sharp tongue, they knocked heads at first, but their similarities eventually drew them together. Their sizzling chemistry is the biggest draw of the show.

While Love Designer suffered poor viewership ratings during its broadcast, Johnny’s performance as Song Lin was well-received. His acting was mature and well-crafted. Johnny did not overact or underact, but instead demonstrated careful control of his character’s emotions. It was a fresh look.

In fact, Johnny had actually designed most of Song Lin’s mannerisms and personality details. While the producers and writers were responsible for creating the character, the actor was responsible for bringing the character to life. “First establish the framework, then start thinking about the details,” said Johnny. “How would that character react to that specific situation? Most of those reactions were on me and happened in my own head. I rarely got input from outside sources.”

According to Johnny, a good actor is someone who is both comprehensive and sensible. You need to have an active imagination, and you must have the ability to expand and compress your emotions. Having self-awareness is a must, as it protects your own mind from being taken over by the mind of your character.

While blessed to not be typecasted into any specific role, Johnny realized that he must break through his comfort zone in order to improve his craft. While he had always enjoyed playing comedic characters (as it aligned with his own personality), he would love to focus on more serious roles that could challenge his acting skills.

“I actually want to play a bodyguard,” Johnny shared. “Or some kind of urban hero.”

Thoughts About Stalker Fans and the Paparazzi

Born and raised in the northeastern city of Dandong, Johnny is used to a calm lifestyle. Valuing his freedom and privacy, he often shared his stress and anger about being a public figure. He once called out the paparazzi for violating his privacy, saying, “We are living in a real world, not a Truman show.”

Asking why he felt compelled to say those words, Johnny said, “We already dedicate most of our time to work. That’s why we anticipate, and expect, to have some privacy when we aren’t working.”

Johnny understands that privacy is something that has to be sacrificed as a public figure, but to see paparazzi and sasaeng fans often overstepping those boundaries makes him ill. He compared that invasion of privacy to someone being watched for picking their nose. “When someone is picking his nose in public, he wouldn’t want others to see it,” he added.

It isn’t easy to be a celebrity. Despite being loved by millions, Johnny would still feel lonely at times. For his acting career, he had to leave his family behind. When asked about his parents, Johnny broke down and said, “When you’re so busy, so tired, and so stressed, you think of your family. They are our anchor. They brighten our lives, and they are also the reason why we work so hard.”

Source: 163.com

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.