Chinese actor Yang Yang (楊洋) was once one of the most sought-after stars, enjoying immense popularity and long recognized as a household name. In 2023, the release of his modern romance drama Fireworks of My Heart <我的人間煙火> had the opposite intended effect. Yang Yang faced harsh criticism for his acting style, which the audience described as overly showy, unnatural, and lacking authenticity. The drama’s ratings suffered, shockingly receiving a low score of just 2.7 on Douban.
Following this setback, Yang Yang took a step away from the limelight, disappearing from television screens for two years. His return came in 2025 with the historical fantasy drama A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality <凡人修仙傳>, which was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Viewers praised Yang Yang for his improved acting methods and delivering a grounded and compelling performance. The success of the drama helped Yang Yang win back much of the popularity he had lost.
In an interview with the media, Yang Yang candidly addressed his absence. He acknowledged that some of his past roles may not have met expectations and the results were unsatisfactory. During that period, he noticed audiences did not like him, so he made the deliberate choice to fade from the public eye to focus on self-improvement and challenge himself with new and different roles.
Regarding criticism from viewers, Yang Yang showed humility and openness. He can fully accept negative feedback, emphasizing the criticism helped him grow as an actor to perform at an even higher level.
Source: [1]
This article is written by Huynh for JayneStars.com.
