Guo Jingming "Clashes" with Zhao Wei? Chen Kaige Now Coaching Actors

(Washington News)

Zhao Wei, Li Shaohong, Chen Kaige, and Guo Jingming join as heavyweight directors!
This acting reality show has unsurprisingly become the hottest variety program of the latter half of the year.
Of course, among the most talked-about directors on the show, the most controversial figure is undoubtedly Guo Jingming, the "self-taught" director.
Guo Jingming is quite famous among young people. He gained recognition for his novel City of Fantasy and later published the Tiny Times trilogy, which he adapted into films.
Since transitioning from writer to director, Guo has directed over 10 movies, but none scored above 4.9 on Douban—far below the 6.0 passing mark!
His "award history" also speaks volumes:
He won the "Worst Director" award at the Golden Broom Awards for three consecutive years.
In contrast, Zhao Wei, who transitioned from acting to directing, spent six years preparing—even earning a master's degree in directing from the Beijing Film Academy.
After My Fair Princess, Zhao Wei was forever labeled as "Little Swallow."
She later starred in My Fair Princess II, Romance in the Rain, and Shaolin Soccer before stepping back from the spotlight to study directing.
Upon graduation, her thesis film So Young brought her back into the public eye.
In the first three episodes of Actors Please Take Your Place (no spoilers here!), Guo Jingming’s performance clearly explains his "award streak."
From L.O.R.D to the Tiny Times series, his casting philosophy is clear: big names, big IPs, high visuals, young idols—regardless of acting skills.
While star power may boost box office numbers, the actual film quality... well, let’s just say it reminds everyone of the infamous Shanghai Fortress, which "slammed shut the door to Chinese sci-fi opened by The Wandering Earth!"
From 2015 to 2017, star-driven films like The Lost Tomb (starring Lu Han, 1B yuan) and Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (Kris Wu, 1.6B yuan) dominated. But hits like Operation Red Sea, Wolf Warrior 2, Dying to Survive, and Ne Zha ended that era with a resounding slap.
In Episode 1, Guo’s team performed a scene from Cry Me a Sad River. Veteran actor Li Chengru bluntly criticized:
"Artistically, I couldn’t hear their lines. There are so many themes—patriotism, loyalty—yet why are young people obsessed with high school romances?"
His critique was clearly aimed at Guo, hinting: "Is this what counts as a bestseller?"
Guo, visibly upset, fired back:
"Cry Me a Sad River isn’t about love—it’s China’s first serious exploration of school bullying!" He then dropped a viral line: "You can dislike what you dislike, but let it exist. You can hate what you hate, but let others love it."
After three episodes, netizens are urging Guo to "stick to writing." What do you think of his role as a director on the show?
Despite Guo’s drama, remember—this is a show about actors. Veterans like Ming Dao and Gillian Chung are risking their reputations for a chance to reinvent themselves under the directors’ guidance.
Their courage to start over is truly admirable.
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