Story | 傅圓媛、王麗敏 Photography | 受訪方提供
Last year marked a watershed for Chinese social media darling Lu Han. He’s been an adored idol since returning to China in 2014 after leaving South KoreanChinese boy group Exo. But in 2020, at 30, he began a new chapter in his life.
His aim was to turn his image on its head by playing polarizing characters on two TV series—as a tormented trailblazing gamer in CrossFire and as a two-faced villain drifting between good and bad in Sisyphus.
It was also the year he won over fans as Coach Lu, gently dishing out cutting critiques on talent show Chuang 2020, and sharing positive energy on reality show Hahahahaha.
He also kept busy on the music scene, producing singles and albums, as well as embarking on his 2021 “π DAY” Tour.
Positive Reaponse to Controversial Roles
As Shuo Feng in CrossFire, Lu Han plays a downon-his-luck, messy-haired disheveled gamer, often shot in a T-shirt, boxers and flip-flops, in a relentless pursuit of a gamer’s dream with a pure and kind heart. As serial killer Zhao Binbin in Sisyphus, he struggles deep down but gives in to pain and the urge to take revenge.
In just two roles, Lu Han obliterated the misconceptions many may have had about him. So let’s hear directly from the man some have referred to as the Chinese Justin Bieber.
Q: When you took on the role of Shuo Feng, did you consider how it would affect your image
A: I didn’t think much about the character’s styling. It was the script that captivated me. I read it overnight and thought it was special, so I took it on. After the first makeup test, I thought the character could look even more unkempt, and the hair could be curlier. I permed my hair with tin foil before, so I knew it could be curlier if done that way. But the production team didn’t think so. It looked good enough anyway. I didn’t think it was deliberately making the character look ugly. It was about making the character believable. I thought Shuo looked very handsome when he was gaming.
Q: Having lived as Shuo Feng for four months, what did you learn from the character? What inspiration did you get?
A: When Shuo knows what he wants to do, he will keep at it against all odds, disregarding what people think of him. I admire that determination. Humans need to have a dream and work hard to make it come true, lest we are no better than pigs.
Q: What challenges did you face playing a bad guy for the first time in Sisyphus? Zhao Binbin is a very complex character. How did you get it right?
A: Zhao might look like a villain, but he is a good person at heart. Since joining the production, the crew—from director Guo Shubo to the cast, including Wang Qianyuan, Qi Xi and Wu Yue—helped me a lot. We discussed how best to interpret the character. Zhao Binbin moves between two identities: a pediatrician by day and a criminal by night. He also has to face interrogation from Zhang Haifeng. It’s difficult to get the nuances right. Qianyuan took me aside to rehearse together and he said, ‘You have to keep cool, look Zhang Haifeng in the eyes and hold a steady gaze.’ That put me in the right frame of mind.
Q: There were comments that you took on these roles to rid yourself of the social media darling label. Is that so?
A: That didn’t cross my mind. We do what feels right when the time comes.
Reeling It In, CooL and Steady
In 2020, Lu Han became a triple threat. He assumed the role as Coach Lu in Chuang 2020, offering musical training to the apprentices.
In the outdoor reality show Hahahahaha—Nice to Meet You, Lu Han toured with the crew on highways across China to work, among other things, as hawkers, taxi drivers and delivery drivers—to experience different walks of life.
In music, he also added to his “π” series with the retro-romantic “π-Volume.3” in May and “π-Volume.4” in november.
Q: You were labelled by netizens as a “gentle critic” regarding your coaching style in Chuang 2020. Was that critique style formed during the show or have you always been like that?
A: I wasn’t conscious of that when giving a critique. I just made observations as I saw them. I read the public’s reviews after the broadcast, and I didn’t expect that. It was indeed a bit cutting. Actually, I learned a lot from the apprentices. They were much better at expressing themselves, compared to us back at that stage of our development. They also had greater exposure to different genres of music and other things. They inspired me.
Q: In Hahahahaha, did you actually tie up crabs or set up hawker stands? What was the most memorable job, and what was the most rewarding?
A: Delivering meals was unforgettable. I got to meet different types of people. In handling one order, when I still wasn’t too familiar with the procedure, I should have punched in “delivery collected“from the outlet when updating the status, but I clicked “meals delivered“. So when the person who ordered the meal came out to collect, but didn’t see it, he wasn’t happy, and then he clicked “cancel order“. I could understand why he responded that way. So when I order takeaways in future, I will not give negative feedbacks, haha. Indeed, we are all just doing our jobs. Being a performer is my job. Perhaps there will be a show in future for others to experience our jobs.
Q: Where did you get the idea for the π album? How long did it take to polish it? Can you take us through the journey?
A: π was made after trying differing genres and styles. It was made in various stages of production. We picked a demo in every stage. The style varied depending on what music we listened to at that particular time. Looking back, it was quite interesting. This album is perhaps a record of how I evolved during the year.
Embrace Change
Lu Han has shown everyone what he’s capable through these new and surprising roles, possibly putting his original “idol” label in the rear-view mirror. Some netizens have commented that Lu Han has changed their perception of him—so much so that he should be regarded as “more than just a social media star.”
Q: Do you think showbiz has changed who you are?
A: We are inevitably shaped by our work, the people we know and our experiences. But I know that I’m still who I am. It’s all fine, as long as we don’t cross the bottom line we set for ourselves.
Q: You said it was important to find your own rhythm. At this moment, what’s your preferred rhythm, and can
you achieve that?
A: our time and energy are finite. We can’t attempt to keep hold of every good. It will destroy us. So it’s important to find our own rhythm, making good use of time and energy to do things well. Things change and won’t necessarily go as planned. So it’s also important to embrace change while maintaining the same direction. It’s fine as long as the result is what you want.
