The immense success of Chinese drama Pursuit of Jade (2026) means its cast has reached new heights of fame like never before.
For actor Deng Kai who plays Prince Sui Yuanhai, this journey to newfound fame was fraught with challenges.
On April 11, the 31-year-old appeared in the latest episode of popular Chinese variety show Hello Saturday together with actress Kong Xue’er, his love interest in Pursuit of Jade.
Following that, a clip taken from his old livestream surfaced on a fan account on Instagram, where he spoke candidly about not being able to make any appearances in variety shows as he was “not famous enough”.
According to a fan, the clip is said to be taken from a livestream in 2023.
In the video, Deng Kai said: “If you’re not famous enough, you don’t get invited to variety shows. And if someone does reach out, they’ll ask you to be an NPC – would you go for it? As an NPC, you might not even show your face – you’d be wearing a hood, dressed in black.”
NPC stands for non-player character in video games, meaning background characters.
He recounted an incident where he had finished filming a role in a drama and was offered such a position in a variety programme, which he had declined.
Deng Kai reasoned that he had to be in dramas for people to see and recognise him. Alternatively, he acknowledged that he could boost his social media presence – if he got more traction online, he might receive more acting offers and subsequently, appearances in variety shows.
“But right now with what I’m doing, there’s a problem – I’m not getting any acting gigs. I go to auditions and try out for roles every day, but nothing works out. I don’t know why and I don’t know where I’m stuck – it’s been going on for a while,” he said in frustration.
He added: “They only want top-tier celebrities. But someone like me, I don’t even count as mid-tier – I’m only considered a low-tier artiste. It’s really tough.”
In a touching admission, Deng Kai shared that he was feeling “a little broken” when starting the livestream.
“My long-time fans know that I used to livestream often. I was an entertainment streamer and my mindset back then was simple, ‘So what if I don’t act? It’s no big deal.’ Later, I decided to focus on acting. But recently, I saw other actors livestreaming, and it reeled me back in.
“The moment I started this livestream, that familiar feeling came to me and I thought, ‘How did I end up back here again?’ After trying to be an actor for almost two years, now I’m back to livestreaming. That feeling is really bad. But I’ve got no choice – there’s nothing for me to act in.”
Netizens were touched by his sentiments, taking to the comments in the Instagram post to support him. One wrote: “And here, everyone is waiting for a new drama with him as the male lead.”
Another said: “I hope they (Chinese showbiz) start to appreciate him more. He has talent and charisma. Many blessings, Deng Kai.”
One fan asked quizzically: “When was this [livestream]? I hope for his success because he really got my attention in Pursuit of Jade more than the actual lead.”
Deng Kai debuted in showbiz in 2018 after graduating from Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, and made appearances in Chinese dramas including The Blood of Youth (2022) and Destined (2023).
Standing at 1.89m, the Liaoning native reportedly joined Pursuit of Jade at the last minute to replace someone who had withdrawn from the show.
Following his new wave of fame, he was mobbed at the airport on March 23 while travelling to Changsha to film Hello Saturday. He appeared flustered by the attention and told his fans at one point that he “had enough” and started speeding up, resulting in them chasing him.
Even when he was on board the plane, fans still swarmed around his seat and refused to move down the aisle.
Deng Kai and Xue’er are currently filming romance drama Jiang Men Du Hou, which stars actors Dylan Wang and Meng Ziyi.
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kristy.chua@asiaone.com
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