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| Cheng Yi’s New Drama Sparks Backlash — Industry Insiders Rush to His Side |
The storm swirling around Cheng Yi and his new costume drama The Journey of Legend just got a fresh twist. Liang Ting, CEO of Star Union Skykee and the actor’s former manager, has come out swinging in defence of the star, insisting the blame for the show’s rocky reception shouldn’t land on Cheng Yi’s shoulders.
Although the drama is riding on a huge budget and ratings are on the rise, audiences have criticised its overall quality, with one scene showing Cheng Yi still clutching a script somehow making it into the final cut.
ICYMI: The Journey of Legend Finale.
That clip has become a flashpoint online, but Liang Ting is having none of it. “The Journey of Legend might not be great, but why scold Cheng Yi?” she wrote in a lengthy social media post, pointing out that actors have zero control over editing, costumes, or post-production.
Liang Ting even affectionately referred to the actor as “hachimi”, asking fans whether they really believed he had the power to demand changes.
She stressed that complaints about his line delivery were misplaced too, reminding everyone that his earlier works—including Grade One—were never accused of the same issues.
Any unevenness now, she argued, comes from a packed schedule that left no time to polish dialogue or record clean audio.
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| Cheng Yi Plays Three Characters in The Journey of Legend |
She then painted a vivid picture of Cheng Yi’s grind: nearly 300 days a year filming in Hengdian, sweating through wigs and armour in 40-degree heat, and hanging from wires until he suffered a herniated disc.
With so little time for retakes or post-production dubbing, she said, even the most committed actor would struggle.
And what about that infamous script-in-hand scene?
Liang Ting turned the spotlight on the production team instead: “With so many directors, cinematographers, and supervisors watching the monitors, how could this slip through? Are all those eyes blind?” she asked, noting multiple post-production filters still failed to catch the error.
Beyond defending Cheng Yi personally, Liang Ting took aim at the wider industry climate, criticising the tendency to amplify negatives rather than celebrating the positives.
She urged the media and fans alike to share encouragement, not just pile on criticism.
Interestingly, Liang Ting isn’t alone.
Actor Du Junze Speaks Up for Cheng Yi, Producer Praises His Character and Professionalism!
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| Du Junze Backing Cheng Yi |
Du Junze, one of the cast members of The Journey of Legend, has spoken out in support of Cheng Yi.
He shared that even the most respected producers have praised Cheng Yi’s character and professionalism, and even posted snippets of his chat with the actor.
In those messages, Cheng Yi modestly joked back, saying, “This bro is exaggerating!”
Actor Kevin Tan, who plays Quan JingXing (Wang Quan’s father in Fox Spirit), posted on his Weibo:
“Actors often hold scripts during rehearsals, or even during close-up shots when their assistants aren’t around, and when the scheduling or movements aren’t particularly dramatic, they’ll keep the script in hand.
If such slip-ups end up in the final cut, that’s not the actor’s fault, but rather down to the editor, director, or post-production team. Actors aren’t responsible for post-production. Blaming them is unfair. I’ve worked with Cheng Yi before, and personally I think he’s a hardworking and humble young actor.”
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This post clearly shows Kevin Tan stepping up to defend Cheng Yi, explaining that actors shouldn’t be held responsible for minor errors like holding a script, as these are ultimately production and editing issues.
He also praised Cheng Yi as dedicated and modest, based on their past collaboration.
Writers and industry insiders like Li Zhenghu have also spoken up, stressing that holding a script on set can be normal, and mishaps often come down to rushed editing rather than actor negligence.
Fellow stars Yang Liqing and Lu Xingyu likewise backed Cheng Yi, praising his work ethic and professionalism.
For now, The Journey of Legend remains a mixed bag—big numbers but bigger debates. And while the criticism isn’t likely to vanish overnight, Cheng Yi clearly isn’t facing it alone.