 |
| Oliver Chen Details Extreme Transformation and Surprising On-Set Firsts for Love on the Turquoise Land (Photo: Weibo) |
Chinese star Chen Xingxu — known internationally as Oliver Chen — has lifted the lid on just how demanding the production of his new drama Love on the Turquoise Land really was.
Speaking with Sohu Entertainment, the actor shared candid insights into the physical toll, emotional depth, and unexpected on-set ‘firsts’ required to bring protagonist Yan Tuo to life.
Chen Xingxu didn’t hold back when talking about the intense physical preparation.
To portray Yan Tuo during his lowest, most desperate moments, the actor had to slim down drastically.
He revealed he reached an extremely low body-fat level in a tiny time frame, joking that if the production had given him more time, he would have taken the transformation even further.
He described it not as a vanity move, but a necessary step to make the character’s hardship feel genuine. “The audience can tell when something feels earned,” he hinted.
 |
When it came to action scenes, Chen Xingxu was determined to keep things grounded.
Since Yan Tuo is not written as a martial arts expert, he deliberately avoided wire-assisted stunts and flashy choreography.
Instead, he aimed for raw, scrappy, survival-style combat — the kind that leaves marks.
And marks it did. Chen Xingxu admitted his hands were bruised and swollen after filming several sequences.
The impacts were real, and so was the pain, but he insisted it was worth it to deliver fights that look authentic on screen. “It had to feel like Yan Tuo had no choice but to fight,” he said.
 |
Despite his long acting career, Love on the Turquoise Land still managed to throw Chen Xingxu a handful of brand-new experiences.
For one, he performed underwater scenes using scuba equipment — something he’d never done before. He joked that coordinating emotions, movements, and breathing gear all at once was its own kind of challenge.
Another surprising first? The drama is the project where he has appeared with the least clothing on camera. He referenced it playfully but emphasised that every scene was story-driven, not gratuitous.
And then there was the modern-day fake beard — a new experience that he described with amusement.
Building the “Most Suffering” Male Lead
One of Chen’s biggest tasks wasn’t physical at all — it was psychological. Yan Tuo, whom he calls the “Bitter Melon Rich Second Generation”, is widely known among fans of author Wei Yu as one of her most tormented male leads.
 |
According to Chen Xingxu, the character carries “many regrets and missing pieces”, both in the novel and the drama adaptation.
He spent significant time shaping the emotional logic behind Yan Tuo’s spiral, ensuring his inner struggles didn’t just feel one-note.
Despite the tough exterior, Chen Xingxu highlighted that at the heart of the story lies a strong thread of mutual redemption between Yan Tuo and Nie Jiuluo. The turning point for him? The dramatic sequence where Nie Jiuluo rescues Yan Tuo from the underground tunnel.
“That moment felt like pure salvation,” he explained. “When someone appears at your lowest point, they can feel like a beam of light shining directly into your life.”
Chen Xingxu believes this emotional synergy is the strongest part of the couple’s story — and one reason fans are so drawn to their dynamic.
Viewers are already praising his commitment, and his performance is shaping up to be one of his most talked-about roles to date.