'Pursuit of Jade' actor Deng Kai says he 'really likes reading negative comments'

In his eighth year since debut, after a long period of waiting quietly in the background, actor Deng Kai finally got his role of a lifetime, Qi Min (Pursuit of Jade), through which he shot to fame. 

As Pursuit of Jade retains widespread popularity, Deng Kai's portrayal of Qi Min has also drawn significant attention. During the broadcast, his social media following grew by over a million. Qi Min, at first, looks gloomy, cold, and unpredictably volatile. Yet through a deeply nuanced performance, Deng Kai captures the character's ambition and tearing anguish after being swept into a tragic fate. In doing so, he shows audiences how a person can be both a prisoner of fate and its master.

During the interview, Deng Kai candidly stated that Qi Min is the "role of a lifetime" he has gotten since his debut. He firmly believes that both he and the character have undergone crucial growth. When Deng Kai first read the script for Pursuit of Jade, he was deeply moved by the character. "I would tear up over Qi Min's tragic background and the extreme experiences [he went through]. I really felt for him and strongly wanted to play this role."

To secure the role of Qi Min, Deng Kai auditioned three times. Director Zeng Qing Jie made only one request of him — to lose weight. 

"Because the character I play carries a vendetta for his family’s massacre and has been tormented by childhood illness, the director felt that my own condition looked relatively bright and healthy. [He thought] slimming down my physique a bit would better match the character's setup."

Therefore, Deng Kai lost around 5 kg and brought the character to life through subtle acting details. When walking, he would deliberately stoop, explaining that a person living under an assumed identity among enemies, weighed down by the conviction of revenge, would not carry himself with ease or openness.

Because Qi Min survived a childhood fire, he bathes in cold water to cope with his fear of flames. Deng Kai even discussed designing his cough with the director. As for the silver hair, it was a hairstyle Deng Kai tried for the first time. He found it incredibly novel and felt it perfectly suited the character: "His experiences are hidden [embedded] in his hair."

In Deng Kai's view, when playing a character who lacks strong physical prowess, the eyes often become the most effective tool of expression. "My scenes with the Prince of Chang Xin left a deep impression on me. When he faced me, I would lower my head, appearing submissive; only after he turned away would I lift my gaze, revealing disdain and hatred. 

The director captured that moment when the emotion was conveyed outward with a zoom shot… As an actor, your lines, eyes, and body [language] all support the performance, helping the audience understand your character more clearly — what kind of personality, profession, and purpose this character has. To play a role well, I'm willing to accept any given setup [set of conditions]."

Talking about how the character affected him, he said, "If I were Qi Min, I probably wouldn't have survived after going through something like that. Every year would feel like living like a walking corpse, and every night I'd be haunted by nightmares, dreaming of the fire… I've already come out of the role now. I'm no longer Qi Min. But the character has left quite a strong lingering impact on me. Every time I come across some clips online, I'm reminded of the state I was in at the time."

When asked which scene he feels the strongest lingering impact from when alone, Deng Kai replied: "It's when Qi Min dies in Yu Qian Qian's arms. He kept asking her who she really was, but she never told him. It's only after she walks out of the prison gate that she says that their emotions are misaligned."

Deng Kai feels that this proud woman is the only person who truly understands Qi Min — someone who can see the fear beneath his mask and the deep longing in his soul for freedom. "Qi Min gradually grows in his interactions with Yu Qian Qian. If someone were to teach him how to love the other person, he would choose to treat her in a better way…"

In the drama's special epilogue set in a parallel timeline, the writer returns to the moment the two first meet. If Deng Kai were to continue the storyline himself, what kind of ending would the couple have? 

"If I were to write it, Qi Min might help her run a restaurant, working as a shop assistant for her while she becomes the proprietress. They would live a happy life as family."

A graduate of Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Deng Kai was born in the coastal city of Dalian. Both of his parents were Chinese language teachers. As a child, he attended training classes in art, music, and dance, yet fine arts was the only discipline he studied consistently for 16 years. Before becoming an actor, he worked as a model. At the time, he had two or three possible paths in front of him and ultimately chose the one he was interested in — acting.

Without formal training in acting, he was first confronted with the challenge of frequent auditions. From 2019 to 2020, he spent nearly the entire year auditioning. "I was living in Shanghai at the time and flew to Beijing once a week, giving auditions for two or three projects [at a time]. I was constantly on the move between flights."

Each time he boarded a plane, Deng Kai would most often sit in his seat feeling anxious. He would constantly think about his lines, how he should perform in front of the camera, while also feeling a flicker of anticipation — "Maybe there'll be an opportunity this time." 

After auditions, he often felt mixed emotions. "Sometimes it was disappointment — I could tell the outcome right there and then; other times, I flew back to Shanghai full of hope and waited for news, only for it to never come."

He once recalled in a live broadcast, "I was auditioning every day, but I just couldn't make it." "I didn't know where exactly I was stuck. That lasted for a long time." "A director even told me, 'Stop doing this. Go do fine art instead.' But I felt I had no way back. I couldn't do anything else except [pursue] acting."

The only thing Deng Kai could do was to take every opportunity seriously, no matter how small the role. "This year's experience of auditioning gradually helped me understand my shortcomings — for example, my pronunciation, hunched posture, or the fatigue from not getting enough rest." "Next time I audition, I'll speak my lines more precisely, manage my physique, and keep myself in good condition during the audition period."

He is very pragmatic. No grand ambitions, only the determination to make progress little by little. "I haven't really thought about what my future will look like. I just work hard every day. As long as you are a little better than you were yesterday, that's enough."

Deng Kai still holds a passion for exploring roles. He said, "I want to broaden my acting range. I'm eager to take on any kind of character, and I'm also willing to spend time refining my physicality." Even if the role requires him to gain weight or look less-than-perfect physically, he kept repeating, "I'm willing." 

When asked what he does when he is not filming to deepen his understanding of acting, Deng Kai replied, "I really like reading negative reviews," referring to comments about his roles and performances. "If people are genuinely giving me feedback, I try to learn from those comments. But I don't accept it if it's just hostile words. I just move on to the next one."

Not long ago, in a video, Deng Kai was seen surrounded by fans who had come to pick him up at the airport, leaving him barely able to move. The scene left him somewhat puzzled: "Why do so many people gather just to see one person?"

After a brief pause, Deng Kai continued, "I truly feel I'm a lucky person to have come across [a character like] Qi Min." But he also carries a quiet sense of caution: don't become addicted to luck, because luck doesn't come as and when one might wish. Before the next stroke of luck comes, he says he "won't be influenced by the outside world — do what should be done, continue reading 'negative reviews,' and keep refining myself."

Right now, he hopes to dedicate as much time as possible to training systematically. "I'm not limited to playing antagonists. I can also play positive characters. I want to try more things, and I also want to show my real personality in variety shows. What I want most right now is to fill my time with work. That's my hope for the future."

Source: Vogue China