A Taiwanese actor has been dropped from the lead role in a Chinese film due to his alleged support for Taiwanese independence – even though the shoot has already finished.
According to Variety, the team behind No Other Love, a romantic comedy directed by popular Chinese performer Zhao Wei (AKA Vicky Zhao), have fired Leon Dai after a recent statement from him on the issue failed to clarify his stance on the issue. A statement from the producers apologised for “hiring the wrong person”.
The statement said: “After multiple communications with Mr Dai, his stance was still unclear as of last night. Therefore, the director and all investors unanimously agreed to remove Dai from his leading role … The director and the entire crew dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to China. We are all Chinese, and we firmly support the one China policy. Our country’s interests are our top priorities … Any ambiguous stance over the country and national identity is intolerable.”
As Variety previously reported, the Communist Youth League last week encouraged a boycott of the film, accusing Dai of supporting of Taiwan’s Sunflower movement, which protests against closer ties between Taiwan and mainland China, and Hong Kong’s Occupy Central campaign.
Focus Taiwan reported that Dai, who appeared in Hou Hsaio-hsien’s Cannes award-winning The Assassin, released a statement via Weibo on 30 June saying he is “against oppression and respects the views of other people” but is not a member of any political party and is not a supporter of Taiwan independence.
No Other Love, whose backers include Chinese media giant Alibaba Pictures, finished shooting in June, reports Variety. Replacing Dai would presumably entail a comprehensive reshoot. It is Zhao’s second film as a director after a career as an actor that saw her win several awards and attain a estimated personal wealth of $630m (£471m), largely as a result of her shares in Alibaba Pictures.
Dai’s removal from the film comes amid growing nationalist sentiment in China, most recently fuelled by the South China sea ruling, which saw a UN tribunal back the Phillippines’ claim to the disputed area and which saw a number of Chinese celebrities issue patriotic messages on social media.
