atmospheres:
She worked with TJC in 2007 for Lost, Indulgence. To her and the film industry, it probably did seem like he fell off the radar after that because he completely veered away from professional acting and continued training in seclusion to prepare for debut in what was to be China's answer to the kpop Hallyu boyband wave. I'm sure she knows of MIC after their debut, but speaking from her background in the film and tv industry at the time, it was like he'd disappeared, by the time he reappeared debuting in MIC in late 2010, she was probably close to on her way out of the c-ent world because The Dream of Red Mansions was the last project she worked on.
So her time was book ended by Tan Jian Ci and Yang Yang. hmmmm.
That's true. They did spend 4 years going through extreme training for M.I.C. I think he was even in training or auditioning while filming. IIRC, he said something about getting paid like 800 for Lost Indulgence, and it went to the band management!
atmospheres:
Something I really like about TJC is how aware he seems of 小檀火 worries and regrets for him. He addressed in an interview about whether he felt like he'd been dogged by bad luck during his career, something his fandom has often discussed and bemoaned, he said that on the contrary he feels he has been extremely lucky -- he is always able to put things in a reasonable perspective.
I agree. He almost always acknowledges the fans and is very appreciative of their efforts. I think he may have had a few bad breaks, like M.I.C. not working out, and whatever happened with is noodle factory, but his hard work and talent earned him the 'luck' of making connections that got him other jobs, where his performance gained him more respect and appreciation amongst the film creators. Plus, he hasn't given up his singing and dancing and live appearances. He continues to work on those, while focusing on acting. He truly is multi-talented.
atmospheres:
He said to be able to be a working actor and have a job that he loves, he's already extremely lucky. And he's right, the amount of failed actors, struggling actors, people dreaming of being actors, young people failing the first round of auditions to one of the big 3 acting schools, in a nation of over a billion people, is enormous, so he is one of the very lucky few (especially given he is not classically or professionally trained). Yang Yang has been very fortunate in his career trajectory, too -- in a different and more direct way with all those main male leading roles. But TJC's long circuitous route to where he is now has made him the actor he is now. I don't think either of them would trade places with the other, actually.
This is true. Being a working actor anywhere does take some luck... as well as a good agency, I think. That seems to be Tan Jian Ci's attitude, when he said he was fine with the speed of his acting journey. I love those interviews where he talks about his process and his experiences. He certainly didn't have it easy, but he kept working hard.