Every year, there are numerous exquisite Chinese ancient dramas. Among them, the beautiful and elaborate costumes in Xuanhuan dramas often create breakout stars who rely on their good looks alone. In recent years, many popular actors have emerged from these productions.
The just-concluded youth fantasy Xuanhuan drama "Back from the Brink" has been a hot topic since its release, with over 1 million views at its peak and an increasingly engaging viewing experience.
With meticulous costume designs and adorable pet effects as well as two leads: Neo Hou and Zhou Ye, whose emotional intelligence is evident while they navigate through sweet and anguished plotlines with ease, this show not only caters to Gen Z audiences but also propelled the popularity of both 95s-born lead actors.
In the series, Neo Hou (Hou Minghao) portrays thousand year dragon Tianyao with his striking appearance paired with deep love that he wholeheartedly, devotes himself to without complaint or regret despite being battered by injuries.
He never blindly blames others out of hatred for what happened but rather grows stronger during his journey to find himself again, resulting in an arc made brilliant by Hou's acting skills that helped him stand out from others.
During the drama's broadcast, Neo Hou's fans and popularity continued to rise. He then began filming for his new drama "The Young Brewmaster's Adventure," which generated over tens of thousands of comments from netizens, proving the effectiveness of a well-received drama.
Thousands of years have passed without changing the sincerity
Despite being Neo Hou's first Xuanhuan ancient costume drama, his portrayal in "Back from the Brink" was effortless as he perfectly conveyed every emotion throughout various stages, adding more depth to this character. It is hard not to fall for Tianyao’s handsome, powerful yet pitiful persona.
His looks alone have won many hearts; each outfit showcases a unique style that complements his distinguished demeanor.
From black dominance to white warmth or green liveliness and even red wedding apparel with added brokenness, all bring out different aspects of Tianyao’s personality. His incredible strength is unquestionable as he can use dragon fire to eliminate worldly filth while commanding all creatures under him despite later becoming crippled and still able to summon an army of demons before rebirth, awakening stronger spiritual power than ever before.
He was once a thousand-year spirit dragon who protected the four corners of the world. His good friend Chang Lan described him as innocent and kind-hearted, easily trusting others. However, this pure nature ultimately led to his tragic demise when he was betrayed and dismembered by someone he loved dearly. Fortunately, after suffering from emotional trauma, Tianyao met Yanhui who helped heal both his broken heart and incomplete body.
For example, there was complete trust between Tianyao and Yanhui during their first collaboration in Yongzhou City; the urgency and concern shown when rescuing her from harm while retrieving the Red Flame Dragon Tooth; the compassion expressed while casting a life-for-a-life spell for Yanhui in Dragon Valley, keeping all secrets deep within his heart; fearful that she would not forgive him after getting back dragon heart protection scale - showing worry combined with helplessness; sacrificing himself in Yanyu's place at Hell Gate without regret but also some sadness.
Neo Hou's portrayal can be said to be very sophisticated and delicate, every moment imbued with deep emotions that are touching. Moreover, aside from having an appearance that matches shattered beauty aesthetics well, Hou’s martial arts moves exude dominance perfectly as well, showcasing different stages or states of Tianyao seamlessly throughout the drama which demonstrate Hou's precise interpretation skills even more accurately.
At first, Tianyao was carefree and unrestrained before being trapped by the shackles of love; when he first met Yanhui, his expression was filled with obsession and resentment; later on, due to a misunderstanding caused by dragon heart protection scale, he became anxious and cautious.
Accompanying growth, sincerity from the heart
Throughout "Back from the Brink", Neo Hou sincerely accompanied fans and viewers in their journey watching this drama despite having a busy schedule. He once mentioned how significant this role is to him, which explains why he poured his heart into portraying it so genuinely.
From reading through the script during pre-production to interpreting it on set, his understanding of Tianyao's character remained accurate throughout. When Tianyao said "I waited for a thousand years just to meet you" during their first separate mission in Yongzhou City, it moved many people deeply but few knew that those lines were actually spoken from Hou himself based on what he felt about his character.
In short, Tianyao and Hou Minghao share the same qualities, he always carries a sense of respect and enthusiasm towards acting. He treats everything around him with utmost sincerity and purity while honing his skills, waiting for the right opportunity to shine.
Hou never limits himself to any particular genre or style of work but constantly attempts to break through his comfort zone on screen. His repertoire includes various types of dramas ranging "The Lost Tomb 2: Explore With The Note" to star-studded productions such as "People's Property" & "Hu Tong".
Seven years ago, Hou gained recognition for his role in "Cambrian Period", where he played a cold-blooded killer, which showcased his versatility as an actor at a young age. He then went on to challenge himself with different roles in other works.
In "When We Were Young", he portrayed a righteous science genius; not only was it well-received by audiences and critics alike but also won him the honor of enterprising actors.
Whether it's Wu Xie's spirited character in adventure drama “The Lost Tomb 2” or the down-to-earth college student in period drama “Our Times”, he can handle diverse characters with ease.
Neo Hou's representative works continuously enrich, from historical costume dramas to modern-day settings; from suspenseful detective stories to heart-racing sports themes; from epic period pieces to youth campus stories even including fantasy wuxia series, all these experiences have enabled him to mature further as an actor onscreen.
Hou Minghao has always been a prominent figure in the lineup of 95s actors with great potential and prospects. His achievements are already impressive, but what's more valuable is his composure and steadiness at such a young age. He steadily moves forward without arrogance or impatience.
He possesses unique qualities, warm and sunny temperament combined with a rugged and wild aura. Before the broadcast of "Back from the Brink", he did not have a fixed style or role; he had diverse works covering various genres.
He may never thought about relying on youthful looks to make it big in youth idol dramas, so even after successfully breaking into ancient costume drama as one of the handsome male leads through "Back from the Brink", he didn't solely rely on that path but instead continued to focus on his acting skills while actively broadening his range.
In the future, several works featuring him will meet audiences soon. His collaboration with Yang Caiyu in "Young Babylon" is already set for this year's release schedule, while his portrayal of popular original comic book character Wang Ye in urban fantasy action series “The Outcast” also highly anticipated by fans.
Recently started filming wuxia drama “The Young Brewmaster's Adventure”, Hou Minghao has already gained attention due to his dashing heroic look from behind-the-scenes photos. The road ahead may be long and winding but Hou is full of vigor as he sets off towards new adventures, shining brilliantly towards an illustrious future.
