Taking on the lead role in a biopic about a well-loved celebrity requires a lot of courage. We all know how protective fans can get.
Recently, a biographical series about late Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, Dan Yuan Ren Chang Jiu, finally debuted. The show was filmed in 2018 and stars You Are the Apple of My Eye star Michelle Chen, 41, as Teresa.
Teresa died from a severe asthma attack in 1995 at the age of 42 while on holiday in Chiang Mai. Though it’s been close to three decades since her passing, Teresa remains one of the most successful and influential Asian singers of all time.
Since the release of the drama, fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the casting of Michelle as the singer, with much of the criticism directed at Michelle’s appearance.
“This big round face doesn’t deserve to play Teresa Teng!” wrote one such hater.
“She doesn’t suit the role at all. She looks terrible with short hair,” said another netizen.
This is not the first time Michelle has gotten slammed for playing a famous woman.
In 2014, she was cast as Xiao Long Nü aka Little Dragon Girl in a TV adaptation of classic wuxia series The Romance of the Condor Heroes.
Netizens mocked Michelle and said she looked more like “Xiao Long Bao” than Xiao Long Nu. Ouch.