I have a break from filming.”
Eddie Peng Yu-yan has become the most sought-after leading male actor of his generation, and it’s about time. For a while the Chinese movie industry has struggled to produce a star who inspires as much box-office confidence as Andy Lau or Chow Yun-fat. We were beginning to think that the Chinese movie stars of the 80s were going to have to continue carrying the weight of the industry well into the next decade, but thankfully Peng has risen to the occasion.
His stardom didn’t just happen overnight, though. It has taken almost 11 years for the once fledging actor to grow into the mature, ripped, handsome actor with a comprehensive resume of today. The media, however, still prefers to call him ‘xiao xian rou’, which roughly translates as ‘fresh meat’, a phrase that includes all the innuendo you might think. Peng joked in a recent interview that he ‘really isn’t that young and fresh any more’; he’s a 34-year-old at the peak of his career who has worked hard to shed his boy-next-door persona.
He’s shown commitment, grit and endurance in physically demanding and transformative films like 2011’s Jump Ashin! and 2013’s Unbeatable, the way Christian Bale or Hugh Jackman would. He’s shown that he can hold his own opposite veteran thespians like Tony Leung Ka-fai in 2012’s Cold War and this year’s Cold War II. And he’s shown that he can play one of the most iconic martial arts heroes in Chinese history, Wong Fei-hung, in 2014’s Rise of a Legend, a role that earned him his first Best Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
There’s no slowing Peng’s current career trajectory. His most recent action thriller, Operation Mekong, dominated Chinese box offices for three consecutive weeks, and later this year he will be featured in the highly anticipated Zhang Yimou production The Great Wall.
Peng’s combination of talent and sex appeal makes him as natural a fit for the pages of fashion magazines and the front rows of fashion weeks as it does for the screen. The young star has become as well known as a fashion icon as he has for acting, and is a spokesperson for luxury labels like Hugo Boss and Longines. Peng sat down with Fashion Statement to reflect on his career and what it’s like being the Chinese-speaking world’s leading dapper gent.
Eddie Peng Yu-yan has become the most sought-after leading male actor of his generation, and it’s about time. For a while the Chinese movie industry has struggled to produce a star who inspires as much box-office confidence as Andy Lau or Chow Yun-fat. We were beginning to think that the Chinese movie stars of the 80s were going to have to continue carrying the weight of the industry well into the next decade, but thankfully Peng has risen to the occasion.
His stardom didn’t just happen overnight, though. It has taken almost 11 years for the once fledging actor to grow into the mature, ripped, handsome actor with a comprehensive resume of today. The media, however, still prefers to call him ‘xiao xian rou’, which roughly translates as ‘fresh meat’, a phrase that includes all the innuendo you might think. Peng joked in a recent interview that he ‘really isn’t that young and fresh any more’; he’s a 34-year-old at the peak of his career who has worked hard to shed his boy-next-door persona.
He’s shown commitment, grit and endurance in physically demanding and transformative films like 2011’s Jump Ashin! and 2013’s Unbeatable, the way Christian Bale or Hugh Jackman would. He’s shown that he can hold his own opposite veteran thespians like Tony Leung Ka-fai in 2012’s Cold War and this year’s Cold War II. And he’s shown that he can play one of the most iconic martial arts heroes in Chinese history, Wong Fei-hung, in 2014’s Rise of a Legend, a role that earned him his first Best Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
There’s no slowing Peng’s current career trajectory. His most recent action thriller, Operation Mekong, dominated Chinese box offices for three consecutive weeks, and later this year he will be featured in the highly anticipated Zhang Yimou production The Great Wall.
Peng’s combination of talent and sex appeal makes him as natural a fit for the pages of fashion magazines and the front rows of fashion weeks as it does for the screen. The young star has become as well known as a fashion icon as he has for acting, and is a spokesperson for luxury labels like Hugo Boss and Longines. Peng sat down with Fashion Statement to reflect on his career and what it’s like being the Chinese-speaking world’s leading dapper gent.
He’s become almost like a father to me.”
On a separate note, it was great to be able to revisit the role, and I really enjoyed developing the character. I think it’s the most bad-ass role I’ve played so far.
Eddie Peng is the embodiment of modern men’s fashion. If you want to dress like the dashing young star, head over to Shop The Boulevard
