Bai Jingtingthe rising star of Chinese drama, talks about the pressure he faced during filming The first frosta new romance series adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name. Preview CTi entertainment on November 10, the series sees Bai and actress Zhang Ruonan together, in a story that delicately tells the emotional reunion of two former high school sweethearts.
In The first frostBai plays Sang Yan, a man who ends up sharing an apartment with his high school crush Wen Yifan (Zhang Ruonan), years after a failed confession. Their dynamic starts out tense – pretending not to know each other – but as old misunderstandings fade, a deep connection reemerges.
Unlike traditional romantic dramas, The first frost takes a more subtle approach to love and emotional expression. Its introspective tone and layered dialogue drew praise from fans looking for a more grounded romantic narrative.
Despite the warm reception, Bai Jingting admitted that accepting the role was daunting: “To be honest, I don’t consider myself classically handsome. That’s not to be modest: I just didn’t think I was the type for this kind of role,” he said.
Having built his career on procedural, suspense and period dramas, Bai called the project home “an important challenge” and something he had to do “grow”.
The actor also revealed the price the character had to pay: “The day I finished filming, I finally exhaled. I told my team, ‘I can be myself again.'”
To embody Sang Yan’s cool and composed image, Bai focused on everything from style and demeanor to body conditioning. He worked hard to maintain a lean and defined physique, even studying the professional fitness routines used by bodybuilders to prepare for shirtless scenes. The result was a stark contrast between his typically boyish appearance and his more mature, sculpted on-screen appearance.
But Bai didn’t stop at physical appearance. He refined the emotional details, especially in scenes with tight close-ups: “For me, acting begins with sincerity. And the most sincere thing on your face? Your eyes.”
His intense preparation paid off: Fans praised his performance as deeply emotional and visually compelling, and many called him the perfect Sang Yan.
However, Bai confessed that he was initially intimidated by the fan-favorite character: “If Sang Yan hadn’t been so emotionally cautious, the story would have ended in two episodes,” he joked. “I’m like him in that I can be stubborn, but we’re not the same person.”
He also admitted that the experience left him with a new sense of self-awareness: “The director took so many beautiful photos of me. I’ve never felt so photogenic in my life – I might be starting to develop a bit of a complex!”
The first frost airs weekdays at 9 p.m CTi entertainmentbringing with it not only a touching love story but also a stunning romantic performance by Bai Jingting.
Sources: Netizenbuzz
