Demand for child actors faces minor hiccups

Little trouper

Wang Lu from Qingdao, Shandong province, sees acting mainly as a way for her 9-year-old daughter Mi Ya to enjoy new experiences and build her confidence.

She said the biggest challenges are not only competition for roles, but also long hours, difficult filming conditions and limited rest. A typical day starts with arriving on set early, waiting for the call sheet, makeup, rehearsals and then filming.

Ya's first television role was in the drama Ordinary Greatness, where she performed alongside female actress Bai Lu.

Since then, she has appeared in more than 100 productions, including short dramas, advertisements and tourism videos.

During her kindergarten years, Ya spent long stretches on short-drama sets, with some shoots lasting more than two weeks. Wang said during the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her daughter once stayed with a production crew for over half a month.

"There were times when she had to stay up very late. Once, while the director was explaining the next scene, she fell asleep standing up beside me," she said.

Directors often value child actors who are cooperative, comfortable in front of the camera and not afraid to perform.

To balance acting with school, Ya usually attends classes in the morning and films in the afternoon. If a production requires her to stay on set longer, Wang brings homework and textbooks so she can study during breaks and arranges tutoring when needed.

"Acting has made my daughter more confident, independent and willing to express herself. At school, she is eager to raise her hand and answer questions in class," said Wang.

At the same time, Ya has become more sensitive to her own performance and other people's opinions. Wang reminds her not to put too much pressure on herself and stresses that the family has never treated acting as a way to make money or become famous.

"We are just an ordinary family. We only want her to be happy and healthy. Acting is part of her childhood, not something that defines her future," said Wang.