Leon Dai fired from romantic comedy No Other Love, despite shoot having already completed, due to ‘ambiguous’ stance on Taiwanese independence
The Guardian
Date: 15 July 2016
By: Andrew Pulver
A Taiwanese actor has been dropped from the lead role in a Chinese film due to his alleged
Leon Dai reportedly says he is ‘against oppression and respects the views of other people’. Photograph: Feng Li/Getty Images
support for Taiwanese independence – even though the shoot has already finished.
According to Variety, the team behind No Other Love, a romantic comedy directed by popular Chinese performer Zhao Wei (AKA Vicky Zhao), have fired Leon Dai after a recent statement from him on the issue failed to clarify his stance on the issue. A statement from the producers apologised for “hiring the wrong person”.
The statement said: “After multiple communications with Mr Dai, his stance was still unclear as of last night. Therefore, the director and all investors unanimously agreed to remove Dai from his leading role … The director and the entire crew dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to China. We are all Chinese, and we firmly support the one China policy. Our country’s interests are our top priorities … Any ambiguous stance over the country and national identity is intolerable.” [FULL STORY]
