At the end of 2024, "The Nine Heavy Sons" aired, becoming the work that raised Meng Ziyi's reputation after a period of struggling and "starving for work".
After finishing broadcasting on online platforms, the film officially aired in prime time on Zhejiang Satellite TV (China) on the first day of Lunar New Year (January 29).
According to Chinese media, the viewership ratings of “Nine Heavy Sons” are on the rise. The average rating is 0.3163%, and the highest rating is 0.3904%.
This achievement shows that the film still retains its appeal even though its last episode aired with paid accounts from December 22, 2024.
In a new sharing with the media, Meng Ziyi said that she watched Zhao Liying's "The Legend of Minglan" as a reference work for her role as Dou Zhao in the movie "The Nine Heavy Sons".
“When I first came into contact with “The Nine Deadly Sons,” I was afraid because I had never acted in a family drama before, so I might not be able to play this role well.
To play the role of Dou Zhao, I did some practice exercises first, then looked at works of the same genre like “The Legend of Minglan” starring Zhao Liying for reference.”
In fact, when "The Nine Deadly Sins" aired, many viewers commented that Meng Ziyi's role as Dou Zhao had many similarities to Zhao Liying's Sheng Minglan.
Her acting in the work was also praised for her improvement, especially her sharp eyes and ability to control her tears. Director Zeng Qingjie once praised Meng Ziyi for being able to keep tears welling up in her eyes throughout the entire scene without falling.
Previously, when playing the role of Mai Sieu Phong in the movie "The New Legend of the Condor Heroes" (also known as "The World of Martial Arts Kim Dung"), Manh Tu Nghia was also commented to have the ability to control tears, not too much, not too little, just enough to make his eyes sparkle.
Meng Ziyi revealed that she often practices crying while driving alone. Whenever she gets stuck in traffic, she turns on sad music to practice crying. During the filming of “Nine Heavy Sons,” Meng Ziyi only needed to listen to the song “Turn Your Back and It Hurts” to cry immediately.
The media commented that “Cuu Trong Tu” is a sweet fruit for Manh Tu Nghia after a difficult time in acting. Previously, the actress revealed that she worked hard to become famous with the desire to have many options.
“When you are not strong enough, you will see that fighting is useless, because people stronger than you are also fighting for the roles they want, so I think I have to try to become more famous, to make myself stronger than before” - she said.
