LayarHijau – Chinese actress Meng Ziyi has addressed growing criticism that many of her costume drama characters feel too similar. Speaking in an interview for the program Ru Xi (入戏), released on July 20, 2026, she admitted that audiences may have grown tired of seeing her portray the same type of role over and over again.
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Rather than blaming the market or her production teams, Meng accepted the criticism and revealed that she has deliberately started turning down scripts that resemble her previous work in an effort to broaden her range as an actress.
“Doing one costume drama after another has definitely caused some audience fatigue. I admit that,” Meng said.
She also acknowledged that similarities in styling, costumes, and character archetypes had become an issue.
“If the effort I’ve put in isn’t visible to the audience, then it simply means I haven’t worked hard enough. I’ll just keep working harder,” she added.
Deliberately Passing on Familiar Costume Drama Roles
During the interview, Meng revealed that she has intentionally declined numerous offers featuring characters similar to the ones that made her famous.
Following the success of Blossom and Blossoms of Power, she said she was flooded with scripts centered on noblewomen, revenge-driven heroines, and palace or family power struggles—roles that largely followed the same formula.
Although she genuinely enjoys playing those characters and finds it easy to connect with them emotionally, Meng said she decided it was time to step away from repeating herself.
She compared the situation to always ordering the same dish every time you visit a restaurant.
“You know you’ll enjoy it,” she implied, “but eventually you want to try something different.”
Even when she’s tempted by a familiar role, she’s now choosing to pass on it if it feels too close to what she’s already done.
That decision also means walking away from costume romance projects that are considered relatively safe bets commercially, simply because she wants to give audiences something fresh.
Cutting Her Hair to Break Out of Her Comfort Zone
As part of that transition, Meng even cut off the long hair she had worn for years to play a role in the modern mystery drama Three-Line Mystery.
The dramatic hairstyle change has become a symbol of her determination to move beyond the costume-drama image that has defined much of her career.
She said she’s eager to branch out into genres she has never explored before, including modern suspense stories and dramas set during China’s Republican era.
Meng has also been confirmed to star in the upcoming modern romance Love in Endless Summer, another project she hopes will showcase a different side of her acting.
More Choices, Harder Decisions
Ironically, Meng admitted that having more opportunities has made choosing projects even more difficult.
She worries about making the wrong decision as she ventures into unfamiliar genres, so major script choices are now discussed with her team, who collectively vote before reaching a final decision.
Interestingly, when she comes across a strong costume drama script that she ultimately turns down because it feels too similar to her previous work, Meng often recommends it to fellow actors instead.
She stressed that great stories deserve to be made, even if she’s not the one bringing them to life.
Fans Praise Her Honesty While Waiting for Results
Meng’s candid remarks have sparked mixed reactions online.
Many fans applauded her willingness to acknowledge the criticism instead of shifting the blame to the industry or her creative team. They see her openness and willingness to change as a refreshing attitude in an industry where stars rarely address such concerns so directly.
Others, however, are taking a wait-and-see approach. They believe the real test will come with her performances in Three-Line Mystery and Love in Endless Summer, which could determine whether she can successfully shed the image of being a costume-drama actress.
Some viewers also argued that, while certain roles may appear similar on the surface, many of the characters she has portrayed differ in personality, historical setting, and background, making it unfair to lump them all together.
Still, industry observers note that being typecast is a challenge shared by many actresses from the post-1985 and post-1990 generations. In that context, Meng Ziyi’s decision to openly acknowledge the criticism—and take concrete steps to reinvent herself—has been widely viewed as a positive sign for the next phase of her career.
