LayarHijau.com — Top Chinese actress Bai Lu (白鹿), who continues to rise in popularity thanks to her string of hit dramas, is now caught in controversy just as filming begins for her latest project, Mo Li (《莫離》). The historical costume drama, co-starring Cheng Lei (丞磊), is already drawing backlash for allegedly copying the styling of actress Song Zuer in The Demon Hunter’s Romance (《無憂渡》). On top of that, fans of Cheng Lei are voicing their anger over what they see as a lack of promotion for the male lead.
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Mo Li officially announced the start of filming on May 31, with direction by Lin Yufen—the same director behind the successful The Demon Hunter’s Romance. The drama is adapted from the transmigration fantasy novel Sheng Shi Di Fei (《盛世嫡妃》) by Feng Qing.
The story follows Ye Li (played by Bai Lu), a former special forces soldier who is reborn with her past-life memories as the eldest daughter of the Shangshu family. She eventually becomes Lady Ding and assists Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyuan (played by Cheng Lei), in bringing peace to the world. Their epic love story is highlighted by Mo Xiuyuan’s vow to marry only Ye Li in this lifetime. Ultimately, the couple abdicates the throne to their son and chooses a life of freedom and adventure.
But even before production kicked into full gear, the drama ran into trouble, according to Upmedia. Bai Lu’s costume designs—four of which have already been revealed—were criticized as overly plain and lacking in detail. Netizens pointed out that her outfits consisted of single-color fabric without any embroidery or patterns, and her hairstyle was a simple bun with no accessories. This stark simplicity was seen as inconsistent with Ye Li’s character in the novel, who was portrayed as a wealthy and noble young lady destined to become queen.
The controversy intensified when viewers noticed striking similarities between Bai Lu’s styling in Mo Li and Song Zuer’s look in The Demon Hunter’s Romance. Given that both dramas are set in the Tang Dynasty and directed by Lin Yufen, netizens accused the Mo Li production team of recycling aesthetics, calling the designs unoriginal and uninspired.
Adding fuel to the fire, fans of Cheng Lei were upset by the way the production handled casting announcements. A day before filming officially began, the studio released a poster naming only Bai Lu as the lead actress, featuring only her silhouette and crediting her as the sole “leading star” (領銜主演). Fans of Cheng Lei felt the production had sidelined the male lead entirely. Outraged, they accused the team of favoritism and demanded a separate, equally prominent announcement for Cheng Lei. Although he was eventually included in the official shoot announcement, fans are still waiting for the individual spotlight they feel he deserves.
With controversy piling up, many netizens are already skeptical about Mo Li’s potential—even though Bai Lu herself is riding high on a wave of recent success. Her latest drama Feud (《臨江仙》), co-starring Joseph Zeng Shunxi, debuted to top ratings and even dethroned Xiao Zhan’s Legend of Zang Hai (《藏海傳》). Bai Lu’s character “Li Qingyue” is being hailed as one of the most iconic roles of the season, rivaling Xiao Zhan’s “Zang Hai.”
Her past hits include Only For Love (《以愛為營》), Story of Kunning Palace (《寧安如夢》), Moonlight Mystique (《白月梵星》), and the modern-era drama Northward (《北上》). Still, despite her personal success streak, her newest drama Mo Li is off to a rocky and controversial start.
