Meteor Rising
March 18, 2004 | 12:00am
Not since Thalia graced Philippine television with her voluptuous presence eight years ago as Marimar has another lead actress made a character so indelibly endearing to Filipinos. However, this new heroine is no senorita.
The 27-year-old actress Barbie Xu, better known here for her role as the scrawny Shan Cai in the Taiwanese mega-hit series Meteor Garden, is nowhere near the typical ideal mestiza girl you see on every other teleserye. In the words of Xi Men and Mei Zhuo, members of the notorious quartet F4, played by actors Ken Zhu and Vanness Wu in the series, she has "no breast, no butt. She is so flat, not feminine at all. She was probably a washing board in the previous lifetime." Furthermore, Shan Cai is no Maria Clara either. Unlike the typical helpless underdogs most female leads portray in TV dramas, Shan Cai, which means weed in Mandarin, kicks ass. She never gives up fighting for either herself or for the underdogs she befriends. Surely, by now, many remember her famous line "Ako ang damong ligaw na si Shan Cai!" – fighting words during times of trouble.
Truly, Barbie Xu has done an excellent job in her portrayal of Shan Cai. So good that it is now quite impossible for audiences to see her as anything else. During her first two trips here (as half of the alternative duo AsoS together with her sister Dee), she was constantly asked if there was any truth to the Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si (played by Jerry Yan) love affair behind the scenes. To this, Barbie consistently answered that there was no truth to that rumor, as she already has a boyfriend – the actor Blue, who was also part of Meteor Garden. (Incidentally, he played a Dao Ming Si look-alike!) Of course, wishful thinking from fans is only natural. However, some fans have gone overboard in their fantasies. During the ABS-CBN Happy 50 TV concert, rumors of an ongoing backstage romance and missed meetings between Barbie and Jerry were circulating among deluded fans. Moreover, when Jerry Yan became a Bench model, an online petition was started to make Barbie the new HerBench model. If Barbie and Jerry can't be together for real, at least they can be beside each other in the gigantic Bench billboards along EDSA.
But all that was two months ago. By now, all the Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si questions have been exhausted. When Barbie visited the Philippines last January 17, 2004 as Pantene's latest shampoo endorser, only one Meteor Garden-related question was asked during the press conference: "Will there be Meteor Garden III" The answer was no. "There are no plans for a third Meteor Garden series because in the ending for Meteor Garden II, Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si are already together," she answered.
Today, with Meteor Garden finished, Barbie's Filipino fans have been put to the test. So far, they have been failing. Her latest drama, Eternity, where she plays the delicate Xiao Cian, a spirit of young girl trapped in a fox's body, did not do very well locally. Then again, perhaps a series set in ancient China complete with traditions and beliefs mostly unheard of here was just too much of a culture shock for Filipinos. But despite this, one can't help asking: could she really be a star on her own here?
Maybe she won't have to be. While there are no upcoming projects for AsoS-which stands for Abnormal Girls-as Dee is busy writing a book, plans for a new drama series called Mars featuring Barbie and Meteor Garden costar and F4 member Vic Zhou are already on the way. Mars, like Meteor Garden, is also based on a popular manga series created by Fuyumi Souryo. The story revolves around two high school students: the popular, good looking bad boy R6 – to be played by Vic – and the shy artist Kira – to be played by Barbie. Somehow, these two will get together despite their differences. Sound familiar?
Image by Jake Verzosa
The 27-year-old actress Barbie Xu, better known here for her role as the scrawny Shan Cai in the Taiwanese mega-hit series Meteor Garden, is nowhere near the typical ideal mestiza girl you see on every other teleserye. In the words of Xi Men and Mei Zhuo, members of the notorious quartet F4, played by actors Ken Zhu and Vanness Wu in the series, she has "no breast, no butt. She is so flat, not feminine at all. She was probably a washing board in the previous lifetime." Furthermore, Shan Cai is no Maria Clara either. Unlike the typical helpless underdogs most female leads portray in TV dramas, Shan Cai, which means weed in Mandarin, kicks ass. She never gives up fighting for either herself or for the underdogs she befriends. Surely, by now, many remember her famous line "Ako ang damong ligaw na si Shan Cai!" – fighting words during times of trouble.
Truly, Barbie Xu has done an excellent job in her portrayal of Shan Cai. So good that it is now quite impossible for audiences to see her as anything else. During her first two trips here (as half of the alternative duo AsoS together with her sister Dee), she was constantly asked if there was any truth to the Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si (played by Jerry Yan) love affair behind the scenes. To this, Barbie consistently answered that there was no truth to that rumor, as she already has a boyfriend – the actor Blue, who was also part of Meteor Garden. (Incidentally, he played a Dao Ming Si look-alike!) Of course, wishful thinking from fans is only natural. However, some fans have gone overboard in their fantasies. During the ABS-CBN Happy 50 TV concert, rumors of an ongoing backstage romance and missed meetings between Barbie and Jerry were circulating among deluded fans. Moreover, when Jerry Yan became a Bench model, an online petition was started to make Barbie the new HerBench model. If Barbie and Jerry can't be together for real, at least they can be beside each other in the gigantic Bench billboards along EDSA.
But all that was two months ago. By now, all the Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si questions have been exhausted. When Barbie visited the Philippines last January 17, 2004 as Pantene's latest shampoo endorser, only one Meteor Garden-related question was asked during the press conference: "Will there be Meteor Garden III" The answer was no. "There are no plans for a third Meteor Garden series because in the ending for Meteor Garden II, Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si are already together," she answered.
Today, with Meteor Garden finished, Barbie's Filipino fans have been put to the test. So far, they have been failing. Her latest drama, Eternity, where she plays the delicate Xiao Cian, a spirit of young girl trapped in a fox's body, did not do very well locally. Then again, perhaps a series set in ancient China complete with traditions and beliefs mostly unheard of here was just too much of a culture shock for Filipinos. But despite this, one can't help asking: could she really be a star on her own here?
Maybe she won't have to be. While there are no upcoming projects for AsoS-which stands for Abnormal Girls-as Dee is busy writing a book, plans for a new drama series called Mars featuring Barbie and Meteor Garden costar and F4 member Vic Zhou are already on the way. Mars, like Meteor Garden, is also based on a popular manga series created by Fuyumi Souryo. The story revolves around two high school students: the popular, good looking bad boy R6 – to be played by Vic – and the shy artist Kira – to be played by Barbie. Somehow, these two will get together despite their differences. Sound familiar?
Image by Jake Verzosa
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