Gu Zicheng (古子成)

Gu Zicheng has captivated audiences with his remarkable ability to completely transform from one role to the next—an icy, bookish scholarship student in one drama, a scheming yet oddly pitiable "little milk dog" in another, and an idealistic war correspondent in yet another. With his signature teardrop mole beneath one eye and a face that effortlessly bridges the gap between cool elegance and youthful warmth, he has earned a reputation as a young actor who disappears into his characters, leaving viewers genuinely surprised when they realize all these wildly different roles are played by the same person. Breakthrough Role Gu‘s breakthrough came in 2020 with the hit campus fantasy drama Don’t Want to Be Friends with You, in which he played Wu Zhixun—the classic "cold iceberg scholarship student." Sporting wire-rimmed glasses and an aloof demeanor, Wu is the brilliant yet socially distant heartthrob who silently falls for the bubbly, persistent heroine. What made Gu‘s performance stand out was his ability to bring warmth beneath the icy surface: the seventy-five pages of handwritten study notes Wu secretly prepares for her, the subtle shift of an umbrella during a rainstorm, the quiet purchase of her favorite singer’s cassette tape. These small, tender gestures transformed what could have been a one-note "cold male lead" into a genuinely moving portrayal of first love. The drama earned a stellar 8.1 rating on Douban, and Gu became widely recognized for his ability to play emotionally restrained characters without ever slipping into a lifeless "poker face". Public Perception In an industry where young actors are often dismissed as mere "pretty faces," Gu Zicheng has gradually built a reputation as a serious performer who takes his craft seriously. Audiences and critics alike praise his chameleon-like range—from the calculating, possessive "little milk dog" Qin Liulang in The Blossoming Love, who infuriated viewers so much that Gu had to jokingly distance himself from the character online, to the softhearted "sunshine supporter" Zhuang Fei in As Beautiful As You, to the idealistic war correspondent Sa Xin in White Olive Tree, whose tearful transformation from a stammering rookie to a hardened survivor moved countless viewers. Off-screen, Gu remains low-key and professional, and his genuine, slightly self-deprecating humor when facing backlash for his more unlikeable characters has only deepened audience goodwill. With a steady stream of praised performances and multiple highly anticipated projects on the horizon, he is widely seen as a young actor with the talent, range, and work ethic to go far.