'Stop it, grandma': People left baffled after actress Liu Xiaoqing plays character 50 years younger

When people complain about actors not playing characters their own age, it's usually about suspiciously old-looking high schoolers in teen dramas.

Chinese netizens, on the other hand, have a deeper concern — veteran actress Liu Xiaoqing is playing a 17-year-old in war movie Ice Sniper 2.

The catch? She's at least 50 years older in real life, purportedly aged 67.

There are also sources that claim she is 72, based on historical documents that state she was born in 1950.

Based on the historical drama Suppress Bandits in Northeast, the film is set in 1947 after the Siping Campaign and recounts China post World War II trying to eliminate the Kuomintang and the remnants of the Japanese army.

Guerrilla forces led by Yang Jianfeng (Wang Xinjun) face off against bandits, led by Dan Niang (Xiaoqing).

What's more shocking is that the actors playing Xiaoqing's on-screen dad, Ren Qing'an, as well as her romantic interest, Xinjun, are both at least 15 years younger than her at 52.

The casting choices baffled Chinese netizens so much that "71-year-old Liu Xiaoqing acting as a girl" appeared as a trending topic on Weibo recently.

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It appears that netizens are also unsure about her age.

Xiaoqing's recent posts have also been bombarded with several netizens commenting, "Stop it, grandma" and asking her to retire.

"Grandma, please let go of the Chinese film and television industry," a comment pleaded.

One netizen even likened her to an old cucumber that was covered in green paint to appear fresh.

"Grandma Liu, when you are 80, you must act as a five-year-old," joked a netizen.

Xiaoqing previously explained her reasons for playing young characters in an interview for her 2020 movie Juedi Hei Bao, where she acted as a 28-year-old policewoman.

"Because I act well, because I am awesome, because I am so young!" she reasoned.

She claimed that she did not have any plastic surgery done and was merely young "inside and out".

Xiaoqing added: "Every role is about showcasing myself, showcasing the era. I have not tried this character, so I went ahead to try it.

"So now there aren't many roles I feel I can't do — be it old, young, positive, negative, ugly or beautiful."

drimac@asiaone.com

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