As fun as acting can be, there’s no doubt that it can also be tiring, time-consuming and stressful. It gets twice as frustrating when you work with child actors who refuse to cooperate.
Taiwanese actor Ming Dao (明道) recently went viral for snapping at a small child while they were filming. Some netizens were upset with the actor while others defended him. However, the child’s mother felt she was to blame!
The video which was posted on 20th February showed a group of actors, including Ming Dao, Huang Yi (黄奕) and a five-year-old girl attempting to film something for Lunar New Year. As it turns out, the video had been posted by the child’s mother, but has since been deleted.
Apparently, the girl had been messing around during the shoot. She fussed in actress Huang Yi’s arms and refused to say her lines when cued. While the other actors tried to get the child to cooperate, it wasn’t long before Ming Dao’s temper started fraying. “(Expletive), don’t waste my time,” he muttered, before getting up. “I’ll wait for you to finish playing before filming again,” he told the girl and left.
Netizens weren’t happy with the way Ming Dao handled the situation. Many were especially upset that he swore in front of the child, claiming even if he was upset, he should not have done so. However, there were netizens who came to his defense. Some argued that they should have made sure the child was ready to film before proceeding. A few even alleged that the fault lay with the child’s mother for not educating her properly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzXf-JGGaYs&ab_channel=D%E7%A4%BE%E5%A8%B1%E4%B9%90
Things got worse when another video of Ming Dao swearing went online. This time, he supposedly did it while filming a scene with Huang Yi. Netizens were quick to jump on the video, asking if he used such words around his 1-year-old son. Some went as far as to claim this showed how easily he could lose his temper around his kid.
The second video finally urged Ming Dao to respond with a statement and he did so via his agent. He claimed that he didn’t have a clear memory of that day. “I only remember that there were only a few days left before filming wrapped so it was a race against time with everyone on the brink of exhaustion,” he explained. “The child’s level of cooperation was really not ideal too.” However, he admitted that he shouldn’t have used “such emotional words” when addressing the young child.
The actor added that he was a new dad and was still learning how to communicate with kids. “If anyone has a good method, I hope they will teach me too,” he stated. His manager also claimed that Ming Dao had been joking around with Huang Yi in the second video. There is apparently no trouble between them.
The child’s mother also came forward to clarify the situation. Yesterday (21st February), she posted a lengthy apology on Weibo. She stated she felt she had been wrong in posting the video and kept quiet, hoping the situation would calm down. However, After seeing netizens continuously scolding Ming Dao, she felt bad. “(The video) affects an actor’s acting career and makes Ming Dao’s life harder,” she wrote.
She added she did not blame the actor for being frustrated with her daughter. “(He) had filmed many scenes and was tired. (He) hoped to finish early and rest early. It’s normal to be (frustrated) with (my daughter),” she said. The mother also claimed that her child was always excitable and Ming Dao had always been professional and kind on set. However, netizens noted that Ming Dao was not seen in the group photo she posted alongside the apology.
While we do understand that working with children can be frustrating sometimes, that’s no excuse to be rude to them. After all, they are young and still learning. Hopefully, Ming Dao can rein his temper in next time!
Sources: China Press, Xuan (1)(2), Weibo, 8days
