[2020] Best Actor & Actress

cynlynn chooses her best actors for the year. Only one actor and actress is selected

Remarks

There is no criteria or checklist that I'm staring at to select these actors. Preferably, I needed two solid projects. Don't agree with my selection? That's fine. Tell me yours below!

Notable Nominees

Cheng Yi: Love and Redemption

Hu Xian Xu: Hikaru no Go

Tong Yao: Get Married or Not & Nothing But Thirty 

Zhang Chao: Hikaru no Go

Cheng Yi resurfaced as a hot male lead after his summer hit drama. Hu Xian Xu and Zhang Chao headlined a drama together and it made non-Go-lovers Go-lovers. If these three were in more dramas that showed their versatility it would have been a tough call on who gets my Best Actor Award. 

Tong Yao had two back to back dramas with contrasting characters: one sincere and girly, and the other was logical and independent. Both characters were absolutely convincing but the competitor for Best Actress was too strong. 

Drum Roll, Please!

Best Actor: Ding Yu Xi

Ding, Ding, Ding Yu Xi ~ Biased? Me? No way – maybe just a bit. But hear me out! This man has these set of intense eyes that he knows how to use. He can channel charisma. He can do humour. He can be both at the same time! He also has a charming smile. Most importantly I can sense his passion for acting. His potential is boundless. 

I love the contrast between his two characters this year: first it was the emotionless doctor, Zhou Shi Yun, who's as stiff as a board in Intense Love then it was the cute and devious Han Shuo in The Romance of Tiger and Rose. He also made a tiny cameo in Serenade of Peaceful Joy.

Non-2020 Dramas: Reset Life, Just an Encore

Best Actress: Tan Song Yun

Tan Song Yun was brought back to the spotlight with Under the Power in 2019 (which technically aired on December 28th, 3 days before 2020). Although she was loved, personally, I thought she was overshadowed by Ren Jia Lun (understandably so). The latter half of the year is when she shows that she's undeniably an actress of top caliber. Give her any role and she'll bring out the raw emotions of that character. She was once told that an actress with her face won't get leading roles. Look where she is now. 

Go Ahead is her representative work for me. She was also in The Eight and Dear Mayang Street too. 

Non-2020 Dramas: Under the Power, The Fox's Summer, With You, The Whirlwind Girl