Zhilei Xin

Zhilei Xin, born February 28, 1986, in Hegang, Heilongjiang, is honestly one of those actresses who just slips into any role and makes it look effortless. People might know her best from her part in the 2023 film “Fan Hua,” which, by the way, really put her versatility on display. She’s not just a flash-in-the-pan type, either—her work in “Ru Yi Zhuan” (2018) and the adventure-packed “Candle in the Tomb: The Wrath of Time” (2019) pretty much cemented her as someone you actually want to watch on screen. Growing up in northeastern China, Zhilei didn’t exactly have the glitzy, red-carpet life. She clawed her way up, starting out like so many young actors—small gigs, background parts, the whole grind. But she’s got this knack for picking characters that are way more complex than you’d expect. In “Ru Yi Zhuan,” for example, she manages to bring out both the sharp edge and the vulnerability of her character, which is no easy feat in a period drama packed with palace intrigue and no shortage of backstabbing. “Fan Hua” gave her a chance to really flex those dramatic muscles, digging into the emotional messiness of the story. And then, in “Candle in the Tomb,” she switched gears completely—think less royal robes, more dust and danger, and still totally convincing. People in the industry respect her for that flexibility, and fans just love how she seems totally real, never phoning it in. Not bad for a kid from Hegang, right?