Zhan Huai-yun
Zhan Huai-yun is a Taiwanese actor best known for his debut role as Lefty in the historical comedy film Meeting Dr. Sun, which earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer in the 9th Asian Film Awards. He stepped away from showbiz in 2016 to pursue a career in rapping, and returned to acting in 2023 with the Netflix political thriller series Wave Makers. In 2024, he starred in another Netflix series Born for the Spotlight.
Early life
Zhan was born on 21 August 1998 in Taiwan. He grew up in the Sanzhi District of New Taipei City, and worked part-time at a café in since high school. Zhan was exposed to acting during junior high and high school, and he also began writing music in his freshman year. At the age of 15, he was discovered by a talent agent while shopping in Ximending and was invited to audition for Meeting Dr. Sun, where he won the role, making his acting debut at 16 in 2013.Career
Zhan made his acting debut alongside as the male leads, Lefty and Sky, in the 2013 historical comedy film Meeting Dr. Sun. James Marsh of Screen Anarchy praised their performances, stating they did "a great job of winning sympathies", and Zhan received a nomination for Best Newcomer in the 9th Asian Film Awards for his role. Following his breakout role, he starred as the titular character Egg Boy in the romance film ', and landed a main role as Trumpet in the PTS television series ' in 2016. However, Zhan stepped back from showbiz to pursue a music career that same year, releasing a rap song for LGBTQ+ rights and working as a professional rapper, sharing his music on YouTube. Zhan mentioned that the reason for his fade-out from acting was his mandatory acting classes imposed by his agency, which caused him to lose interest and develop a fear of performing, and he only began to recover from this during his rapping career. During this time, he also worked at construction sites, citing the "flexible schedule" as a reason. In 2022, he was named Top Talent by the Taipei Film Festival.In 2023, Zhan returned to acting with a recurring role as a member of a presidential campaign team in the Netflix political thriller series Wave Makers. He also starred alongside in Blue Lan's homosexual-themed romance film '. The following year, he appeared in the Hong Kong ViuTV drama series ', and had a recurring role as He Wan-sheng in the HBO GO series '. He was cast in a main role as a hotel bellboy who has a sexual affair with Cheryl Yang's character in the Netflix drama series Born for the Spotlight, followed by a lead role in the drama film ', which premiered the same year. Zhan is set to have a recurring role in the upcoming Netflix mystery series Million-follower Detective.