Chinese comedienne Jia Ling in the music video 'There Is Still Time For Everything', which features herself before and after her weight loss. Photo: Yolo/Weibo
Chinese actress-comedienne Jia Ling continued to dominate headlines on Chinese social media with the release of the music video for There Is Still Time For Everything, the theme song of her new film Yolo.
She directed the comedy and stars as Du Leying, an overweight, unemployed woman whose life changes after she meets a boxing coach.
The 41-year-old star, who reportedly used to weigh more than 100kg, had earlier made news for gaining 20kg for the role before going on to lose 50kg in nearly a year to mirror Du’s transformation in the film.
Yolo, which was released in cinemas in China on Feb 10, claimed the top spot in the country over the Chinese New Year period, grossing more than three billion yuan (RM2bil) as at Feb 20.
It is slated to open in Singapore and Malaysia cinemas in March.
The music video was released on the film’s official social media account on Feb 18, with Jia saying on Weibo the same day that it was the first time she wrote a song.
She added: “There is still time for everything. Remember to love yourself.”
In the four-minute, 50-second clip, she first appears as her previous self, with certain segments dedicated to her weight loss journey.
About halfway through, a thinner Jia takes the stage in a yellow gown, with both versions of the actress eventually singing together, thanks to nifty editing.
The music video has been viewed more than 23 million times on Yolo’s Weibo account as at Feb 21.
Jia said in previous media interviews that she lost about 4 to 5kg a month during the whole process by following a healthy diet, such as eating only whole wheat bread.
Yolo is the second film that Jia directs and stars in, after comedy-drama Hi, Mom (2021) raked in more than 5.4 billion yuan in China. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
