Fanasia launches a series of entertainment articles on actors and zodiac signs. Disclaimer upfront: we don’t actually believe in astrology, but we’ll use it as an excuse to talk about acting craft. Whether there really are zodiac-based actor archetypes is for you to decide. Still, understanding how a particular actor works might help a director find common ground more easily.

So, the Sun is in Virgo from August 23 to September 22.

Born under this sign are:

Korean actors and actresses: Park Eun Bin, Park So Dam, Lee Jong Suk, Song Joong Ki, Ong Seong Wu, Ryeo Un, Lee Jin Wook, and others.

Chinese actors and actresses: Landy Li, Bai Lu, Guan Xiaotong, Li Yitong, He Yu, Zhang Xincheng, Yang Yang, Chang Huasen, Hu Ge, Zhang Ruoyun, and others.

Virgo is one of the smartest signs of the zodiac — smart in the literal sense. Virgos accumulate knowledge and know how to use it. Yet they are not cold logicians like Libra, who view the whole world as a web of logical connections. Virgos are gentle, moderately emotional, and caring — in short, the most tender among the level-headed and the most level-headed among the tender.

On set, they are perfectionists and sticklers for detail. The script is their undisputed guide to action. They will study it until it falls apart, and woe betide the director who doesn't know — or forgets — what happens in scene 15 on page 45.

In the script, Virgos will neatly and legibly annotate their observations on character development, down to the smallest detail. Details and observation are essential to them; that is how they build a character's individuality.

Chinese actor Hu Ge has said that when choosing roles, he trusts his first impression of the script, then coldly assesses how well he himself fits the character. In his preparation, he works by "subtraction," discarding clichéd ideas about the role (for instance, about a military man) in order to find a living person rather than a template.

On set, it is Virgos who ask a record number of questions. If the director is of a nervous disposition, they may soon start running away from the Virgo, hiding behind sets or in trailers. But it is utterly useless — the Virgo will find them and bombard them with yet another stream of questions. One should take this calmly. What's more, Virgos are very good-natured, unlike icy Libras, who can even turn caustic.

A Virgo needs all this to clearly understand what they are supposed to do in front of the camera and why. After the call of "Cut!", they will head to the monitor to review the take. This is the second most challenging moment in a director's interaction with a Virgo actor. Because the result will be dissected down to the molecules, and if anything can be improved, the director will be compelled to reshoot and reshoot until perfection is achieved. In this, Virgos resemble Capricorns, but with one difference: if the director allows the Virgo to thoroughly exhaust themselves during the question-and-answer stage, they will usually deliver everything perfectly on the first or second take.

But if a Virgo gets it into their head that something is wrong, imperfect, or flawed — that's it. It is impossible to talk them out of it; the only option is to let them redo it. No other reassurance will work. Otherwise, the Virgo will become anxious, start spiraling into self-doubt, convinced they are ruining everything for everyone, and all further work will go down the drain.

Virgos do not like to improvise themselves, though they readily play along with others' improvisations. If, say, a Pisces, Cancer, or Scorpio partner starts indulging in their beloved improvisational antics, Virgos will find a way to adapt — especially if they have a clear internal image of their character.

For example, on the set of the Korean series «Vincenzo», senior actor Kim Young Woon liked to fool around and once ad-libbed the line, "Can you call me hyung? Just once?" To which Virgo Song Joong Ki instantly responded: «Hyung? My ass... I ought to beat you up!». And so it stayed in the drama.

Virgos themselves are somewhat shy about deviating from the script or the director's instructions (they feel they might violate the grand Instruction that holds the world of the series together, like three elephants holding up the firmament). Korean actor Lee Jong Suk admitted in an interview that on set he sometimes gets ideas on how to make his character more vivid, but when he tries to put them into practice, he literally blushes with embarrassment.

However, if the director says "It has to be done," the Virgo will always answer, "Yes, sir!" Even if that means putting a razor blade in their mouth, as Chinese actor Zhang Xincheng did in the drama «Archives: The Nanyang Mystery». The idea to use real prop came from the production team. Zhang Xincheng later said he was simply informed of the decision at the very start of work: "It wasn't my idea — I joined the team, and they told me: 'You'll be using this thing, just spit it out.'"

It was a real metal blade, but it was blunted to reduce the risk of cuts. Anyone who has dealt with those old razor blades in everyday life knows they are never completely dull. The hardest part, however, was figuring out how to spit it out. After studying the mechanics, Zhang Xincheng realized that the blade could only be spit out narrow end first — otherwise, it was impossible due to air resistance. The key element —  turning the blade over with his tongue inside his mouth  — was actually invented by the actor himself. He decided that the audience should see the blade in the character's mouth, so he learned to hold it under his tongue and deftly flip it at the right moment. The actor humorously commented on the experience, noting that when you hold a real blade in your mouth, the instinct for self-preservation kicks in and helps you avoid cutting yourself.

The same Zhang Xincheng performed stunts without a double as well. For seven to eight days, he shot scenes in which his character suffocates and searches for medicine in cold, dirty water. Footage showing his face contorted from coughing and lack of air was mistaken for "outtakes," but in fact it was a natural physiological reaction he displayed to achieve maximum realism on camera.

Chinese actor Yang Yang, on the set of the action film «Vanguard», made a huge impression on Jackie Chan himself by insisting on performing complex stunts on his own. Jackie Chan noted that it is one thing to try a stunt, and quite another to persistently strive to do it perfectly, as Yang Yang did.

Emotional moments present a certain difficulty for Virgos. Because of their level-headedness, shyness, perfectionism, and modesty, Virgos rarely let their emotions run free. Ideally, they should be paired with either a "spark plug" from the fiery signs — Aries or Sagittarius — or with an ultra-emotional Cancer or Scorpio, as a reserve. If intellectual interplay, love, or a clash of wits is required, Gemini and Libra will do, but one should brace for a certain chill. In any case, Virgos' natural modesty will give the director an opportunity to add extra charm to a kissing scene.

In all other respects, Virgos are lively and open colleagues on set, ready to joke around with everyone and boost the mood. Moreover, their humour will be genuinely funny and inoffensive to no one — that is, it will be a joke, not a jab. No one knows the rules of truly good tone better than Virgos.

Our advice to directors: talk to Virgos about the script, let them review footage a hundred times over, keep them out of crude erotic scenes, never breach the code of aristocratic courtesy, praise them when they deserve it - and you will have full control over them.