(Ecns.cn)--With the hot soap opera Princess Pearl, also known in Singapore and the Philippines as My Fair Princess, Benjamin Schwartz, a handsome American guy, has caught many Chinese's eye as the only foreigner among the leading characters of a TV series about stories in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
Charming and gifted as he is, Benji speaks Chinese very well too. Similar to Benji, many other talented foreigners, including Jonathan Kos-Read, better known as Cao-Cao, and Hao Ge, the Chinese stage name of Nigerian-born singer Uwechue Emmanuel, have come to pursue their long-cherished dreams of being a star in China.
"A narrow escape"
Seemingly an overnight sensation, Benji's dream did not come easily.
Born in 1982 in Alaska, Benji came to start his career in Shanghai in 2006 after graduating from university, and since participated in various TV programs in a bid to draw the attention of some directors.
The same year, he participated in the "Winner," a 24-7 monitored reality TV show hosted by the Dragon TV in Shanghai, but unfortunately was eliminated in the sixth round.
Tortured by visa problems and struggling alone for the show, Benji once said on a Christmas day in his blog "I have obviously been thinking about my family a lot lately and there's nothing that would make me happier than to be home with them for Christmas. However this is also a chance of a lifetime for me to be on the 'Winner' so I will do my best to stay on the show as long as possible."
However, about three years later, with hopes fading gradually, Benji went to Taiwan.
His day finally came when he took part in the Super Idol, a singing competition in Taiwan. With his distinct charm and musical talents, Benji soon won the favor of Chiung Yao, a popular Taiwan romance novelist, who wrote the Princess Pearl.
Chiung held Benji's singing and fluent Chinese in high regard, and would watch the show every week, keeping up with his progress on the show. He made it to the top 10 round when he was eliminated from the competition.
Chiung sympathized with Benji as other viewers did, thus she created a role for him when rewriting the Princess Pearl.
Overwhelmed with the unexpected favor and doubtful, Benji first met Chiung at her home, only to find Chiung was very nice.
"That was six months after I was kicked out. I could not find any job in acting and decided to go back to the US. I had already bought the ticket," recalled Benji.
Benji said he studied Chinese all by himself and is planning to continue his career in China in the future.
"I love China and acting very much. I realized my dreams in China. There are no A-list foreign actors in China yet. I hope I can be a film actor of fine quality," said Benji.
