From North America’s trending charts to surging downloads across Southeast Asian platforms, Chinese-produced short dramas have quietly emerged as a new vehicle for the global expansion of China’s film and television industry. But behind the rising popularity, one recurring challenge continues to surface: scripts are written, sets are built, subtitles are translated—but where do the foreign actors come from?
The shortage of qualified foreign actors is nothing new. Many directors and producers have dealt with situations like “finding someone last-minute,” “relying on luck in WeChat groups,” or “realizing only on set that the actor can’t actually perform.” The use of foreign actors in Chinese productions has long been informal and unreliable—without proper systems or protections in place. Legality, professionalism, and consistency often exist in a gray area. And as short dramas evolve from creative experiments into internationally targeted businesses, these so-called “small problems” can quickly become major risks.
This is not just a matter of language fluency or acting experience—it extends to visa processing, legal accountability, communication coordination, and even cultural adaptation. For short-form projects with tight schedules and limited budgets, these challenges are difficult to resolve at the production level alone. What’s needed is a platform—and more importantly, a leading force with organizational capacity and industry influence.
As one of the most concentrated and dynamic hubs in China’s film and television ecosystem, Hengdian has become the production base for an overwhelming number of short dramas. Each month, hundreds of short-form projects go into production here. To cast foreign actors, crews look locally, regionally, and even abroad. But after exhausting all these options, many come to the same realization: a stable, centralized solution is essential. Against this backdrop, Hengdian began building a more structured and sustainable approach to foreign actor management.
With joint efforts from Hengdian World Studios’ Talent Agency, its International Business Department, and the Hengdian Global Short Drama Alliance, Hengdian World Studios has been quietly establishing a comprehensive framework for international casting: creating a growing and well-managed talent pool of foreign actors, partnering with overseas casting agencies, and introducing standardized workflows that cover the full spectrum—from selection and contracting to deployment and logistical support. This is not just a response to market demand; it reflects a proactive step in shaping the industry’s evolving pace.
At present, over 1,000 foreign actors are available for coordinated scheduling, representing a wide range of ethnicities, languages, and performance styles to meet various production formats and scales. More importantly, the system isn’t just designed to solve one-off casting problems—it aims to provide a legal, reliable channel for international talent to enter and participate in China’s growing short drama sector.
Complementing this effort, Hengdian is also developing an “International Actors’ Home” initiative—providing resources for cultural adaptation, bilingual coordination, and workplace support. The goal is for foreign actors to not simply be “used” in productions, but to truly live and work within China’s film industry context. They are no longer temporary visitors on set, but long-term creative collaborators on the journey of global storytelling.
Of course, the system is still evolving. The talent pool will continue to grow, and coordination mechanisms are being refined. But each step forward is an invitation to the industry: the future of short dramas isn’t just about content going out—it’s also about people, creators, and cultures coming in.And so, if you have a story to tell—Hengdian has the people to bring it to life.