If you were anywhere near a cinema in Asia back in 2015, you couldn’t escape it. That catchy theme song "A Little Happiness" by Hebe Tien was playing on a loop in every convenience store, and everyone was suddenly obsessed with retro Taiwanese high school uniforms. But really, it wasn't just the 90s nostalgia that turned Our Times (我的少女時代) into a massive $80 million global juggernaut. It was the chemistry. The Our Times movie cast captured a very specific kind of lightning in a bottle that most teen rom-coms try—and fail—to replicate.
Frankly, most people expected it to be a cheap knock-off of You Are the Apple of My Eye. It wasn't. While the latter felt like a guy's filtered memory of his first crush, Our Times felt like a girl's messy, loud, and slightly embarrassing diary come to life.
The Breakthrough of Vivian Sung and Darren Wang
Let's talk about Lin Truly. Vivian Sung didn't just play a character; she became the avatar for every girl who ever felt invisible in high school. Before this, Vivian was mostly known for Café. Waiting. Love, but this was different. She had to carry the "ugly duckling" trope without making it feel like a caricature. You know the look—the frizzy hair, the oversized glasses, the clumsy gait. It’s a cliché as old as time, but Sung grounded it in actual vulnerability.
Then there’s Darren Wang. Honestly, Hsu Tai-yu is the role he was born to play. Before this movie, Wang had been in the industry for seven years, mostly doing minor roles and commercials that nobody really remembers. He was a "stagnant" actor. Then he slicked his hair back, put on that denim jacket, and became the quintessential "bad boy with a heart of gold."
The industry call it the "Darren Wang Phenomenon." Suddenly, he was the biggest star in China and Taiwan virtually overnight.
It’s interesting to look back at the casting process. Director Frankie Chen has mentioned in various interviews that she didn't want polished, "perfect" idols. She wanted people who felt raw. Darren Wang’s audition wasn't even for the lead initially—he was eyeing the role of the school golden boy, Ouyang Feifan. But Chen saw that smirk and knew he was her Tai-yu.
Dino Lee and Ian Chen: The Supporting Pillars
While the central duo took most of the spotlight, the Our Times movie cast would have felt empty without the contrast provided by Dino Lee and Ian Chen.
Dino Lee played Ouyang Feifan. He was the "perfect" guy—the one who plays basketball, excels at academics, and makes every girl swoon. In any other movie, he’d be the villain or a cardboard cutout. But Lee played him with a sort of gentle obliviousness that made the love square actually work. He represents that first, superficial crush we all have before we realize that love is actually about the person who stays up late helping us study.
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- Dino Lee actually transitioned more into music after the film, which makes sense given his background.
- Ian Chen, who played the "school beauty" Tao Min-min, had the hardest job: making a "mean girl" feel like a real person with her own pressures.
The dynamic between these four is what creates the friction. You have the rebel, the nerd, the star athlete, and the princess. It sounds like The Breakfast Club, but filtered through a 1990s Taipei lens.
Those Adult Cameos That Broke the Internet
If you want to understand why this movie hit so hard, you have to look at the final ten minutes. Most teen movies struggle with the "grown-up" versions of their characters. Usually, it's just the same actors in bad makeup or different actors who look nothing like their younger selves.
Our Times cheated. But in the best way possible.
They brought in Joe Chen to play the adult Lin Truly and Jerry Yan for the adult Hsu Tai-yu. This was a massive power move. Joe Chen is the undisputed queen of Taiwanese idol dramas (The Prince Who Turns into a Frog, Fated to Love You). Putting her in the lead for the finale was a signal to the audience: "We know you grew up watching her, and now she's growing up with you."
And Jerry Yan? His cameo was kept a secret for a long time during production. For anyone who grew up during the Meteor Garden era, seeing Yan back on screen playing a reformed bad boy was a full-circle moment. It bridged the gap between two generations of Mandopop culture.
Oh, and we can’t forget Andy Lau. Playing himself. The fact that the entire plot revolves around Lin Truly’s obsession with Andy Lau, and then the man himself actually appears? It’s meta-commentary at its finest. Lau wasn't just a cameo; he was the symbol of the era the movie was trying to preserve.
Why the Chemistry Worked (When It Usually Doesn't)
Why do we still care about the Our Times movie cast?
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It's the "unpolished" factor. If you watch the behind-the-scenes footage, the cast spent months in workshops before a single frame was shot. They didn't just learn lines; they learned how to be a "gang." Darren Wang and his on-screen lackeys actually spent time hanging out to build that effortless rapport you see in the rooftop scenes.
There's also the physical comedy. Vivian Sung wasn't afraid to look genuinely ridiculous. There’s a scene where she falls into a pool, and another where she’s struggling with a roller skate. A lot of modern actors are too concerned with their "brand" to look that uncoordinated. Sung leaned into it.
The Cultural Impact and Career Trajectories
Looking at where they are now, the film was a massive springboard, but it also became a shadow they’ve had to outrun.
- Darren Wang: He moved heavily into the Mainland Chinese market, starring in big-budget films like Railroad Tigers alongside Jackie Chan. He’s become a staple of variety shows, though many fans argue he’s never quite matched the iconic status of Hsu Tai-yu.
- Vivian Sung: She’s had a very steady career, moving between films like Hello Mr. Billionaire and various TV dramas. She’s proven she has staying power beyond the "quirky girl" archetype.
- Frankie Chen (Director): She moved on to produce and direct more high-profile projects, including Fall in Love at First Kiss, which also starred Darren Wang, attempting to recapture that same magic.
The movie also sparked a massive revival in 90s fashion in East Asia. High-waisted jeans, oversized shirts, and even the specific "Ouyang Feifan" hairstyle saw a brief, ironic comeback.
Misconceptions About the Production
Some people think the movie was an overnight success based solely on the actors' looks. That’s not quite right. The production was actually quite risky. At the time, the Taiwanese film industry was leaning heavily into gritty dramas or very niche indie films. A big-budget, glossy, sentimental teen romance was seen as "too commercial" by some critics.
The cast also faced criticism for being "too old" to play high schoolers. Darren Wang was 24 at the time of filming. But the stylized, almost hyper-real aesthetic of the film allowed for that. It wasn't trying to be a documentary; it was trying to be a memory. And memories are always more colorful and dramatic than reality.
The Legacy of the Hsu Tai-Yu Archetype
Hsu Tai-yu changed the "male lead" template in Asian dramas for a few years. Before him, we were stuck with the "cold, genius, rich guy" (think Itazura na Kiss). Tai-yu was different. He was loud, he was a bit of a loser at times, and he wore his heart on his sleeve even while trying to act tough. The Our Times movie cast succeeded because they felt like the people we actually knew in school, not the people we saw in fashion magazines.
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If you go back and watch the scene on the rooftop where Tai-yu gives Lin Truly his "manual" on how to win over Ouyang, you can see the nuance in Wang’s performance. The way his expression shifts from feigned boredom to genuine heartache is why that movie made millions of people cry.
How to Experience the Nostalgia Today
If you’re looking to revisit the film or dive into the world of the Our Times movie cast, here is how you should actually do it to get the full effect:
Watch the "A Little Happiness" Music Video First
Seriously. The Hebe Tien music video contains snippets of the film that perfectly capture the mood. It’s the ultimate primer. It has over 200 million views on YouTube for a reason.
Look for the Uncut Version
There are various TV edits and streaming versions. Try to find the original theatrical cut. Some of the smaller character moments between Lin Truly’s friends (the "gang") are often trimmed for time, but they add a lot of flavor to the school setting.
Follow the Cast’s Current Projects
To see how much they’ve evolved, check out Vivian Sung in Lost Romance (a great meta-drama that pokes fun at the very tropes she helped popularize) or Darren Wang in The Wolf. It’s a wild contrast to their high school personas.
Host a "Retro" Watch Party
The movie works best when shared. Grab some 90s snacks (if you can find them), put on a faded denim jacket, and embrace the sentimentality. The film doesn't apologize for being "cringe," and neither should you.
The magic of this cast wasn't just that they were talented; it was that they seemed to be having the time of their lives. That kind of energy is impossible to fake, and it’s why, ten years later, we’re still talking about a bunch of kids in a 1990s high school.