LayarHijau.com – Ten years after the drama Diamond Lover aired and helped catapult popular actress Dilraba Dilmurat to fame through her supporting role as Gao Wen, a surprising behind-the-scenes story has recently come to light. In an episode of The Truth Season 3, Dilraba revealed that she had once come very close to being replaced.
Her statement quickly stirred up discussions among netizens in China. The drama’s producer, Liu Yang, later added shocking details in a Weibo post, including the allegation that lead actress Tang Yan was a month late arriving on set.
According to Liu Yang, filming had already been underway for a week when the project's backers considered replacing Dilraba. Liu and the production team fought hard to keep her on the cast, even remarking that the drama behind the scenes was more intense than the plot of the show itself.
The character of Gao Wen was originally designed for a top-tier actress, but the role was declined by their managers. After the script was revised, the team decided to look for a newcomer. The screenwriter recommended Dilraba, who had already been waiting for confirmation on the role for six months. Liu Yang even admitted that they forgot to conduct a screen test for Dilraba until filming had already begun, according to World Journal.
One of Liu Yang’s most talked-about claims was that Tang Yan only joined the production a full month after filming began. This reportedly forced the screenwriter to expand and develop additional scenes for Gao Wen. Ironically, this situation allowed Dilraba to shine, and the entire crew reportedly fell in love with her portrayal. The claim quickly went viral and sparked public debate, eventually prompting Tang Yan’s studio to issue a clarification. They denied any delays, stating that Tang Yan’s arrival on set had been scheduled in advance with the production team. Fans also pointed to a post by her studio from late December 2014, which mentioned that Tang Yan was filming a movie in Dunhuang and would begin work on Diamond Lover in January 2015.
Despite all the behind-the-scenes drama, Dilraba’s performance as Gao Wen proved to be a huge success. The actress shared that she gained two million followers overnight thanks to one of her iconic lines in the drama: “Do you know how many followers I have on Weibo? Eight million fans waiting to have dinner with me — it’s an honor.” Her follower count truly did soar past eight million after that episode aired.
Following the spike in followers, Dilraba expressed how touched she was by the audience’s response. She said she felt happy but also nervous about the sudden rise to fame. She even admitted fearing that her new followers might stop supporting her once the drama ended. But as her fanbase continued to grow at a steadier pace over time, she felt calmer and expressed deep gratitude for all the support she had received.