Dylan Wang wished to be a flight attendant; now he is flying high as an asian star.

‘Filipino fans fell for Dao Ming Su’s story of how love melted the cold heart of a bad boy and made him into a caring, loving man,’ says Ben Chan on the role portrayed by Dylan Wang.

Dylan Wang is Generation Z’s Dao Ming Su, an interesting twist of fate for China’s rising star because the airing days of the Taiwanese Meteor Garden, the first live action adaptation of ‘90s manga Boys Over Flowers in 2001 meant delayed dinners for three-year-old Dylan in Chengdu because his mother was so hooked on the show. Instead, he was watching the pineapple-haired lead portrayed by model-turned-actor Jerry Yan come of age and fall in love — and so did millions of viewers all over Asia, including the Philippines.

“Filipino fans fell for Dao Ming Su’s story of how love melted the cold heart of a bad boy and made him into a caring, loving man,” says Bench founder Ben Chan.

The iconic role of Dao Ming Su ignited the Philippines’ Asianovela obsession. Two years since his debut, Jerry Yan is a star; his fictional band of friends F4 was also a musical act that even sang on the soundtrack of Disney’s Lilo and Stitch; and he was the face of Bench’s campaign. That was a fashion moment: an international celebrity, the straightforwardness of a logo tee. The campaign tagline went, “Dao shall wear Bench.” Another one went, “Hot Days, Cool Dao” with Jerry Yan sporting a sleeveless top that blew the minds of fan girls all over the world.

Korean athlete-turned-Hallyu wave star Lee Min Ho took on the K-drama adaptation as Gu Jun Pyo 10 years ago and first appeared in the Bench campaigns in 2012. As his T-shirt said, I was prepared to “Lose My Heart.”

The newest Global Bench Setter, Dylan describes Bench as “very youthful and full of energy.”

Stardom wasn’t part of the plan for Dylan. He was a model for his school’s promotional poster when he got discovered for the rookie role that has changed his life. “My dream was to become a flight attendant and that was what I studied in school. If I wasn’t acting now, I would be a flight attendant, traveling the world,” he says.

Dylan is more interested in fashion than his predecessors. He admits to looking at fashion accounts on social media — through a VPN, of course. Compared to Dao Ming Su’s glitzy, more-is-more signature, alligator green shoes included, he describes his personal style thus: “I think I’m more laidback. I watch and play basketball, I like listening to rap, hip-hop and R&B and that influences how I get dressed. Their fashion is influenced by sportswear and I think it is a stylish way of being comfortable.”

“Bench has a mix of sportswear and casual wear which matches my style,” says Dylan Wang.

He adds: “Bench has a mix of sportswear and casual wear which matches my style.”

For the campaign, he is styled in the brand’s signature take on elevated basics. A hooded jacket becomes a statement piece with an inlaid denim vest. A long-sleeved pullover and jogger pairing becomes dressed up in graphic black and white, topped off with a black bucket hat. And in the ultimate ode to the 2001 Dao Ming Su, his hair is pushed up into a pineapple ’do by a headband; he’s wearing an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, but the print is subdued by an oversized navy tee with contrast white stitching layered underneath. Still, the overall look is more casual. “It’s more me than Dao Ming Su,” he points out.

While Dylan has a stylist, he has style tips of his own: “I like wearing basketball shoes. I cuff my jeans or wear joggers and shorts so you can see them.”

A rare smile from Bench ambassador Dylan Wang Photo by Walter Bollozos

Luckily, portraying Dao Ming Su was just as instinctive because he is just like him. “I believe that every actor’s interpretation of a character takes on a life of its own, but I really resonate with him the most. I’m a bit immature,” he admits. “I was lucky to be able to portray him because he’s pretty much me.”

In the Asian drama world, Dao Ming Su is the most well-known tsundere, a typecast of a character who is initially cold and even hostile towards someone they like yet becomes warmer over time. He admits they’re even similar in that aspect: “I play it cool at first when I’m interested and eventually become playful as I get to know the person. I can’t help but tease the person I like.”

The Chinese adaptation has been the most faithful to the source material, and Dylan portrayed Dao Ming Su with such realistic sensitivity that the author Yokio Kamio even gave him the honor of drawing his version of Dao Ming Su and gave it to him.

‘‘I like wearing basketball shoes. I cuff my jeans or wear joggers so you can see them,’’ says Dylan, taking a bow with Ben.

Becoming an actor might mean fewer flights as opposed to his previous career choice, but he’s traveling the world just the same, promoting Chinese entertainment. He shares, “China has a lot of good productions and shows. It’s a matter of seeing them, and then you’ll be convinced. We are known for martial arts and historical dramas, but I think people should give our modern drama productions a chance,” adding, “I want to build a portfolio of diverse roles.”

He is currently filming his next starring role and returns to the small screen in the upcoming Evernight 2. “This is the first time I am taking on a period drama and it’s very action packed. Even before we started filming until now, I am doing a lot of research to get to know the time period and my character as well as physical training. I have to learn more in terms of action movements, learning the martial arts and handling weapons. I will also be more silly and mischievous than Dao Ming Su.”

Last Saturday, Araneta Coliseum was packed for his Philippine fan meeting hosted by Bench. If the career trajectory of his predecessors is any indication, we are looking at the next big Asian superstar.