‘The Untamed’: All the best behind the scenes moments from the show

The Untamed pushed its way into the hearts & minds of folks everywhere in 2019. Now, a little over a year on, the frenzy surrounding this show is still raging strong. The BL drama set in ancient China has been streamed worldwide over a whopping 8.5 billion times. Folks everywhere are still positively losing their minds over this Chinese masterpiece. 

What is it about this show that has folks so unable to move on? The short answer is that The Untamed is really a package deal. It features incredible set & costume designs, an impressive script that depicts complex characters & plot design, a brave queer depictions from a country that bans homosexuality on television. The wow factor is just so high. 

However, The Untamed would never have been the smashing success that it is without the folks that brought this show to life: the cast. At the center of it all is Wang Yibo & Xiao Zhan who star as the show’s two main leads. China, and the rest of the world, fell in love with their portrayal of Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian. 

The on & off-screen chemistry between these two boys is nothing short of beautiful. The creators of the show had absolutely no problem sharing the relationship that developed between them during filming with the rest of the world. The behind-the scenes footage available of their filming experience is just as delightful as the show itself. Like the gift that keeps on giving, BTS footage keeps appearing out of thin air. 

To celebrate the fact that The Untamed has reached such epic worldwide streaming proportions, we’ve compiled a collection of our favorite behind-the-scenes moments. Join us while we journey back through some of the show’s best BTS moments. 

Xiao Zhan chases Wang Yibo with a bug

This has to be one of our favorite BTS videos in the history of The Untamed. On this particular day it was Wang Yibo’s twenty-first birthday. The video opens innocently enough with Xiao Zhan sitting next to Wang Yibo wishing Wang Yibo a happy birthday over and over. Wang Yibo totally ignores Xiao Zhan, preoccupied with his phone. 

However, then, the camera cuts to Wang Yibo taking off across the set in quite a frantic walk. Crew members jump out of the way as Xiao Zhan takes off after his co-star. Xiao Zhan runs after a fleeing Wang Yibo with a bug in hand. After this video was released, it became a widely publicised fact that Wang Yibo is absolutely terrified of bugs. 

As Xiao Zhan continues to chase after Wang Yibo, terrorising him with the bug, Wang Yibo breaks into a run, shrieking as he tries to get away from Xiao Zhan. 

Our second favorite part of this video occurs at the very end during Wang Yibo’s birthday celebration. Wang Yibo is loudly thanking Xiao Zhan for the helmet his co-star gave him as a birthday gift. They start shouting at each other, but the look of absolute adoration & affection that Xiao Zhan is giving Wang Yibo in that moment is beautiful. Please boys, right in front of our salad!

WangXiao

There are two really great things about this footage. First, the video opens and you can see that Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo are messing around between takes of the library scene. They’re playing around with calligraphy brushes and Xiao Zhan is dazzling Wang Yibo with his calligraphy skills. 

It’s almost like Xiao Zhan forgets the cameras are rolling because he writes the Chinese characters for WangXiao, which is a combination of their last names combined together, and technically what their couple name would be in real life. This does not go unnoticed by Wang Yibo. He calls Xiao Zhan out, asking why he did that, and Xiao Zhan panics and scribbles it out in a frenzy. What a whoopsie, Xiao Zhan. 

Then, the second part of this video that had us absolutely scandalized was as the pair finished filming this particular scene. The director dismisses them both and they stand to leave. As Xiao Zhan turns to walk away, Wang Yibo whacks him on the butt. Yes folks, video evidence exists of Wang Yibo smacking Xiao Zhan on his rear end, and we are positively here for it. 

Wang Yibo won’t stop talking

In this video, Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo are on location somewhere between takes. They’re sitting on a rock, leaning up against each other, and it’s clear that Xiao Zhan is utterly exhausted. His robes are pulled up over his knees and he clutches at a fan as he continues to lean into Wang Yibo. 

Wang Yibo is a self proclaimed ‘slow starter’ and is known in the industry for his extreme introversion. It’s widely reported that small talk is just not his thing. This video, however, shows Wang Yibo yammering on & on, talking Xiao Zhan’s ear off about the most useless mundane things as he tries to hold the attention of his co-star. 

Wang Yibo talking about insects. Wang Yibo talking about different fruits. Wang Yibo trying to convince Xiao Zhan – unsuccessfully – to play rock, paper, scissors with him. Wang Yibo clearly likes talking to Xiao Zhan because the boy simply doesn’t shut up! Something tells us this is an everyday occurrence for the pair because Xiao Zhan rolls with the punches like a trooper, seemingly unsurprised by Wang Yibo’s behavior.

Then, as if this wasn’t already adorable enough, at the end of the video as they get up to leave the pair start bickering like an old married couple at the fact that Xiao Zhan was staring at Wang Yibo. The subs cut out in this particular video before this happens, but as they walk away Xiao Zhan yells at Wang Yibo “so handsome, and I can’t even look at you now?”

Honestly, do these boys just forget that cameras are rolling? Inquiring minds want to know.

Dancing

This BTS video just oozes cuteness as it shows various cast members dancing with each other between takes. Yu Bin, who plays the ever popular Wen Ning is adorable as he demonstrates his seaweed dance. Xiao Zhan dancing like a fairy with Xuan Lu, who plays his sister on the show, is really something else. 

There’s also a little bit of the infamous play fighting between Wang Yibo & Xiao Zhan thrown in there as well right before a footage of Wang Yibo teaching Xiao Zhan a dance he had to learn for Produce 101. We will never get over Xiao Zhan thrusting his hips at Wang Yibo while the rest of the crew stand around them like it is the most natural thing in the world. 

Then, in case that wasn’t enough to make you smile like a hopeless fool, the end of the clip shows Wang Yibo & Xiao Zhan standing opposite each other, singing & shooting each other fingers guns as they sing Blackpink’s Du Du Du together. Swoon!

Playful banter

This is one of the last on-set interviews they did together while they were dressed as their characters. Their affection and their comfort for each other really shines through in this video, and this is why it makes it into our list today. 

Maybe it’s the fact that Xiao Zhan is clearly fed up with losing to Wang Yibo at rock, paper, scissors. Maybe it’s the super cheeky smirk that Wang Yibo shoots at Xiao Zhan when he does. Or, maybe it’s the fact that Wang Yibo gets Xiao Zhan to admit on camera that Xiao Zhan is often the one to instigate their physical play fighting. Whatever it is, their whole relationship here is a joy to observe. 

The fact that Xiao Zhan basically sits in Wang Yibo’s lap when Wang Yibo refuses to move over and make room for Xiao Zhan on the couch shows just how comfortable they really are with each other. The fandom nearly had a heart attack when this footage was released. 

These are just some of our favorite moments. There are dozens of BTS videos that depict the joy Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo obviously brought to each other’s lives while filming this project. Watching their relationship develop right before everyone’s eyes is just as much a pleasure as the actual show itself!

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Shoutout to @jalpari_yizhan and @ObsidianAurora on Twitter for providing the vids!