In "Looking Up," audiences follow the coming-of-age journey of Ma Fei, an astronaut who reflects on his life's trials, childhood tribulations and the relationship with his father while in space.

The Chinese family drama brought out into the open tough questions about rigid family and education structures – and for actor Bai Yu, who portrays the space explorer, it took him on an intense soul-searching voyage.

The movie, which opened in China on July 18, managed to dethrone Disney's "The Lion King" during its opening weekend, raking in 354 million yuan at the domestic box office.

But it's not just spectators that embarked on a roller-coaster ride that took them through the intimate childhood moments of Ma through his teenage years until his outer space escapade – Bai told CGTN that the filming experience was an eye-opening journey for him at professional and personal levels.

Movies as mirrors

Directed by veteran actor Deng Chao and written by Yu Baimei, "Looking Up" depicts the heartwarming story of Ma Haowen – played by Deng himself – whose faith in his son Ma Fei is unshakable despite the boy struggling at school.

The single father encourages his son to dream big and focus on his goals, summoning an image of an affectionate and emotional paternal figure that resonated with many audiences – and Bai himself – even though they could not relate to it.

"To be frank, my father is totally different from what the film presented," Bai told CGTN, adding, "My father is a typical stern father. We don't talk much, and when we do, it's more like him giving orders."

"I wondered why my father is always so serious and strict when I was a little boy," he recalled.

Fathers in China, and other Asian countries like South Korea and Japan, are often seen as forbidding, rigid and unwilling to show or share emotions. They're the head of the family, the protectors and providers, but also the disciplinarians and authority figures.

The film, however, attempts to break with this image, offering another facet of fathers' relationship with their children – one that has been described by reviewers as "unconventional and deeply resonant."

For Bai, who played Ma as a young adult and a grown-up, this unusual approach to father-son ties made him go, "hmmm."

"It felt like looking at a mirror when watching the movie, I found how much my father loves me, but he doesn't know how to express it. He just loves you silently."

Uniformity through imitation

In the two-hour-plus family saga, Bai portrays Ma as an impetuous high school student and later on as a stiff upper lip astronaut.

Presenting the earlier life of the character fell on the shoulders of child actors Sun Xilun and Feng Ze'ang. To ensure a smooth transition between the different stages of Ma Fei's life, Bai said attention to detail was crucial.

"The younger you are, the more impulsive you are. So you might have many small movements," Bai explained, adding, "While as an astronaut, you have to present the attitude of a soldier."

"To maintain the consistency of the same character played by the two child actors and myself, I had to grasp the mannerism [of the character] and personal attitudes."

Bai did his homework before it was his turn to be on camera. He visited the set to observe the two child actors and study their interpretation of the character so he could imitate some of their quirks. He also took the time to sit and talk with them and the director to know who Ma Fei is.

Bai noticed that the little Ma Fei rubbed his hands together as a sign of excitement when his father bought him a computer. He decided on keeping that signature gesture in his own scenes to convey elation.

Making space on Earth?

"Looking Up" starts with a touch-and-go situation in space, where astronaut Ma and his teammate lose communication with their base. Bai was central in the scenes featuring literally out-of-this-world visual effects in the movie.

Bai said he watched many space movies, including the 2017 Russian historical space epic "Salyut 7." However, before filming began, he admitted he did not know how such films were made.

"I didn't know that we have to do so much wire work to simulate zero-gravity conditions. Strung high in the air, you have to control and move your body to perform a state of weightlessness," Bai admitted to CGTN.

"I was naively thinking that they would create a zero-G environment for us to perform the scenes. That was so naive!"

Bai's day on the filming set sounded more like a complex medical procedure than an acting gig. 

He was suspended for up to 10 hours a day while delivering his performance like doing spacewalks. He also had to overcome the dizziness caused by being dangled upside down for a long time.

It was the first time for him to cooperate with an international production team, which flew in from Russia and took part in "Salyut 7." Bai said he was impressed by how professional and patient they were.

"The wire work was very complicated, and the equipment needed to be adjusted to fit different people, according to their height and weight. They controlled every detail very well," said the actor, adding, "They made sure our security was the top priority."

'I just want to be an actor'

Bai would like the cooperation with the Russian crew to be the first of his many international collaborations. When asked which foreign director he would like to cooperate with in the future, the actor didn't hesitate in answering.

"Director [Jean-Jacques] Annaud," he said. "I've met director Annaud, though only once, when I was in college. And I'm looking forward to having some sort of cooperation with him in the future."

But the 29-year-old is aware of his priorities, including growing as an actor.

"I still need to focus on acting, and improve myself continuously. I will keep it up, and it would be easier to have a chance to work together someday," he noted.

At the film's Beijing premiere, Deng, the director of "Looking Up," spoke highly of Bai's professional integrity and serious attitude during the shooting, saying he felt "so lucky to have Bai on the team."

According to the director, Bai volunteered to spend one month in zero gravity simulation before he set foot on set. 

It took the crew about four months to film a total of 20 scenes – quite a lengthy commitment for a popular actor with a busy schedule.

Born in 1990 in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Bai first came to public attention in 2014. He was catapulted to stardom last year with such hit action series as "Guardian," which garnered a remarkable following and acclaimed melodrama "Suddenly This Summer."

But Bai is not allowing this newfound popularity to get to his head, and insists he simply wants to be an actor.

"I always believe in not letting the noise of the outside world drown my own inner voice. Follow your heart. [Ask yourself] what you really want. I just want to be an actor," Bai said.

"I'd give everything for stories and characters that attract me."

Director and reporter: Hong Yaobin

Videographers: Guo Yuanheng, Wang Yanan

Video editor: Hong Yaobin

Cover image designer: Liu Shaozhen

(Nadim Diab and Josh McNally contributed to the story.)