Fei Xiang gives fantasy rulers the weight and voice to be obeyed. His King Zhou is persuasive physical casting, though the stiffness that helps him suggest authority can also limit the performance.
Fi1m perspective
Fei Xiang's King Zhou in Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023) has the physique of someone who expects obedience and a deep voice to go with it. The physical preparation matters: this is a ruler who looks capable of doing his own fighting. He is well suited to the part without making the film essential viewing. The stiffness in his acting can suggest a man accustomed to giving orders, but it also leaves us wanting more variation in the performance.
His screen work has been intermittent, with singing and musical theatre occupying much of the career. The later film appearances establish a clear preference for powerful figures in fantasy: the sorcerer in Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012), then the Cloud Hercynian King in The Monkey King 2 (2016). These are not roles that ask him to disappear into ordinary life. They use his height, voice and imposing physique. King Zhou makes him the central villain, with a much larger part to sustain.
Wuershan is the important collaborator here, directing both Painted Skin: The Resurrection and Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. The step from a sorcerer's cameo to King Zhou suggests a director finding more use for an actor's particular strengths. Yet our recommendation for the latter remains qualified, with uneven effects and an overbearing score making it chiefly a prospect for fantasy enthusiasts. Wu Yafan's acrobatic Nezha is among its chief pleasures, so Fei is not the only reason to consider it.
Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (2025) continues him as King Zhou. We would like to see that height and voice given to someone who cannot get his way, requiring Fei to make authority less certain. For his King Zhou, the first film is worth trying, with some tolerance for the noise.
Biography
Fei Xiang, also known as Kris Phillips, is a Taiwanese-born American singer and actor. Born Bart Hsiao Luan Phillips on 24 December 1960 in Taipei, he trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York after briefly attending Stanford University.
He rose to prominence as a Mandopop star in the 1980s, becoming one of the first Taiwanese performers to achieve major success in mainland China. He later appeared in Broadway productions including the original cast of Miss Saigon. His film roles include the Grand Wizard in Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012), the Cloud Hercynian King in The Monkey King 2 (2016), and King Zhou in Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023) and its sequel Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (2025).
