Jasper Liu

2008-2010: Pre-debut

During Liu's senior year in University, he entered the "2008 Eelin Male Model Search" contest which he came in 3rd place. Liu's father was highly against him entering showbiz as he was unfamiliar with the entertainment industry, but Liu pleaded with his father to give him a 2-year time period in the industry.^[6] He was signed to the agency, but found little success in his first three years as a model earning an average monthly salary of NT$20,000 (estimated USD$658.00).^[7] In 2011 his modeling career took off after starring as "Mei Nam" in the 2011 idol drama In Time with You where he had to perm his naturally straight hair into short curls. Soon he was known for his signature curly hair which resembled the top of a broccoli head giving him the nickname "Village Chief of Broccoli Village" and quickly became a popular male model in demand in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, walking the runways for major fashion designers and appearing in magazines such as FHM, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar Magazine, and GQ.^[8]

2011-2012: Acting debut

After playing non-credited roles and starring in micro films Liu's big break came in 2011, when he starred in the minor supporting role as "Mei Nam" in the popular GTV drama In Time with You, playing a high school classmate to lead actors Ariel Lin and Bolin Chen. His character was known as the handsome male student with curly hair. After recognition and success of In Time with You, Liu decided to keep the curly hair look of his character which would eventually become his signature look in the industry, and continued to play supporting roles in idol dramas, such as 2012's Once Upon a Love in a small cameo role and the teen comedy drama Confucius as one of the rebellious high school students.

2013: The Patisserie with No Name

It wasn't until 2013 that Liu landed his first male leading role in PTS's critically acclaimed and award nominated drama The Patisserie with No Name as "Allen" a stranded backpacker, who accidentally stumbles into a small French pastry shop while trying to recover his stolen belongings and then requesting to stay at the pastry shop by working for room and broad. Also IUUI as a man who falls in love with a girl that was raised like a sibling to his character "Luo Jia He".

In 2014 his popularity crossed over to Japan when he starred as a foreign exchange high school student in one episode of NTV's franchised mystery drama Kindaichi Case Files. Even though Liu knows minor Japanese his voice was eventually dubbed by a Japanese voice actor in the drama.

2014: Pleasantly Surprised and film debut

His acting career as a leading man continued to rise in 2014 when he signed with Taiwan cable network Sanlih E-Television to star in their dramas. Liu's first project with Sanlih was 2014's SETTV's romantic comedy Pleasantly Surprised, opposite Taiwanese model, singer and actress Puff Kuo. Wanting to go for a more mature look, he cropped off his signature curly hair for his role as "Louis Fu Zi Jie", a skilled French chef who returns home, reconnects and falls in love with his childhood friend "Du Kai Qi", played by Kuo.^[9] Liu and Kuo's chemistry as a screen couple was successful and well received. The two went on to win the "Best Kiss" award at the 2014 Sanlih Drama Awards.^[10]

That same year, two of Liu's theatrical films that were filmed in 2013 were released in theaters. In October 2014, Live@Love in which he stars in his first leading role in a theatrical film, co-stars Cheryl Yang whom he previous worked with in 2012 GTV television drama Once Upon a Love playing an older version of her son. The film is a mystery detective comedy with Liu playing Yang's young assistant. Then in November 2014, Second Chance has him in a supporting role starring opposite Taiwanese band Mayday's leader and guitarist Monster. The movie is about a young girl played by Huang Peijia, who enters a billiards competition in order to pay off her family debt. Liu plays the love interest of Huang Peijia's character.

2015: Ghostly role and When I See You Again

The day after Pleasantly Surprised wrapped up filming, Liu attended a press conference on October 14, 2014, for his new drama I Am Sorry, I Love You that is being developed and produced by Chinese web streaming company Tudou. The drama has been described as a light-hearted fantasy romance comedy. Liu will play a ghost who continues to haunt his college ex-girlfriend played by Andrea Chen, and possibly help her move on and find a new romance played by Bryant Chang. Filming was scheduled to begin in November 2014. The drama is slated to air in early 2015.^[11] After wrapping up filming of My Ghost Friend in March, Liu took a few months off before starting his next project. In early May 2015 he collaborated with Sanlih for a second time starring in their Sunday night drama When I See You Again opposite Mandy Wei. He will play a unattractive guy during his school days who later becomes handsome.^[12]

2016: First Fanmeeting and Take Me to The Moon

Following after a successful Live Tour across Taiwan with his band, Morning Call in the year-end of 2015, the first half of 2016 was a quiet period for Liu. His supposedly first period Chinese Wuxia drama 王道劍 was constantly delayed even though it was slated to start filming early 2016. Bounded by his contracts and to avoid possible conflicting schedules, he could not take up other film works during this period of time. In between, he only took shorter projects such as filming endorsement CF works and dubbing for his first voice acting project for "Chibi Maruko-chan: Italia Kara Kita Shōnen" as the male lead, Andrea. Despite going through a relatively quiet period, his positive image and rising popularity is still prominent in Taiwan as he lands on several endorsements like Visa Taiwan Debit Card and appointed as the ambassador for various charity events.

After months of hiatus from filming, he finally took on the role of a hot-tempered and talented Indie band vocalist, "Rex" in web-series "Lost? Me Too: Chloe", starring along with acclaimed actor Chris Wu and actress Nana Lee. The series revolves around the love and life of titular lead, "Chloe", a career-women played by Lee. Liu plays the love interest and new boyfriend of "Chloe" in the series. This role was a great new challenge for Liu as the role requires him to sing, he was known to be the guitarist in his band, Morning Call and have never officially sing a full song on screen. The role "Rex" is very hot-tempered and brash, vastly different from the warmer roles he took in the past.^[13]

Collaborating with Korea's travel website, Nadoyo, his career took off to another level by holding his first ever Fanmeeting in Seoul, South Korea on July 31. According to news reports, 500 tickets were sold out in 10 minutes and hundreds of Korean fans greeted him in the airport, proving his popularity in South Korea.^[14][15] He was awarded with Asian Male Star Prize at 11th Seoul Drama Awards in September.^[16]

In September, filming starts for the nostalgia high school music romance movie, Take Me to The Moon (帶我去月球), starring as a high school student, "Wang Zheng Xiang", the male lead opposite of actress Vivian Sung. The movie is inspired by the same-title song by late popular Taiwanese singer-songwriter Chang Yu Sheng. Set in 1997 Taiwan, the movie revolves around a group of high school schoolmates, the "Moon Band" and the last few nights before their graduation day. It is slated to be released in December 1, 2017 in Taiwan.^[17]

2017-present: Expanding Career to China and New Roles

In March 2017, filming starts for his first work in China, Mary Sue & Jack Sue (玛丽苏遇上杰克苏), a romantic comedy web series. He plays as the heroine's warm childhood friend Su Zhi Huan and a secretly well-known comic artist.

Following after the wrap of his previous work, he stars as the protagonist, Lin Qing Wen in the historical-period Chinese TV drama that is set in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era, My Bittersweet Taiwan (台湾往事), playing as the son of Zuo Xiao Qing.

Having collaborated earlier for Samsung Galaxy A8 series endorsement in Taiwan for year 2018, Ivy Chen and Liu are once again reunited as a couple in Taiwanese romantic melodrama film, More Than Blue (比悲傷更悲傷的故事), a remake of 2009 Korean romance film of the same title. Liu plays the gloomy protagonist Zhang Zhe Kai, who battles with terminal illness. Liu had to grow stubbles and wear long hair wig for this role, vastly different look from his usual bright and clean styling.^[18] Filming for the movie takes place in January 2018 and wrapped up in mid February, it is slated to be released in Summer 2018.

A few days after the completion of his movie, Liu enters a new role, playing as a well-established music producer that's on a decline, Yan Dong Ming in Taiwanese romantic idol drama Plant Goddess (種菜女神). In the series, he pairs up with Annie Chen and once again, co-stars with Nana Lee. The series is a production of IQiyi Taiwan, the Taiwanese version of China streaming video giant. Filming for the series starts in late February and is scheduled to complete in June 2018. The series is slated for broadcast in August 2018 and will simultaneously air on Taiwan and China version of IQiyi, as well as on Taiwanese TV stations - TTV and EBC.^[19]