Liquorice Actors 甘草演员 gāncǎo yǎnyuán

This term refers to those senior actors (most over 50 years old) with rich acting experience but always play supporting roles, such as the parents, boss, doctors or lawyers of the protagonists. As a Chinese herb, liquorice doesn't have any curative properties. It just leads the therapeutic drugs to the injured part. "Liquorice actors" likewise just try their best to support the main characters.