On November 28, 2020, the CCTV-6 Movie Channel program Film Review Today and the China Film Association jointly hosted the 33rd China Golden Rooster Awards “Actors’ Forum: Me and My Roles”.
“Me and my roles are setting sail.” Actress Xi Meijuan, vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, gave an address at the forum.
She spoke with enthusiasm about sharing her characters’ joys and sorrows: “I often find joy in my profession. Acting is also a profession that lets me reflect deeply on society and life.”
She said: “The character of a role cannot escape the influence of its era and the broader social environment, so I tell myself to keep a keen mind and keep raising my aims and self-awareness.”
Renowned performing artist Xie Fang shared her experience of acting in her signature films The Song of Youth and Early Spring in February. Xie Fang, who had extensive stage experience, made her film debut as the heroine Lin Daojing in The Song of Youth. The film became an instant hit after its release, making her a star of her day and a leader of fashion for women of the new period.
Recalling her first time on the big screen, Xie Fang said what she remembered most were two suicide scenes shot in the cold of early spring: in one she jumped into the sea, in the other into a river. Fortunately she was an excellent swimmer, and for realism she even swam underwater for a stretch. Her physical strength impressed the young people present.
She said actors need to find suitable scripts and roles and always stay true to their original aspirations. Xie Fang also spoke up for Chinese cinema: “Let Chinese films go global, and let Chinese films be what people around the world love to watch most!” The audience responded with loud applause.
Can actors rely on online popularity? Do acting competition shows exploit actors? Are actors’ motives for joining such shows pure? Can actors rely on their teams? The forum held a roundtable discussion on several topics around the question of “what actors really rely on”.
Speaking of recent popular acting competition shows, Chen Xuedong said taking part in them carries risks: “It is a variety show, not a film or TV work. I am not spending a year or several months immersed in one role; I am playing five or six roles in two or three months. I want to be well prepared before I take on a work.” He said he prefers lifestyle reality shows, which let him draw acting experience and nourishment from life.
“The worst outcome is that I lose, isn’t it? What else can I lose?” Liu Yan took a different position: she believes actors should set aside face and worries and take part in acting shows, where they can also grow and learn.
Liu Yan encouraged Chen Xuedong and Guan Xiaotong to join acting competition shows and spoke frankly: “Acting shows have plenty of embarrassing moments. Because they are competitions, and also a form of exposure and publicity, actors inevitably have their own little calculations. But once you have been on one and gained experience, you will know how to deal with such people. That is life in all its variety. Don’t be afraid.”
Chen Zhixi has moved from acting to producing. In her view, not every actor has to join such shows: “Some actors go to learn and improve their acting, some think they are skilled and need a stage to show themselves, and some feel they are not famous enough; for them, the show may have a negative effect.” The key to the choice lies in each actor’s original intention.
Since becoming the initiator of a popular acting competition show, Da Peng has been the subject of constant discussion and some criticism. At the forum, he spoke openly about what he has been through recently:
“I am a director and also an actor. On that occasion, besides facing veteran directors, there was Teacher Li, several producers and the studio audience. Many of the actors kept their hands behind their backs, picking at their fingers and sweating. Whether seasoned veterans or so-called young idols, everyone was under great pressure. My own experience of how I got here may be of some help to them.”
At the end of the forum, the actors each spoke about their future careers and their hopes as actors.
“Starting with an art-house film next year,” Guan Xiaotong said. She has never made an art-house film, and in future she wants both to make works within her comfort zone and to step outside it and try art-house films.
Chen Xuedong said: “I went through many periods of confusion and did not know how to be a good actor. From now on I will be a good actor and give it everything I have.”
“Don’t think acting is simple!” Da Peng advised actors to cultivate themselves and enrich their inner spiritual world: “Only a rich person can have a rich experience of roles!”
A good actor who stays true to their original aspiration, keeps raising their aims and has a full inner spiritual world can not only make an important contribution to a work but also, through that work, change how many people see the world. As Shi Hang said at the close of the forum:
“The great Goethe had a definition: an actor is someone walking a tightrope on stage, sometimes ten meters high, sometimes one meter high. Whether or not the work is dangerous, while we admire all their skills, we should also know what risks they are taking. So we respect everyone who walks the tightrope, and thank them for making life better.”
