"Do you have any ambitions in acting?"
"I want to be Meryl Streep of China."
This is Liu Mintao's answer on the "Venus Show".
But in fact, before the age of 40, she made nearly 40 works, but none of them were popular. It wasn't until she was 40 years old that a "Lang Cymbal List" gave her a certain fame.
Today, Liu Mintao is 45 years old. In addition to the familiar "Lang Hao List" and "The Pretender", in those dramas that you can think of unexpectedly, we can more or less see her figure.
Some people say that she is a late bloomer, and some people say that she is an old drama bone. I think Liu Mintao is more like a representative of women's awakening.
01
In 1976, Liu Mintao was born in Shandong.
But from her body, we see more of the gentleness and calmness of Jiangnan women. I have good grades since I was a child, so I am very likable at home and at school.
In 17 years, when other people's children were preparing for the college entrance examination, Liu Mintao, who had been a "well-behaved girl" since childhood, made an unexpected decision.
It turned out that her parents had great pressure to compete in college, and Liu Mintao liked to dance since she was a child, so she suggested that she go to a secondary school and become a kindergarten teacher after graduation in the future.
After all, in the eyes of their parents, girls don't need to be so ambitious, as long as they are stable.
Liu Mintao, who has been obedient to his parents since he was a child, naturally has no objections, even if he is unhappy in his heart. Fortunately, then her aunt came and persuaded her to try the drama school.
Although there was no professional training, let alone systematic learning, but that year in the Chinese opera examination, Liu Mintao was actually admitted to the previous three results, perhaps the fate of the second half of her life had already been decided.
Since then, Wang Qianyuan and Li Naiwen have become her classmates. At that time, Gao Jingwen, who was Gong Li's teacher, called her "Little Gong Li".
02
Although he received countless praises, although he started late from the people around him, Liu Mintao did not get carried away and depressed, but continued the character of hard work since childhood.
Whether it is studying or performing on stage, she is extremely dedicated and serious. Whether it's a line, an expression or an action, she always has to think about it over and over again. Even if her classmates are busy dating and playing, she can still achieve the calm and soberness of "everyone is drunk and I am awake".
It may be this kind of hard work and persistence, so Liu Mintao has never lacked resources.
Since her debut at the age of 16, her plays have never been broken, from "Good Luck to You", "Fengyang Boy Zhu Yuanzhang" to "Troubled World", "Marshal Zhu De"... But it is a pity that every time it is a drama celebrity who is not popular.
But fortunately, Liu Mintao was never discouraged by this, but she was not picky at all, as long as she thought the role was interesting, then she took the script.
Therefore, we can see the agile but feminine Nie Xiaoqian in "Human Ghost Love".
In the "Winter Solstice" cooperated with Chen Daoming, I saw the big villain Yu Qingqing, who made people love and hate.
In "The Great Song Ti Criminal Officer", I saw the shrewd and capable Yinggu.
In "Parental Love", I saw the playful and cute but delicate Teacher Ge.
In "The Pretender", I saw the Ming family sister who knew the general body, had a sense of home and country, and even had acting skills to crush Hu Ge and Jin Dong.
The most commendable is the Chen Jiazhen she played in "Fugui", the old man with white hair who is nearly a flower armor, who can believe that it is actually played by Liu Mintao, who was only 29 years old at the time.
03
But no matter how strong a strong woman is, she is still a woman, and Liu Mintao is no exception.
At the age of 30, she finally waited for her own love. From marriage to having a daughter, every step went smoothly. She thought that what awaited her would be the happiness of marriage, but she did not know that all this was just her own loneliness.
When we saw her from the front of the screen, we always felt that she was very strong, but in fact, Liu Mintao's heart was more conservative and delicate than anyone.
She feels like a downright "single-threaded" personality, that is, to do anything, once decided, she will do her best to do it, while other things must be put aside.
It is precisely because of this that when her career is at its peak, she has the courage to return to the family and become a housewife despite everyone's persuasion.
From 30 to 37 years old, for an actor, this is the most critical 7 years of career. But Liu Mintao dedicated all these 7 years to his family, but in the end he could not survive the seven-year itch.
Finally, late one night when he was 37 years old, Liu Mintao lay on the bed thinking and thinking. In the end, with an uncanny determination, he ended this bad and exhausting marriage, just as he decided to quit the entertainment industry.
04
Now, in fact, I dare not imagine how Liu Mintao survived at that time.
Leaving aside her status as an actress, a woman divorced in the middle age, and has since been separated from the family she relied on so much, and has a 4-year-old child to raise.
Career also because of this marriage stagnated, or even completely ruined, how would you define this woman? Presumably most people's answer is, "She's really miserable!" ”
But Liu Mintao didn't think so, she only felt that those who couldn't defeat herself would only make herself stronger.
As a result, we can see that at the 6th China Television Good Actor Awards Ceremony in 2019, Liu Mintao, who won the "Best Role Actress Award", was dignified and calm;
In "The Birth of an Actor", it can be seen that Cixi, played by Liu Mintao, integrates many transformative expressions such as fierceness, grief, and calmness;
In "The Big Red Lantern Hangs High", I can see her singing in Peking Opera, which makes all the audience in front of the screen get goosebumps;
In "Sound Immersion", I saw that she first won the championship with a high note, and then made a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, and directly started another performance with tears in her eyes.
Especially when singing "Red High Heels", her "three points of thin coolness, three points of ridicule and four points of carelessness" eyes, but also on the night of the performance dominated the entire hot search, the heat lasted for many days, and even set off a wave of imitation of Liu Mintao's eyes.
05
Remember that Liu Mintao once said such a sentence:
"For me, the rebellion of middle age is not destructive, it may not be like the sun at eight or nine o'clock, but it is like a winter stove, warmly nurturing not hot hands, just right." 」
Yes, the first half of her life is under the secular framework, and she is a well-behaved woman in the eyes of others;
But in the second half of her life, after experiencing great enlightenment, she was the independent woman who dared to pursue herself.
Yes, there are too many women like "Liu Mintao-style" in reality.
Under the invisible shackles and frameworks, they place their hopes on others. I hope that through others, I can help myself to avoid suffering and difficulties, and even live a seemingly stable life.
But then, this means giving up one's own self-worth and affirmation from that moment on, giving up the constant motivation and courage to pursue oneself.
It was only on the day when the clouds were abandoned and ignored that it was completely realized:
True stability and affirmation is to be given to oneself.
But isn't it too late at this time?
I remember someone once asked Liu Mintao: "You are too late to be red, will you regret it?" ”
She said: "It's never too late, it's never too late. ”
Deeply believed, whether it is doing what you like, or pursuing self and self-awakening, it is never too late.
Falling down is not terrible, you can change your posture and stand up in a more elegant posture. The fear is that you will never lose the courage and determination to stand up!