In the past 2021, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, a number of film and television dramas reflecting revolutionary themes have also been released, such as "The Age of Awakening", "Glory and Dreams", "Red Boat", "Three Bays Adaptation" and so on.
The popularity of these film and television dramas has also made Hou Jingjian, the actor of Chairman Mao's youth, a hot topic figure.
So, as a young actor after the 80s, how did Hou Jingjian become Chairman Mao's special actor?
Hou Jingjian, whose ancestral home is Jinan, Shandong, was born in Beijing in 1985, as early as the age of 9, he played the son of the male protagonist in a TV series, and brilliantly completed the tasks entrusted to him by the director, and also made him indissoluble with acting.
In high school, his parents originally hoped that he could be admitted to a good university and have a skill, but Hou Jingjian had a special love for art, and often used his spare time to learn art knowledge.
Therefore, in 2003, Hou Jingjian resolutely participated in the art examination despite his parents' opposition, and as a result, he was favored by the three art academies of Chinese Opera, Nortel and Shangju, and finally he chose the Beijing Film Academy nearest to home.
In the years of school, Hou Jingjian starred in film and television dramas such as "Qing Guan Can Break Family Affairs", "Deer DingJi", "The Legend of the Tang Dynasty Ranger", "Plum Blossom Archive II" and so on, although he is not yet the male protagonist, but he is also somewhat familiar.
At this time, he certainly could not have imagined that after graduation, he would become a special actor of the young Chairman Mao.
In 2009, the historical theme TV series "Iron Shoulders Moral Righteousness" began filming, reflecting the legendary life of revolutionary pioneer Li Dazhao, but who would play Chairman Mao in his youth was difficult for director Gu Jinyun.
On the recommendation of a friend, Gu Jinyun found Hou Jingjian.
For this opportunity, Hou Jingjian initially refused, because Chairman Mao was like a "god" in his heart, he had just graduated less than two years ago, and he knew very little about the relevant background knowledge, so how could he play Chairman Mao well? In case it does not meet the expected effect, not only will the audience not recognize it, but it will not be accepted by it.
However, after hearing about it, his family was very supportive of him to take over this role, first, he did have a lot of similarities with Chairman Mao in his youth, and second, if he could play Chairman Mao, it would be a very honorable thing.
Finally, with everyone's encouragement, Hou Jingjian decided to try it.
After arriving at the audition site, Hou Jingjian put on a long shirt and a head covering according to the director's requirements, and then the makeup artist set makeup for him, and when all this was done, the crew all exclaimed in unison, and even Hou Jingjian himself felt that he was indeed very similar to Chairman Mao in his youth!
Therefore, Hou Jingjian put down his ideological baggage and decided to play the young Chairman Mao in "Iron Shoulders and Moral Righteousness".
This TV series marks Hou Jingjian's official entry into the ranks of special actors, and also allows him to form an indissoluble relationship with Chairman Mao.
At that time, Hou Jingjian was only 24 years old, and he was also the first special actor of Chairman Mao born in the post-80s.
According to statistics, starting from "Iron Shoulders Bearing Morality", Hou Jingjian has successively played the role of young Chairman Mao 13 times in "Mao Zedong", "Autumn Harvest Uprising", "Great Turning Point", "The Age of Awakening", "Glory and Dreams", "Red Boat" and other film and television dramas, almost becoming a "professional household" playing young Chairman Mao.
In order to play the young Chairman Mao well, Hou Jingjian has done a lot of preparatory work over the years, read a large number of relevant historical materials, as well as various works on Chairman Mao, and strived to read and eat thoroughly, and then combined with the script of the film and television drama, let him have a more intuitive understanding and feeling of the era, mental journey, growth and changes of the characters.
Chairman Mao likes to eat chili peppers, Hou Jingjian is a Beijinger, not good at eating spicy, but in order to play Chairman Mao well, he tried all kinds of chili peppers, and the more spicy the better, in order to be as close as possible to Chairman Mao's "hotter and more revolutionary" taste.
When Chairman Mao was young, he often wore a long shirt, and Hou Jingjian would wear the long shirt when filming on the set or at home, and always experience Chairman Mao's figure and gait.
In terms of lines, Hou Jingjian has made great efforts, in the film and television dramas he starred in, the amount of lines is very large, and coupled with the reasons for historical dramas, the expression, intention, and transition of the lines are very different from modern dramas, so Hou Jingjian will be familiar with the lines as soon as he has time, and often ask for advice from his predecessors.
For example, during the filming of the TV series "Mao Zedong", Chairman Mao's other special actor Tang Guoqiang, and Premier Zhou's special actor Liu Jin were also there, during the filming process, Hou Jingjian often asked the two seniors for advice, and these two also gave Hou Jingjian a lot of help, helping him analyze the background of the times, ideological changes, and mood of the young Chairman Mao, which benefited Hou Jingjian a lot.
Later, he jokingly said: "I am 'stealing teachers' from Tang Guoqiang, Liu Jin and other predecessors." ”
When filming the TV series "The Age of Awakening", Hou Jingjian specially lost dozens of pounds in order to restore the thin figure of young Chairman Mao, and when filming the plot of Chairman Mao's appearance when it was raining heavily, six sprinklers "rained" at the same time, and it took a whole day to shoot, in order to pursue the best picture effect, Hou Jingjian did not change his clothes once.
Although the process is a bit arduous, but for Hou Jingjian, it is also a valuable learning opportunity and spiritual baptism, he said: "Over the years, I have been playing Grandpa Mao, and I have learned a lot from Grandpa Mao, such as people need to suffer, only by suffering and overcoming difficulties can we make progress and move forward step by step." ”
After the TV series "The Age of Awakening" was broadcast, in addition to Li Dazhao, played by Zhang Tong, and Chen Duxiu, played by Yu Hewei, who attracted much attention, Hou Jingjian's young Chairman Mao was also widely praised, and everyone believed that he truly restored the style of Chairman Mao in that year.
Hou Jingjian was also very happy about the popularity of this TV series, saying: "I have always hoped that there is such a drama with a main theme, which can resonate with many people and let everyone feel the power of literary and artistic works." ”
Over the years, Hou Jingjian has also received many honors, such as the Most Promising Actor Award of the "Golden Oak Award" of the 2017 New York Television Festival, the "Outstanding Actor" of the 8th Asian Micro Film Arts Festival in 2020, the Ambassador of China's "Star Sharp Award" Virtue and Art Shuangxin, the 7th Cixiao Cultural Ambassador and so on.
Hou Jingjian is only 37 years old this year, and it is the time when he is in full bloom, and he also hopes that he can continue to shape Chairman Mao in different periods and make his acting career brighter.
(References: Qilu Evening News, Qianjiang Evening News, Lianhe Daily)