In 1993, Liu Tianchi, who was in his junior year of Chinese opera, received invitations from Yingda and Zhang Yimou to perform.
Indah hopes she can star in "I Love My Home" and intends to train her to be Song Dandan's successor.
Just when she was ready to agree, she received an olive branch from Zhang Yimou and invited her to star in the movie "Alive", and co-starred with Ge You and Gong Li.
After Liu Tianchi weighed it up, she chose Zhang Yimou without hesitation,
Because she felt that being able to cooperate with Zhang Yimou and Ge You was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her.
Although Liu Tianchi said that it was the first time to star, his performance was very outstanding, and even Zhang Yimou was full of praise.
Later, she starred in many works, but no matter how good her resources and acting skills were, she was always tepid.
After graduation, Liu Tianchi did not know where to go, so he asked Zhang Yimou for advice.
However, the four-hour wait was exchanged for a sentence from Zhang Yimou:
"Your acting skills are really good, but without Gong Li's looks, I don't think you are suitable for being an actor, maybe the teacher is more suitable for you."
Although Liu Tianchi was uncomfortable listening to her, she still accepted Zhang Yimou's suggestion.
Since then, Liu Tianchi has gone to Japan for further study, and after returning, he was invited by The Chinese Opera to become an acting teacher.
Liu Tianchi once said: "It was director Zhang Yimou who changed the trajectory of my life and made me take many detours, and I am very grateful to him." ”
Also because of Zhang Yimou's words to change the trajectory of life is not only Liu Tianchi, but also Wei Minzhi, the protagonist of "No One Can Be Less".
Wei Minzhi became popular overnight because of Zhang Yimou, and was also forced to quit the entertainment circle because of Zhang Yimou, and Zhang Yimou's "dislike" made her grateful to this day.
What untold story is happening to her?
01
In March 1998, the crew of "No One Can Be Less" came to a remote mountain village in Zhangjiakou, Ningbao Township, Chicheng County.
The news that the crew was going to cast the cast immediately exploded in the village, and the villagers rushed to see the liveliness.
In those days, not to mention movies, they hadn't even seen television.
In fact, before coming here, the crew has already selected people in various rural areas in Hebei.
There were tens of thousands of people who signed up, but none of them were suitable.
That day, Wei Minzhi came home from school at noon, and after finishing farm work and feeding pigs at home,
So I took my sister out to play, and suddenly saw a lot of people outside a room.
Curious about what had happened, she rushed forward with her sister to find out.
It is often said that "curiosity kills cats", but Wei Minzhi's curiosity has completely changed the fate of her life.
At that time, the crew gave Wei Minzhi a performance title, making her angrily shout at the people in the room: Get out!
Wei Minzhi performed three times, and although he laughed for the first time, the second and third performances barely passed.
The director then asked her, "Would you dare if you were asked to make a movie?" ”
At that time, Wei Minzhi wanted to make a movie. But before she could think about it, she blurted out, "Dare! ”
At this time, Wei Minzhi's sister stood in the doorway, hoping to show her sister's brave side.
An assistant director then asked, "Do you sing and dance?" ”
Wei Minzhi did not hesitate: "I will." Then she danced a very awkward dance, but in fact, she had never learned it.
The last exam became an important turning point in Wei Minzhi's fate.
At that time, the default scene was that the sister was far away,
You must shout, "Sister, pick up your clothes." "So that my sister can hear."
The first time Wei Minzhi was a little shy, the word "sister" had just fallen, and she couldn't stop laughing again.
The director seemed a little angry and asked her, "What's wrong?" What a laugh! ”
At that time, Wei Minzhi was not in a good mood, and he thought that his results in the exam were not ideal, so he came to an emotional transfer.
Unexpectedly, the director was very satisfied with her demeanor and tone this time, and nodded with a smile.
Until this time, Wei Minzhi did not know what was waiting for her next,
She also didn't know what she was doing, whether it was casting or how to perform, she didn't understand at all.
It wasn't until after filming that someone told her what kind of character Zhang Yimou was, and she suddenly realized.
Soon after, a teacher from the Education Bureau informed Wei Minzhi to go filming.
02
At that time, some teachers commented: "Her academic performance is so good, let her go to the movie, all of them delay her school." ”
Unexpectedly, Wei Minzhi's father's mind was quite open: "Since you have the opportunity, you will go." But Mom didn't agree.
Despite this, Wei Minzhi still listened to her inner thoughts, and she wanted to go out of the mountain and see the outside world.
The next day, in the hotel where the crew was located, they saw Wei Minzhi's figure.
On May 6, 1998, the movie "No One Can Be Less" held a boot ceremony in this remote village.
Wei Minzhi also began her more than two-month-long life as an actor.
Until the start of filming, Wei Minzhi did not understand what a movie was, and only felt that it was quite interesting to do it now.
With the promotion of the movie "No One Can Be Less" throughout the country, the media also began to focus on Wei Minzhi.
However, Zhang Yimou began to appeal to the media: Don't stir-fry Wei Minzhi!
But during that time, there were often many media and directors who threw olive branches at her, inviting her to shoot and give interviews.
Perhaps Zhang Yimou had anticipated this result, Zhang Yimou once had a long conversation with Wei Minzhi:
"I cooperated with me to shoot "No One Can Be Less", which cannot change your destiny, and there are limitations in taking this road.
But you get into a good school, study well, and from now on, it's very important. ”
Having said that, this incident eventually changed the trajectory of Wei Minzhi's life and the fate of her family.
It was also from that time that people called Wei Minzhi "the ugliest woman".
03
Soon after, Zhai Zhihai, chairman of Shijiazhuang Elite Middle School, was deeply moved after watching "No One Can Be Less".
It just so happens that their school has a Hongzhi class, which specializes in recruiting such poor but well-performing students.
When Zhai Zhihai personally went to Chicheng County to find Wei Minzhi in the movie, the two happened to run into each other.
At that time, Wei Minzhi had just entered the first year of junior high school, and Zhai Zhihai looked at such a dilapidated house and a wall full of awards, and his heart was unspeakably complicated.
He immediately said, "Since this is the case, your sister is a teacher who teaches chemistry, and she can go to school to teach chemistry."
Since your father is a carpenter and can do carpentry work, he will come to our school to repair some wooden beds and so on.
Your mother can be a canteen aunt at school, and you and your sister will go to our school. ”
In this way, their family was arranged by the kind-hearted Zhai Zhihai in Shijiazhuang Elite Middle School.
Time is like a white colt passing through the gap, in the blink of an eye six years have passed, Wei Minzhi ushered in the college entrance examination,
Her ideal is to be admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, but her family wants her to attend a normal college.
But when she was 13 years old, Wei Minzhi could not forget the experience of filmmaking.
In Wei Minzhi's view, since Heaven had given her a chance to make a movie, she could not let the opportunity slip away from her hands again.
However, after she successfully passed the initial test and the re-examination, she fell behind in the three tests list.
In fact, before this, Wei Minzhi did not have any hope for applying for film school, and simply wanted to try it first.
Even so, she still did not give up her dream of becoming a director.
And heaven seems to have been very kind to this girl, although she was not admitted to film school,
But soon after, xi'an Foreign Chinese College sent her an invitation letter, asking her to try to apply for the Department of Choreography and Directing.
If you pass the exam, you can study at Xi'an Foreign Chinese College.
Wei Minzhi felt that the opportunity to prove herself had come, and she absolutely could not give up, and eventually she was successfully admitted to the university.
04
In the university, Wei Minzhi's efforts and hard work teachers are in the eyes,
In her sophomore year, under the recommendation of her teacher, Wei Minzhi helped a company shoot the TV series "Mother's Wish".
Based on her own experience, she also wrote and acted in "Fairy Tale of the Night".
As everyone knows, Wei Minzhi, who is deeply affected by fate, has another noble person quietly come to her side at this time.
In 2004, Hebei held an international exchange meeting on education, and Professor Chen Ergang of Brigham Young University in the United States also came to participate.
The theme meeting of "Leave No Student Behind" reminded him of the movie he had seen, "No One Can Be Less".
When he heard that the heroine of the movie, Wei Minzhi, was from Hebei, he couldn't wait to see her.
At that time, he knew that Wei Minzhi was studying in Xi'an and came to Xi'an non-stop.
After the two talked, Wei Minzhi's dreams and persistence were deeply infected by Chen Ergang, and he wanted to help her realize her dreams.
At that time, Brigham Young University in the United States had a program to sponsor poor and outstanding students around the world to study abroad.
Chen Ergang felt that Wei Minzhi was very suitable, so he recommended her to try it.
Before meeting Chen Ergang, Wei Minzhi could not imagine that she could study abroad anyway, and she was looking forward to this opportunity too much.
Wei Minzhi flew to Hawaii, the United States, with a lot of enthusiasm, but reality gave her a blow to the head.
When she first arrived in the United States, because of the language barrier, Wei Minzhi had a very difficult time communicating with others.
When she first moved into the dormitory, her roommate was an American.
Wei Minzhi introduced herself very warmly, but when she whispered a word, the other party did not understand a word.
This frustrated her heart, and since then she has been frantically tutoring English.
When I saw Chen Ergang again in 2006, Wei Minzhi had been able to talk in English in just two years.
Even Chen Ergang was surprised by her oral ability, not only that, but she also performed very well during school.
Wei Minzhi not only received a full scholarship from the school, but also served as the host of the choir.
05
After coming to the United States, Wei Minzhi not only chased her dreams, but also gained her own love.
The two met at a friend's birthday party, David, a Chinese-American who grew up in the United States.
Although David often heard that she was very famous at that time, in David's view, she was just a Chinese student.
The two did not impress each other when they first met.
Later, the two of them did homework together, attended dances, and frequent contact, and the two gradually fell in love.
In 2008, Wei Minzhi and David entered the palace of marriage hand in hand, and after completing their studies, Wei Minzhi also became a director.
Today, Wei Minzhi not only has a happy family, but also has a lovely son, and the family is happy and harmonious.
At this moment, Wei Minzhi's biggest dream is to be an assistant director for director Zhang Yimou.
In this way, he repaid his previous kindness to himself.
It can be said that without Zhang Yimou, there would be no Wei Minzhi today.
In fact, every New Year, Wei Minzhi will send a greeting card to Zhang Yimou to express his blessings and greetings.
Zhang Yimou will also reply to the letter and give Wei Minzhi encouragement and hope.
In 2010, when Zhang Yimou brought his new film "Hawthorn Tree Love" to the press conference of the Hawaii International Film Festival,
He saw a familiar and unfamiliar figure, which made him feel like he was in a different world.
Until Wei Minzhi asked Zhang Yimou a question in fluent English,
Zhang Yimou reacted to this, this is the once young and ignorant Wei Minzhi.
Only at this time, her identity is no longer a student, but a filmmaker.
What you meet is providence, and what you have is luck.
From a rural girl who feeds pigs to what she has today,
It is undeniable that the opportunities brought to her by the noble people she met on each stage of her growth,
At the same time, it is also undeniable that she dared to rush and the momentum of not accepting defeat and the efforts she made.