On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the party, the Beijing News launched a series of interviews on "Sparks of Fire - The Image of Party Members in Film and Television". Assembling three generations of actors, old, middle and young, they have all been associated with party members because of their roles, baptized by the spirit of party members, and thus formed a lifelong belief in self-conscious pursuit, strict self-discipline on the road of performance, and forge ahead.
Spanning a hundred years of time and reliving the years of burning passion, through the narration of the actors, we try to restore that period of glory, with the establishment of the image of excellent party members, and carry forward the spirit of a new generation of party members.
The Beijing News Cultural and Entertainment × the Beijing News News jointly produced
As a special actor who plays Liu Shaoqi, Guo Lianwen knows very well that he needs to hollow himself out, crush himself, and get infinitely close to this great man in appearance, look and even spirit. As an actor, he always firmly believes that dedication is the most basic quality, and it is necessary to understand and strive for excellence in order to dedicate the most perfect performance.
Asked whether he would regret handing over all his acting experience to a role for so many years, he did not hesitate a little: "What regrets is this, even if the acting career is given to Comrade Liu Shaoqi, it is worth it!" Although I have starred many times before and after, each creation is a new attempt, the age of the role is different, the people and things encountered are different, the thinking is changing, which requires the actor to re-depict on the white paper, which is a test. ”
Guo Lianwen believes that the profession of an actor requires hard work to achieve both virtue and art, "just like the desperate scene in "The Long March", it is my most bitter and unforgettable memory, but only by doing so can I be satisfied with my performance." ”
In the TV series "Armageddon" broadcast this year, Guo Lianwen once again starred in the role of Liu Shaoqi.
The first time I went to audition, Wang Guangmei said "True image"
"When Comrade Liu Shaoqi's wife, Wang Guangmei, and the old comrades who participated in the revolutionary work with him, they were very surprised when they saw me, saying that I was too much like Liu Shaoqi when I was young, and that my appearance also evoked their memories of the past."
Before becoming a special actor who played Liu Shaoqi, Guo Lianwen had been working hard in the film and television industry for many years. After graduating from Chinese Opera, he was assigned to Chinese Children's Arts, and in 1985, he starred in movies, but only in the role of dragon set, which was difficult to attract attention. In the late 1980s, China's film and television industry developed rapidly, which also provided more opportunities for Guo Lianwen. He played an honest worker in the sensational TV series "Longing" that year, played Sima Yi in the movie "Zhuge Kongming", and played Yang Yong, commander of the first column of Liu Deng's army, in "The Great Turning Point - Fighting Lu Southwest" and "The Great Turning Point - Advancing into Dabie Mountain". But none of these characters were impressive until he met the TV series Comrade Shaoqi.
In 1998, when Guo Lianwen starred in the TV series "Blue Three Rings", the makeup artist felt that his appearance was a bit like Liu Shaoqi, which turned out to be an important node in Guo Lianwen's transformation. In the same year, in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Liu Shaoqi, CCTV prepared to shoot the TV series "Comrade Shaoqi" and selected actors nationwide. Because of his resemblance to Liu Shaoqi, Guo Lianwen was recommended to the crew, and after several rounds of selection, he was considered to be the most suitable actor.
"I have always admired those special actors who play great people, and when I learned that I was selected as the actor of Liu Shaoqi, at first I didn't quite believe it, the director always said I can do it, but my heart was still bottomless." It was not until later, when I met Comrade Liu Shaoqi's wife, Wang Guangmei, and the old comrades who had participated in the revolutionary work with him, they were very surprised, saying that I was too much like Liu Shaoqi when I was young, and my appearance aroused their memories of the past, and they also encouraged me to boldly perform. Guo Lianwen said that during the whole audition, his heart was very worried, and he still remembers the scene when he stood in front of Wang Guangmei wearing a white shirt, and she was surprised to say the "true image".
Guo Lianwen. Beijing News reporter Zheng Xinqia photographed
To play a great man, actors focus on their strengths
"Playing a great man, actors should focus on their own strengths, the depth, intensity, and breadth of everyone's understanding are different, you deeply understand and analyze, open up and act well, just do it."
For Guo Lianwen, participating in "Comrade Shaoqi" will face huge pressure, and Liu Shaoqi in the audience's heart has always had a fixed image, mostly liu Shaoqi's white-haired appearance after the founding of New China, and he does not know whether his appearance can be accepted. Therefore, he began to seriously study all kinds of information about Liu Shaoqi, and whenever he had time, he consulted Wang Guangmei and Liu Shaoqi's people around him, and repeatedly pondered and practiced..." Wang Guangmei told me that Liu Shaoqi generally did not lose his temper, respected others, and was also very considerate of everyone's hardships. But if the work he has been assigned is not done well, and there is a mistake that should not be made, he will lose his temper. However, afterwards he will feel a little too extreme, and he will have to find someone to apologize. From this point of view, I can feel that Comrade Shaoqi is a very cultivated and very humble good person, so I will also pay great attention to my temperament in the play. ”
After the broadcast of "Comrade Shaoqi", Guo Lianwen won the recognition of the audience and successfully upgraded from a shape to a god, and the shadow of Comrade Shaoqi can be found in an action and a look in the play.
It is also from the beginning of the play that Guo Lianwen officially became a special actor who played Comrade Liu Shaoqi, and more and more crews were invited to appear, including many red film and television works such as "Long March", "New Fourth Army", "Yan'an Song" and so on, he perfectly and vividly interpreted the image of Liu Shaoqi at different periods and different ages. "My understanding, research, and experience of Comrade Shaoqi are not the same, although there have been some materials in the past, but I only give full play to what I have realized and according to my own talents. Playing a great man, actors should focus on their own strengths, the depth, intensity, and breadth of everyone's understanding are different, you deeply understand, analyze, open up and act well, just do it. ”
Guo Lianwen also used Liu Shaoqi's famous saying "make great ambitions and climb the peak" to demand himself.
Because of playing the same role for a long time, Guo Lianwen has long regarded the study of Liu Shaoqi as his living habit: "Actors are always in the situation in which the role they play, so the sound and smile cannot not change, and they will be subtly influenced by Comrade Shaoqi, and my friends around me have found that we are more and more like each other." He remembered that when filming in Anyuan, the old revolutionary who had participated in the strike with Comrade Liu Shaoqi in those years saw him and said, "Guo Lianwen, your walking, talking, eyes, and every move are too much like Comrade Shaoqi.", thinking that these people who worked and fought with Comrade Shaoqi could affirm his performance, Guo Lianwen was very pleased.
Filming "Long March" with the spirit of the Long March is still afraid
"At that time, on the set, everyone had a feeling, where is this filming? We really used the spirit of the Long March to make "Long March", to shoot this drama, all of us really experienced a Long March. ”
Playing the great man to the extreme is something that Guo Lianwen has insisted on for decades, from the first time he played Liu Shaoqi, the shooting task he faced was extremely arduous, and he also suffered a lot because of this role. When filming "Comrade Shaoqi", it was all live-action shooting, summer shooting winter scenes, the heat was unbearable but to wear a long shirt, a top hat, and a woolen scarf, because there were many scenes depicting underground party activities, the lights could not be turned on during the day, and even a heater was set up in the room, and every time people were soaked after filming. "There are two white shirts on the scene, and I wear this one for that."
When filming the TV series "Long March", he almost lost his life. In the play, in order to highlight the character image, the director specially added a scene of Liu Shaoqi carrying a small soldier across the grass. Filmed at an altitude of 3800 meters above sea level, severe lack of oxygen, normal walking is difficult to breathe, Guo Lianwen also needs to take a briefcase, dry food bag, two rifles and a pistol according to the needs of the plot, and carry the little soldier out of the distance. Everyone was worried that he would not be able to eat, but Guo Lianwen insisted that it was no problem. He recalled that at that time, he thought that his physical fitness was still good, but after carrying the little soldier, he suddenly felt breathless, "That scene was still a long shot, I had to do it in one go, the camera pushed through, panorama, mid-shot, close-up, close-up, feeling serious lack of oxygen, the chest cavity was going to explode, but the director could not stop without shouting." After filming that scene, I only heard the crew running over and saying 'rescue Teacher Guo', and I don't know what happened later. ”
He said that every time he remembered the scene at that time, he felt afraid: "I saw the stills taken by the photographer to know the tragic situation at that time, my face was pale, my lips were almost cracked, I didn't even have to wear makeup, I squinted my eyes and crooked my hat, and I felt that I was half dead." He raised his voice: "Everyone has a feeling that we are really using the spirit of the Long March to make "Long March", which is more educated than watching any TV series." ”
Even so, Guo Lianwen always thinks that it is a proud thing to play Liu Shaoqi, and his family is also proud of him, "My old lady has been sleeping early, but some TV dramas are broadcast late, she would rather sleep late than chase the drama." She was my most loyal fan, and I later changed the big TV to my home. My family likes to watch my performance so much, in addition to their feelings for Comrade Shaoqi, it is also their great honor that I have the opportunity to play a great man. ”
Zhou Huixiaowan, a senior reporter of the Beijing News
Photography by Zheng Xinqia
Chief Editor Wu Dongni Proofreader Zhao Lin