Taking the history of the party as the "scripture" and music as the "weft", the 42-episode TV series "Hundred Refining into Steel", which reproduces the glory of the centenary of the founding of the party through the history of singing, premiered on Hunan Satellite TV on June 13, and the drama is currently being broadcast on Guangdong Satellite TV. After playing the young Zhou Enlai in "The Age of Awakening", Xia Dejun once again played the role of Zhou Enlai in "Hundred Refining into Steel".
This is the sixth time xia Dejun has played Zhou Enlai on the screen, and what is different from the past is that the revolutionary story of Zhou Enlai, who he played this time, began in 1921 and continued to 1968, spanning 47 years.
When I met Xia Dejun on the afternoon of July 23, he and the main creators of the "Age of Awakening" visited the "Brilliant And Great Cause, Red Prologue - Theme Exhibition of the Red Chamber of Peking University and the Early Revolutionary Activities of the Communist Party of China in Beijing". Xia Dejun told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that when he came here, he more deeply understood why the Red House of Peking University could become the cradle of the new cultural movement and the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement.
Zhou Enlai in "The Age of Awakening" is an active member of Tianjin's academic circles, looking for a path suitable for China's development and enabling China's rise. "Filming this drama gave me the idea of joining the Chinese Communist Party, and it was implemented in the next TV series "Hundred Refining into Steel" - I applied to the provisional party branch of the crew to join the party, and now I am a reserve party member." Xia Dejun said.
What are the differences between the six plays?
Beiqing Daily: You played the role of Zhou Enlai in six TV series, including "Mao Zedong", "Autumn Harvest Uprising", "The Age of Awakening", and "Hundred Refining into Steel". What are the differences between Zhou Enlai in each part?
Xia Dejun: The focus of each drama is different, and the main idea is also different, so the image of Zhou Enlai that I have created in these TV series is also different.
From my personal creative experience and shooting experience, it must be that the more experienceD I shoot, the more confident I shoot, and the better I shoot. My workload and role are also increasing. For example, in "A Hundred Refining into Steel", which was filmed after "The Age of Awakening", the image of Zhou Enlai that I created was more plump. Because the annual span is relatively long, from 1921 to 1968, the image of Zhou Enlai's youth, middle age and later years is shown in this play. The span of nearly 47 years, the amount of work and reading required is also the largest in my acting career. The number of historical events and characters involved, and the wide and complex relationships of the characters, also require me to continue to study.
How to reflect the character characteristics of great men
Beiqing Daily: How do you express Zhou Enlai's personality characteristics?
Xia Dejun: Zhou Enlai was proficient in pen and ink, strategizing, and everyone said that he was a military general among the scholars, a very outstanding military expert, and had a high degree of achievement in strategy and tactics. In view of these situations, I also did a survey and learned that Zhou Enlai had learned martial arts with others during the Nankai period in Tianjin, participated in various sports competitions in school, won the third place in high jump competitions, and participated in basketball games, football competitions and so on behalf of the class. He is very energetic and masculine. These are character traits that I will portray in the play.
In addition, I also want to show Zhou Enlai's wisdom and courage in the play. I remember that there was such a scene, Yang Kaihui martyrdom sacrificed, she and Mao Zedong's children were escorted by their brother Mao Zemin to the White District of Shanghai. At that time, the white area was very dangerous, as soon as he arrived at the station, there would be police checking documents, and Zhou Enlai would go to the station to pick up the children. Zhou Enlai did not smoke, in order to show his composure and wisdom in a critical moment, I discussed with the director to add a scene, let the crew put a cigarette in my pocket, I took a cigarette, spoke Shanghainese and the police set, the children escaped the danger of exposure. To this end, I also asked my friends in Shanghai to teach me Shanghainese.
Playing such a great figure as Zhou Enlai, you must enter his soul and spiritual world. In addition to reading some biographies of Zhou Enlai, I also read his poems, poetry and speech, which best reflect a person's spiritual temperament. I also went to some memorial halls related to Zhou Enlai across the country, saw some of the relics he left behind before his death, felt the breath of those objects, and speculated about his state at that time.
Use tea postures to portray images of different ages
Beiqing Daily: In the specific performance, how did you express Zhou Enlai's mental state and life experience from youth to middle age to old age?
Xia Dejun: First of all, I have to study some of Zhou Enlai's physical characteristics. In 1939, he fell off his horse in Yan'an, disabling his right arm, and since then his right arm has been bent and unable to straighten. Then I have to keep my right arm bent from now on.
Speaking of which, first of all, I have to thank my team of makeup artists. I was born in 1981 and just turned 40 this year. I have no problem playing Zhou Enlai's youth and adulthood. But in the drama "A Hundred Refining into Steel", I played the image of Premier Zhou Enlai after the founding of the People's Republic of China for the first time, which was actually a big challenge for me. It can be said that this gap in physiological age is the need for external makeup to intervene and help me complete the image of Premier Zhou in his later years. Our makeup team gave me a lot of confidence in that. The director also asked me to watch some video materials and documentaries of Zhou Enlai's life in addition to filming. Basically, when I put on makeup before filming every day, I put these video materials in front of the makeup table, compared with the makeup, and tried to be as similar as possible.
Physiological age can be supplemented by makeup, and psychological age depends on myself to figure it out, which requires some life details to express. For example, the gesture I use to pour tea and pour water reflects the character image and personality characteristics of Zhou Enlai at different ages. In 1921, before Zhou Enlai went to France to work and study, he listened to the teachings of Mr. Li Dazhao and the irrepressible excitement after hearing mr. Li Say that China would also establish its own Bolsheviks. At this time, Zhou Enlai was full of reverence for Li Dazhao and respectfully poured tea for Mr. Li Dazhao in the play. At the end of 1934, when zhou Enlai and Li De were in dispute at the end of the Xiangjiang Campaign, I adopted a method of first saluting and then serving soldiers: first I gave him a cup of brewed tea, and then persuaded him to understand my intentions; during the Liberation War, when I poured tea for Chairman Mao, it was another posture. Later, Zhou Enlai became the great steward of the republic, considerate and meticulous to anyone and everything, caring and considerate of others at every turn. I put this action throughout the film.
Text/Reporter Zhang Enjie Coordinator/Liu Jianghua