Before reading this article, please click "Follow" to facilitate your discussion and sharing, bring you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support.
Text | Utopia on the clouds
Edit | Utopia on the clouds
preface
Tong Zhenye, a Hong Kong artist who can be on a par with Andy Lau in the 90s. It's a pity that time has passed, and the once popular students are now gradually forgotten by the entertainment industry. On the other hand, Andy Lau is still a well-deserved top.
Once, in an interview, the reporter asked Tang Zhenye about the current situation of Tang Zhenye and Andy Lau in the entertainment industry, asking whether he would envy Andy Lau. Tang Zhenye bluntly said that he did not envy him, but pity Andy Lau.
Why does Tang Zhenye think Andy Lau is pitiful? Is it really so, or is it out of jealousy?
The origin of the "Five Tiger Generals"
Tang Zhenye and Andy Lau met because of the "Five Tiger Generals".
At that time, TVB planned to create a new male idol group, and immediately selected Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Tang Zhenye, Huang Rihua and Miao Qiaowei, five artists with better conditions in all aspects to form a group - "Five Tiger Generals" among the debuted artists.
At that time, these five people were all young men in their twenties, young and handsome, with good body proportions, so this combination attracted a large number of fans as soon as it was launched. With popularity, comes a variety of job opportunities. However, when the rushing work resources are really distributed to everyone, it is different and uneven. At that time, the best resource was Tang Zhenye.
With the role of "Duan Yu" in "Dragon Babu", Tang Zhenye became famous in the country and became a well-deserved "popular king" among the "Five Tigers". Even Andy Lau later recalled that at that time, Tang Zhenye was the most handsome in the group, and all beautiful characters would find him. It can be described as a momentary limelight!
Although later, the five people slowly had their own masterpieces, but the company's harsh treatment and resource allocation problems made the people in the group still have the idea of "jumping jobs". This person is Andy Lau.
At that time, Andy Lau wanted to shoot more and better scenes, but the company did not have the resources to give him. At that time, the competing company promised that if Andy Lau jumped over with the "Five Tiger Generals", he could give them better film and television resources than in the original company. Andy Lau was moved, wanted to jump ship, and wanted to take his brothers to jump ship together.
However, this job-hopping matter was somehow known by the company's top management. At this time, the "Five Tiger Generals" can be described as cash cows, and fools will easily let them leave, so the company immediately began an emergency plan to disintegrate the "Five Tiger Generals" internally. The company's top management first approached Tony Leung.
Tony Leung is the least concerned member of this group, and he is currently the worst member of the group, so Tony Leung also wants to jump ship and change his situation. At that time, Tony Leung had planned to jump ship with Andy Lau.
However, there were unforeseen circumstances, and at the moment when they were about to jump ship, Tony Leung's mother fell ill and was hospitalized. Sickness, but a big expense! Moreover, the younger siblings in Tony Leung's family still have to go to school, so living expenses and miscellaneous expenses are all on Tony Leung's head.
The company's senior personnel knew Tony Leung's family background very well, and in order to keep Tony Leung, they not only raised his salary, but also took a large amount of cash for him. Under the pressure of his family, Tony Leung had no choice but to accept the money and continue to stay in the company. The company's senior personnel also used a similar method, pressing each of the "Five Tiger Generals" one by one for their different situations, and the last one was Andy Lau.
At that time, the company also promised Andy Lau a salary increase and more resources, but asked Andy Lau to sign another five-year contract with the company. Hearing this, Andy Lau decisively refused. Several conversations were fruitless, and the company did not plan to fight for it anymore, and directly hid Andy Lau.
For a whole year, Andy Lau had no drama to film. Andy Lau tried to take on his own personal work, but no one dared to use him. In Andy Lau's most difficult moment, Sammo Hung helped him.
At that time, Sammo Hung was also a "big brother" level figure in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, and who he wanted to act, the crew would definitely not shirk. It is for this reason that Andy Lau can get the opportunity to continue acting in the days to come, and Andy Lau always remembers Sammo Hung's kindness. Later, Andy Lau caught fire, as long as Sammo Hung spoke, no matter how busy he was, Andy Lau would find time to help him in his movie.
Andy Lau was hidden in the snow for a year, and the "Five Tiger Generals" eventually disbanded due to various false reports in the media and various speculations from fans.
Sympathy without envy
After the five flew solo, they began to work on their own businesses.
With the dividends of the combination, Huang Rihua still receives a lot of invitations. However, he chose to quit the entertainment industry when he was at his hottest and lived an ordinary life ever since. And Miao Qiaowei also followed Huang Rihua, quit the entertainment industry, and turned to business. Two of the five withdrew from the circle, and the remaining three continued to stay in the entertainment industry to work hard.
After flying solo, Tony Leung received the most important play in his life - "Infernal Affairs". With "Infernal Affairs", Tony Leung won many awards and became a movie star, and his value skyrocketed. Andy Lau also began to "multi-habitat" development and entered the music scene after flying solo.
With his solid singing skills and handsome appearance, Andy Lau soon gained a foothold in the music scene. Subsequently, a number of singles such as "It's Not a Sin for a Man to Cry" were released that are still impressive, and he was also known as the "Four Heavenly Kings" of the music industry together with Kwok Fucheng, Jacky Cheung and Liming.
Andy Lau has achieved brilliant results in the music industry while continuing to film. Over the years, Andy Lau has shot hundreds of film and television works and won countless awards. According to reports, at the peak of Andy Lau's popularity, he was paid nearly 50 million yuan for filming a play. Tony Leung and Andy Lau became popular one after another after flying solo, but at that time, Tang Zhenye, the most popular and best resource in the group, was gradually snubbed by the entertainment industry.
After flying solo, Tang Zhenye was deeply involved in Weng Meiling's suicide scandal, and his affectionate personality collapsed, which attracted the scolding of the majority of fans, and his career fell to the bottom. For Weng Meiling, Tang Zhenye has also been blaming himself. He blamed himself for not sending a message back to Weng Meiling at that time, and if he had written back to her at that time, maybe she would not have done something like that. The trough of his career, the scolding of fans, and his own self-blame once made Tang Zhenye fall into depression and could not go to film normally.
After several years of treatment, Tang Zhenye began to come out of his depressed mood.
However, at this time, Tang Zhenye's business had been stagnant for several years, and it was not easy to start again. Reality is sometimes so cruel, when Tang Zhenye comes out to film again, all he can get are supporting roles, and the protagonist's scenes can be said to have no chance with him.
Seeing that there was no improvement in filming, Tang Zhenye began to invest in the development of the catering industry. Now, Tang Zhenye's catering business is also doing well, and he is married to the girl he likes, and his life is also very happy.
However, looking back on Tang Zhenye's acting experience, it is inevitable to feel sorry for him.
The starting point of Tang Zhenye can be said to surpass many people in the entertainment industry, and even much better than Andy Lau. Now he is in a state of "no one cares", and Andy Lau, who was much worse than him at the beginning, is as hot as before, even more popular.
For the current situation of the two, the parties seem to have different views than others.
Once, when interviewing Tang Zhenye, the reporter asked about his and Andy Lau's current status in the entertainment industry, and the reporter asked:
"You and Andy Lau are a combination, and you were hotter than him back then. But Andy Lau's salary has gone to 50 million, will you envy him? Will you feel unwilling? ”
In the face of the reporter's question, Tang Zhenye smiled and said: "I don't envy him at all, I even pity him a little!" ”
Hearing this, the reporter immediately asked the reason, and Tang Zhenye also confessed: "Andy Lau is very hot, but he has to face various media every day, as well as various follow-up photos, and there is no private space." ”
Then, Tang Zhenye added: "The next time you interview Andy Lau, you can ask him if he knows what 'meat' tastes like. Andy Lau's life is not a human life, in order to maintain his figure, he has not eaten meat and rice for decades, and he has not yet exercised, and ordinary people cannot live such a life. ”
Tang Zhenye also said: "Although I don't have his fire now, but I am free, there will be no paparazzi to follow me 24 hours a day, I can eat if I want to eat, I can eat meat if I want, there will be no burden, life is much easier than him." ”
Tang Zhenye is also right, Andy Lau has been in a "top" state for so many years, and his every move has attracted much attention, and he really can't do whatever he wants. And Andy Lau's extreme self-control is impossible for ordinary people or even some artists.
Self-discipline that ordinary people cannot match
Director Wang Jing said on his account that Andy Lau has not eaten for more than ten years, just to lose weight and maintain his figure. In Wang Jing's eyes, Andy Lau is a slightly self-controlled star in the entertainment industry and a representative of self-discipline.
Then, Andy Lau also publicly talked about his diet in a show. The audience then knew that Andy Lau had done so much in addition to not eating rice.
In the program, Andy Lau said that he had only eaten cereal and yogurt for breakfast for 30 consecutive years, and said that he had never drunk hot and warm water, never drank ice water, and never drank soda. Moreover, Andy Lau also said on the show that he has been vegetarian for six years, and the child continues.
Forty years since his debut, ten hours of work a day, thunderous fitness, plus a restrained diet, not to mention ordinary people, how many artists can do it in the entertainment industry in addition to good?
Therefore, Andy Lau's ability to become a "national idol" and become an "evergreen" in the entertainment industry is the result of his years of self-discipline and hard work, and he deserves it!
epilogue
Behind every choice, there will be a corresponding price! Tang Zhenye chose a more ordinary life, so he could not have Andy Lau's popularity. Andy Lau chooses to live in the spotlight, so he can't do whatever he wants like Tang Zhenye.
It is a different choice for each person, and no one is right or wrong, but since the decision has been made, it is necessary to bear the possible consequences of this choice, and in this regard, Andy Lau is indeed worth learning.