On August 21, Hu Ge posted a social media post in which he mentioned that in the next five years he may no longer work in acting and focus on something more meaningful. This text is accompanied by two photographs of him: one tired and radiant after a long journey outdoors, and the other showing the beauty of deserts and meadows, while he shows his true state without reservation, without filters, without beauty, and even without shaving his beard.
Some in the comments agreed with Hu Ge's style, speculating that he might go to the desert to plant trees. However, some fans have expressed opposition, believing that in the past 5 years, he has only participated in a few productions, wasting the golden stage of actor. Some fans even said that they have been with them for so many years, hoping that he can understand the feelings of fans.
Hu Ge has always been an eclectic actor, not following the trend, but bravely stepping out of the conventional path of the entertainment industry. He stressed on social media that he is a "floating population in the entertainment industry", not a "disappearance".
However, in the early morning of August 29, Hu Ge posted again, expressing his inner contradictions and conflicts: "I try to I try I try to keep calm I am sorry for many people I hope to be worthy of this short life." He later deleted the post. This shows that his thoughts about future development and withdrawal from the circle have generated a struggle and confusion in his heart.
Hu Ge described himself as "floating population in the entertainment industry", which is an appropriate description. In addition to being busy on the film and television shooting site and promotional activities, he has also been involved in many different fields.
In 2006, he was transferred to the hospital because of a car accident, where he stayed for nearly a year. During that time, Hu Ge was covered in bandages, his face was almost divided in two by scars, and he rarely saw people because people did not dare to look directly at his mutilated face.
By 2012, he was close to 30 years old and flowed to college, although other actors were seizing the golden age of their acting careers and wanted to reach the next level, Hu Ge chose to put aside fame and fortune and return to school to concentrate on studying.
In 2013, he moved to theater, he gave up high-exposure and high-salary film and television dramas, but was willing to accept a meager theater salary, go out early and return late to rehearse, and become a young actor.
In 2017, he crossed the Pacific Ocean and flowed to the United States, hoping to find some peace and quiet in this far-flung country.
Even now, although Hu Ge has not officially announced his withdrawal from the circle, he no longer participates in variety shows and strictly selects scripts, so his exposure has decreased sharply, making him gradually reduce his presence in the entertainment industry.
Hu Ge's early career path was to become a traffic actor. In his early twenties, he has straight eyebrows and bright eyes, and he is full of youthful atmosphere. He played the male lead in his first TV series "Dandelion", and his subsequent role in "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" made him the white moonlight in the audience's hearts - brother Xiaoyao.
Even though he was injured in a later car accident, he still starred in the costume TV series "Mythology".
So, when did he give up the path of idol actor?
In 2013, someone met Hu Ge in the wasteland more than 3,000 meters above sea level in the northwest.
In the northwest, he was bearded, unkempt, and wearing coarse cloth gloves, and was participating in the construction. His face was tanned by the sun, his skin was flushed, and his long-untreated hair was caught in a gray stone.
Passers-by expressed anxiety about Hu Ge: "You are very popular now, you should act more and make more money." ”
However, Hu Ge remained silent, still hiking and picking up garbage in the strong sunlight, on the plateau several kilometers above sea level. At night, he sat around a campfire, eating coarse pots of rice and sleeping in a small double tent.
He hides himself from the crowd and shows his truest side. During this period, he began to pursue more authentic and profound life experiences.
Also in that year, Hu Ge was invited to participate in the public welfare project "Green River" and became a volunteer of the Yangtze River Source Environmental Protection Public Welfare Walk.
For him, this title is not just a new character, but a real identity. Every year, he uses his vacation to travel to the Northwest Territories to participate in public welfare activities.
This also explains Hu Ge's recent social media post. Perhaps years of public welfare involvement have given him great satisfaction and made him eager to do something more meaningful.
Why is Hu Ge always so rebellious? Why does he always choose to go against the crowd?
The major car accident on August 29, 2006 completely changed the trajectory of Hu Ge's life and divided his life into two stages.
On the one hand, he was once a handsome actor who rose to prominence and attracted much attention; On the other hand, he is a troubled man with a damaged appearance and a thousand pains in his heart.
Hu Ge comes from an ordinary family. Located in Shanghai's Xuhui district, the home has only one room, and five people live in a 30-square-meter space. Both parents worked in the education industry, the father was a tennis coach and the mother was a teacher.
Perhaps because of his natural personality, or because of the tight environment and strict education, Hu Ge described himself as a cat as a child, "particularly introverted" and "somewhat withdrawn".
In order to cultivate his character and ability, his parents sent the young Hu Ge to the Shanghai TV station "Little Silver Star Art Troupe" with a selection ratio of 600:1.
Among the many competitors, Hu Ge stood out as one of only sixty inductees. In the following days, with his handsome appearance and talent, he successively participated in some "advertisements" and became a famous local "advertising prince".
Lucky has always favored Hu Ge, and when he was a sophomore in the acting department of Shanghai Theater Academy, he successfully signed a contract with Tang Ren Film and Television.
On the occasion of the millennium, Tang Ren Film and Television became famous in the TV circle, launching popular TV series such as "Peerless Double Pride", "The Mermaid of the Legend of Heaven and Earth", "The Legend of Heaven and Earth: The Paolian Lantern" and so on.
At that time, people's evaluation of Hu Ge was no less than everyone's love for the oriental green in "Canglan Recipe".
During that time, a friend of Hu Ge's was working on the dubbing of a certain work invested by Tang Ren Film and Television. After a friend came to Shanghai on a business trip, he won an interview opportunity for Hu Ge. This opportunity eventually introduced Hu Ge to the entertainment industry.
As a sophomore, Hu Ge was skeptical of being favored by the director. He talked to the director a few words and then hurried back to school. However, to his surprise, soon after, on the recommendation of the director, he signed with Tang Ren Film and Television Company and quickly obtained the role of the leading actor in the TV series "Dandelion".
Around 2004, in order to make fun, Hu Ge participated in the company's new costume fairy drama "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", in which he planned to make a cameo role as a "fairy".
During the fitting, an actress who played the spider spirit observed him for a long time, and finally asked: "Are you going to play Li Xiaoyao?" ”
After a considerable period of time, Hu Ge learned that the actress later starred in Deng Jiajia, "Love Apartment" and "Witness to the Whole People".
It was precisely because of Deng Jiajia's words that Tang Ren Film and Television re-examined Hu Ge, and he was relieved of the fate of being pulled into the blacklist of ancient costumes. After many discussions and fittings, Hu Ge got an opportunity that might completely change his fate - playing the protagonist Li Xiaoyao.
Since then, Hu Ge has become a high-profile actor, creating the legend of "no Hu Ge, no fairy sword".
A smooth life, from the art troupe in childhood, the acting department of the upper drama in adulthood, the signing of Tang Ren film and television, and then to the role of a hit... Along this line, Hu Ge's future seems to show a clear and bright future.
A sudden car accident took everything.
Before the incident, Hu Ge's life was extremely busy, endorsements, variety shows, interviews, and various jobs filled his daily life, and he even worked sleeplessly for 36 hours at his busiest.
For Hu Ge, everything came too quickly and too quickly. The announcements followed, and he was so busy with the work that fame bringled that he had little time to think about who he was and what he was doing.
He describes his situation as a "castle in the air", as if the road to fame in his youth is like floating in the air, without any sense of substance.
However, that sudden car accident knocked him out of the air, causing him to hit the ground in pain.
"The car accident destroyed my body and my life, and the price was too heavy."
The car accident forced him to travel back and forth to Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea and other places, which lasted for up to 10 months of rehabilitation. He had more than 100 stitches on his body and described it as "just coming out of a tailor's shop." During his hospitalization in Hong Kong, even the clerk at the convenience store downstairs did not dare to look Hu Ge in the eye.
The crash not only took away his agent and friend Zhang Mian, but also destroyed his otherwise bright future.
For quite some time after the accident, Hu Ge struggled with scars on his face. He once said optimistically: "I've been handsome for 24 years, that's enough. ”
However, as a public figure, he is always under the attention of film and television producers and audiences, and his appearance is always under close scrutiny.
The 2008 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was originally scheduled to start in early August 2006, but due to Hu Ge's car accident in the play, the entire crew had to stop filming on August 31 of the same year.
Then, on August 31, 2007, two months after Hu Ge announced his comeback, the crew resumed filming.
After the remake, his makeup and lighting adjustments increased. Since it takes several years to recover the scar, some uneven pigmentation and unevenness become obvious, and after a long makeup touch-up time, Hu Ge's expression begins to look woody.
In the various film and television works he has participated in, the roles are different, but the makeup and hairstyle are highly similar. Bangs cover half of his right face, and some companies even clearly stipulate in the contract that "the role must have bangs".
In 2010, Hu Ge starred in the TV series "Myth", and still maintained the shape of "10,000-year bangs" in the early stage of the play. However, halfway through the shoot, Hu Ge suddenly told his agent that he wanted to change his hairstyle and comb his hair.
Everyone on the team was nervous, and they filmed several videos to assess the possible negative effects of the new look.
Hu Ge said firmly: "I can already let go, can't you?" ”
Unexpectedly, this new look, which was considered a possible failure, allowed Hu Ge to create a classic character again. "Mythology" set a new viewership record with an average rating of 3.13% on its premiere two days.
When everyone applauded Hu Ge's success and decided that he was the unrivaled number one among costume idols, he was puzzled in the face of his upcoming re-popularity. In the midst of a night of extreme inner struggle, he ran to the football field for a run.
After finishing the run, he wrote on Weibo: "After going around the Hongkou football stadium more than a dozen times, running in the park today, my thinking is exceptionally clear when it is dark, but I still can't figure it out." After so many years, how can I still be in place. ”
Giving up his bangs symbolizes that Hu Ge has risen from the car accident, and he has thrown his pain into the past, the change of appearance, and the scrutiny of others.
His reflection on "Myth" means that he said goodbye to idol dramas and was ready to embark on another path of performance that requires time and accumulation.
In 2008, Hu Ge played an ugly villain in the movie "Sword Butterfly", and after the movie was completed, director Ma Chucheng said to him: "Don't be bound by idol dramas, you are suitable for any type of role." ”
After proving his status in the costume idol industry with "Myth", Hu Ge resolutely embarked on another path.
Even if several extremely popular plays came to him later, he refused them one by one, "I have a principle, that is, I don't let myself regret my choice." There are many possibilities in life, and perhaps at a fork in the road, you choose to the left, and it will lead you to another world. ”
While suffering should not be appreciated, that car accident did tear the world of Hu Ge's young fame to shreds. He was completely shattered, freed from the vanity world, and began to reinvent a new version of himself.
In the precious golden age of thirty, Hu Ge chose to go against fame and fortune and re-entered the campus to complete the 22 credits that were not completed due to filming.
Hu Ge has signed a contract with Tang Ren Film and Television since his sophomore year, and later the drama continued, and the constantly busy work gradually alienated him from the campus, and the long hours of high-intensity work consumed his energy. After constantly running outside, he finally made the decision to return to that peaceful place and reconstruct himself.
In addition to his normal studies, he devoted a lot of his spare time to reading, and he dabbled in classics such as "Crime and Punishment", "The Outsider" and "Alive".
"When something goes wrong with my body, I fill myself with my mind," he said. ”
"I think reading is like a ladder, climbing high and looking far away. As you read more, you can climb higher and see the wider world. ”
During this quiet time, he was ready to try his hand at drama performance. He excitedly told this decision to a friend around him, and this friend introduced him to director Lai Shengchuan.
Hu Ge and Lai Shengchuan first met backstage in a drama, and they had in-depth discussions while watching the drama.
Lai Shengchuan broke the inherent impression of idols in Hu Ge and saw his deeper desire for acting.
The remuneration of drama actors is relatively low, and rehearsals are very hard. Hu Ge aims to hone his acting skills, starting rehearsals at seven in the morning and ending at nine in the evening.
The entire rehearsal lasted three months, and he did not take a single leave of absence and seriously participated in every performance. Lai Shengchuan praised: "Hu Ge is not dedicated enough? My definition of engagement may be rethinking. ”
Hu Ge plays a terminally ill "patient No. 5" in the drama "Dream Like a Dream", the story explores the dialectical relationship between life and death, and the characters repeatedly wander between painful past and bizarre dreams. This is a huge contrast to the male protagonist he played in costume idol dramas before.
During this period of retirement, Hu Ge precipitated his past glory and had more time to think deeply about what he wanted. At the same time, the precipitation of this time also opened the door for his future acting career.
After completing the drama "Dream Like a Dream", Hu Ge was invited by the national first-class screenwriter Wang Liping's play "Life Apocalypse".
This opportunity was thanks to Yan Ni's matchmaking. In 2010, Yan Ni and Hu Ge met for the first time on the stage of a charity event. Hu Ge gentlemanly helped Yan Ni deal with a difficult problem for the host.
At the time of separation, Yan Ni greeted Hu Ge, and Hu Ge responded friendly: "Ah, goodbye, goodbye." ”
Since then, Hu Ge has left labels of "responsibility at critical moments" and "warmth" in Yan Ni's impression. Two years later, Yan Ni saw the script of "Life Apocalypse" and immediately associated Hu Ge with the male protagonist Bao Jiaming, who is also a responsible sunny and warm man.
After Wang Liping learned of Yan Ni's suggestion, she was still a little worried about Hu Ge at first. Because in her impression, Hu Ge is an idol handsome guy who acts in costume dramas, which does not seem to be in line with this realistic theme.
However, it wasn't until she finished watching "Dreamlike Dreams" that she suddenly understood in her heart that this person was the right choice.
"I am in my thirties, and I hope to tell everyone through this play that Hu Ge can also play characters that are very close to reality, no longer need to run around, and can finally take root in a role."
This drama did expand Hu Ge's audience base, and the market also gave him the best return after the transformation, once ranking in the top three in the ratings of the same period.
"Life Apocalypse" has become an important step for Hu Ge to move towards a regular TV series in the film and television industry, and his traffic and idol labels have gradually been diluted, and the words "powerful actor" have become more prominent.
Among the audience who watched "Dream Like a Dream", there is also an important figure - producer Hou Hongliang. Hu Ge's acting skills let him see the shadow of the protagonist of his new drama, both of whom are self-burning fighters who move forward bravely. This new drama that is about to start filming is called "Langya List".
According to the staff of the film and television city, they once chatted with actor Yuan Hong, who said that Hu Ge was the only star he had seen who did not ask to stay in a five-star hotel. When filming "Langya List", Hu Ge chose to live in a farmyard not far from Xiangshan Film and Television City, a desolate and humble place.
From 2015 to 2016, "Langya List" began to be broadcast, and Hu Ge played the role of Mei Changsu in the play, a witty, calm, and intrigue-filled character, which once again attracted widespread attention.
Perhaps when he became famous at a young age, Hu Ge was full of excitement and novelty, but after walking through the peak of the entertainment industry, he had a deep trepidation for fame. He once reflected on himself during dinner with director Zhang Li: "What did I do to get so much? ”
Returning to the peak of his popularity again, he feels as if he is just eating, sleeping, and every morning when he gets up and puts on makeup, he will become another person, forever living in the eyes, world and thinking of others.
He felt that his independent world had disappeared, and everything about himself had become blurred, as if surrounded by a fish tank, crowded with people outside, and under the gaze of their various expressions, he could only perform on stage.
More than 2,000 unread messages poured in on mobile phones every day, and the crowd of onlookers always surrounded the new crew. Faced with all this, Hu Ge once again felt the urge to escape.
In early 2017, Hu Ge decided to study in the United States. However, this time his peaceful life did not last long, because he had so many fans that some people even organized the so-called "North American Hu Ge Catching Squad" to use the search for Hu Ge as a game.
Hu Ge was recognized on his first day in North America, and he had to keep his head down and walk for the rest of the day. The expected comfortable and relaxed life was shattered, and he began to live like a thief, and whenever someone recognized him, he would plead: "Can it be kept secret?" ”
However, in the blink of an eye, his whereabouts were exposed and appeared on the hot search list.
The escape plan failed, and two months later, he returned home reluctantly. Many people expected him to play a role similar to Mei Changsu again, but Hu Ge chose to escape the framework of this role.
"Actually, I don't want to repeat that once you successfully interpret a certain type of character, the characters after that are very much similar, or similar," he explains. ”
Hu Ge will not choose to replicate the role of Mei Changsu. After bravely bidding farewell to the success of costume dramas that year, he has been trying to avoid standing still.
After acting in TV dramas for more than a decade, he also got involved in the drama stage and won the second Danny International Stage Performing Arts Award.
Subsequently, Hu Ge began to experiment with movies.
In the movie "The Party at the Southern Station", he played Zhou Zenong, a fugitive bandit who was wanted for wrongful conviction. The character's despair and struggle just turned out to be an opportunity for him to challenge himself.
In order to better integrate into the role, Hu Ge deliberately lost more than a dozen pounds of weight, tanned his complexion, and carried out long-term physical training. Even in order to achieve the image of the character as haggard and tired, he reduced the amount of sleep time.
In the secret photos taken by fans that year, Hu Ge had a beard and a thin figure, almost ruining his image, but it was this Hu Ge who gave the best answer to the question of why "the best actor" was.
On the day of the movie "The Party at the Southern Station", Hu Ge drank himself off. He said to director Diao Yinan seriously: "Director, life is like a play, not broken, not standing." ”
Every time Hu Ge escapes the entertainment industry, he is looking for his true self.
For the first twenty years of his life, everything seemed too smooth, and many times he didn't really make a choice, but was pushed in a certain direction.
As a child, he was sent to the art troupe by his parents in order to change his withdrawn character. He cleverly realized how to please others and soon learned cheerful acting.
In the TV series "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", Hu Ge as Li Xiaoyao was very popular, he was suddenly pushed in front of the public, activities, business, drama one after another, his life is full of fast-paced flashes.
But who will remember that when he was 18 years old, he preferred to choose the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama. It seems that he is more inclined to be a behind-the-scenes person in his heart, but at that time he was already able to make money through advertising, and in order to ease the financial burden of his family, he finally chose the acting department of the Shanghai Theater Academy.
Judging from his later acting career, Hu Ge's choice is undoubtedly correct. Some people are naturally suited to being actors, and he is one of them. However, at least for him at that moment, he didn't really make a choice.
In 2008, two years after the car accident, director Ma Chucheng said to Hu Ge: "Why did you choose to play the villain in the movie "Sword Butterfly"? Not because you're dark inside, but because you believe your experiences can give the character different emotions. ”
These words made Hu Ge start to rethink the relationship between the car accident and himself. That car accident shattered his past life and brought great pain. He began to think: "Is it an asset for an actor? Maybe in the future characterization, how will I be different? ”
Later, Hu Ge realized: "The past and the future are both cause and effect. ”
The past cannot be changed, but everything in the past constitutes his present flesh and blood, forging who he is today. Therefore, Hu Ge decided to reduce the speed of progress, to find his true self, and to actively choose what to build his future self.
He tries to separate himself from the role he plays. Hu Ge is just an ordinary person, like when a reporter asked him "what he would do in his free time", he replied "anything that is not illegal".
He doesn't want to be any symbol, but longs for the characters he plays to be truly recognized.
During the filming of "The Pretender", he appeared on the set with Jin Dong, and fans surrounded him and shouted "Hu Ge!" Hu Ge", but when he saw Jin Dong, he called him "Huang Zhixiong", which is a character name in "Wenzhou Family". This detail highlights Hu Ge's desire to be a character rather than a name in people's hearts.
Until the success of "Langya List", Hu Ge finally heard someone call him "Sect Master Mei", experienced the joy of being called the character's name, and felt a solid sense of accomplishment.
However, he does not seem to be satisfied with being fixed in one role, and even different roles cannot meet his requirements. After playing Sect Master Mei, he resolutely rejected all similar scripts. He doesn't want to be stereotyped by character types, he doesn't want to be defined.
Hu Ge chose to actively hide in the crowd and almost no longer updated his circle of friends. He once described his ideal life when he wasn't filming: "My ideal state is to live an ordinary life, like a drop of water into the sea. ”
Every time he chose to leave at the height of his fame, Hu Ge felt afraid. He turned down some good opportunities because he feared they might never come again.
For him, the criterion for selection is to know exactly what he does not want to do, and not hesitate to refuse those opportunities that do not meet his wishes, so that he can have the opportunity to pursue what he really wants to do.
Someone once said that Hu Ge once lost, and after losing, his face lost his "unscrupulous brilliance". Hu Ge admits that he has failed repeatedly, but his heart is still full of pride. If one day the "unscrupulous brilliance" disappears from his face, it means that he is afraid of failure.
But at least for now, he's able to accept multiple failures.
In the past, Hu Ge was passive; After that, he was busy proving his identity; And now, he chooses to take it in stride. Hu Ge is Hu Ge, an ordinary person, an actor, a public welfare volunteer... His escape does not need to be proven to anyone.
The Canadian poet Leonardo Cohen once said, "Everything has cracks, but what does it matter, that's where the light comes in." ”
For Hu Ge, there are rifts both physically and internally. However, these cracks not only allow the light from the outside to shine in, but also the light from the inside.
This may be a kind of luck.