preface
His name may not be well known to most people, but his work has long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of audiences. He is the Wei monk in "Bright Sword", Cheng Niuer in "Red Locust Flower", and Li Dazhao in "Age of Awakening". He is the actor who has been in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, and he is the actor Zhang Tong, known as "drama face".
Zhang Tong's acting career is far from smooth sailing, it is full of tenacity, hard work and persistence. When he was young, he even had to make ends meet by eating dog food in a foreign country due to his poor livelihood. This arduous experience made him deeply appreciate the difficulty of the actor's profession, and also forged his strong heart.
Although his acting career was once difficult, he never gave up on his dreams. After his debut, he gradually accumulated some small famous works, however, acting is not a smooth sailing thing. During a shoot, he unfortunately suffered an accident and almost lost his life.
Today, we will reveal the story behind Zhang Tong.
First, college talents abandoned their studies and were trapped in a foreign land to make ends meet
Zhang Tong was admitted to Nankai University at the age of 18, and he could have made great progress, but who knew that he gave up his studies and went to France alone. At that time, Zhang Tong was full of ideals and wanted to study performing arts in a foreign country and realize his dream. He came from an ordinary family of workers, his parents were industrious and simple, and they had high hopes for their son.
When you enter university, you should start enjoying the ocean of knowledge. Who knew that Zhang Tong was fascinated by performing arts, and even constantly expressed his desire to learn opera to relatives at home. Relatives also encouraged Zhang Tong to go to France to read plays, and Zhang Tong's eyes lit up when he heard it. His passionate movie dreams overwhelmed expectations from his parents and his desire for a college education.
In this way, not long after the start of his freshman year, Zhang Tong proposed to drop out of school and study in France. His decision surprised his parents and surrounding relatives and friends. For a newly enrolled college student, it is not easy to get out of a prestigious school. Parents are worried about whether their son's move is too rash and reckless.
After all, they saved up by working part-time jobs to afford their son's tuition. But Zhang Tong's determination has been decided, and no amount of persuasion can make him give up his ideal of acting. After much discussion in the family, the parents still endured the pain of agreeing to their son's decision. They sold the old house they had saved for a long time and pooled enough money for Zhang Tong's study abroad start-up.
As everyone knows, life in a foreign country is far more difficult than imagined, and what awaits Zhang Tong will be a long struggle and pain.
With a vision for the future, Zhang Tong came to the romantic French city of Lyon. In the first few months, he lived a free life and enjoyed the charm of a foreign culture.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and the scattered start-up capital put Zhang Tong in a difficult life. He had to rent the most humble attic room in the student apartment. The cramped single bed, the rickety desk chair, and the shabby objects stacked in the corners are Zhang Tong's "home" in France. So he lived a life no different from a dog, and it was difficult to maintain simple food and clothing every day.
The discounted bread in the supermarket that was about to expire even became Zhang Tong's most pleasant dinner. He began to accumulate expired food, coveting a few tenths of the cheapness. For a while, Zhang Tong could only eat instant noodles at every meal. Over time, he was so emaciated that he was only covered in skin.
In the days when he was helpless in a foreign country, Zhang Tong often felt homesick. He did not dare to tell his family about his plight, for fear that his parents would overwork. Living expenses sent by parents often do not last long among the various expenses.
Zhang Tong is often unable to attend classes because he cannot pay his tuition. He held his stomach bitter and went out for a walk alone late at night. In his first year in France, Zhang Tong lost more than 20 pounds, but he told himself that as long as he kept going, his dream was ahead. Everyone wants an opportunity to change their destiny, and this is Zhang Tong's opportunity, and he must seize it tightly.
Whenever he was hungry and unable to sleep, Zhang Tong would meditate on his dreams, which allowed him to survive the most difficult days.
2. Hardships Inside and Outside the Play The road to group performance is difficult step by step
The good times did not last long, and my father suddenly suffered a stroke and was hospitalized, and the huge medical expenses made the worker's family even worse. Zhang Tong couldn't bear the overwork of his parents, so he could only give up his studies and return to China to help. At that time, he was bitter in his heart, but he was helpless.
Years of dreams of being an actor suddenly came to naught, and everything had to start from scratch again. Back in China, Zhang Tong chose to apply for the Beiying exam, but his "foreign diploma" was worthless in the eyes of the director. Zhang Tong can only go to the group performance team at the gate of Beiying to mix up and find his own acting path.
At first, Zhang Tong squatted at the gate of Beiying all day, hoping to catch the big director. He wore a white-washed T-shirt, slippers on his feet, and a hot sun on his head, only begging the director passing by to take care of him. But every time the director passes by high, he won't look at him squarely.
In the cold winter moon, Zhang Tong's frozen shivering, and his cheeks were frozen red. He remembers the first time he waited at the gate of Hokage. At that time, he was full of hope, thinking that the director would value his foreign experience. As everyone knows, this is not worth mentioning in their eyes.
Many group actors ridiculed him for "studying abroad is not as good as Beijing Film Studio", and Zhang Tong only laughed at himself when he heard it, and never argued with people. He knew that only by silently patiently waiting for his own artistic enlightenment.
Zhang Tong experienced a long wait and countless disappointments. But he didn't give up, because dreams had become part of his life. Finally, after countless failures, Zhang Tong waited for his first chance.
He participated in a small-production movie as an extra, and although it was only a small role, Zhang Tong was ecstatic. Standing in front of the camera for the first time, he restrained his inner excitement, afraid that a mistake would ruin a rare opportunity.
After the director shouted "card", Zhang Tong quietly shed tears of joy. This path of actor, he will step by step.
Third, self-defeating depressive auditory hallucinations
In the TV series "Bright Sword", the role of Wei Monk played by Zhang Tong made him a little popular. This won Zhang Tong more performance opportunities. At first, Zhang Tong could only play some small roles, which he gladly accepted, because it represented an opportunity for growth.
Gradually, Zhang Tong also got some supporting roles, although there were not many scenes, but he tried his best to play every role. In 2006, Zhang Tong met actress Guan Siting in a play.
The two got along very happily during the filming, and Zhang Tong regarded Guan Siting as his closest confidant. In and out of the play, he took care of Guan Siting's feelings as much as possible. There is also a subtle affection between the two.
In 2009, Zhang Tong had a disagreement with a director in the play. That director openly criticized Zhang Tong's poor acting skills and no performance connotation. Zhang Tong's self-confidence has been deeply damaged, and he has always thought that he has made great progress in his acting skills over the years.
What made him even more distressed was that at this moment, a friend also advised Zhang Tong that "your acting skills are really unsatisfactory, you should ask yourself." These words were tantamount to drinking on the head, and Zhang Tong's whole person fell into self-doubt and depression. He was once so confident that his acting skills had been perfected, but now he was shattered with a word.
Zhang Tong began to lose his temper with Guan Siting for no reason, leaving home overnight, wandering on the roof in an attempt to kill himself. He had auditory hallucinations, and heard the director scolding him from time to time. Self-harm again and again cannot get rid of the torment.
In the middle of the night, Zhang Tong would cry alone. He asked God why he was so poorly paid when he worked so the acting road. At this time, Guan Siting turned into Zhang Tong's watchful angel.
She put down her acting career and accompanied and took care of the love of her life step by step. Whenever Zhang Tong fell into self-blame and self-violence, Guan Siting could always pull him in time and melt the ice and snow in his heart with warmth.
Fourth, depending on the emperor, not just trophies
Under the care of Guan Siting, Zhang Tong finally came out of the shadow of depression. He rekindled his passion for acting and devoted himself to a continuous series of film and television works. Years of acting skills accumulation finally bloomed in these works.
In 2012, the two held a wedding in Beijing. Zhang Tong has also created impressive character images in many film and television dramas. He no longer limits himself, but strives to fit into the inner world of each character. Whether it is a positive character or a negative character, Zhang Tong can make the audience resonate with it.
In 2018, he won the Emperor Award for "Breaking Defender Division". This is the peak moment of Zhang Tong's acting career. Standing on the podium, he was so excited that he couldn't speak. Years of hard work and sweat have finally paid off. This is not only an affirmation of yourself, but also an encouragement to all actors.
After his successful career, Zhang Tong bought a comfortable big house, which he gave to his parents, so that the old couple could enjoy their old age. Every festive season, Zhang Tong will also take his wife back to his hometown to visit the elderly.
The smiles on his parents' faces are Zhang Tong's most precious asset. Zhang Tong often sighed that without Guan Siting's support for many years, there would be no future achievements and glory. The power of feelings can make people see the light when they are confused, which is Zhang Tong's life experience.
5. 48-hour window monkey show
Guo Degang, a rising star in the crosstalk industry, his road to fame is not smooth. In the 90s of the 20th century, Guo Degang's three developments in Beijing repeatedly hit a wall. When he first entered Beijing, Guo Degang was full of longing, thinking that his hard-earned skills could finally be used on the stage.
Who knows that there is a wall everywhere, and no one cares at all. After drifting in the capital for more than a month, Guo Degang could only walk back to his hometown in ashes. When I entered Beijing for the second time, I was cautious, but I still hit a wall. The two ordeals made Guo Degang almost doubt his talent, but he was unwilling to give up his dream.
By 1996, Guo Degang finally found a job as a comedian in Fengtai, with a salary of 1,000 yuan a month. The owner of this teahouse is Guo Degang's fellow countryman and is willing to give him a chance to display his talents.
In order to save money, he lived in a dilapidated rental house in Daxing. Every day, Guo Degang spends about 2 hours commuting to and from the performance venue, riding a shabby bicycle. The bumps along the way could not stop the fighting spirit in Guo Degang's chest. He constantly reminds himself that this is an opportunity given to him by God and that he must give it his all.
Two years later, Guo Degang returned to the starting point again. The teahouse suddenly closed, and Guo Degang had nowhere to go. He fell into depression and even doubted his talent again.
Just when Guo Degang was confused and desperate, he summoned up his perseverance to found the Beijing Deyun Society. Single-handedly creating a troupe, Guo Degang knows that there are thorns in the road ahead.
At first, the Deyun Society was unknown and had few audiences. In order to publicize it, Guo Degang personally put up posters and personally distributed leaflets. He laughed and said that he had been "the general manager of Deyun Society and a handyman of Deyun Society". In 2003, for a chance to be on television, Guo took on an almost hype challenge of performing for 48 hours in a shopping mall window.
For two days and two nights, Guo Degang was like a monkey in a zoo, becoming the object of ridicule by passers-by. Netizens who watched the live broadcast even uttered evil words, which made Guo Degang suffer. Even so, Guo Degang gritted his teeth and persevered. Because he knows that as long as he survives this test, his dream will be one step closer.
Today, he has become a new generation of crosstalk masters and is popular everywhere he goes. Looking back, Guo Degang only smiled when talking about the past. Those difficulties, he said, made me stronger.
epilogue
The growth trajectories of Zhang Tong and Guo Degang show a unique life belonging to an individual. But more importantly, they overcome difficulties with perseverance and face all kinds of injustices in life with a positive attitude. It is this spiritual force that makes them shine on the road of acting.
Each of us ordinary people has also encountered difficulties in our own life journey. When desperate and grieving, look at how Zhang Tong and Guo Degang are tough to survive. If you can not forget your original intention, you will definitely see the blossoms of spring. Believe in yourself, and even the most difficult times will pass. The important thing is not to lose hope.