"The Eighth Suspect" starring Dapeng, Lin Jiadong and Zhang Songwen is being screened, the film is adapted from the real incident of the armed banknote robbery case that shocked the country in 1995, the criminal gang led by Chen Xinwen (played by Dapeng), the owner of the construction company, robbed the money truck in broad daylight, robbed 15 million in just a few minutes, and shot and killed three banknote bearers, after which Chen Xinwen disappeared into the vast sea of people.
Wang Shouyue (played by Lin Jiadong), the criminal police officer in charge of the case, has been chasing the murderer hard for many years, and 21 years later, he accidentally found Chen Xinwen's clues in a small city in Yunnan, and a contest between good and evil was staged again. Dapeng has always been good at playing the little people at the bottom, and this time he jumped out of his comfort zone to play an "outlaw", and won the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival actor with his wonderful acting skills. Lin Jiadong, who "raced" with him in the film, was the actor of the 36th Academy Awards, and his winning role was the ruthless "thief king" Ji Zhengxiong in the Hong Kong film "Tree Big Move", and "The Eighth Suspect" is Lin Jiadong's first attempt at the role of mainland public security.
In the Cantonese-speaking area, Lin Jiadong is well known to the audience for his role as "Dongguan Tsai" in the "Triad" series of movies, and in 2022, Lin Jiadong won the Hong Kong Film "Academy Award Best Actor" double nomination for "Hand Rolled Cigarettes" and "Wisdom Teeth", although he did not take home the trophy in the end, but his production of "Kill the Dusk" gave 86-year-old Xie Xian the best actor. What is less known is that as early as 2011, "The Ring" produced by Lin Jiadong won the Best Picture of the Academy Awards, defeating the hit "Di Renjie's Babel Empire" that year. Over the years, Lin Jiadong has not only continued to produce excellent performances, but also supported movies and newcomers in his own way.
"The Eighth Suspect" was released nationwide on September 9, and before the film was released, Lin Jiadong was interviewed by a reporter from Nandu, talking about his understanding of the movie "The Eighth Suspect" and sharing his other side in addition to acting.
There is not much acting skill
Mandarin is the biggest challenge
Nandu Entertainment: How did you join this movie?
Lin Jiadong: The film company told me that there was a mainland film that asked me to play a police officer and asked me to speak Mandarin the whole time, which was new to the audience, but it was a big challenge for me. In fact, I worked with the director before, he made a movie called "Wild Beast" a few years ago, through the last cooperation, we established a little tacit understanding, he felt that I could play this role, so he found me again this time.
Nandu Entertainment: How did you practice Mandarin during filming?
Lin Jiadong: In life, I can barely communicate with others in Mandarin, but acting is different, I am under a lot of pressure, and if I speak badly, the audience will scold me. In fact, the crew had teachers who taught Mandarin, and they also comforted me and said that my character is Cantonese, and Mandarin does not need to be 100% standard, and I can barely cope with it. But I still don't feel safe inside, and I want the audience to understand what I'm saying.
Nandu Entertainment: Apart from language, what do you think is the difference between playing a mainland police officer and a Hong Kong police officer?
Lin Jiadong: In the past, the policeman I played in Hong Kong movies had a bit of a villain flavor, but I played a completely decent policeman in "The Eighth Suspect". In addition, in the past, we would have some stereotypes of the police, but this time the policeman played by Zhang Songwen and I was more life-like, I told the director, let's relax and act, what it usually looks like, there is no need to deliberately create any image, speak with actions, and act truthfully.
Nandu Entertainment: Did you do your homework for your character?
Lin Jiadong: The crew arranged for us to go to the police academy in Foshan to see how they had meetings, and how they caught thieves from the video. I asked if they could take me to the scene where the thieves were caught, and they said no, because it was troublesome to protect us, haha. So I can only try to watch more videos to figure out and learn this role, and many of my thief-catching dynamics in the play are inspired by these real videos, and there are not many acting skills.
Nandu Entertainment: How did it feel to cooperate with Dapeng and Zhang Songwen this time?
Lin Jiadong: I have known Zhang Songwen for more than ten years, and I have also watched Dapeng's "Pancake Man" before, so it feels very easy to really work with them. Zhang Songwen has new ideas for the character every day, and so do I, and we are all seriously figuring out the character.
Dapeng said that in order to maintain a state of opposition, we need to keep a distance between us, I don't know him in the play, so I don't need to know each other too much, I just need to make my own ideas in the camera, after the boot, I watch how he does, he also sees how I do, so that the characters have a feeling of fighting wits and courage. I think every actor in the play is very down-to-earth, and this movie is also very grounded.
Nandu Entertainment: What do you think is the theme that this film wants to convey to the audience?
Lin Jiadong: Everyone is responsible for themselves, not only for their own ideas, but also for their own means. Chen Xinwen's idea is to build a bridge to promote the development of his hometown, he wants to be prestigious, he wants others to impress him, these are nothing, but he is not doing it right, step by step to the abyss can not turn back, and finally he will go to prison. He can no longer make up for his regrets, but I can, and in the end I sent him to prison to make up for the regret of He Lan (played by Zhang Songwen) dying. And his suffering has just begun, this is what I want the audience to feel, we need to think clearly, can we achieve our goals through wrong means? People are easily driven by emotions, are the consequences of our behavior decisions something we can bear?
Nandu Entertainment: Would this story happen today if it were placed today?
Lin Jiadong: It depends on how old the policeman is. In fact, the nineties are not far from today, and it is only more than thirty years, but the social concept has changed a lot, and each of us has a different concept of money and feelings. I think this movie has the advantage of allowing the audience to see that there has been such a big case in the past. Dapeng's character is a villain, and what he does is not allowed by law, but what I wonder is that he originally wanted to build a bridge to make his hometown develop better, his idea is right, but there is a problem with his approach. If it were now, would he still do it? The times are progressing, people's concepts have also changed a lot, and the characters in this movie also have the imprint of the times.
Never thought of giving up acting
Hope to try different genres
Nandu Entertainment: You played a supporting role for many years before becoming the leading actor, did you ever think about giving up acting halfway?
Lin Jiadong: I like acting, and if I like it, there is no reason to give up. It's easy to give up, it's hard to persevere. I have persisted for so many years, if I give up, I am sorry for the people who gave me opportunities in the past, and I am sorry for my own past time. So I have to insist, I think it's the best choice to let myself not choose, because without choice, you have to work harder to achieve results.
Nandu Entertainment: Which do you think is more difficult to play the decent or the villain?
Lin Jiadong: I never thought about whether I played a decent or a villain, I think decent people also have the idea of the devil, and a devil occasionally has the idea of an angel. The world is not black and white, and much of human nature is a gray area. Technically, I think it's a little more difficult to play decency, because the villain can be exposed, but the decent can't be exposed, so you have to play it.
Nandu Entertainment: Zhang Songwen praised you as a natural actor in an interview, do you think you are a talent type or an acquired hard work type?
Lin Jiadong: I myself think I am an acquired hard work type. I prefer to observe, every day I am observing, observing the life of different people, some people say that I gossip, but I think actors are to gossip, I want to understand why my subjects say this, why they do this, understand their real thoughts and their attitude to deal with things. If there are characters that can be used in the future, you can go in this direction. I know a lot of different types of friends, and communicating with them is very helpful for my creations.
Nandu Entertainment: Do you usually have any criteria for picking scripts?
Lin Jiadong: I only have one criterion, that is, why this script talks about this theme. I need to understand the script in order to work creatively. I've worked with new directors or experienced directors in the past, and when they show me the script, I ask them why they tell the story, he must have his reasons and ideas, what theme he wants to express, and I start from this direction so that my character can match his ideas.
Nandu Entertainment: Did director Li Zijun tell you why he made the movie "The Eighth Suspect"?
Lin Jiadong: He said that he hoped to make a movie adapted from a real case, which is very rare, and he said that he did not want to make a scene where he always carried a gun, and hoped to start from the perspective of human nature. I said okay, I'm also used to roles that start from human nature. I asked him what you would play for me, and he said to play a cop. I said, ha, can I play this cop well? He said yes, and I took the play, so the "Eighth Suspect" movie "People" has a particularly strong taste.
Nandu Entertainment: Are there any other types you want to challenge in the future, you haven't tried it yet or shot it less?
Lin Jiadong: In fact, I haven't tried many genres, in recent years, for various reasons, no movies have started shooting, there are few opportunities, I hope that more different themes will appear in the future, so that I have the opportunity to play different roles and experience different lives in the play. Of course, the decision is still in the hands of the director, haha, there are also many mainland directors I want to work with, I hope that after watching "The Eighth Suspect", these people feel that they can find Lin Jiadong to come over and chat about cooperation, I will be very happy.
Nandu Entertainment: Zheng Baorui said that you are an actor with a "sense of tragedy", how do you think this temperament was formed?
Lin Jiadong: Most people in life say every day that I have to make myself happy, but life actually makes us mature, and there must be many compromises, and compromise is difficult and difficult. Your willingness to compromise shows that you are a little repressed in your heart, so it is life that has created this temperament for me.
A fault line in Hong Kong's entertainment industry
Newcomers need to reflect and change
Nandu Entertainment: In addition to being an actor, you are also a producer, do you have your own standards for supporting newcomers and investing in works?
Lin Jiadong: I hope that newcomers are willing to change, actors will have blind spots, think that they will not reflect and change if they understand, willing to change means that you still have the momentum to move forward, making movies is actually to shoot a lot of new things, that is, "out of nothing", it is not fun to stay in the same place all the time. So I hope that actors can achieve standards by changing themselves, and the mentality of being willing to change and rush forward is very important.
I invest in movies more freely. For example, in my previous producer of "Kill a Dusk", many people said that they would definitely lose money, and I said it didn't matter, I had to do it. Because I still have this ability, if I don't do it, I will have regrets. Of course, I have achieved the current results after making it, I am very happy, I am happy that Xie Xian can win the award.
Nandu Entertainment: Why did "Kill Dusk" attract you at that time?
Lin Jiadong: When my screenwriter friend brought this outline over, I was a little moved, because I felt that this society really did not pay enough attention to the elderly. Society needs their contributions to develop, but why are they forgotten at this age after they have paid? In fact, they only need a minimum of respect and attention, I want to make the society aware of the existence of this group of people through this movie, realize how much they have paid for social development in the past, what has become now, can we do something for them? So I said to my screenwriter friend, don't worry, if no one votes for this movie, I will vote for it, I must make it a movie.
Nandu Entertainment: When you invest in movies, you are more concerned about whether it has social care, right?
Lin Jiadong: Yes, that's right. I donate money out, I may not know how my money is spent, but the movie can have a real impact on the audience, such as 100 people after watching, even if it affects 10 people, let these 10 people pay attention to the elderly group, and let their friends also pay attention to the elderly, it is worth it.
Nandu Entertainment: As a senior Hong Kong actor, do you think Hong Kong films have declined?
Lin Jiadong: I think it's not a decline, it's a fault. Not many studios are willing to invest in new people, especially big films, and must find experienced actors. In the past, Hong Kong films had more diverse themes, but now many film companies tend to invest in police and bandit films, because they will make the audience more enjoyable, and sometimes film companies are unwilling to invest in a certain theme. Not only Hong Kong, but also mainland film companies, now that the film industry is industrialized, everyone puts "data" on their lips, and when there was no data 20 years ago, those movies were not movies? The same can certainly not be said. Why do movies always say "data" now, I think it's strange. I understand that investment has to consider costs and returns, but I feel that there should be more different types of films. To shoot some works that focus on "data", it is also necessary to invest in some different themes and cultivate new people through different themes, otherwise the actors will be disconnected.
Nandu Entertainment: What do you think of many Hong Kong actors going north now? Will your future focus be in Hong Kong or the Mainland?
Lin Jiadong: Hong Kong actors have been going north for a long time, and I think this situation is normal. The focus of the producer's selection of actors is that the audience likes it, the audience thinks it looks good, they will find you to act, if you can't satisfy the audience, the audience doesn't like it, I believe that nowhere on earth will look for you.
Wherever I am interested in a work that comes to me, I am willing to go. What I care about is whether this script has a clear theme to express, which can be interpreted through me, as for where to go, outer space does not matter, hahaha.
Outside of acting, I love to listen to songs
Consider opening a restaurant if you are not an actor
Lin Jiadong: My life is relatively simple, I listen to songs, watch movies, travel, find some friends to talk about scripts, and nothing else. I listen to music every day to relax, a lot of lyrics have a great impact on me, I think people who can write a song in more than 3 minutes are very powerful, the lyrics are like a sharp blade, can hit my heart, but also affect the characters I create, I will imagine the picture according to the lyrics.
Nandu Entertainment: Just speaking of watching movies, what is a movie that you have seen most impressive recently?
Lin Jiadong: One of the movies I recently watched is "The Water Dogs in the Upper Stream", which is about the state of a group of rich people in the upper class after they live on a desert island.
Nandu Entertainment: Have you been to the cinema to watch a movie recently?
Lin Jiadong: A few months ago, I watched a European movie called "Close", which is about the first love of a teenager, I saw that it seemed to win an award in Cannes last year, when my friend invited me to watch it, he said that this movie is very good, I went to see it, I have been busy these months, the movie has a lot of publicity activities, so I don't have time to go to the cinema.
Nandu Entertainment: Do you have any actors you admire more?
Lin Jiadong: Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, these actors, I like watching their movies the most, watching their changes, and watching how they deal with different roles.
Nandu Entertainment: Which of your favorite roles has you liked most after many years in the film?
Lin Jiadong: I'm still waiting, because every time there are always some regrets, reflect on what I did not do well, and hope to avoid it next time. My idea is simple, the audience's evaluation of myself, I watch it, listen to it, forget it, and move on to the next movie. It's useless to keep thinking about the past, I'm not a person who always thinks about the past.
Nandu Entertainment: Is there anything you regret about "The Eighth Suspect"?
Lin Jiadong: Mandarin is not very good, haha. It's not too standard, I hope to be better, but this state can't be changed for the time being, I haven't lived in the mainland, so the opportunity is particularly small, and I have to keep practicing, hoping to have a better performance next time.
Nandu Entertainment: How to replenish your energy after filming?
Lin Jiadong: Empty. There is pressure when acting, and after work, some of me will stay in the role, but I don't think I need to deliberately think that I will leave the role, after actually finishing this movie, I may leave the place where I live for three or five days, travel to other places, find some friends outside the industry to chat, and you can relax.
Nandu Entertainment: If you don't work as an actor, do you have any career you would like to try?
Lin Jiadong: If one day I really can't be an actor and I'm not allowed to do it behind the scenes, I might open a restaurant, I can eat more, it doesn't matter if I'm fat, hahaha. I don't have high requirements for life, my material desires are relatively low, I don't care what car I take, where I live, what I eat, as long as I can eat enough and sleep well.
On the day the movie "The Eighth Suspect" was launched, Lin Jiadong posted a Weibo.
Written by: Nandu reporter Ji Yue Intern Hu Yuqing