In the youth inspirational growth fantasy drama "Under the Different Man", Hou Minghao starred in the role of Wang Ye, lazy and casual on the outside, but firm and sober in his heart, with a different kind of passionate power. As a "fan of the original book", Hou Minghao is honored to be able to star in his beloved works and play his favorite roles, and throughout the filming process, he has constantly strived to get closer to the characters from a multi-dimensional level, and his research has been frequently praised by the behind-the-scenes team. He constantly turns pressure into motivation, hoping to "restore Wang Ye that is in line with everyone's imagination." ”
In the story, Wang also went through the process of finding a solution to life, and in the process of adventures with his companions, he began to face his heart squarely, and also understood the value of friendship in the grind, and rediscovered the meaning of life. In the process of living with Wang Ye, Hou Minghao felt his own changes, the more he understood Wang Ye, the more he saw a wider world, Wang Ye's state of mind made Hou Minghao feel "very enlightening", and he also hoped that Wang Ye's story could make more people gain courage and face life bravely.
He continues to explore the character and is growing with it.
1 "Same as the original fan,
I understand the feelings of the masses very well."
The main creative team of "Under the Inhumans" has a commonality, they are all deeply attracted by the "Inhuman Universe" created by the original author Mi Er, and after a long development process, they jointly hope to restore this passionate world intertwined with fantasy and reality. The creative process of "comic book drama" is full of challenges, and the selection of actors can be described as very careful. In an interview, producer Li Jing revealed, "Because the character of 'Wang Ye' is very difficult to find, Hou Minghao is the last role we have set." ”
When looking for "Wang Ye", the behind-the-scenes team drew up a standard: handsome appearance, in line with the original work, may have to be a Beijinger, have the "lazy" energy of Beijingers, can also show the casual unruliness under the "laziness" of the character on the surface, and are very firm about the things they care about. At the same time, there is also the support of family temperament and ingenuity. There are not many candidates for such actors, and when director Xu Hongyu met Hou Minghao, the casting "difficulty" seemed to be solved, "Hou Minghao has done a lot of homework, and his research on 'Wang Ye' is very deep, even no less than the behind-the-scenes team," Li Jing recalled. Xu Hongyu still remembers the scene when he first met Hou Minghao, "We started filming that day, he came to Chongqing, we talked about roles, and tried several scenes, he added a lot of content himself, I think it's very exciting, and because we have filmed some of the scenes of 'Zhang Chulan' and 'Feng Baobao' before, I think the three of them will have a very interesting chemical reaction, and I also think that the heavens may have chosen the most suitable 'Wang Ye' at that time." ”
In fact, a thorough understanding of characters also stems from Hou Minghao's long-standing love of the "alien world". "I am a fan of this work myself, it is really a great honor to be an actor, and this is actually an opportunity for me to realize my dreams." In an exclusive interview with this magazine, Hou Minghao told reporters.
During the preparation of the role, Hou Minghao also constantly tried to approach "Wang Ye" from multiple dimensions. As a "fan of the original work", with a passion, Hou Minghao can better understand the importance of "restoration" in comic dramas, "because this work itself is a comic magazine, it must conform to the image of comics, in line with the fantasy of comic fans for characters", so when looking at animation and comics again, Hou Minghao pays special attention to details, "I will look at the comments posted by everyone during the serialization, and everyone's views on a certain clip on social media, which can (help) get closer to the characters in the second dimension." It also allows me to see what people who like this work think, and I can try to create a character that is more in line with everyone's ideas. In addition, Hou Minghao also pays attention to the expression of "live-action version" that is closer to reality, and he hopes to give "Wang Ye" more "emotional logic as a real person". He emphasized, "On top of the middle two and blood of the comics, we must have a realistic concept and express it closer to the truth, and only by ensuring the coexistence of multiple dimensions can the characters (stand). ”
Since the original work has been serialized for more than eight years, in the face of the "Wang Ye" that has long been formed in the hearts of the public, Hou Minghao is not without pressure, he can empathize with the original fans, "I can especially understand (everyone's psychology), if I have a particularly favorite (two-dimensional) character, after seeing a (real) person to play, I will also have a skeptical attitude, (if) it is not so similar to my heart, I will also have a conflicting side." On the day of the interview, Hou Minghao had not yet looked at the online comments, and he was very happy to hear us mention that many viewers recognized the "real person Wang Ye". In fact, he said, during the filming phase, these great pressures were also his source of motivation.
2 "When touching 'Wang Ye',
I always feel that the more I know, the less I understand."
The process of shaping "Wang Ye" is also the process of Hou Minghao's own approach to the character from the outside and the inside. It's like he seriously studied Tai Chi, not only to complete the play of "Wang Ye", but also to deeply understand the state of mind of "Wang Ye". In Hou Minghao's understanding, the Tai Chi movements seem to be soft, but in fact they are both rigid and soft, which is very consistent with the heart of "Wang Ye", he always seems to not care and do not care, but there is a real force in his heart. During the filming, director Xu Hongyu asked Hou Minghao to maintain a "sense of relaxation" and "laziness", and Hou Minghao also captured the essence. Producer Li Jing praised Hou Minghao's grasp of the characters, "He may usually have a very lazy and lazy feeling, but his eyes are very firm, which may be 'Wang Ye'." ”
Even though he has chased comics and animation, he has done a lot of homework for the characters, but in the process of filming, when he got closer to "Wang Ye" and experienced the life of "Wang Ye" through performance, Hou Minghao also felt the greater charm of the character. In Hou Minghao's view, "Wang Ye" is a character with a very character arc. In the first half, he seemed to be very free, comfortable and self-consistent, but under that freedom, there was a faint trace of "entanglement" and "escape": "At that time, he had not yet found a core pursuit of life in his heart, so he escaped all kinds of 'desires' in front of him." And in the process of getting along with his partner and "taking risks" together, "Wang Ye" gradually opened his heart, Hou Minghao saw the step by step change in his heart, "His entanglement was gradually solved by the people around him, he found that when facing problems, he was no longer alone, there were so many people to help him, he actually 'should' not always be alone, at that stage, he understood more and more the meaning of companionship, including the meaning of living." However, such a three-dimensional "Wang Ye" is very challenging when implemented in the performance, "he is a character with rich layers, how to grasp the proportion is a big test for me", therefore, Hou Minghao will be more delicate to portray the state of the characters at every moment, not limited to actions, eyes, but also try to reveal the heart of "Wang Ye" more naturally, "His firmness is the heart, the way of presentation should be casual and calm, how not deliberate, is the direction I always strive for." ”
However, even so close to "Wang Ye", Hou Minghao also laughed and said, "The more you go deeper, the less you understand now", which seems to be very similar to the esoteric energy of "Wang DaoChang". Hou Minghao said frankly, "Just like the unfathomable depth of Tai Chi, when I feel that I understand 'Wang Ye' more and more, the more I feel as if I don't understand him, the more I touch it, the more profound it is, once I touch his heart and understand a little, I will find a wider world." The world still needs to be explored", so even now, he is still on the way to find the character. However, Wang has also given Hou Minghao some inspiration, "He has everything, but he doesn't care about everything, this is a very rare mentality, very enlightening, and I hope the audience can see that even if they seem to be perfect people, they will have fragility and entanglement in their hearts." Don't be afraid, we can be thankful for setbacks, as this process will teach us how to be brave for the rest of our lives. ”
Nandu Entertainment × Hou Minghao
"I feel that I am still 'far from Wang',
We still need to keep learning from him."
"This time, I feel very honored"
Nandu Entertainment: According to the producer, the actor of "Wang Ye" is difficult to find, and even finalized, can you say under what kind of chance did he appear in this drama? What was the interview process like?
Hou Minghao: Before I came into contact with the script, I was a fan of this IP, and I really liked the role of Wang Ye. I especially like watching anime, and I chased a lot of other anime in the early days, but the rise of national comics in recent years has made me like some elements of national comics more and more. I think one of the reasons I really like "Under the Man" is that it incorporates a lot of Chinese elements, as well as martial arts and so on. In fact, everyone's heart, especially every boy's heart, may have a "heroic dream", so when watching anime, I feel very enthusiastic and want to try. When I saw the information about the filming of the comic drama, I was particularly excited, I found Director Xu, and then I was an interview play, and finally I was lucky to participate in this play.
What impressed me now was that the first audition was recorded on my phone, and after the audition, there was some progress, I went to meet the director, tried face-to-face, and finally got the opportunity to play this role. It's a real pleasure and honor to play a role that I love. At the same time, I feel that as a fan, this is also an opportunity to realize my dreams.
Nandu Entertainment: Will you be stressed to play a blockbuster character in a comic book drama?
Hou Minghao: I can especially understand (everyone's psychology), if I have a (two-dimensional) character that I particularly like, after seeing a (real) person to play, I will also have a skeptical attitude, (if) it is not so similar to my heart, I will also have a conflicting side, which can only turn pressure into motivation.
Nandu Entertainment: What homework did you do in private to prepare for the role?
Hou Minghao: In the preliminary preparation stage, I carefully looked through the comics, and I think that the feeling of reading comics is still different. Because anime is dynamic, you will be brought in by some dynamic actions in it, as well as its voice and dubbing, which will increase the sense of substitution, but reading comics is the most restored to the author's original intention for the creation of characters. In addition, when I read manga, I pay attention to the comments posted by people, including a lot of comments in the anime, and people's opinions on social media about a certain clip, which can [help] me get closer to the characters in the second dimension. It also allows me to see what people who like this work think, and I can try to create a character that is more in line with everyone's ideas.
Also, based on our script, I feel like a lot of trade-offs and balances have been made. Because from comics to anime to film and television dramas, as an actor, there may be some breakthroughs in many expressions, not as common as real life performances, may be some comic sense performances, or there are some small exaggerated expressions, after all, we are "aliens". But there must also be some trade-offs in this process, or return to the essence of the character, or have a sense of realism and reality, and there must be many extremely sincere parts that can make everyone have a sense of faith in the character. It has to be abstract, but also very realistic expression, I think this is the way to make the audience believe in my character. So I still have a serious thought in my performance about how to make people believe in my role. I often talk and communicate with Director Xu about how to get close to this role.
Nandu Entertainment: The director and producer have praised you for studying characters deeply, how do you understand "Wang Ye"?
Hou Minghao: Wang also looks very casual, lazy, very free-spirited, very vulgar, and does not care about gains and losses, but in fact, he also has his own "screwing". He is the one who wants to be quiet the most, but not quiet. I think the interesting thing about this role is that he looks very casual, but because he also has a heart that is willing to care about the world, care about the world, and can work hard for the family, it causes him to seem to want to be born, but he has never been born at all. He has been working for various things in the world, including for the sake of the old Heavenly Master and Zhang Chulan at that time, he chose to go to Longhu Mountain to participate in the Inhuman Martial Arts Conference, I think it is actually because he still hasn't let go of this world in his heart.
In addition, I think he once had a "tangle" and a trace of "escape" in his heart, his family situation is indeed much better than ordinary people, he also wanted to escape the immediate wealth, the immediate desire, and at that time he had not yet found his core pursuit in his heart, and later his "entanglement" was gradually unraveled. He came into contact with all kinds of people, Zhang Chulan, Feng Baobao, Zhuge Qing, etc., and gradually found that when he could not solve the problem of his family facing a crisis, there were so many people to help him, at that moment, he found that he should not be alone, and then he understood the meaning of companionship and the meaning of living. He also learned a lot from Zhang Chulan and them. Therefore, we have a deeper understanding of this character, it turns out that he himself has always thought that he has been born, but in fact, he has not yet entered the world, has not really understood the world, and understands how to behave in the world. He began to live for real, and he chose to return to this world.
Nandu Entertainment: With such a three-dimensional character, what is the biggest challenge for you in the process of playing him?
Hou Minghao: How to integrate with the character, including how to really enter the heart of the character "Wang Ye", I think this is my biggest challenge.
In the early stage, I may focus on how to restore Wang Ye's various states, such as his posture and demeanor, he may often unconsciously hunch his chest and back, his head is tilted like this, and then he is often sleepy (Reporter: I watched this state when he amplified his moves in the film. Yes, a very lazy appearance, even more lazy than we can encounter in our daily life, including walking in a pocket, walking with feet on the ground, and occasionally speaking will sound a little unorthodox, but the words he says themselves are very contentful and weighty. His character background seems to be calm, but sometimes there are some very funny memes, lines suddenly up and down, suddenly lively and jumpy, there is his own cute side, very rich, but also a sense of contrast, so pay special attention to his body shape, lines, eyes, and some micro-expressions.
After going deeper, I was challenged - how to restore his heart. Because I feel that the biggest difference between me and him may be that I don't have the same state of mind as Wang Ye. First of all, he is a Taoist priest, and then he is extremely vulgar and unmoved by anything, and I think this is a psychological state that is difficult to have as a person in the current society, so I think the biggest challenge is to enter the character of Wang Ye itself, into his inner essence, and find those states that can let go of everything.
Secondly, like Wang Ye's Tai Chi moves, he is also a little unfathomable in his heart, and when I feel that I understand Wang Ye more and more, the more I feel as if I don't understand him, the more I touch him, the more profound it is, once I touch his heart and understand a little, I will find a wider world.
"I don't set limits for myself"
Nandu Entertainment: I heard that you deliberately went to learn tai chi, can you share this experience?
Hou Minghao: Yes. Because I think if you want to understand this character, you really have to understand him from multiple dimensions such as appearance, state of mind, and skills, and practicing tai chi may only be one of the ways to understand Wang Ye. In this process, I think that Tai Chi looks soft, but in fact, it is both rigid and soft, just like Wang Ye's heart, it seems to be a person who does not care, but in fact, there is a power in his heart.
In addition, our filming this time is more landed. When fighting, the feeling is real, and a lot of traditional martial arts culture is also integrated into it. Tai Chi is esoteric and mysterious, somewhat inscrutable, and you can't predict when your next punch will happen. I also learned some traditional culture from Tai Chi.
In fact, I can't say that I have really mastered Tai Chi until now, which is really difficult. I can only say that through the preliminary training, I have presented a state of playing tai chi, hoping to let everyone feel its rigidity and softness.
Nandu Entertainment: Will you continue to practice after getting started? Do you occasionally play tai chi during breaks on set?
Hou Minghao: There really is. Because now I am also filming a martial arts scene, I will indeed adjust my body and mind on the set. Many of our sword techniques, sword techniques, body techniques, etc., in fact, have learned a lot of experience from Tai Chi, and when we play swords, many of them are the movements of Tai Chi, which is the adjustment of this body shape.
Nandu Entertainment: Do you and Wang also have overlapping parts?
Hou Minghao: In addition to work, I am actually a more "lazy" person in my life, haha, unless it is to do what I like, but I think it is still different from Wang. I feel that I am a more comfortable person in my heart, a relatively free person, but I still feel a lot worse than him. So it's still that question, how to grasp the sense of proportion this time, how to portray the characters naturally is a big test.
Nandu Entertainment: Did you get some inspiration from him?
Hou Minghao: He has everything but doesn't care about everything, I think this is very rare, this kind of state of mind is what I want to learn, it is very enlightening and enlightening. I also hope that the audience can see that even the most perfect people can be fragile and entangled in their hearts. Don't be afraid, we can cherish and appreciate setbacks, because this process will teach us how to face the rest of life bravely.
Nandu Entertainment: The series is airing, what kind of feedback do you hope to receive?
Hou Minghao: Because everyone has their own Hamlet, and live-action anime reproduction, I think it is a difficult thing, and I am doing it to the best of my ability. I believe there will be many different voices, but I also hope that everyone can see my own enthusiasm for the role of Wang Ye, including his dedication and sincerity, I think it is enough, and the rest will be left to everyone to judge.
Nandu Entertainment: Just recently celebrated your birthday, have you made any wishes or set small goals?
Hou Minghao: Yes, but this should be kept secret, hahaha.
Nandu Entertainment: What other work plans can you share with you in the future?
Hou Minghao: At the moment, I think that as long as I meet something I like, I want to make some bold attempts, without setting too many limits for myself, or wanting to break through a certain type. You can look forward to my follow-up more.
Written by: Nandu reporter Fu Yuanyuan
Image: Courtesy of interviewee