Ruan Jingtian's exclusive self-description: Add the self-struggle of the past ten years to the performance, and assign life to the role

Tencent Entertainment and Movie Island Awards have exclusively launched the filmmakers' self-narration dialogue column "Movie Appreciation SP: From Filmmakers' Stories" - listen to them talk about themselves, movies, and love.

We invited actor Nguyen Ching Tien to hear his story with "Manhunt".

Ruan Jingtian on the big screen often creates a crazy, excessive, and violent image, but in the mouth of an old friend like Zhang Junning, he thinks that he is a sensitive and gentle boy, highly delicate, and cares about other people's emotions, just as Zhang Junning described, "Xiaotian is the kind of friend who may not have much contact with him, but as long as he is needed, he will definitely be the first to appear." ”

After having close contact, Fang knew that what Zhang Junning said was true. Ruan Jingtian speaks intensively and has a very strong desire to express, but in the process of communication, he will also care about the feelings of the listener, when you speak, he will look at you with a pair of clear eyes, and listen quietly like this. Regarding his past, he has no shy past, and can even dissect the most unbearable thoughts in his heart before, of course, such a premise must be that his heart is strong enough now.

For a long time, Ruan Jingtian seems to have been expected by people to have very high expectations, after all, at the age of 28, he won the actor with the role of "Monk" in "Monga", and realized the lifelong dream of many actors early. But after 2015's "Paradise in the Army", he interpreted very few impressive roles, until the past two years, he subverted and starred in films such as "Pursuit" and "Eliminate the Three Evils Around the Week", and was nominated for the actor again, and the audience will subconsciously sigh: The familiar Ruan Jingtian is back!

But he thinks that Ruan Jingtian has actually been there, but in the past ten years, in addition to creating new roles, most of his time has been spent digesting the glory he has obtained and the pain that life has given him, and these pasts have become shining and valuable treasures in his life in retrospect, just like the role of Lin Yousheng in "Pursuit", if he had been in the early years, Ruan Jingtian would never have interpreted him so profoundly and vividly.

Lin Yousheng is an illegal manpower agency, his life is rough, but he is single-minded, and the death of his ex-girlfriend has become a lingering nightmare in his heart, and in the process of finding the murderer, he must face his own unbearability and cowardice, and find the meaning of survival. It can be said that this character is not just a "clue character" in a genre film, he carries the director's thinking about social reality, and also carries Ruan Jingtian's personal life experience and courage over the years.

Maybe it's time for us to get to know the actor Ruan Jingtian again, forget those youthfulness, forget those uninhibited, and stand in front of us is Ruan Jingtian after tempering.

The following is the self-description of actor Nguyen Jingtian, who shared with us his story with the movie "Pursuit":

1

The role of Lin Yousheng in "Pursuit" is closer to reality than the roles I played in the past, and this reality comes from my life state. During the years when I rode a motorcycle, I was surrounded by many friends from different life classes, including Lin Yousheng, who was labeled as "bottom". I've seen them go to bed at 8 p.m., wake up at 2 a.m., and work until late in the evening, day after day. Some sell vegetables in the vegetable market, some sell socks in the night market, and some sell pork. When I saw Lin Yousheng, he was closer to "not acting" than the dramatic characters I had played before, which was very attractive to me.

Before making this work, director Zeng Yingting gave me a lot of reading directions, and I also found a lot of mental experiences about migrant workers working in various places, as well as the short stories or diaries they wrote, including the difficulties and grievances they encountered, which I have no way to tell you. There is a sentence that impresses me very deeply: there are only two kinds of jobs in the world that can be preceded by the word "fugitive", one is a deserter and the other is a fugitive, but they should be called "fugitive laborers", everyone should be born equal, why is there such a big gap and difference because of work?

I said earlier that I thought I understood because in the past three years of the epidemic, my grandparents have passed away one after another. A few months before the pandemic, I found out that they had physical problems, so for more than four years, I took them in to take care of them. There was an Indonesian caregiver named Heidi, who lived in my house and helped me take care of my grandparents, and after such a long time together, and the script of "Pursuit", I asked her if the situation at home was as hard as the story described? I feel more and more that Lin Yousheng is an interesting character, and he is also a person who lives at the "bottom" through his eyes. Of course, I don't like people to talk about that, because when I make friends with these people, I don't think they're "at the bottom", and I don't think they're less noble than us. On the contrary, there are certain qualities in them that are more valuable than those who are dressed in fine clothes, more righteous, and more willing to give for their friends. So why is it labeled as "bottom"? Why do people reject another unfamiliar person when they are obviously not familiar with each other and do not understand each other? Or does clothing really determine whether a person can socialize or not? I think the more real part of "Pursuit" is not only suspense and excitement, but also shows and thinks about all the situations I mentioned.

This time, learning Thai, including the change in style, is actually not the most difficult thing, but the most difficult thing is how to enter Lin Yousheng's psychology. Sometimes it's not that I choose the role, it's that the character chooses an actor to speak for him, and many times it's fate to play a role. How do I prepare? One thing is indelible, and that's time. Today's role was placed ten years ago, I couldn't play it, if I had been living in my comfort zone, then Lin Yousheng would definitely be far away from me, this is not something that Ruan Jingtian can do well with a beard. In the past ten years, I have had the so-called self-struggle, the so-called doubt and resistance in my life, and the so-called knowing that the reality is so unbearable, I can only choose not to look at the reality and be myself. That's why when I read the appearance of this character, he came to mind clearly.

Although I have a lot of more outgoing scenes in the movie, I still hope to be more "contained" in emotional control, which is a change in my concept. This script needs me to break down, I need to cry out and see tears, and seeing tears is actually the same as we speak language, we speak the same words, but when we talk to friends, to strangers, to parents, to lovers, it feels different. When I was playing the role, I really wanted to be able to suppress that pain, and the producer didn't pay me to express my emotions on the screen and moan without illness. When I used to be an actor, I especially wanted others to see the tears I shed, just to tell everyone that I could cry and act well, but when you understand the true nature of life, you will know that the tears should be shy and embarrassed. The more sad we are in real life, the more we will try our best to show stability, because we don't want others to touch our wounds, which is a natural protective mechanism, so this time in the performance, I told the director to help me suppress my emotions, even if there is only a little spark left, but that spark is enough to burn.

I'm really working hard in filming now, and I will never be stingy with every time I show all the things I can, which means that every performance, whether I operate well or badly, is my best at the moment. Of course, there will also be people who ask, "What will be different next time?" I would like to say, because every time I give my best, I will definitely get some feedback, and the experience of life and skill will increase, which will help me to make a difference in the next performance. It's been more than two years since the film was made, and when I look back now, I still feel that there are many things I must have done better than I did then, especially now that I am 40 years old, I will know that many things are light and heavy, and the same is true in acting, to be relaxed and moderate, just like the rhythm of life.

2

Zhang Junning and I met together 16 years ago, and this is our second collaboration, and she has changed a lot. In the past 16 years, we can't say that we have maintained close contact at all times, but we all know that there is such a friend in each other's lives, and we can share our feelings when no one is talking. I still remember the first time I saw her, she was very nervous, trying to behave well, others spoke highly of her, she was a top student, she was beautiful, as if she couldn't have shortcomings, so she was cautious, even a little timid. I told her at the time that I wanted her to relax a little. Now after so many years, both of us have experienced a lot of changes, whether it is in our career or emotionally, now she is willing to accept her shortcomings and innate shortcomings, but she has the courage to try some things that she has never tried before, such as the job of producer, I don't even dare to think about it, I have asked her many times, actors and producers are two jobs that are so conflicting, one is emotional and one is rational, one asks for time and one does not give time, why she wants to integrate two things together. She talked to me on and on and on, I didn't understand, but I admired her for her courage. She is no longer the cautious person she used to be, she can accept defeat calmly, and quickly find her position and come up with a solution to make up for it. At the same time, I also saw that she didn't have to rely on another person to live, and she could live well on her own. We used to say that we were afraid of loneliness, but this loneliness has become the strength in her life, which is very valuable.

Of course, through this cooperation, I am also very sure that I will never be a producer, everyone has a way to go, I think producer is Jun Ning's destiny, when she is in the middle of it, and try to make some contributions to this film that is different from that of an actor, she is so leisurely, and in my opinion it is an extremely tiring thing, what I can do well is the job of an actor, in addition, in the future career, I also hope to ask some questions to the world and be a good creator.

A lot of things happen instantaneously, such as the loss of a loved one, such as the outbreak of war, and for me, the change in performance is also an instantaneous thing. A year after the filming of "Pursuit", I filmed "Eliminate the Three Evils Around the Week". A year is really short, but something is changing in my bones. Each of us will have a period of chaotic thinking, just like the three animals in "Removing the Three Evils Around the World": pigs, pigeons, and snakes, people often go around in a labyrinth, but they can't get out. I saw that there were comments that Lin Yousheng in "Pursuit" and Chen Guilin in "Everywhere to Eliminate the Three Evils" are very similar, but they are actually fundamentally different, Lin Yousheng's character is more down-and-out, and his personality is more complex, it is precisely because this society has imposed too many labels on him, he can only face himself after tearing them off, in comparison, Chen Guilin is much purer, they are two different life curves, so I think Lin Yousheng should be a Sagittarius, and Chen Guilin is an Aquarius. Every time I finish playing a character, I feel like he must have taken up a part of my life, just a small amount, and I have given my life to these characters as well. So now when I'm talking to you about characters, I'm like I'm talking about a friend, just like I'm talking to you about Junning.

In 2010, I won the best actor with "Monga", and it was reported that I was anxious and crying at home every day for a long time, and I did feel this way at the time, but more precisely, everyone condensed a lot of what I said. The moment I got the actor, the pride and inferiority in my body existed at the same time. The so-called pride is, I have the confidence to tell you, whether you like it or not, agree with it or not, Lao Tzu is an actor, and I am so young, I am only 28 years old, everything is fine, in my current life, I can't find any bad rhetoric. But how arrogant you are, how inferior you are, some seniors once said that Ruan Jingtian himself didn't know what that honor was. It may seem like I don't care, but I care so badly in my heart that I don't know what it is, I don't know what it is, I don't know how fierce the argument was, I don't know the value of that honor, and I don't know that I wouldn't have been able to get such recognition on my own without the package of my partner in "Monga" and my opponent who was also shortlisted. That kind of inferiority complex also stems from the fact that I still don't seem to understand whether I can complete that kind of performance on my own, and I seem to have to rely on certain people, certain things, certain environments, and in a certain time, place, and people to stimulate my state; that kind of inferiority complex is like if you ask me a question about a role, I have to think about how to say something more beautiful and good, so that you can think that I am good. It's all conflicting, and it's so stressful that I can't live it well.

But looking back now, I'm grateful for that experience, and if it weren't for those experiences, I would have left the industry a long time ago. It's like a "life saver" that gives me the opportunity to continue walking here. It was precisely because of this setback that I had enough time, about ten years, to self-conflict, and introspection, and anger at home, and to think about what I would do if I had the opportunity to do it again. Thoughts come from a healthy body, including the fact that I want to pursue an extreme performance like Lin Yousheng, which also requires strong physical strength, so I am really grateful for that past.

28-year-old Ruan Jingtian won the first actor in his life with "Monga".

3

The reason for reconciliation with self is also because of the departure of grandpa. My grandmother died first, and then my grandfather also passed away, when he left, I was not in Taipei at the time, I heard the news, lay on the ground and looked at the sky, and suddenly felt that the last backer in this world had also left, and I no longer had a reason to be naïve and willful, just like I had grown up in one day. I dreamed of being like my grandfather, but I didn't want to be my father, but then I realized that the blood is the same lineage, and I must have the shadow of my father in my blood, which also makes it impossible for me to avoid the fact that I am my father, I have the shortcomings of my temperament, and I also have the perseverance of my mother, these things make me a little closer to my grandfather. So when he died, the change happened naturally, fortunately, I don't have to hold the bitterness in my heart like Lin Yousheng, I need to quickly face the mistakes I have made, admit my shortcomings, and hope that those who have been hurt by me can forgive me and accept my shortcomings.

This time, because of "Removing the Three Evils Around the Week", I have a chance to be nominated for Best Actor again, do you say nervous, nervous, happy? happy. But more often than not, I'm trying to suppress this tension and happiness, because I know that these things will not help my work and life, I should keep my life stable, do what I need to do every day, eat and sleep well, listen to what others say, if I don't want to listen, don't listen, do what I am sure of, and leave the rest to time.

In fact, Ruan Jingtian has been there all these years and has never left. People are sometimes like ducks paddling, the duck seems to be doing nothing on the water, but in fact it has gone forward desperately, and people will always see the sharp side of you. We used to be indignant about this kind of thing, but then we will find out that this is the truth, and this is really the only thing that everyone should see. There is a line in "The Elephant Sits on the Ground", "Life is constant pain, and when you are not comfortable, you want to escape to a new place, and the result is that you continue to suffer in a new place." This shows that pain and loneliness are unavoidable, and since such emotions are still there, it means that you are not completely honest with yourself, and this really needs to be practiced.

Ruan Jingtian's next new film "Angry Tide" will also be released at the end of the year

As an actor, you need to feel with your heart or eyes whether the opponent in front of you is sincere, of course, sometimes you make mistakes, but I think it is still based on intuition. Because I found that in our industry, it is not beneficial to calculate everything. Who I worked with on this project and what kind of success I would have achieved in my past career have not been a lot of things in my career, but it is not necessarily about success, whether the result is good or bad, and the most important thing is whether it is worth it. I once acted in a movie that was only 100,000 Hong Kong dollars at the box office when it was released in Hong Kong, but I loved the filming process and the role, so after a few years, I still feel that time was meaningful. I also used to think that I would achieve great success because of the exhaustion of the mechanism, but the result was not what I expected, and I would be indignant later, but now I have been relieved, the road is my own way, don't play those little clever, down-to-earth, treat people with sincerity is the most important.

I am very grateful to Director Huang Jingfu of "Eliminating the Three Evils Everywhere", he has inspired me a lot. I can see a lot of problems in him that I have never thought about, and many of the life philosophies mentioned earlier are what he told me, to think more about my future, rather than just focusing on what I want to do now. So if you ask me what kind of actor Ruan Jingtian hopes to become, I will say to you, I have no hope, and people will eventually return to a relatively unmodified state, which is not hasty and reckless, but has discovered what the true self is. Maybe human nature is evil, but when everyone faces each other, it would be better if they could have a little more kindness, whether it is "Pursuit", or "Eliminate the Three Evils in the Week", they are all talking about such things, but this is actually very difficult. I'm already very lucky, as an actor, I don't have the luxury of being favored, but I am very grateful for having a fair chance to compete and let everyone see my performance.