Actor Yuan Hong: It's good to be able to do it without taking the initiative to cater to it
The waves crashed on the shore, and the WeChat prompt slid down on the reef. Yuan Hong picked up his mobile phone and distanced himself from his family because of the slowing down. It was director Xin Yukun who sent a message: Are you free? Let's talk.
Yuan Hong's new character "Yue Peng". (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
On the eve of the Spring Festival that year, Yuan Hong's family of three played on the beach in Xiamen, and although the flow of people was not as good as before, the warm and leisurely atmosphere was as always. Xin Yukun's "call" is like a low-flying seagull, awakening his idle brain on vacation with a loud chirp.
Re-tightening the brain clockwork, Yuan Hong connected Xin Yukun's phone and heard that the other party was going to make a movie about hot searches, and wanted to ask him to play a villain in it. Although the two had worked together before, Xin Yukun still asked him if he would have any concerns about such a role.
Yuan Hong thinks that he never considers whether he is a decent or a villain, but only looks at whether the script and characters are "good" enough. After reading the script, he said to Xin Yukun that there was no problem, "I think I can act well."
The poster of the movie "Hot Search".
The movie is called "Hot Search", and Yuan Hong's character is called "Yue Peng", and the story reminds people of some real events, as Yuan Hong said, "This is a very everyday thing, in fact, it happens every day in our lives."
For actors, every time they leave a moving performance in front of the screen, there is a high probability that they will receive a new label. Yuan Hong once had labels such as "Three Treasures of the Tang Dynasty", "Beautiful Man in Ancient Costumes", "Good Husband" and "Good Dad", but this time, Yue Peng made him a "pervert" who manipulated public opinion.
Yuan Hong was quick to embrace the new label. On Weibo, he responds with humor and shows a high level of ability to dispel uncertainty. "Surfing" for more than 20 years, he has been doing this, if you have to find something different, maybe it is now a little more experience to create self-consistency.
On the day of the premiere of "Hot Search", Yuan Hong accepted an exclusive interview with "New Weekly". (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
"I'll keep my distance"
Yuan Hong's sense of self-consistency is obvious - whether in front of the camera, in the dressing room, or before the opening of the stage play, his tone of voice to answer reporters' questions is always smooth and relaxing.
Talking about acting, Yuan Hong said that actors must first "believe", believe that the role they play is established, and believe that "they are him". Playing Yue Peng, I believe that it is not difficult for the role to be established, "because such a person is by our side", but it is not so easy to believe that "I am him", he must find a fulcrum and psychological basis.
In life, Yuan Hong saw people like Yue Peng and found that what they had in common was extreme selfishness. But even so, Yue Peng in his eyes is not symbolic, a villain for the sake of a villain. Only when he is portrayed as down-to-earth and not suspended, "making people feel that there will be such people, doing such things, and making the audience feel real", this role is established.
Yuan Hong and Song Yang played against each other. (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
Yuan Hong can't say what he will do if he encounters the events in the plot, but he knows very well that the impact of the Internet is pervasive, deep and significant, "all of our lives have been completely changed, and this change will continue in the future."
As of June 2023, there are 1.079 billion netizens in China. As one of the thousands of celebrity verified users, Yuan Hong is inevitably affected by some "different", "a lot of good things will hold you to the sky, and then it may fall from the top to the bottom in an instant."
For most public figures, the rollercoaster ride of internet use seems to have become the default norm. Therefore, Yuan Hong hopes that more netizens can get inspiration from "Hot Search", don't easily follow the so-called rhythm, and don't become "Yue Peng".
Yuan Hong himself is also reflecting: Have you done not to make conclusions about things you don't know very well? Have you been vigilant and have your own thinking and judgment in the face of many so-called truths and truths that have been conclusively said by others?
Looking back, Yuan Hong felt that he had kept a safe distance from the Internet hotspots. At the moment of national carnival, he will not take the initiative to pay too much attention, but listen more, think more, and ask himself if he understands the ins and outs of the matter, "If you don't have a deep understanding, don't jump to conclusions, don't judge something casually."
Yuan Hong hopes that more netizens can get inspiration from "Hot Search". (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
"Growing up surfing the Internet", Yuan Hong watched and experienced the changes in the Internet and public life.
In the first year of high school, Tencent released the chat software OICQ, which is now known as QQ; after graduating from university, the blog network was established, personal blogs began to rise, and the information portal entered the stage of personal portals; in the year of his debut, Taobao and Alipay were launched, and Baidu Tieba was established, and he mainly wrote blogs to "communicate with the world and chat with everyone".
At that time, many artists still had a sense of distance when communicating with the outside world. And Yuan Hong felt that how to chat with people online before his debut, there was no need to deliberately hold it after his debut.
On fan membership sites, he often "chats with everyone about something interesting", but the topic is limited after all, so he talks whenever he has the opportunity: "The glamorous one you see is packaged by me, and I myself am an ordinary person." I especially appreciate everyone's appreciation and love for me, but I will keep a certain distance from you. ”
Yuan Hong in "Step by Step". (Photo/Douban)
Nowadays, everyone can speak out online, and it is not uncommon for people, things, and things to be distorted, misunderstood, and damaged. Yuan Hong realized that the "sense of mystery" for the actor is no longer a choice whether to maintain it, but the actor's expression has to be "recycled". A lot of the time he was lucky, because the performance was able to do the part that was taken back.
"Know what you want to pursue in the end"
As a detail-oriented Virgo, Yuan Hong often struggles with small details when performing. When filming a feature film in 2021, he took the script to find Xin Yukun, who he cooperated with for the first time, but the other party also thought of the problems he raised, and he had already made choices and solutions.
Since then, Xin Yukun has established in Yuan Hong's mind the image of a director with strong control, narrative ability and aesthetic online, and ability to balance business rules and personal expression. Whether it is the first cooperation or the second cooperation in "Hot Search", Yuan Hong can fully trust Xin Yukun and better understand the performance through Xin Yukun's judgment of performance.
In "Hot Search", Yuan Hong and Xin Yukun cooperated for the second time. (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
The decision not to ask "what is understanding" is made by journalists. Because, Yuan Hong's tone and expression have already conveyed a sense of blankness. His answers, including other questions, strike a balance between "to point" and "specific".
Rather than understanding this balance as "keeping a certain distance" from the media, reporters are more inclined to believe that Yuan Hong does not see himself as the best person to explain concepts and definitions. However, when the object of interpretation is changed to something concrete, he will answer frankly and vividly, such as the understanding of a stage play.
"The stage is nourishing for the actors. All actors can say this, but have you ever experienced it? In the past three years, he acted in a revolutionary historical drama "The Outpost" and a stage play adapted from the science fiction novel of the same name "Frankenstein" in Chinese.
"The Outpost" is produced by Yuan Hong's alma mater, Shanghai Theater Academy. It is a great pleasure for Yuan Hong to be able to go back to school to act with his teachers, classmates and alumni, while Frankenstein is a great challenge and an interesting adventure, and he would like to thank everyone who came to see the play, as well as everyone who gave him advice.
Yuan Hong during rehearsals for the Chinese version of Frankenstein. (Photo/Douban)
Different from film and television works, stage works are basically polished while acting, and the more they act, the more they become more and more perfect. However, Yuan Hong still invited his relatives and friends to watch the first round of performances, and he felt that the opinions given by everyone at this time were very valuable, "which will directly affect all my subsequent performances."
At that time, Yuan Hong's newborn calf was not afraid of tigers and invited Xu Fan to watch "Frankenstein". After the curtain call, the theatrical artist in his mind reminded him to use as little air as possible when playing the "humanoid" role, and to convey the sound to the truth, so that the audience would enter the play because they were relaxed, otherwise they would subconsciously sit up straight and listen, and withdraw due to nervousness.
Nourished by these specific and subtle good opinions, Yuan Hong's energy gradually reached the level of "playing two different roles in one day", in his own words, "If we are Xi martial arts people and have to practice every day, then filming film and television may be a little consumed, but acting in stage plays is something you accumulate every day."
Yuan Hong in "The Outpost". (Photo/Douban)
Inside and outside, Yuan Hong can feel his changes every day - not only his acting skills, but also his cognition, control, self-confidence, and his perception of the actor's profession.
The situation of the actor's profession is ever-changing, and balancing art, business, and exposure is a must for Yuan Hong. At present, many aspects of film and television production regard data and popularity as important considerations, and their priority is even higher than "whether you are a good actor or not".
"It's brutal. Yuan Hong said, "There is no way to do this, you may have relatively few film and television works this year, so you need to get exposure through more other ways to give you the opportunity to get those (like) roles." ”
Such a status quo will not disturb Yuan Hong's concentration, nor will it go against his original intention, because it was 20 years ago, and he was swaying in an era where there was no data-only theory. At the moment, what he has to do is to "go with the flow" and remember "what he wants to pursue in the end".
Yuan Hong always remembers "what he wants to pursue in the end". (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
"I wish I had been a little simpler"
In recent years, Yuan Hong has often traveled to Xiamen for work, such as participating in "HiShorts! Xiamen Short Film Week". For the film and television genre of short films, he thinks more from the perspective of judges and ambassadors of the short film week, and encourages new directors to make more short films.
For another film and television genre related to "short" that has become popular in recent years-"short drama", Yuan Hong really did not pay attention. Perhaps deep down he is closer to tradition and classics, he will require himself to watch long dramas completely and at double speed, nor do he watch movies on short video platforms.
Even if fast food culture is not classified as a "problem", it should be a topic worthy of our consideration and discussion under the development of the times. Including the AI that Yuan Hong has paid attention to, he feels that this is a great invention that can change the world, but because there is no emotion and feeling for the time being, it cannot completely replace people.
"It can feel the temperature in this space, it can feel our volume, heartbeat, blood pressure, but it can't feel the atmosphere between people; it knows how many salts and how many sugars are put in a dish, but when it comes to the overall presentation, it doesn't know whether the dish has pot gas and whether it is wonderful. ”
Stills from the movie "Big Fish".
Perhaps Yuan Hong didn't realize that he mentioned many warm images when he gave examples. In fact, everything is traceable.
More than ten years ago, a netizen saw Yuan Hong say on his blog that he liked the movie "Big Fish" very much, so he left a message: Oh, what you like seems to be that kind of beautiful story.
Now that I think about it, Yuan Hong finds it very interesting, because he also likes the movie "Cosmic Exploration Editorial Department", which and "Big Fish" both tell the story of a persistent person who finally makes a fairy tale come true. "A little idealistic?" "Yes, a little. ”
However, Yuan Hong, who is a little idealistic, is actually very based on the present, he didn't realize that he had debuted for 20 years, and he had never set a long-term goal for himself, "I hope this drama can be good, I can play this role well, just watch this."
Yuan Hong is "a bit idealistic". (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
At the suggestion of the reporter, Yuan Hong took a rough look back on his career, "Many times you will be involuntarily, you will also lose your way, you have no God's perspective, you never know what will happen later, you will always be confused at the moment, you can only say that you can grope by feeling."
And more often, he is determined and beneficial, because the actor "as long as you play a role seriously, it will be an improvement for you, especially for young people, as long as you are serious, it will be an improvement".
For the comments received along the way, whether good or bad, Yuan Hong hopes to try not to be swayed and kidnapped, "You can't resist the labeling thing, it's good that you don't take the initiative to cater to it, I hope I'm simpler." The important thing for him is to know what kind of person he is.
Yuan Hong believes that all labels have a cause, and there is no need to tear them off. Besides, the characters are rich, "then you have more labels, which just makes you richer, and the richer it is, the more real it is."
Yuan Hong believes that all labels have a cause, and there is no need to tear them off. (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
After becoming a father, Yuan Hong spent less time at work and more time for family and life. He thinks this is also very good, because the feedback given by the child to himself is real, and the affection and intimacy between father and son are irreplaceable.
After the age of 40, Yuan Hong is slowly learning Xi "enjoyment". When the epidemic restricts travel, he enjoys his family life, and when there are itineraries and announcements, he enjoys his work. At the same time, he always doesn't forget to ask himself "why do you want to be an actor", and then in the different answers brought by different moods, he gets closer to the essence of the problem little by little.
With the new year just around the corner, Yuan Hong has a clearer understanding of what acting means to him: "It's my job, and I'm lucky that I love what I do, I enjoy it, I've been exploring it, and I've been able to have fun." ”
Becoming an actor, Yuan Hong feels lucky. (Photo/provided by the interviewee)
The waves of time are lapping on the banks of the Huangpu River. Before leaving the university campus, Yuan Hong and his classmates sat in a circle for the last class meeting. The teacher asked everyone what they thought about going to society, and Yuan Hong replied: "I am quite satisfied, I feel that through these four years of Xi, I have a skill, and I don't need to gnaw at the old." I was able to support myself independently and without worrying my parents. ”
For Yuan Hong, performance is as simple as "rice bowl".