"This kid is simply a naughty ghost reincarnated!" Zhang Yi, who was born in the northeastern city of Harbin in 1978, has been a headache for his parents since he was a child. Although Dad is a teacher and Mom is also a teacher, there is a high probability that the genetics did not fall on this only child.
Because Zhang Yi is so naughty, he often plays tricks on small animals or plays pranks, and it seems that only mischief can make him happy. For example, he once fed green onions to the little white rabbit at home, although nothing happened, but his mother was so frightened that he screamed.
Later, his mother simply didn't allow him to take care of the rabbit anymore.
However, Zhang Yi did not restrain because of this, and even intensified it. One day, Dad bought the rooster and hen, and as soon as he put them in the chicken pen, Zhang Yi took a water gun and poured water on the rooster, and then watched the reaction with bright eyes.
The hen fled, and the rooster crowed in anger. Zhang Yi after this prank is both naïve and proud.
In addition to his own naughty personality, the family environment also played a role in fueling the troubles. Both parents teach in school, and they are usually not strict in discipline, and they are an only child, Zhang Yi is used to being pampered, so he has developed a character of doing his own thing.
When Zhang Yi was a child, in addition to playing tricks on small animals, he also liked to make troubles everywhere. When he sees a group of ants transporting things, he will take a small axe to chop them, curious about the ants' reactions.
And after noticing the panic of the ant colony, he was still intoxicated, as if he had done some great feat. Zhang Yi once tried to explain that it was just a whim when he was a child, and it did not mean that he was born with a thirst for killing.
In short, Zhang Yi's naughtiness is far beyond the normal range. If there is a psychiatrist at this time, it is estimated that he will directly take out ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) for diagnosis - because he is clearly overenergetic and not afraid of causing trouble at all.
And this bold and reckless personality also laid the groundwork for him to take on important roles in the future.
Zhang Yi has been determined to become an announcer since he was a child, so the only university to fill in the college entrance examination is Beijing Broadcasting Institute (the predecessor of the current Communication University of China). This school is the cradle of training broadcast hosts and news reporters, which is in line with Zhang Yi's dream.
In order to be admitted to the college of his choice, he began to prepare from the second year of high school, and obtained very outstanding results in the early approval: he took the first place in the grade in the professional class! This made Zhang Yi full of confidence that he was about to realize his dream of being an announcer.
He even began to think about what major to choose in the broadcasting academy and which famous teacher to study with.
However, the good times did not last long, although Zhang Yi's professional class grades still ranked first, but in the end he still did not get his wish. Because Heilongjiang Province only recruited one student from Beijing Broadcasting Institute that year, and a minority student's extra score surpassed him, "replaceing" the precious place that belonged to him.
This hit Zhang Yi very hard, he was depressed for a long time, and even the comfort of his parents failed to cheer him up. Because for him, whether he can become an announcer is the only goal in life, and now his dreams are shattered and his future is confused.
A few months later, the Harbin Drama Theater began to recruit students, and his family suggested that Zhang Yi try it. In fact, he had no interest in acting, but he still went to take the exam with no other way out.
In the end, he relied on his parents to find a relationship and spent a high price to be admitted to the self-funded department of the theater. In this way, the first turning point in Zhang Yi's life came quietly.
In 1997, Zhang Yi joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army Comrades-in-Arms Drama Troupe and officially began his acting career.
When he first joined the group, Zhang Yi was the youngest and not very gregarious, and often hid aside to write a diary, so he was evaluated by his roommate as "This person is very difficult to get along with, so you have to be careful".
In the class, he was often ridiculed by his classmates for his appearance and was nicknamed "Donkey Face". So Zhang Yi was actually in a very bad mood at that time, feeling that everyone was crowding out himself.
What embarrassed him even more was that his superiors had a very bad evaluation of him, and directly named "the only one among the 16 children who can't act" is Zhang Yi. So in the first 10 years of the troupe, he never had the opportunity to perform on stage, either playing tricks or doing some miscellaneous work, such as scene notes, prop workers, etc.
In 2005, Zhang Yi participated in the movie "Qiao's Courtyard", playing a small role as a follower. During this period, director Hu Mei once put her arms around his neck and said earnestly: "Xiao Zhang Yi, the actor will not come out at the age of 28, you can clean up and sleep!" These words were like a slap in the face, which made Zhang Yi realize that there were only 3 years left to get a chance.
So he plucked up the courage and wrote a letter to Kang Honglei, the director of the TV series "Soldier Assault", expressing his strong desire to perform. Lady luck finally favored Zhang Yi this time, allowing him to see the dawn of hope in the quagmire of life.
During the most difficult period of his acting career, Zhang Yi once recommended himself to appear in the adapted version of the drama "Soldier Assault", but he never had the opportunity. He could only watch silently from the sidelines, and from time to time he enviously imagined whether he could play a certain role in it.
Finally, when the casting of the TV series "Soldier Assault" began in 2006, Zhang Yi took the initiative to contact director Kang Honglei again and wrote a letter to express his desire to act. Perhaps it was his sincere attitude of begging to play that moved the director, or the director took a fancy to his acting skills honed over the years, in short, Zhang Yi got his wish and got the opportunity to play Shi Jin in the play.
This undoubtedly became an important turning point in Zhang Yi's acting career! What made him even happier was that he met two good brothers, Li Chen and Chen Sicheng. The three not only work closely together in the play, but also often meet outside the play.
The good times didn't last long, when Chen Sicheng's self-directed and self-starred movie "Beijing Love Story" hit the air, Zhang Yi saw that his role was portrayed like a villain, and Chen Sicheng and the heroine became sweet lovers.
This made him realize that he might just be used by Chen Sicheng as a tool.
Since then, Zhang Yi and Chen Sicheng have drifted apart and never intersected again. And his friendship with Li Chen has become particularly strong under the fate of this play. The two not only continue to cooperate in works such as "My Captain, My Group" and "Life and Death", but the brotherhood in reality also makes everyone envious.
On the road of acting, there are real brothers supporting each other, and Zhang Yi got rid of the shadow of the dragon and became an actor.
Ten years of dragon tricks made Zhang Yi see the cruelty of the entertainment industry, and also made him realize the importance of performance. In order to progress as soon as possible, he chose a special acting enlightenment teacher - cat.
At that time, Zhang Yi lived alone in a small house in Beijing, and he had seven cats, which accompanied him around the clock. The cats' every move is so natural, never pretentious, and it is a living commentary on the performance.
The appearance of opening the hazy sleepy eyes, the posture of eating and drinking, and even the reaction when tickling are so real and not the slightest fake.
Zhang Yi realized the true meaning of acting from these little creatures - sincerity and not acting. He integrated the cat's innocent personality into his performance, making the character more three-dimensional and full, rather than just staying on the stage.
This has also become the key to his ability to integrate characters and enrich the inner world of the characters in many later film and television works.
Is it possible that the innate performance cells also contribute to the education of the cat teacher? From being naughty and mischievous to later using his own emotional experience to deduce, Zhang Yi seems to have a keen perception of performance in his body.
Therefore, in many film and television works such as "Beichuan Rebirth", "Search", "Dear", "Mountains and Rivers", "The Murderer Chaser" and many other film and television works, everyone has seen his amazing acting skills.
Such a Zhang Yi is not destined to be a lifelong fate. His innate acting talent was opened up by the inspiration of cats, which eventually made him shine in the film and television industry.
After 20 years in the entertainment industry, the moment has finally come when Zhang Yi's acting skills and efforts have been recognized. In 2017, in the Magnolia Award selection of the 23rd Shanghai TV Festival, Zhang Yi defeated many predecessors in the TV series "Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky" with his profound and delicate interpretation and won the Best Actor Award.
As an actor who has never really been a leading actor in 20 years of filmmaking, being able to win an award at the awards ceremony full of old actors can be described as the pinnacle of Zhang Yi's acting career.
I remember that when he received the award, his eyes were red with excitement, and all the staff under the stage cheered and applauded him. At this moment, it seemed that all the blood and tears had been rewarded, and Zhang Yi saw his dream.
In fact, long before the filming of "Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky", the character played by Zhang Yi was eager to try and unstoppable. Whether it is Shi Jin's tearful farewell to the new barracks, or the slap of the killer Xiaofeng on the female passenger for no reason, every detail is showing the audience - this is an extraordinary good actor.
It's just that he doesn't like to socialize, doesn't brag or brag, and always hides himself behind the role.
Fortunately, Zhang Yi's trump card road will not be hidden for too long. From a trick to an actor, it only took him 20 years. In this process, the brother Li Chen has always supported him, so the picture of the two hugging and crying when they won the award is particularly moving.
Compared with the turbulent undercurrent with Chen Sicheng, the brotherhood on the road to acting makes Zhang Yi grateful more than anything.
"Not good to cooperate" is Zhang Yi's label in the circle. In fact, this reflects his dedication and seriousness to acting. As long as he plays a certain role, Zhang Yi will devote himself wholeheartedly, and in order to be more realistic, he always plays on the spot and does not stick to the script.
For example, in "Soldier Assault", the scene where Shi Jin, played by Zhang Yi, cried bitterly in Tiananmen Square before demobilizing and leaving the army. At that time, he also happened to be discharged from the army at the end of his service, so the emotions in the video couldn't help but emerge, and this was his true colors.
He even cried in front of the camera, and the feelings were so sincere.
For example, in "The Murder Chaser", the killer Xiaofeng he played sat on the bus, and the script did not write the details of beating. But when he found out that the target had escaped, Zhang Yi temporarily asked Xiaofeng to slap the female passenger sitting on the side, and the director was deeply shocked by his performance.
In fact, this is exactly Zhang Yi's acting method - integrating into life and emotions, and experiencing the inner world of each character with his heart. It is precisely because of this that Zhang Yi has become one of the well-known "bad cooperation" actor representatives in the circle.
But his acting skills have gradually accumulated and improved in the process, and he deserves to become an actor.
"Zhang Yi is a low-key person who never shows his head. This is what many seniors in the circle say about him. In fact, Zhang Yi hates that kind of deliberately hyped lifestyle, even after his career and fame rise, he still lives his own life, never bothering others, and does not let others disturb him.
Perhaps such a character comes from the understanding of "the sun is fleeting". Zhang Yi has seen too many people bathing in the scenery for a while, but later there is nowhere to hide to escape the loneliness.
Therefore, he prefers to keep a low profile, isolated from the life of open and secret fighting. Even when the future is bright, Zhang Yi is not high-profile, he just wants to be himself quietly.
After so many years from a dragon to an actor, Zhang Yi has hardly been interviewed by entertainment reports, and a group of gossip tabloid reporters have no interest in him as a person. is exactly what he wants, Zhang Yi just wants to play every role well, instead of wasting time on meaningless social entertainment.
Therefore, it is difficult for you to see the name of "Zhang Yi" on the hot search list; There will be no news of Zhang Yi hyping up a new relationship. Just like his original intention for 20 years, Zhang Yi has always commented on himself: I am just an actor, not a so-called star.
What he hopes to get is only the audience's recognition and evaluation of his acting skills.