Every winter, there are always a few warm emotional movies among the new works released in theaters, bringing warmth to the audience.
On the big screen this winter, the movie "Illumination Store" tells the audience a suspenseful fantasy story about emotions and life through a warm yellow light bulb.
When faced with a life-and-death decision, the deep emotional connection between people in the film, the protection, sacrifice and fulfillment of each other, made many viewers cry.
Bai Yufan, who played the male protagonist Zheng Man in the film, was also touched by the family, love, and friendship in the story. This is his first time as the male lead in a movie, and compared with the performance in the TV series, it is more challenging and rewarding.
Since entering the industry, Bai Yufan has won the recognition of the audience through many high-scoring word-of-mouth dramas such as "Mountains and Seas", "I'm Good in Another Country", "Welcome", "Those Young Times That Can't Go Back".
Along the way, Bai Yufan has always been enthusiastic about acting, and has carefully interpreted every role. He deeply believes that actors should have their own thoughts, "performance must have more possibilities, be more vivid, not routines, this is the state I am pursuing now."
01
The "companion boyfriend" in "The Lighting Store"
"Illumination Shop" is adapted from the comic of the same name by Korean cartoonist Kang Cho, which tells the story of a "lighting shop" that has been lit up for many years and has an endless stream of customers.
Zheng Man, played by Bai Yufan, is the boyfriend of the heroine Xu Nian (played by Zhang Ruonan), and the two moved to an old small building together. The life in the new home is warm and sweet, but the strange behavior of the neighbors from time to time, as well as the strange atmosphere in the neighborhood, make Xu Nian suspicious......
From the initial suspense and thriller, to the warmth and touching later, the plot of "Lighting Store" has a 180-degree reversal, which is unexpected but reasonable. When the audience knows that everything stems from Xu Nian's dream, and that Zheng Man, even though he has left her, is still the key to bringing her out of trouble, everyone is moved by their love.
"I didn't really understand the script when I first read it, this play is different from regular film and television works, and its reversal is quite extraordinary. As a person in the film, Bai Yufan admitted that he didn't understand what this story really wanted to tell at first. He approached with the same confusion as the audience, and it wasn't until he straightened out the logic and strung together each key point that he figured out what was interesting about the story.
"It's something I've never touched before, and I'm quite interested. ”
According to the story setting, Zheng Man, who moved to the old building with Xu Nian, was actually just a person she imagined in her dreams. In this dream, does Zheng Man have his own subjective consciousness? Bai Yufan also seriously thought about this question.
"According to common sense, Zheng Man has no subjective consciousness, because everything is Xu Nian's imagination. But in my understanding, Zheng Man has his own subjective consciousness, otherwise he has many behaviors that cannot be explained, including that he has to guide Xu Nian to 'get the light bulb' and return to the real world. ”
Zheng Man's love for Xu Nian is long and tender, and no matter what Xu Nian decides, he stands firmly behind her. When watching the movie, some viewers thought of Jian Yifan, who Bai Yufan played in "I'm Good in Another Country", and thought that both characters were "companion boyfriends".
Bai Yufan also certified that he is also a "companion" character in reality, so he has some opinions on this type of role. "But I think there is still a difference between Zheng Man and Jian Yifan. Zheng Man is not so mature, and sometimes he is a little cheap when he speaks. Jian Yifan has more experience and high emotional intelligence, if he were to deal with this matter, it might be a different feeling. ”
02
"The characters must be in the service of the story"
Although Zheng Man, a "companion boyfriend", was loved by many audiences, Bai Yufan also had doubts about himself at the beginning of receiving the role.
"Zheng Man has a little ruffian, and I myself am not such a character. Most of the roles I played before were introverted and didn't talk much, and creating that kind of character may be my strength, and I rarely challenge a role that is much different from myself. ”
Director Cai Er explained to him that if Zheng Man had been very restrained and warm, the reversal in the later period might not be so touching. So, Bai Yufan decided to try the "free and easy" acting.
"The actor still has to respect the script, since you can take the play, it proves that you must agree with the overall logic of the story. I think the actor himself must not be bigger than the character, and it is necessary to hide behind the character so that the character is better presented in the whole story. ”
As an actor, Bai Yufan believes that the most important function of a character is to serve the entire story, rather than creating an aura for the actor personally. Therefore, he is willing to constantly challenge and break through himself for a good story.
"Everyone must have their comfort zone. Bai Yufan clearly felt that he was more comfortable playing some warm, down-to-earth, and energetic roles. Although he is not in a hurry to take the initiative to jump out of his comfort zone, when he occasionally needs to accept a challenge, Bai Yufan will not refuse: "I think this thing must be slow, as long as it is not standing still." ”
In the unaired dramas "City in the City" and "National Treasure Yaoshi", Bai Yufan's role has more obvious "bright" background than before. Unexpectedly, Bai Yufan felt that the "bright" character was more difficult to create than the "bleak" character.
"'Bright' seems to be easier to play than 'bleak', but it is very difficult to play 'bright' well. Because the 'bleak' character has more points to create, such as the need to struggle, to change, to struggle in life. But the 'bright' character, his fate may be very smooth, and his heart is very simple and uncomplicated, so I need to exert more effort to make him plump, otherwise it will be too smooth and peaceful. ”
Every time he meets a new character, Bai Yufan will think deeply, "because I don't want the performance to become very facial." But he feels that he is far from reaching the level of real "drama face", "Maybe it's because I haven't filmed many dramas, and the audience hasn't been aesthetically fatigued." I still have a lot to Xi. ”
03
"A good actor will definitely be discovered by the audience"
"I think being an actor is a pretty sacred profession. ”
Bai Yufan only started to get in touch with acting in his sophomore year of high school, at first he accompanied him to learn the interview acting training class, and after practicing Xi for a period of time, he found that he fell in love with acting. Later, he was admitted to Nanjing University of the Arts, and after professional and systematic performance Xi, step by step, Bai Yufan has always been full of love for performance.
After entering the industry, Bai Yufan's main consideration for taking over the play was the script: "The premise of my choice of the script must be that I can empathize with this character and understand what he does." The logic and character relationships of the entire script should at least conform to my three views. ”
For him, it doesn't matter if it's the lead or a supporting role, "as long as the role has a bright spot." Even if the character's character design is not perfect, Bai Yufan will try his best to make a good interpretation of this "imperfection".
"No one is perfect, and sometimes it's because of imperfection that the character seems more real. ”
Ma Debao in "Mountains and Seas" is Bai Yufan's first role to impress the national audience. Then there are Jian Yifan, Chen Jingdian, Zhang Lei...... Even sometimes, when the audience sees Bai Yufan's face, they blurt out the names of the characters he has played.
In this regard, Bai Yufan is very satisfied: "I think this is very good, because your role is remembered by the audience." ”
How many actors do their best, just to have a role that the audience can remember.
Bai Yufan is not the kind of actor who will take the initiative to fight for the role, sometimes he believes in the fate of the role, or the "two-way running" between the actor and the production team.
"Sometimes I don't choose it because it's not a good fit. Regarding this, Bai Yufan has always been very open-minded. He would rather use the time of confusion and disappointment to think about what room for improvement in his performance.
"What I've always asked for acting is that the audience can believe what your character says and does, so that they have a sense of substitution. ”
Bai Yufan said frankly that he has always had a strong desire to perform, and he also hopes to try more works with different themes and challenge different types of roles.
He firmly believes that as long as he concentrates on acting, "a good actor will definitely be discovered by the audience, and the audience's eyes will be bright". And a good actor is always hidden behind the character.
[Writing] Southern + reporter Zhang Siyi
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
【Author】 Zhang Siyi
[Source] Southern Press Media Group Southern + client