Preface
When we talk about director Wong Kar-wai, the first thing that comes to mind is his notoriously strong personality.
Countless actors and superstars are anxious under his supervision, and it is not uncommon for them to cry bitterly.
Wong Kar-wai does not shoot according to the script, and often acts as an NG actor for no reason, repeating a shot again and again, and his willful and casual style has also earned him the titles of "tyrant" and "big devil" in the circle.
However, can such "harsh" tactics really motivate actors to go all out and ultimately improve the quality of their works? This has become a topic of endless debate in the industry.
Andy Lau was removed from the actor, and Leslie Cheung repeatedly NG
As early as 1992's masterpiece "The True Story of A Fei", Wong Kar-wai showed a unique personality that surpassed the actors.
It was originally decided that Andy Lau, a popular student, would play the leading role A Fei, and Leslie Cheung would play a small role.
However, Director Wang made a temporary decision and began to increase Leslie Cheung's role.
In the end, Andy Lau, the originally scheduled actor, could only be ranked third.
We can imagine how excited Comrade Xiao Liu, who was still soaring at that time, was in his heart.
He originally hoped to be able to make a splash through the role of Ah Fei, but he was changed halfway, which was bound to be a huge blow to him.
But at this time, Andy Lau was still young and vigorous, and he didn't understand Wong Kar-wai's capricious personality.
Maybe he must have been resentful in his heart, but he still listened to the director's mercy, left his homeland and went to Argentina, and began a difficult journey in a foreign land.
And as the filming of the film comes to an end, we find out how wise Director Wang's initial decision was.
Because Leslie Cheung's role in the movie is indeed dazzling, this can't help but make people sigh Wong Kar-wai's creative talent.
Later, in "East Evil and West Poison", Wong Kar-wai directly took a group of actors to Xinjiang for two years with a wave of his hand.
Shoot the same shot back and forth in the scorching heat and high temperature desert every day, until Director Wang's most picky string in his heart is satisfied.
One of the most impressive is Jacky Cheung.
In order to cooperate with the role, he was forced to stretch his neck repeatedly with humiliation and weight, as many as dozens of times.
You must know that it is an actor-level figure, which shows the resoluteness of Wong Kar-wai's direction.
We can't help but imagine that the two-month shooting can be endured, but it is unbelievable that this kind of hard work has lasted for two whole years! During this period, Jacky Cheung's food and accommodation conditions must have been very difficult, not to mention having to endure Director Wang's capricious NG instructions.
Such a high-intensity shoot is a severe test for any actor.
Tony Leung is fragile and crying, and Director Wang has been an unprovoked NG actor many times
Tony Leung, one of the recognized actors, has experienced Wong Kar-wai's "evil deeds".
In the crew of "Happy Spring", Director Wang directly confiscated the passports of the actors in order to prevent them from being lazy.
Later, because Director Wang repeatedly NG his performances for no reason, and even for no reason, Tony Leung accumulated too much psychological pressure, and finally broke down and cried at home, falling into a low ebb of self-doubt.
We can understand that the high-pressure shooting in the past few days has consumed part of Liang Chao's great psychological capacity, and at this time, if he encounters Director Wang's unwarranted humiliation, anyone will have a moment of collapse.
He asked himself with red eyes, what did I do not do well enough? Why is Director Wang still dissatisfied? This kind of negative emotions of confusion and self-blame tormented the actor-level celebrities, which is enough for the outside world to witness the horror of Wong Kar-wai's unique personality.
It took more than 50 NG times to pass the level, and Carina Lau was forced to mop the floor crazily
Wong Kar-wai's bad personality has also been personally verified by the blood and tears of his wife Carina Lau.
In a certain movie, Carina Lau was repeatedly NG by her husband more than 50 times just for a small shot of mopping the floor.
It wasn't until the end that Carina Lau herself was almost insane, so she barely passed.
And at the request of Wong Kar-wai, he was forced to go without washing his hair for two weeks during the filming, which was almost torture.
We can't help but guess that Carina Lau, as Director Wang's bosom friend, should know his temperament best.
Even so, it was inevitable that he would be repeatedly tossed by this "big devil" at the shooting scene.
So imagine what the ordinary actors would be like? They can't even scold Wong Kar-wai as happily as Carina Lau to vent their emotions.
can only endure the humiliation, and continue to endure the director's various requests with a smile on his face, which is really tormenting.
Hu Ge and Tang Yan have suffered a lot, and Wong Kar-wai's "Flowers" has exploded in popularity
In the face of Wong Kar-wai's terrifying personality, many actors retreated after watching the lessons of the past.
However, for the new generation of young actors such as Uncle Benshan, Hu Ge, and Tang Yan, it is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cooperate with Director Wang.
Therefore, they also resolutely chose to endure humiliation and go all out to complete the shooting of every shot.
Even though the process is arduous and painful, the joy of receiving the director's affirmation and the glory of participating in the masterpiece are still worth their unremitting perseverance.
After all, this is a great opportunity for a career.
Uncle Benshan has crossed the test more than 60 times
Even a senior actor like Uncle Benshan has not been spared.
In the film with Wong Kar-wai, he painfully repeated more than 60 times for a very simple match-striking shot, which can be called the limit test of human will.
We can't help but guess that Uncle Benshan, who has such rich acting and acting experience, should be familiar with completing any scene.
But in front of Wong Kar-wai, the big devil, he is just an ordinary actor, and he has to repeat NG in a hurry to barely meet the standard.
This undoubtedly consumed Uncle Benshan's great mental and physical stamina, but thinking of the wonderful effect presented on the screen at the end, the joy and pride in his heart must be greater than the pain.
Hu Ge has been physically and mentally exhausted for three years, and he posted on social platforms late at night to doubt his life
In contrast, Hu Ge's experience was even more tragic.
In order to star in the new drama "Flowers" strongly recommended by Wong Kar-wai, Hu Ge spent three years before and after not leaving the group.
One can imagine how much torture and devastation he has experienced in this long process.
He was almost broken, and he could only confide in his inner vulnerability in the middle of the night, and published a series of sensitive social dynamics, which caused fans to be puzzled.
In fact, this is the only way for Hu Ge to vent his grievances and worries through social media.
During the day, the crew must endure humiliation and burdens, and cater to the director everywhere.
Only in the middle of the night can you temporarily unload your burden and vent your inner helplessness and pain in order to achieve psychological balance.
We can't help but empathize with Hu Ge's mental journey in the past three years, this kind of physical and mental torture is really too tormenting.
Tang Yan has not been out of the group for three years, and her reputation has plummeted, which is said to be a love brain
has a similar encounter with his friend Hu Ge, as well as Tang Yan.
Also for "Flowers", she did not accept any other recording invitations for three years.
When the outside world saw that she had not joined the group for a long time, it was immediately rumored that she had become a love brain and abandoned her career to care only about her family.
In this way, Tang Yan's popularity plummeted.
In fact, this is wishful thinking on the part of the outside world, and the reason why Tang Yan has disappeared for a long time is only because she has been in Director Wang's crew, and she has long been physically and mentally exhausted and has no time to take care of him.
She also once confided in Hu Ge late at night about the difficulties of her work, but she couldn't say it in front of the public because of her scruples.
The mental blow to her during this period can be imagined.
Fortunately, after the successful release of "Flowers", Tang Yan's real experience was also revealed, and fans suddenly realized that they were wrong to blame this modest actress.
"Flowers" has a bumper harvest in word-of-mouth ratings, and Wong Kar-wai's unique personality cultivates high-quality products
For Wong Kar-wai himself, however, the criticism was merely fleeting.
Because it is fully confirmed that the reward for all his harsh governance is the quality of his beloved works.
This "Flowers" is a typical example.
This drama, which Director Wang has devoted ten years of hard work, has received rave reviews since its inception, and the ratings have been flourishing for a long time.
Its perfect picture texture and rich and delicate character portrayal are all masterpieces created by Wong Kar-wai.
The beauty of "Flowers" has almost surpassed our imagination, which makes people marvel at Wong Kar-wai's achievements in the field of film and television and his almost paranoid creative pursuit.
Of course, we can't deny that behind the brilliant achievements of "Flowers", there are too many bitter tears of actors.
Every shot they endured and completed was full of blood and tears.
Because of this, when we see the masterpiece of "Flowers", we should appreciate it and at the same time be grateful and respectful.
I am grateful to every staff member who has worked hard for it, and I pay tribute to every actor who has dedicated his acting skills indomitablely.
It is the miracle of this masterpiece that they have jointly supported.
epilogue
It can be seen that although countless actors have been in pain in the process, Wong Kar-wai's almost paranoid pursuit of perfectionism has indeed worked a lot to improve the quality of film and television works.
Because of this, even if he knows that there are tigers in the mountains and are harmful, as long as he hears the name of the great director Wong Kar-wai, there will still be countless newcomers rushing into his crew, even if the price is that they can't eat and go around.
Because in this flashy film and television industry, it is such an honor to cooperate with such an accomplished master and participate in the creation of perfect works.
Therefore, should Wong Kar-wai's "vicious" personality be condemned?
But at least in my eyes, as long as the final work is beautiful and fascinating, then all suffering will be lost.