1. Prologue: The director's old friend's new work has sprung up, detonating market expectations
In May 2023, the film masterpiece "Disappearing Her" directed by Chen Sicheng was released in the mainland in just 11 days, and it exceeded 2.2 billion yuan at the box office with an astonishing box office, which attracted enthusiastic attention and extensive discussion in the whole society.
Just as "She Who Disappeared" was in full swing, Wang Baoqiang's "In the Octagon Cage" also created a new record of 275 million yuan in the number of screenings, surpassing the previous work "Eight Hundred" in one fell swoop and ranking at the top of the box office in Chinese film history.
The two old friends in the director's world are about to have a fierce showdown in the sandalwood smell of the hot summer, and the outside world can't help but speculate whether they will once again stage a "life and death" competition as in the past.
However, this is not the case. When Chen Sicheng's "Disappearing Her" premiered, Wang Baoqiang personally came to the scene to cheer for him; In the screening of Wang Baoqiang's new work, Chen Sicheng also did not hesitate to promote his old friend's film.
The two directors have long put a decades-long friendship above all else, and no one wants to destroy this precious bond for the sake of momentary success or failure. Judging from their expressions, they are all sincerely happy and supportive, looking forward to each other's new heights on the road of art.
2. The origin of friendship: In 2004, Chen Sicheng generously donated money to help Wang Baoqiang in distress
Let's travel back in time and space to 2004, when Wang Baoqiang and Chen Sicheng were still unknown young actors, and they could only rely on playing tricks on the set to earn a meager income.
One day, Wang Baoqiang sincerely invited Chen Sicheng to dinner, hoping to express his gratitude to his friend in a simple way. However, when the two sat down, Wang Baoqiang realized that he was penniless and couldn't even afford this light meal.
Wang Baoqiang apologized to Chen Sicheng in embarrassment: "I'm really sorry, I don't seem to have enough money to pay for this dinner right now." ”
As soon as the words fell, Wang Baoqiang even planned to show a few martial arts moves in Muren Alley on the spot to prove his sincerity. Chen Sicheng was amused by this scene, he smiled and waved his hand to stop Wang Baoqiang, and said, "I'll pay for this dinner."
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At first, Wang Baoqiang was born into an extremely poor family and lived in poverty. His mother, who worked extraordinarily hard to cope with the heavy household chores, barely supported the family's livelihood.
When Wang Baoqiang was young, the clothes on his body were all from the old products abandoned by others, and he was in many hardships, however, at the age of two, he was lucky to step into the Shaolin Temple and began the arduous martial arts training, forging his firm will.
3. A fork in the road in life: a famous comedy actor and a well-known director
Fueled by a deep friendship, they embarked on two very different paths in the film and television industry. Wang Baoqiang has been tempered and finally became a well-known comedy superstar; Chen Sicheng turned around gorgeously and became a high-profile director, and created a series of masterpieces with a strong reputation.
For Wang Baoqiang, "Blind Well" in 2003 is undoubtedly an important milestone in his career. The filming conditions were extremely difficult, with slag and dust that many actors could not bear.
However, Wang Baoqiang resolutely persevered, and won the Golden Horse Award for Best Newcomer with his superb acting skills, laying a solid foundation for his future career development.
In comparison, Chen Sicheng's road as an actor is quite bumpy. Although he rose to prominence in his early years by starring in "Judge's Mother", for a long time afterward, his career as an actor had few bright spots.
Until 2014, he wrote and directed "Beijing Love Story" and caused a sensation upon its release, which not only won 1.1 billion yuan at the box office, but also opened a new chapter in Chen Sicheng's directorial career.
Two years later, the "Detective Chinatown" series directed by Chen Sicheng pushed him to the pinnacle of the directing industry. So far, these two former friends have achieved top movie stars and directors in the entertainment industry.
Fourth, adversity sees the truth: Wang Baoqiang is in trouble, Chen Sicheng supports it
Despite the ups and downs of their careers, their revolutionary friendship remained steadfast. In 2015, a sudden family storm ruthlessly destroyed Wang Baoqiang, who was at the peak of his career at that time.
His wife Ma Rong not only betrayed him, but also openly insulted him, and what was worse was that Ma Rong took the opportunity to freeze all Wang Baoqiang's property, causing him to fall from the clouds into the abyss in an instant, and his future became confusing.
Just when Wang Baoqiang fell into a low point in his life and felt helpless, Chen Sicheng, a close friend, generously donated unreservedly and provided 3 million yuan in financial assistance! The fonts are full of friendship and brotherhood that have been built up over the years.
"Brother, move forward strongly!" , Chen Sicheng wrote these four short words on the transfer message, and the affection contained in it was moving.
In addition to financial help, Chen Sicheng is on the cusp of public opinion and has held up a piece of heaven for Wang Baoqiang. He angrily condemned Ma Rong's bad behavior on his personal social platform, spoke out for Wang Baoqiang bluntly, and resolutely stood on the side of his friends.
However, the good times are always short-lived, and it wasn't long before Chen Sicheng was heavily attacked by public opinion for some inappropriate remarks. When he was facing a predicament, Wang Baoqiang, like Chen Sicheng back then, stepped forward without hesitation and said firmly: "I will always be by your side."
5. Testimony of friendship: "Detective Chinatown" reproduces the deep brotherhood
The most powerful testimony of friendship between the two friends is undoubtedly the "Detective Chinatown" series of films directed by Chen Sicheng. The protagonist in this film, Detective Tang Ren, is the image carefully created by Chen Sicheng based on Wang Baoqiang.
In order to make this character closer to Wang Baoqiang in real life, Chen Sicheng made great efforts in the script creation process. He not only personally wrote a biography of more than 10,000 words, describing Wang Baoqiang's character traits in detail; He also designed a genius apprentice, just like Chen Sicheng had the dream of becoming an excellent police officer when he was young.
During the filming, Wang Baoqiang unfortunately sprained his ankle, and the situation once worried that it would affect the filming progress. However, Chen Sicheng did not hesitate to give an order to suspend the entire crew until Wang Baoqiang fully recovered.
What's even more rare is that every day, Chen Sicheng personally boils nutritious chicken soup and sends it to the hospital to nourish Wang Baoqiang's body.
In order not to delay the production progress of this movie, Wang Baoqiang also tried his best. He even gave up "Hong Kong" with Xu Zheng, and hurriedly returned to work to devote himself to the filming of this film when the wound had not yet fully healed.
It is thanks to the hard work and collaboration of these two outstanding artists that the Detective Chinatown series of films has been able to achieve a brilliant and spectacular achievement, and this work is undoubtedly a unique testimony to the deep revolutionary friendship between them.
Time flies, and with the flick of a finger, the friendship between Wang Baoqiang and Chen Sicheng has gone through 17 years of spring and autumn. In these long years, they have faced many difficulties and severe challenges in life together, but what has always been the unwavering support and selfless companionship for each other.
As Wang Baoqiang said: "In the vast sea of people, we can meet and know each other and become close friends, this is not accidental, but fate, we should have been friends."
Today, both of these remarkable men have reached new heights in their careers. Chen Sicheng's "Disappearing Her" is sweeping the country's major theaters with a momentum of prairie fire, not only winning a box office of 2.2 billion yuan, but also sparking heated discussions from all walks of life, and won one of the most eye-catching films of the year.
And Wang Baoqiang's "In the Octagon Cage" will also be officially released on July 6, and the film has set a new record of 275 million yuan in the early screening stage.
The new works of the two friends are about to bloom brightly under the hot summer sun, bringing a new wave to the film and television industry. In the past, they wrote a moving chapter of friendship with their youthful enthusiasm, and today they will depict a new glorious movement with the fruitful results of their careers.
Whether the road ahead is full of thorns or the sun is shining, they will work together to overcome difficulties and expand their territory.
This innocent friendship from the youth, after the baptism and precipitation of the years, has become more and more deep and heavy, and will surely become the strongest pillar for them to work together to create brilliance.