1. Time is like a movie-like editing technique, instantly rewind to that energetic development heyday - August 2023! At that time, it was a critical moment for the theater world to change between the old and the new, and all kinds of popular dramas shone the audience's attention like stars, covering a variety of rich and diverse subject areas.
Among them, the "Ordinary Road", which is loved by the majority of professionals, has sparked heated discussions, vividly portraying the busy and trivial work and life of office workers, which has deeply resonated with countless viewers: "Isn't this our daily life? The play skillfully connects many subtle details in the workplace with accurate insight, so that people can't help but sigh while enjoying the plot: "It's too close to reality!" "。
At the same time, another inspirational drama "Where Snow Lotus Blooms" successfully interpreted the profound connotation of the theme of aiding Tibet with its unique perspective, and won wide praise from the audience.
As a rare masterpiece on the theme of aiding Tibet in recent years, it vividly depicts their arduous struggle in the border areas from the perspective of young people, presenting a unique inspirational audio-visual feast for the audience.
In this vast sea of dramas, the family ethics drama "Grandma's New World" attracted the attention of many audiences with its unique charm, and quickly detonated the Internet topic as soon as it was broadcast.
The play is co-starred by powerful actors Yan Ni , Zhang Yao and others, coupled with a strong production team and full of publicity, it can be said that all the hard work has been poured into it, however, this drama was found to have a hilarious low-level mistake after the broadcast, which became a big regret for the whole work.
Second, the seemingly ordinary family conflict reached a climax in the incident of my grandmother's "running away from home".
At the beginning of the story, "Grandma's New World" only tells a seemingly ordinary family story. Sun Yuping, played by Yan Ni, is a migrant worker from other provinces who works hard all year round, and due to work reasons, she can't always be with her family.
Her two daughters, Dou Xiaojing (played by Zhang Yao) and Dou Qi (played by Deng Enxi), have very different personalities, one is hot-tempered and outspoken, and the other is intelligent and slightly introverted.
Just when the family relationship was gradually estranged, an unexpected thing happened - grandma Sun Yuping actually chose to "run away from home"! After years of hard work, she hoped to enjoy her old age in peace, but was ridiculed by her family: "You have really lived too long."
Unable to endure cold eyes and verbal attacks, she embarked on a journey to a strange metropolis alone, eager to start a new chapter of her life.
This dramatic event undoubtedly caused a huge shock in the family! Dou Xiaojing's emotions were like a flash flood in an instant, falling into extreme anger, shouting loudly and excitedly, and his expression was exaggerated and aggressive.
Looking at her wild voice, waving arms, and shouting "Mom" as she ran, the audience was shocked, and it was really difficult to associate this image with a mature woman in her forties.
In fact, when Zhang Yao played the role of Dou Xiaojing, her performance was too deliberate and exaggerated, and did not show the calmness and composure that middle-aged women should have. Her screaming after her mother was like that of an adolescent girl, in stark contrast to her actual age.
The crew also seems to be aware of this problem, so when depicting the scene of Dou Xiaojing's high school, it is only understated, and only shown in the memory fragment.
However, even these brief shots feel very incongruous.
When Dou Xiaojing returned home and saw her mother Sun Yuping anxious, she immediately rushed out. However, she shouted loudly as she ran, expecting to hear the steady voice of a middle-aged woman, but instead shouted "Mommy" in a hoarse old man's voice.
Her running posture also looked extremely indecent, her legs apart, like an elderly woman with limited mobility, and the new outfit did not hide her aging state.
3. This blunder reveals an underlying rule in the industry: an actress's sense of age is often difficult to hide
There is no doubt that "Grandma's New World" made a serious mistake in the casting stage - Yan Ni and Zhang Yao, who are 10 years apart, were chosen to play mother and daughter, which will inevitably lead to a strong sense of drama in the audience.
Usually, the age gap between mother and daughter is around 20 years is the most appropriate, and the 10-year gap is indeed a bit far-fetched. Yan Ni is over 52 years old, and Zhang Yao is also 42 years old, when they appear on the screen together, where can they still find a little bit of mother and daughter charm? The overly similar appearance, coupled with the lack of makeup effects in the later stage, made the family relationship between mother and daughter disappear, and the audience could only regard them as "sisters".
Although there are also many scenes in which Zhang Yao plays alone, the harder she tries to stay young, the easier it is to expose the physiological reality of middle-aged women. Looking at her elaborate makeup and slightly youthful dress, the audience is almost dazzled by her pretentious performance, but in close-ups, the wrinkles, acne scars, and bulging cheekbones on her face are exposed.
When comparing with the new generation actor Deng Enxi, who is only 18 years old, in the same frame, we saw Zhang Yao's obvious "aging" side. Deng Enxi's vigor and radiance are in stark contrast to Zhang Yao's haggard fatigue and sallow complexion, and this huge difference in age makes the latter's sense of disobedience even stronger.
Deng Enxi's smooth face as jade seems to be reminiscent of her demeanor dozens of years younger, which makes people fall in love.
The director seems to be aware of this problem, so Zhang Yao's scenes have been greatly reduced, but this can no longer change the status quo. It's just a matter of makeup, but it's actually not a big mistake, and it can be completely remedied by post-special effects processing.
However, when Zhang Yao began to speak, her middle-aged femininity was completely exposed, and her speech and demeanor lacked the vitality of a young person. Therefore, the screenwriter and director may feel that it is better to give her fewer scenes to avoid more embarrassing scenes.
This embarrassing situation does not only happen in the film "Grandma's New World". In the recent controversial "Dragon City", 46-year-old Ma Yili insisted on playing a 26-year-old young role, which is also a big surprise.
Although Ma Yili's acting skills are superb and profound, she can't hide the "wrinkles" and "old state" that have been exposed in the corners of her eyes, eye sockets and other parts. Whenever she needs to show the scenes of her youth, she has to try her best to hide herself, which is really difficult.
The same situation also appeared in "Love Around the Corner" starring 49-year-old Jiang Wenli, who played a couple with Ming Dao, who was 14 years younger than her, and also looked extremely embarrassing. In order to narrow the age gap with young actors, she can only use fluffy short hair, heavy makeup, and advanced beauty techniques in the later stage to try to create the image of a young girl.
However, these efforts are ultimately futile, and close-ups of her wrinkles and dull complexion always reveal her actual age.
The reality is so cruel, the actress's sense of age is often difficult to completely hide, even if she is carefully dressed, it is inevitable that she will "reveal her true form". The screenwriter and director blindly asked them to forcibly "pretend to be tender", which not only failed to achieve the expected artistic effect, but appeared embarrassing and contrived.
It is true that film and television works need to create young characters, but it does not mean that middle-aged actresses have to be forced to play them. On the contrary, it may be more natural to choose a young newcomer and interpret the character with a real identity.
Fourth, in the final analysis, when selecting actors, screenwriters and directors should fully consider the actual age of the actors and position them appropriately to prevent the embarrassing situation from happening again.
What is amazing is that just a few years ago, many film and television masterpieces strayed into the old pit of "pretending to be tender", but unfortunately they all ended in a fiasco. For example, in the 2017 hit costume drama "Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms", Yang Mi, who was only 33 years old, played a 67-year-old white-haired fairy Susu, which is really unbelievable! Although the crew did not hesitate to invest a lot of special effects and tried their best to create the visual effects of "Aging Dragon Clock", it was only a difficult pretentiousness in the end.
Yang Mi's delicate face forms a strong contrast with the aging face painstakingly created by the special effects artist, which seems extremely deliberate, although the audience can only "reluctantly accept", but there is always a sense of loss in the depths of the play.
This undoubtedly reveals a profound truth: in the casting process, we should try to get as close as possible to the actual age of the actor and position it reasonably, so as not to stage similar embarrassing scenes again.
Taking "Grandma's New World" as an example, if a real old lady in her 60s could be invited to play Sun Yuping, and an actress about 40 years old could be arranged to play Dou Xiaojing, then the grotesque phenomenon of mother and daughter of similar age may be avoided, but unfortunately, the production team does not seem to recognize this problem, and still stubbornly invited a group of popular middle-aged actresses to participate. Not to mention playing a young role.
Admittedly, sometimes it is true that middle-aged actresses are needed to interpret the image of adolescence, such as certain period dramas. But even so, screenwriters and directors still need to think carefully and choose the most suitable actors, rather than blindly pursuing speed.
Because once the casting is wrong, it is likely to become the fatal flaw of the whole work, taking the TV series "Longgang" as an example, if you insist on inviting Ma Yili to play the 26-year-old young girl, it is better to directly set it as a role in her 30s, which will seem more natural and harmonious.
To sum up, screenwriters and directors must attach great importance to the actual age of the actors in the casting process, position them reasonably, and must not be in a hurry. Otherwise, it will only trigger a bigger laughing stock and make people laugh.
5. Whether it is a modern drama or a period drama, using real identity to interpret the character is the best strategy.
Admittedly, we can't completely deny the huge potential and possibilities of middle-aged female actors in interpreting young characters. In fact, many outstanding middle-aged actors have proven that they have this extraordinary ability, and as long as they skillfully use their dressing and makeup skills, they can successfully portray themselves on stage, such as Zhao Wei, Sha Yi and other well-known actors.
However, during the casting process, the director must be highly vigilant and must not forcibly assign unsuitable roles to actors who have entered middle age. Because, as the saying goes, "a twisted melon is not sweet", this practice will not only destroy the artistic value of the work, but also may have an irreparable impact on the actor's career.
Therefore, as writers and directors, we must be precise and valued, and tailor the most suitable role for each actor to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Only then can the audience truly feel the shock of the heart, not just the embarrassment or helpless laughter.