Once upon a time, the actors on the screen were all majestic heroes. They can easily pick up the heroine and ride like a fly. However, as times have changed, there has been a worrying undercurrent in the entertainment industry - the physical fitness of the actors seems to be deteriorating.
This phenomenon is not uncommon in all kinds of film and television works, which makes the audience frown: Can these "heroes" really afford the heavy responsibility of the role?
A representative example of this physical crisis is a scene in the program "Happy Camp". In that episode, Zhang Yixing needed to complete a seemingly simple princess hugging action.
However, in the face of Ju Jingyi, who weighed only 38 kilograms, Zhang Yixing made a difficulty, and he tried once, twice, and three times...... In the end, it took a full 11 times to barely complete the task, which not only stunned the audience, but also sparked extensive discussions on the Internet.
Some people jokingly called Zhang Yixing a "kidney deficiency man", although he had a back injury fans explained, but it didn't seem to calm the public's doubts. In everyone's mind, 38 kg should be light for an adult male.
This incident has become the epitome of the physical crisis in the entertainment industry. It not only exposes the lack of physical fitness of some male actors, but also triggers people's deep thinking about the professionalism of contemporary actors.
In this entertainment industry that pursues perfection, should actors put more effort into physical training? After all, the creation of a role requires not only superb acting skills, but also physical fitness to match it.
This question sets the stage for the rest of the discussion. We will further explore the phenomenon of "virtual men" in the entertainment industry and the industry issues behind it, from princess hugging to martial arts scenes, from horseback riding to archery.
The romantic action of "princess hugging" was originally a good opportunity for actors to show their charm, however, in reality, many actors encountered "nightmares" because of this. This kind of embarrassing scene frequently appears in film and television works, and people can't help but sigh: Are the modern versions of the "heroes" really short of breath and weakened to such a point?
Lin Gengxin encountered such a dilemma in the TV series "The Legend of Chu Qiao". When he needed to pick up Zhao Liying, he was so tired that he was out of breath, and even almost threw Zhao Liying down.
In the end, Lin Gengxin reluctantly waved his hand and shouted "No", and bluntly said that the scene of asking Zhao Liying to eat less food not only makes people feel funny, but also makes people wonder: Is Zhao Liying really so heavy that people can't hold it?
Compared with Dou Xiao's ease of hugging Zhao Liying in the same crew, Lin Gengxin's performance at this point is a little embarrassing.
Xu Weizhou also encountered a similar dilemma when he hugged Qiao Xin. Although Qiao Xin weighs only about 90 pounds, he acts as if he is holding an elephant. In order to maintain his "fitness personality", he even shifted the blame to Qiao Xin, claiming that she was "too fat and too big".
In a later interview, he also said jokingly: "Qiao Xin is the strongest female star I have ever hugged" This behavior not only seems not gentlemanly enough, but also exposes the fact that he lacks physical fitness.
Gao Weiguang and Zhang Binbin also encountered a similar dilemma when they were playing with Di Lieba. When Gao Weiguang hugged Di Lieba in "Three Lives and Three Worlds Pillow Book", he was so tired and sweating profusely that he even needed to hold on to the wall to "rest".
In order to hide his embarrassment, he also whispered to the camera: "Reba is actually not very light" Zhang Binbin in "Qin Shi Beauty's Bright Moon Heart", he directly expressed that Di Lieba needs to lose weight, these behaviors not only make people feel unprofessional, but also disrespectful to actresses.
However, most of the male actors are not so "weak". For example, Wu Lei showed extraordinary physical strength in many activities, whether it was holding Di Lieba or Zhao Lusi, he seemed to be at ease.
In "Let's Try the World", when Yang Yang was still explaining that "squatting is too low, it is not good to exert force", Wu Lei has already scooped up Zhao Lusi who fell to the ground.
In the TV series "The Legend of Zhen Huan", Chen Jianbin carried Sun Li all the way back to Broken Yuxuan from the Imperial Garden, and there were no flaws in the whole process, which was in stark contrast to the physical condition of some young actors, which inspired netizens to think deeply about the professionalism of actors.
People can't help but ask, while pursuing superficial perfection, should we also pay attention to the cultivation of internal strength? After all, the charm of a real actor does not only come from appearance, but more importantly, their ability to perfectly interpret the role with their comprehensive strength.
Horseback archery is a good place for male actors to show their heroic posture in martial arts dramas, but in today's film and television works, it has become an embarrassing scene, causing people to sigh: Where is the heroic posture of the heroes of the past?
Taking horseback riding as an example, the actors of the past were able to complete the action of turning over and getting on the horse smoothly, which was impressive and chivalrous. Shen Xiaohai once showed a textbook-like "forward dismounting" action, clean and neat, a turn over and jump, showing a graceful and suave style, making the audience call it the taste of martial arts novels.
However, today's actors, let alone turning over on horses, even have a problem even sitting on horseback. Zhang Rui needed four staff members to work together to lift him on horseback in "New Huanzhu Gege".
Such a scene is not so much a hero riding a horse as a "hero embarrassed by a heavy responsibility".
What is laughable is the "collective awkward dance" scene in "The Peerless Twins". Hu Yitian and the others stood in place and swayed up and down, trying to imitate the feeling of riding a horse. This way of performing is not so much a performance of martial arts masters, but a comical imitation show.
In order to make up for the lack of actors, some crews began to use a large number of "electric horse" props, and some photographers even had to "manually exert force" to simulate the feeling of riding a horse. Although this practice saves time and effort, it also allows the audience to see at a glance that it is fake.
Usually the camera can only shoot the upper body, but once it is moved to the lower body, it becomes a veritable "car accident scene".
Archery is very awkward in modern dramas, especially when some male actors appear weak when drawing bows, which is also common in scenes of horseback riding. A standard archery action should keep the body upright, the ribcage slightly contracted, the arm muscles relaxed, the back strengthened, and the bow fully stretched and full of strength.
This awkward situation may be seen quite often in various modern episodes.
Ren Jialun's performance in "Glory of the Tang Dynasty" is a typical case. His posture looked imposing, but before the bow could be drawn, the arrow had already flown out. Ao Ruipeng played a young man in fresh clothes and angry horses in "Guozijian", demonstrating archery.
However, his weak appearance made the image of a "brave man" a joke.
In order to cover up the lack of actors, many crews adopt the method of "reverse bow". In "City of Streamers", when Xu Weizhou taught Jing Tian to shoot arrows, the bows in the hands of the two were reversed. Although this practice is convenient for the actor to pull away, it completely violates the basic principles of archery, making the knowledgeable audience shake their heads.
In contrast, the performances of some of the actors are eye-catching. The sassy horse ride in "Shangyang Fu" on Monday gave people a strong sense of shock. Wang Hedi's archery posture in "Futu Yuan" has firm eyes, standard posture, and a sense of strength.
Wu Lei and Xiao Zhan's archery movements are also standard and powerful, fully demonstrating the potential of young actors.
The comparison of these martial arts scenes not only exposes the lack of basic skills training of some actors, but also reflects the tendency of some crews to ignore details in order to meet the deadline.
In the pursuit of speed and efficiency, should there also be time for actors to learn these basic skills? After all, only a real and credible performance can make the audience truly immersed in the plot and feel the charm of the martial arts world.
When it comes to martial arts films, the audience's usual reaction will be those superb fight scenes. However, with the passage of time, the quality of the fight seems to be quietly changing, from the "real kung fu" of the past to the "embroidered legs" of today.
However, many of today's fights feel soft. For example, Yang Ying's performance in "Dust", her movements are full of powerlessness, and she is ridiculed by the audience as if she is recording a variety show, which is far from the image of a martial arts master in the audience's heart.
The most laughable thing is that the fight scenes in some TV series rely entirely on special effects. Zhan Zhao in the new version of "Bao Qingtian", as long as he gently waved the "rotating electric fan" in his hand, he could knock all the enemies away.
This over-reliance on special effects not only weakens the realism of the play, but also makes the audience feel fooled.
There are also some fighting scenes, which have evolved into a fairly ordinary "you push me, I'll push you" game. The actors' movements appear weak and powerless, and there is no tension at all with the master's moves.
This kind of performance is completely inconsistent with the image of "martial arts masters", which makes people wonder: Do these actors really work hard for the role?
It's true that not all modern productions are bad, and there are still some quality-focused crews and dedicated actors who strive to deliver high-quality fight scenes. However, on the whole, the quality of the play is indeed declining.
This change reflects that modern film and television production pays more attention to efficiency, and in order to meet the deadline, some crews choose to simplify the play or use special effects instead of real actions, which on the one hand causes the public to reflect on the increasing pursuit of efficiency in modern film and television production.
On the other hand, it also reflects the lack of professional training of some actors, and some actors are more inclined to rely on post-production to make up for their own shortcomings than the hard work of their predecessors.
In this era of rapid changes in special effects technology, should we re-examine the nature of play? Will you continue to rely on special effects to create visual spectacle, or will you return to the realistic, hearty martial arts scenes? This question is not only related to the audience's viewing experience, but also involves the inheritance of the martial arts spirit.
After all, a real martial artist should not only have a gorgeous appearance, but also a solid internal skill.
In this era of looking at faces, muscles have become a serious requirement for actors. However, not all actors with full muscles are willing to put in the effort.
In fact, some actors choose to take shortcuts and use all kinds of "cleverness" in the process of "slimming", turning the image of a "tough guy" who should be strong and powerful into a "paper tiger" who is strong on the outside and dry in the middle.
The most common way to use a "toning muscle suit" is to wear it during a performance. This special lingerie can help the actor to create an "eight-pack abs" effect in a short period of time.
For example, Ren Jialun in "Acquaintance with Jun Chu" once appeared in this muscle suit, however, the plastic feeling of this fake muscle is very strong, especially at the junction of the neck and hands, which is easy to be found by sharp-eyed audiences.
What's even funnier is a scene in "Qingqing Zijin", Fan Shiqi is supposed to show off his external perfect muscles and hormones, but when the heroine opens his top, all the audience sees is the "muscle suit" pasted.
This sudden gap not only makes people play, but also raises questions about the professional ethics of actors.
In order to pursue the "perfect" effect, some film and television crews have to use PS Dafa when promoting. In the promotional photos of "City of Streamers", the crew actually dropped the bowstring, leaving only an empty pole.
While this approach looks visually remarkable, it also exposes the production team's inadequacies in handling the details.
However, not all actors have chosen this shortcut. Some professional actors still insist on shaping the image of the character through practical training. Wu Jing is a vivid example.
In order to play a special forces soldier in "Wolf Warrior", he took the initiative to ask for 18 months of military special training, which not only made his performance more real and credible, but also won the respect of the audience.
Also very commendable is Huang Xuan. In order to conform to the shooting effect of the movie, this "literary man" in the audience's hearts took the initiative to conduct high-intensity training, and finally exercised strong biceps and six-pack abs.
This kind of transformation from "inside" to "outside" is the real spirit of actors.
The impetuousness that exists in the entertainment industry has led to the prevalence of muscle fraud, and some actors and crews will choose this opportunistic way in order to pursue short-term effects and meet the deadline as soon as possible.
However, this practice violates professional ethics and can be detrimental to the actor's own development in the long run.
In this era when it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, we need more actors like Wu Jing and Huang Xuan who are willing to put in practical efforts. Only in this way can we present a real and credible character image to the audience, and only then can the actor gain a firm foothold in this highly competitive industry.
After all, the audience's eyes are bright, and they are able to distinguish between real effort and perfunctory disguise.
After looking around at the phenomenon of "virtual men" in the entire entertainment industry, we can't help but wonder: does this reflect some kind of problem in the entire industry? From princess hugging and martial arts scenes to horseback riding, archery and muscle building, although these may seem to be separate events, they actually reflect some deep-seated problems in the contemporary entertainment industry.
Wu Jing once bluntly and even ridiculed in an interview: "I don't like to watch current TV series, I make up everything." Although this sentence is a bit sharp, it speaks to the hearts of many viewers.
In this era of looking at faces and comparing traffic, have we ignored the most basic professionalism of actors?
Nowadays, there are many male stars in the entertainment industry who pursue glamorous appearance, but often ignore the cultivation of inner strength. They can't even hold people, they can't lift their bows, and they use special effects stand-ins when needed, which is quite worrying.
We can't help but ask: has the bar for the entertainment industry become so low?
In fact, what the audience really needs is not only the empty "vase" actors, but also those all-round actors who can successfully interpret the role. Actors like Wu Jing and Chen Jianbin not only have outstanding acting skills, but also have the physical fitness to match, which is the real "tough guy" spirit.
Therefore, we call on the entertainment industry to re-examine itself, return to the essence of actors, not pursue the glamour on the surface, but pay more attention to the cultivation of strength, only in this way can we bring more excellent works to the audience and make the Chinese film and television industry more competitive on the international stage.