46-year-old Cao Cuifen stood in front of Zhang Yimou, looking forward to showing her skills in "The Red Lantern Hangs High". However, Lao Mouzi's sentence "Your appearance is too ordinary, not suitable to be an actor" gave her the label of "not popular".
Cao Cuifen was unwilling in her heart, and her eyes flashed with determination. She secretly swore: Who said that actresses have to be good-looking? I want to prove myself with strength! Faced with the failure of the audition, Cao Cuifen did not give up.
She left the images of her Yonggui sister-in-law and the rural sister-in-law who was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award in the crew, hoping to fight for the last chance. This dedication finally paid off, and soon after, Cao Cuifen received the news that she was selected to play the second aunt.
The moment she got the script, Cao Cuifen began to think deeply about the role. She wondered why this woman was framing others behind her back, was it by nature, or was it a competition for favor between the women in the compound? In the end, she realizes the heart of this character: because everyone else has a son, but she has nothing, so she has become bad because of jealousy.
With her in-depth understanding of the role and bold innovation, Cao Cuifen put forward her own ideas during the shooting. She suggested to the director to add a line: "Master, I want to give you another son".
This suggestion was taken on board, adding more layers to the character. In the cold weather, Cao Cuifen wore a thin silk shirt, shivering with cold, but still focused on playing the role.
Ma Jingwu, who played against her, once said: "Her hand is like 10 popsicles, crawling on my back." This dedication and dedication make Cao Cuifen stand out among many young and beautiful actors.
In the end, Cao Cuifen successfully won the "Best Performance Award" for this role. This award not only made her take off the label of "newcomer and paste", but also brought her countless invitations.
Cao Cuifen's eyes flashed with tears, which was the joy that her persistence in her dream had finally paid off. She knows that this is just the beginning, and that there are many more challenges ahead of her.
In 1995, 52-year-old Cao Cuifen received an invitation to "Northwest Style Painting". This opportunity did not come easily, and Cao Cuifen was determined to devote herself to it. In order to better interpret the role of "Northwest Village Woman", she made a surprising decision.
Although the crew arranged comfortable hotels and delicious meals for the actors, Cao Cuifen politely declined these conveniences. Her eyes are full of desire for the role and the pursuit of acting skills.
One night, she hugged a futon and resolutely went to the local villager's house to ask for a place to live. It's not about playing big names, it's about really understanding and experiencing the life of the character.
Cao Cuifen's approach is in stark contrast to some other pampered actors. Some actors disliked the dirty well water and were reluctant to go down, so they asked the staff to replace it with 140 barrels of mineral water; Some little fresh meat cried bitterly at the recording site because of a broken finger and was sent to the hospital by a bunch of people.
Cao Cuifen, on the other hand, is willing to let go of her identity as a star and integrate into the life of the most ordinary village woman. At the filming site, Cao Cuifen was not afraid of hard work and devoted herself to the role. Her hands were red from the cold well water for a long time, but she always maintained a focused expression, as if she had completely transformed into the simple woman of the Northwest Village.
This kind of professionalism and persistent pursuit of the role made the entire crew moved. The effort has finally paid off. When Cao Cuifen stood on the podium of the Huabiao Awards and lifted the actress trophy, her eyes were full of tears.
This is not only an affirmation of her acting skills, but also a compliment to her persistence over the years. Cao Cuifen took a deep breath and thought silently in her heart: This is my stage, I want to use my strength to tell everyone that not all actors are great beauties, as long as they have acting skills, anyone can be the focus.
From this moment on, Cao Cuifen's acting career has entered a new peak. She used her own experience to prove that age is not an obstacle, and ordinary looks have become her advantage in shaping various roles.
Whenever she is asked about filming in the past, Cao Cuifen always humbly doesn't say much. She knows that true strength does not require too many words, but is proved by works and performances.
This success not only allowed Cao Cuifen to gain a firm foothold in the entertainment industry, but also made her more determined about her acting career. She understands that as long as she continues to work hard and maintain her love and focus on acting, she will definitely be able to shine on this stage.
While their careers are thriving, Cao Cuifen and her husband Tan Tianqian have an unspeakable regret in their hearts. Whenever she sees other actors on the set talking about their children, Cao Cuifen's eyes always flash a trace of loneliness.
Long before filming "Southern Expedition and Northern War", the two had considered having a child. However, in the face of hard-won career opportunities, Cao Cuifen fell into a deep entanglement. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes were full of contradictions.
If you wait to give birth at home, you have to give up if you finally have an improving career, and the movie will definitely not be made. In the end, with the support of her husband Tan Tianqian, she chose to continue her acting career.
Tan Tianqian didn't want to delay his wife's future, so the two had no choice but to shelve their birth plans. As Cao Cuifen's fame grew, appointments came like snowflakes. Tan Tianqian is also immersed in his own crew, filming his own scenes.
The two often don't see each other, and even if they want to have children, they don't have a chance. Such days continued until they were in their forties. As they grew older, the two began to realize the urgency of having children.
is already considered an advanced maternal age at this age, and if she doesn't have children, she may not have a chance in this life. Despite the difficulties, Cao Cuifen still wanted to take a risk.
So, the two agreed to wait for Cao Cuifen to finish filming "Orphan's Tears" and then go home to prepare for pregnancy. However, fate always seems to play a joke on them. Just as the plan was about to be implemented, Tan Tianqian suddenly fell ill.
When Cao Cuifen received the news of her husband's illness while filming in Shanxi, her heart was broken. However, she can't just leave the crew willfully and delay everyone's progress.
This delay is three months. After finally completing all the work, Cao Cuifen hurried to the hospital in Beijing. When she saw her skinny husband, tears rolled in her eyes.
She held her husband's hand tightly and muttered, "Don't be afraid, I'll accompany you." "At that moment, all plans for the child were put on hold. Cao Cuifen decided to suspend all work and concentrate on accompanying her husband to recover.
As for the child, she thought to herself, it can only depend on fate. Maybe it was a serious illness that hurt the roots, or maybe it was destined to have no children, and the two people who had been waiting for a long time did not wait for the good news of "pregnancy".
Eventually, the two had to come to terms with reality. Whenever she sees the scene of laughter and laughter in other people's homes, Cao Cuifen's eyes will always flash with a trace of regret. But she will soon adjust her mood and smile softly at her husband: "Having you by my side is my greatest happiness." "
When asked who would take care of the elderly without children, Cao Cuifen said frankly that she and her husband had already discussed that they would go to a nursing home together in their later years. In her opinion, being able to accompany each other to old age is not another kind of happiness? Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, Cao Cuifen is 75 years old.
However, her acting career did not stagnate due to age, but ushered in a new peak. In the hit drama "Do You Know", Mrs. Sheng played by Cao Cuifen left a deep impression on the audience.
Cao Cuifen's eyes were full of complex emotions, both reluctance to her granddaughter and blessings for her future. Her every micro-expression and every action is just right to interpret Mrs. Sheng's inner world.
Where is this acting? It's clearly a real grandmother saying goodbye to her beloved granddaughter. As we all know, the crying scene is a criterion for testing acting skills. Some actors cried for a long time, but they didn't have a single tear, and they could only put some eye drops in their eyes when filming started.
And Cao Cuifen, even if there are no tears or crying, she can empathize with the audience through the changes in her eyes and micro-expressions. At the age of 79, Cao Cuifen once again showed her superb acting skills in "Mature Years".
In the hit drama where the bones of the old drama are piled up and the flowers are flocked, the "Old Lady Ni" she plays is the only character who has been well received. At the dinner table, when Mrs. Ni looked at the phone call that her second son couldn't get through, and then looked at the second daughter-in-law's expression, she immediately understood that something had happened to Wei Qiang.
Cao Cuifen's eyes revealed complex emotions, both worried and helpless, but she reluctantly pretended not to know anything, for fear that she would make the children worry after panicking.
When she learned that Ni Weiqiang was going to divorce, the old lady played by Cao Cuifen had tears in her eyes and was full of disbelief. The moment she was held in her son's arms, she clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and her eyes revealed a strong desire to hit her son.
When Zhang Chunmei appeared, Mrs. Ni's fists were still clenched, but there was helplessness when she looked at her son in a painful expression. Cao Cuifen showed different attitudes towards her son and daughter-in-law with a few simple eyes.
When she said the words "Mei, mom is with you", many viewers couldn't help but cry. This sentence is a few numbers, but it exhausts the deep feelings between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Cao Cuifen's performance is so real that many people forget that it is just a role. She used her acting skills to convince the audience that the kind old lady on the screen was real.
However, whenever she shouted "card", Cao Cuifen's eyes always flashed a trace of loneliness. In the play, she is full of children and grandchildren, but she is alone outside the play. But she will soon adjust her condition and continue to devote herself to the filming of the next scene.
This kind of professionalism and love for acting is the reason why Cao Cuifen can still maintain the peak of her acting skills when she is past her prime. As they grew older, Cao and her husband Tan Tianqian gradually accepted the reality of being childless.
Although there are still regrets in their hearts, the two cherish each other more. When asked if she regretted not having children, a hint of complexity flashed in Cao Cuifen's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
She said calmly: "I discussed with Lao Tan, and we will go to the nursing home together in our later years." There was no pessimism in her tone, but rather anticipation for the future. Cao Cuifen knows that having no children under her knees may be the biggest regret in her life.
But it's not that she doesn't like children, it's not that she doesn't want to give birth, it's just a coincidence, and time and opportunity pass by her. However, she chooses to face this reality calmly and not let regret become a burden in life.
Although they have no children, Cao Cuifen and Tan Tianqian's relationship has become deeper and deeper. They looked at each other and smiled, as if to say, "With you by your side, it is the greatest happiness." This kind of affection has become the spiritual pillar of their later life.
Cao Cuifen calmly faces the choices of life. She knows that everyone has a different path in life. Although she has no children, she has brought countless touches to the audience with her acting skills, isn't this another inheritance? Her character creation and her professionalism have imperceptibly influenced countless people.
In Cao Cuifen's view, being together until old age is a kind of happiness in itself. She and Tan Tianqian interpret the meaning of happiness in their own way, proving that even without children, life can still be full and beautiful.
This attitude also brings inspiration and strength to many people who are facing similar situations. 79-year-old Cao Cuifen is still active in her acting career. Her eyes flashed with a love for acting and a zest for life.
For Cao Cuifen, age is just a number. When others began to retire at the age of fifty or sixty and tease their grandchildren, she only got her first actress at the age of 52, thinking that the age of 79 is still far from the end.
Cao Cuifen firmly believes that there is no end to life, only a new beginning. She uses her own experience to interpret the true meaning of "infinite possibilities in life". Whether in front of the camera or in life, she is interpreting a wonderful life in her own way.
For Cao Cuifen, the rest of her life is still full of countless possibilities. She looks forward to every challenge in the future and continues to explore and innovate in her acting career.