In an ordinary family in Shaoguan City, Guangdong, the young Zhang Songwen is full of yearning for acting. His father is a soldier and his mother is a doctor, a family background that seems to be disconnected from the entertainment industry, but it has planted extraordinary seeds for Zhang Songwen's future.
Xiao Zhang Songwen's childhood fun comes from guarding an old black-and-white TV with the doorman, just because his parents are busy with work and have no time to accompany him. This gatekeeper is not an ordinary person, he was a film projectionist when he was young, so he has an inseparable love for movies.
In that era when there were no mobile phones and the Internet, movies had an unimaginable appeal to ordinary people.
Uncle Zhang Songwen always tells the story of his youth to little Zhang Songwen, and he depicts the wonderful world on the screen vividly and interestingly, and these stories are like seeds, quietly sown in Zhang Songwen's heart.
Every time he hears these stories, Zhang Songwen's eyes will flash with excitement, and his little face will be filled with a look of yearning.
In this way, under the subtle influence, Zhang Songwen became interested in the film industry. He began to dream that one day he could stand in front of the screen and become an amazing film and television actor.
This seemingly unattainable dream took deep root in his young heart and became a source of motivation for his perseverance in the future.
Xiao Zhang Songwen often imitates the characters on TV in front of the mirror, imagining that he can also perform all kinds of wonderful roles. Although his performance is still very immature, that innocent love is real and fiery.
This dream star that sprouts in ordinary life, although small, is shining with the light of the future.
Life is always full of surprises and challenges. Just when Zhang Songwen was full of longing and ready to work hard for his dream of being an actor, fate hit him hard. When he was in junior high school, his mother died of illness, which was a devastating blow to a teenager.
The loss of his mother made Zhang Songwen extremely painful, as if he was pressed by a heavy boulder in his heart, unable to breathe. The once sunny and energetic teenager now has a deeper and melancholy look in his eyes.
The burden of life fell on his father's shoulders, and Zhang Songwen also became absent-minded, and had no intention of studying the top student who was once full of expectations for the future, and now he can only barely cope with his homework.
The failure of the high school entrance examination became an important turning point in Zhang Songwen's life, and this result put his dream of being an actor on hold temporarily. In order to reduce the burden on his family, he had to give up his pursuit of acting and enter an electronics factory as an assembly line worker.
Zhang Songwen felt physically and mentally exhausted from the monotonous and boring work day after day. He repeats the same movements mechanically on the assembly line, in stark contrast to the colorful life of an actor he once dreamed of.
The teenager who was once full of enthusiasm and dreams is now overwhelmed by the pressure of reality.
Zhang Songwen, who was unwilling to be ordinary, finally chose to resign, but the reality is cruel. With no education and no family background, he can only change back and forth in some temporary positions.
He tried his hand at work such as a tour guide, waiter, dishwasher, porter, etc., but he never found the direction of his life, and every job made him feel farther and farther away from his dream, and his inner sense of loss was also increasing.
During this period, Zhang Songwen was full of confusion and struggle. He often thinks about his childhood dreams in the dead of night, yet has to face the realities of everyday dilemmas. The boy who once dreamed of the life of an actor in the story of the doorman is now overwhelmed by the burden of life.
However, the gears of fate are quietly turning in the dark. Although the current life is full of challenges, Zhang Songwen's dream of acting career has not been completely extinguished.
It is like a seed buried in the deep soil, as long as the time is ripe, it will break through the soil This difficult experience has exercised Zhang Songwen's will and accumulated rich life experience for him.
Fate always favors those who don't give up easily. One day, by chance, Zhang Songwen's life trajectory was completely changed. That day, he saw a crowd of people in a circle on the street, and curiosity drove him into the crowd to find out.
It turned out that it was a live scene for a movie.
When Zhang Songwen saw the actors' vivid performances in front of the camera, the long-sealed dream of being an actor burned in his heart like a volcanic eruption. A glimmer of hope reignited in his eyes, and at that moment, he was determined to pursue his dream again.
This chance encounter became a turning point in Zhang Songwen's life. He resigned from his job without hesitation and resolutely began to prepare for the exam in the acting department of Beijing Film Academy. He was not worried about his age, but thought that his rich life experience would be his advantage.
After hard preparation and hard work, Zhang Songwen was successfully admitted to the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy, and became classmates with Zhou Yiwei and Che Xiao.
However, Zhang Songwen's admission to Nortel is only the starting point of his dream, and his challenge has just begun. As a southerner, Zhang Songwen's Mandarin has always been his weakness, and the simplest lines seem jerky and difficult to understand in his mouth.
The school even warned him that if he couldn't pass Mandarin after a semester, he would be forced to drop out.
This fatal weakness did not allow Zhang Songwen to back down, and he decided to undergo hard training to improve his pronunciation. He practiced over and over again in front of the mirror, even taking extreme measures beyond ordinary imagination - holding a stone in his mouth and forcibly pressing his tongue, even though the blood blisters in his mouth would not give up.
Zhang Songwen's efforts are truly admirable and can be called amazing. He practiced Mandarin almost all the time, even when he ate and slept. In his room, he could often be heard muttering, practicing the sounds that were challenging for him.
After almost frantic efforts, Zhang Songwen finally achieved his goal, which was to improve his Mandarin skills, and successfully avoided the fate of being expelled from school. This experience not only tempered his will, but also made him deeply understand the importance of "line skills" to an actor.
In addition to overcoming the language barrier, Zhang Songwen also worked hard to improve his acting skills. He makes full use of his life experience and integrates the experience he has accumulated in various jobs into his performances.
Those experiences, which were once seen as low points in his life, have now become valuable material for his character.
In this way, through unremitting efforts, Zhang Songwen gradually gained a firm foothold in Nortel's study and life. His progress has been unanimously recognized by his teachers and classmates, laying a solid foundation for his future acting career.
After graduation, Zhang Songwen received an invitation from the school to stay on to teach. Although this job gave him a certain sense of security, it did not extinguish his love for acting. Whenever he has free time, he will run non-stop to various crews, hoping to get the opportunity to perform.
His eyes always flashed with a desire to perform, and even in the face of repeated disappointments, he never gave up.
However, the reality is cruel, Zhang Songwen is already past his age, and he looks out of place in the young film and television industry. He has no illustrious background, no outstanding appearance, and even age has become his disadvantage.
Every time he auditioned, he went all out, but the results were often disappointing In the past two years, Zhang Songwen has run through countless crews, but he has not even been able to get a few decent roles.
During this time, he participated in works such as "The Price of Love" and "The Strange Son-in-law of the Dragon", but he failed to achieve much. Each defeat was like a hammer that hit him hard.
He begins to wonder if he is really suited to the acting profession and whether he should give up this seemingly distant dream, and every time in the dead of night, he falls into deep self-doubt.
However, just when Zhang Songwen was about to give up, the god of fate smiled at him. He received an invitation to participate in "Spring Breeze Drunken Night". Although there is only a short one-minute scene, Zhang Songwen still devotes himself wholeheartedly, ponders the character's heart, and strives to portray the character image.
His eyes rekindled the light of hope, as if he saw the possibility of a career turnaround.
The meticulousness in the performance moved director Lou Ye and made him keenly aware of the huge potential of Zhang Songwen. Subsequently, Lou Ye invited Zhang Songwen to participate in the filming of "Flower" again, which gave him a new opportunity.
These two collaborations became a turning point in Zhang Songwen's acting career. Although the role is not big, his performance has been affirmed by industry insiders, and he has gradually gained some fame in the circle and has also obtained more performance opportunities.
Zhang Songwen finally saw the dawn of hope, and a confident smile began to bloom on his face, and his eyes were full of anticipation for the future. Although the road is still difficult, he knows that as long as he perseveres, he will eventually have his own stage.
This difficult start not only honed his will, but also made him cherish every opportunity to perform, laying a solid foundation for future success.
Because of Lou Ye's appreciation, Zhang Songwen's acting career began to get on the right track, new hope began to flash in his eyes, and his face became more confident. With the passage of time, he has continued to participate in many film and television dramas such as "The Great Gold Robbery", "Ip Man's Ultimate Battle", "Detective Arrives", "Summer in Xixiaohe", "Detective Chinatown" and so on.
Although the roles of these roles are not important, Zhang Songwen has always maintained his usual seriousness and persistence. Every time he takes on a new role, he puts his heart and soul into it, treating every opportunity as if it were his last.
He understands that every role is an opportunity to exercise and can be a stepping stone to success.
In the process, Zhang Songwen continued to accumulate experience and hone his acting skills. He gradually figured out his own acting style and looked for breakthroughs in each role. His brow is sometimes tightened, sometimes stretched, and his eyes are full of thinking about the role and loving acting.
Although he has not yet been able to become a leading actor, his performances always leave a lasting impression on the audience. Every time he sees the positive feedback from the audience, a smile of relief appears on Zhang Songwen's face, which gives him the motivation to keep going.
During this time, Zhang Songwen was like a thriving seed, although it has not yet broken through the soil, it has taken deep roots in the soil. His eyes were full of determination, because he was convinced that as long as he continued to work hard, one day he would usher in his own spring.
Every time he performs and creates a role, Zhang Songwen is one step closer to his dream of being an actor. His acting skills are becoming more mellow and his understanding of the role is becoming more and more profound. Although the road ahead may still be difficult, Zhang Songwen has already ignited a flame of hope in his heart, illuminating his way forward.