Sun Li almost made "The Legend of Zhen Huan" as big as a biography back then, but fortunately, Zheng Xiaolong found it in time
In the long history of Chinese TV dramas, "The Legend of Zhen Huan" is undoubtedly a bright pearl.
In the early stages of the series, he almost took a different fate due to an unexpected turnaround.
Sun Li's original performance style and understanding of the role of the leading actor in the play almost led this historical drama to a path that was extremely dramatic and too emotional.
The style that Sun Li brings to the table, while full of acting passion, is far from the classical restraint and historical texture that screenwriter and director Zheng Xiaolong originally envisioned.
Sun Li's "Daru" performance style in the play is a very modern way of acting.
Her portrayal of Zhen Huan has exaggerated emotional fluctuations and obvious personal overtones, which are highly controversial during auditions and initial shooting.
According to the producer's recollection, Sun Li played some of the freedom in the performance, although creative, but made the characters seem too modern, and even a little out of the character of that era.
There was a lot of controversy within the crew, with some producers worried that the style might make it difficult for audiences to immerse themselves in the solemn atmosphere of the Qing court.
All this was solved with the persistence and calmness of director Zheng Xiaolong.
He had an in-depth exchange and guidance with Sun Li in a timely manner, reiterating that the delicate and restrained emotions must be properly grasped in the performance to ensure the historical realism of the characters and the depth of the plot.
Through several discussions and revisions, Sun Li gradually adjusted her performance style, making it closer to the image of Zhen Huan in Zheng Xiaolong's heart, a role that is both deep and full of layers.
This transformation not only won Sun Li wide acclaim from audiences and critics alike, but also made "The Legend of Zhen Huan" an iconic work.
In the early days of filming of the TV series "The Legend of Zhen Huan", Sun Li's performance method almost distorted this well-planned historical drama due to its strong sense of modernity.
Her performance style is imbued with the shadow of modern drama, making it feel as if you are watching a story about modern people rather than a true portrayal of an ancient court.
This modern way of interpreting is particularly conspicuous in the play, and it is extremely incommensurate with the solemn atmosphere of the ancient court and the complex relationship between the characters.
Under Zheng Xiaolong's tutelage, Sun Li began to gradually abandon her more direct and modern performance techniques in favor of a more subtle and subtle interpretation.
This shift is not only reflected in her verbal expression, but also in her body language and eye contact.
She learns how to express complex inner drama through a subtle look, a gentle sigh, and this shift in performance greatly enhances the show's sense of history and authenticity.
This profound style change made Sun Li's Zhen Huan uncomfortable from the beginning, and gradually became an indispensable role in the hearts of the audience.
Her performance began to be widely recognized by the audience, and the role of Zhen Huan has also become a classic image in the history of Chinese TV dramas because of her rich inner drama and accurate emotional expression.
Her delicate performance style allows the audience to truly feel the subtle psychology and survival wisdom of an ancient woman in a complex court.
"The Legend of Ruyi" adopts more artistic processing, although it is also set in the harem of the Qing Dynasty, but at many key historical points, the plot chooses a route that deviates from the official historical record, although this treatment increases the interest of watching the play, but also arouses controversy among some historians and audiences.
In terms of character depth, the two dramas have their own merits.
The characters of "The Legend of Zhen Huan", from Zhen Huan to Concubine Hua, each character has its own complex personality levels and motivations, so that the audience can empathize with them and even have a certain sympathy for the villain.
This profound characterization deepens the audience's sense of engagement in the plot and makes every turn in the play seem plausible.
"The Legend of Zhen Huan" is not only a historical drama, it is more like an emotional epic, carefully portraying the inner world of each character, whether it is the protagonist Zhen Huan or supporting roles such as An Lingrong, their emotional ups and downs are extremely real and infectious.
This delicate emotional depiction makes the audience not just watching a series, but more like experiencing a time and space travel to experience the love and hate of that era.
This strong emotional resonance allows the audience to deeply experience the joys, sorrows, and sorrows of the characters at every plot turning point in the play, and this emotional resonance greatly enriches the audience's viewing experience and directly affects the overall reputation of the series.
This difference is not only reflected in the individual characters, but also in the overall story progression, which makes the audience feel alienated due to the lack of emotional real investment.
The contrast between the two plays clearly reveals the audience's complex need for historical dramas.
This also requires the screenwriter and director to deeply understand and restore history, so that the drama is not only a reproduction of history, but also a reproduction of emotions.
When Sun Li accepted the role of a historical drama, she once encountered a situation where the director suddenly changed the script in the middle of filming.
was originally a spicy and straightforward character, but in response to the needs of the plot, he mutated into a restrained and deep character.
This transformation is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Sun Li.
Rather than being bothered by this change, she succeeds in bringing out a new look for the character in the rest of the episodes by delving into the historical context and the character's psychology.
Her performance not only adds to the layering of the characters, but also allows the audience to see a new and more three-dimensional character image, which greatly promotes the in-depth development of the plot.
Compared with Sun Li's situation, Zhou Xun showed a different way of dealing with it when facing the role adjustment.
In a modern drama she starred in, the original script revolved around an urban woman's struggle with independence and love.
Due to the fact that the story needed to be closer to the changes in real society, the script was rewritten to focus more on workplace competition and personal growth during the filming process.
Zhou Xun needs to quickly adapt to the new plot requirements on the basis of not changing the original role, which puts forward higher requirements for her acting skills.
By modifying his own speech rhythm and body language, Zhou Xun successfully transformed a gentle and honest image into a modern woman with determination and professional competitiveness, which not only distracted the heart and kidneys, but also added a sense of urgency to the series, making the audience full of expectations for the future of the characters in the play.
