Du Yuming squinted his eyes and greeted me with a smile.
He has been in the industry for 35 years, and always plays the villain who is difficult to defeat the protagonist, namely the Runaway King in "Young Zhang Sanfeng", the deer staff in "Yitian Slaughtering Dragon" (Su Youpeng version), and Ke Zhenhua in "Winter Solstice". On the screen are all kinds of villains, drug dealers, underworld bosses, killers, bandits...
Under the shadow of the character, Du Yuming always looks very fierce. Sometimes, he would run into passers-by pointing at him and asking, "Are you the bad guy?" The little granddaughter of the family will also be frightened and cry and will not let him hold it.
The cost of being closely linked to the villain role for a long time, Du Yuming has long been accustomed to.
Great general demeanor
In the middle of the summer of August, Mr. Du drove alone to the office building of China News Weekly for an interview. Over sixty years old, this martial arts actor is much less agile than before, his gait is somewhat faltering, and he has old injuries on his waist. After playing in the play for so many years, the forearm, Achilles tendon, leg have been broken...
Before officially entering the actor's track, Du Yuming worked as a teacher at the China Academy of Performing Arts. From the age of 13 when he was admitted to the China Academy of Performing Arts to the time he graduated and stayed on campus to teach, he has been living on campus, studying long-term martial arts, wearing a lean, wearing a helmet, wearing thick-soled boots, and holding a long-handled weapon.
The longevity of the Peking Opera stage relies on martial arts, not only requires good kung fu, but also has the demeanor of a general, stable and dignified.
Du Yuming originally thought that his life would always revolve around Peking Opera, but in 1983, when he just graduated, the butterfly effect of a kung fu film changed the trajectory of his life.
Starring Jet Li, "Shaolin Temple" set a box office record of 161 million yuan with an average ticket price of 1 cent. Moreover, the actors in the play have kung fu, and there is no substitute for the play, no bullet bed, and no stunts. The realistic style of fist to flesh and hard bridge and hard horse has made the people of the whole country see the charm of kung fu films, and also excavated a group of masters of kung fu films: Jet Li, Yu Chenghui, Hu Jianqiang, Ji Chunhua...
It also began with playing the vulture in "Shaolin Temple", martial arts athlete Ji Chunhua embarked on the road of actor. At that time, Ji Chunhua lost his hair due to illness, retired from the Zhejiang Provincial Martial Arts Team, and was selected by director Zhang Xinyan, becoming a frightening villain Vulture. To this day, the vulture's step-by-step and deadly eagle claw skill is still the "childhood shadow" of many people.
Pictured: Ji Chunhua plays a vulture in "Shaolin Temple"
The success of "Shaolin Temple" not only allowed the co-production of martial arts kung fu films in the mainland and Hong Kong to begin to be steadily exported, but also allowed the co-production to use actors with martial arts skills in the mainland and martial arts instructors.
In addition, one is acting, one is watching, and since then, Ji Chunhua and Du Yuming have been in the dark, and there is a connection and "entanglement" around "Shaolin Temple".
is selected
In 1984, Zhang Che, the ancestor-level director of Hong Kong martial arts kung fu films, wanted to select actors for the new film "Great Shanghai 1937" that was first shot in the mainland, and he and the staff of the China Film Co-production Company (hereinafter referred to as the "Co-production Company"), the organization responsible for co-production, turned the sports school, the dance academy, and the opera professional school around, hoping to discover a group of new people.
In the practice studio of the Chinese Opera School, Du Yuming, a young teacher, met Zhang Che, a mentor who influenced his life. At the time, he didn't know what it was like to make a movie or what it meant to be the protagonist in the movie.
Du Yuming, who has graduated for four years and is 26 years old, has not lost his basic skills such as hitting and turning. He was asked by the staff to put on a long shirt and answer the phone from one end to the other in the room where the track had been paved. After trying this scene, he became Du Yuesheng in the movie "Shanghai 1937".
Pictured: Du Yuming played Du Yuesheng in "Great Shanghai 1937"
The first time he filmed, Du Yuming was completely ignorant and did not know how to face the camera.
The first scene in "Great Shanghai 1937" is that Du Yuesheng wants to leave Shanghai and say goodbye to his brothers. Du Yuming wore a long shirt, naturally lifted the corner of the robe, and slowly walked down the stairs, and could see the branding made by the Peking Opera martial artist who had been sitting in the department for 8 years, and his body was straight and had the style of a general.
According to Fan Dongyu, the film's martial arts instructor, Zhang Che liked Du Yuming the most among a group of young actors, thinking that he was smart, perceptive and patient. The picture that often comes to Fan Dongyu's mind is that Du Yuming carries Zhang Che's arm to work every day. Zhang Che often calls Du Yuming "boy", and in the Cantonese context, "boy" describes a naughty and cute boy.
"Great Shanghai 1937" was filmed for three or four months, and after the secondment period ended, Du Yuming continued to return to school to teach, and his classmates ridiculed him, "Your salary is now as high as that of a professor." ”
At that time, Du Yuming was still a teacher and staff of the Chinese Opera School, and when he went out to shoot a film co-production company to sign a contract with the school's personnel office, his monthly salary was fifty or sixty yuan, and the seconded film co-production company had to pay 400% of the monthly salary (less than 100 yuan according to 100 yuan) to the school, and then the school issued 70% of the film remuneration to Du Yuming, so that du Yuming made the first film, and the monthly salary could get 280 yuan, which was a very generous remuneration in the 80s.
After filming the movie, Du Yuming went back to school to teach as usual, he never thought about being a star, "just contacted a new industry, I think it's quite novel, very funny, and different from the stage." Du Yuming was a little embarrassed, "At that time, there was still a child's vanity, and I felt that many people knew me after filming." ”
Du Yuming, who can learn Peking Opera stage performances from a young age, just entered the industry to make movies or felt weak-hearted, because the performance of Peking Opera is extremely stylized, and there are similarities with the performance methods and training methods of dramas, but after all, they are different professional directions, Du Yuming has always reminded himself to leave a back road, if there is no drama, you can also go back to teaching.
Change
The thing that made Du Yuming's retreat drum beat louder was that his appearance suddenly changed.
Since 1986, Du Yuming has been going to Hong Kong for a period of time every year, when the co-productions between the mainland and Hong Kong are basically prepared in Hong Kong, post-production, and filmed in the mainland. Therefore, since the second play, Du Yuming, who has officially started working as an assistant director and action director, began to run a life in Beijing and Hong Kong.
At that time, many mainland actors who participated in co-productions also needed to occasionally go to Hong Kong to do publicity. At the front desk of the Hong Kong hotel, Du Yuming met Ji Chunhua for the first time, when Ji Chunhua followed Zhang Xinyan, the director of "Yellow River Hero", to check in, Du Yuming came to the front desk to get something, he saw Ji Chunhua wearing a hat, the brim of the hat was particularly low.
Because of the villain Vulture in "Shaolin Temple", Ji Chunhua at this time has become popular. As soon as the vulture appears, it is a 1-minute fight scene, and the most terrifying scene is the vulture and the shepherd girl, the vulture orders the slaughter of the sheep and squeezes a small lamb with his bare hands, which is chilling. Subsequently, Ji Chunhua played the villain in many films, the ambitious Yu Zhenhai in "Fang Shiyu", the vicious Ma Ning'er in "New Shaolin Five Ancestors", and each villain was "bad" with a different taste.
"I just looked at him, he looked at me, neither of us spoke, but we were all impressed by this meeting." Du Yuming was "grumpy" about the glance he had when he first looked at Ji Chunhua.
Until later, the two became more and more familiar, and after becoming friends, they sat together to record a program and ridiculed this meeting, and Du Yuming said that it was because of this eye that he became like Ji Chunhua, without hair.
In 1988, when the summer in the south was wet and sweltering, Du Yuming, who was on a business trip to Hong Kong, felt his hair fall off one by one.
At first, he thought that the metabolism was too fast, and he didn't think that losing his hair was too much of a problem. Slowly, he noticed that while he was taking a shower, the floor drain of the hotel was plugged.
In early October, Du Yuming returned to Beijing, and in less than half a year, his original dark and thick hair had all fallen out.
In the 80s, a man suddenly lost his hair, which was a terrible thing, and a bald head walking on the road would attract the eyes of passers-by. At that time, Du Yuming and his wife lived in the tube building in old Beijing, he did not dare to see the old neighborhood, and tried not to go to a crowded place, always wearing a hat when going out, afraid of being found out by others without hair.
After losing his hair, Du Yuming felt very discouraged, "This is over, and I can't act anymore." I feel like I can withstand the pressure, and I don't feel how serious it is, how can it reflect this state? I was also confused and miserable. ”
Because of the long-term running between Hong Kong and Beijing, Du Yuming, whose life and emotions are not stable, lost his hair and eyebrows when he entered the 90s, but he has been reluctant to admit that it is because of pressure to lose his hair. "Because I think as a man I should be able to withstand the pressure, whether it's for the family, for the society, for the work."
When it was almost the Spring Festival, Du Yuming told Zhang Che about his hair loss, saying that he might not be able to act in the future, when Zhang Che was preparing for the movie "Xi'an Killing".
Zhang Che cut a portrait of You Berryner from the pictorial newspaper and sent it to Du Yuming, the bald actor who played the Siamese king "Mengut" who hired a British tutor to teach his 58 children in the movie "The King and Me", and won the Best Actor Award at the 29th Academy Awards for this role.
Zhang Che comforted Du Yuming that he did not have to lose confidence and could continue to act, so he wrote a bald bandit role for Du Yuming in "Xi'an Killing", "In fact, I didn't want to shoot "Xi'an Killing", and several male actors who also debuted with me, whether playing a decent or a villain, are quite handsome, and I am quite unconfident. Du Yuming said.
In the end, Du Yuming hesitated again and again, or decided to listen to Zhang Che's words and played the bald-headed bandit Tang Zhankui in "Xi'an Killing". He is the only one in the whole film who is bald, although there are not many scenes, but it is very eye-catching.
Du Yuming played Tang Zhankui in "Xi'an Killing"
Yu Bernard's portrait has also been hanging on his doorstep for a long time, which has become a belief that supports his continued acting.
Turn
The standard screening hall was pitch black, and Du Yuming was nervous, and he watched the first samples of "Xi'an Killing" with director Zhang Che and the staff behind the scenes.
The film technology of the 80s could not be seen immediately after shooting, and had to wait for the negatives to be concentrated to a certain amount before they could be printed. The purpose of watching the sample is mainly to check whether the props are worn, what other places can be improved in the shape, and the lighting and focus problems in photography.
In addition to playing a bald bandit, Du Yuming is also the martial arts instructor of "Xi'an Killing". This was his first appearance on camera after he had no hair, and he felt that his appearance was very strange and he was not used to how to see it.
In the darkness, he knew that others could not see his embarrassment, but his heart was still very uncomfortable, like sitting on a needle felt. After watching the sample, the lights came on, and Zhang Che, who was sitting next to him, said to Du Yuming, Xiao Du, your hair is falling out very reasonably.
Du Yuming was relieved, he felt great encouragement from Zhang Che's words, he had been hiding for a long time, did not dare to face his bald head, did not expect that the bald head shape brought new possibilities to his performance - recognizable, can leave an impression on the audience.
Since then, Du Yuming has gradually felt that he is different from others, and he is quite "fun", the bald head is not a shortcoming but a strength, and the drama he can play, others may not be competent.
After the wave of co-productions receded, TV dramas gradually developed and grew, and Du Yuming found new opportunities in the vigorous development of domestic dramas, and he played villains in many TV series.
In the crew of the costume drama "Tai Chi Grandmaster" starring Wu Jing, Du Yuming sat down with Ji Chunhua for the first time to chat, "At that time, my hair was gone, and I could talk about this matter, and we talked for a long time." "The two people are close to each other, similar in appearance, and can play, which is very close."
Since then, Du Yuming has often contacted Ji Chunhua to eat and record programs together. Because the two look very similar, a few years ago they were always pulled into a group to act, Ji Chunhua played Xue Wuchang in "Golden Blood Road", Du Yuming played Xue Wu hate, and the brothers were collectively known as "Northwest Shuangxu", acting strangely and unfathomable in martial arts. In a costume drama broadcast last year, Du Yuming played the three elders and Ji Chunhua played the four elders, they have a very tacit understanding, no need to stand-in, no need to set tricks in advance, all really fight, attracting all the actors and staff to watch.
The figure is calculated on the left by Chunhua, and the figure is du Yuming on the right
Now that it is very rare for actors to shoot scenes, it is very rare for actors to shoot in real time, and most of the martial arts scenes can be completed with stand-ins and post-special effects. Du Yuming admitted in a video program that when he was playing with Ji Chunhua, he was a little frightened in his heart, Ji Chunhua was the foundation of a martial arts athlete, he was a martial arts student in Peking Opera, and the strength of the fight would be a little different, "I will not touch so real, Chunhua will touch it very really, he feels that if he does not send this force out, he will not reach that point." Don't hate. ”
A few years ago, at a film festival event, Du Yuming and Ji Chunhua were award guests together, Ji Chunhua was very angry because of some things, Du Yuming has been advising him not to be angry, endure the wind and waves. "Chunhua is a very transparent person, he will shoot cases when he doesn't like things, he is a person with a special sense of justice, jealous and hateful." Du Yuming's personality is another pole, he is softer and more peaceful.
He once imagined with Ji Chunhua the drama he wanted to act in the future, they wanted to play two brothers in a play, at first they were particularly harmonious, and then they turned against each other for the sake of interests, and they must make the dramatic conflict to the extreme, so that it is good. "You have to let the audience clearly distinguish who is who." Du Yuming said.
Du Yuming and Ji Chunhua played
But this wish will never be realized again, and the "cold face double brake" is now only Du Yuming.
hero
Ji Chunhua's death from illness is not only the loss of a close friend for Du Yuming, "Until now, I feel that if Chunhua wants to live, we must be able to shoot a particularly good scene." He leaned back in his chair, his eyes full of regret and loss.
At the beginning, Du Yuming learned that Ji Chunhua had returned to his hometown in Hangzhou, and he had been thinking about going to Hengdian to shoot a drama, passing through Hangzhou to see him. At the end of May last year, the two people talked on the phone for the last time, Ji Chunhua said on the phone, Lao Du, remember ah, everything is fake, take care of the body, good health is the first.
When he got the news of Ji Chunhua's death, Du Yuming was filming on the set and found that he could not enter the state for a long time. He told the crew, stop, "I suddenly feel lonely." Du Yuming felt very sad, such a person who was connected to his heart and had a similar path was suddenly gone.
Du Yuming wrote on Weibo: "Since 1993, we have known each other for more than 20 years, and we have also cooperated in film and television dramas, 'as if fate is destined to always meet' The audience also said that the two of us are very similar." The last time we met at the film festival, we also made an appointment for the third time. When I heard the news of your sudden death, my heart was also very uncomfortable. My half-brother, Chunhua is good all the way! May heaven be free of pain. ”
In the recently broadcast TV series "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an", Du Yuming played the role of Tang Chao chao, and many viewers in the bullet screen still mistook him for Ji Chunhua.
In this drama, Du Yuming did not play much, did not play a play, and only filmed in the crew for 4 days.
Cameo appearance in "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an" is at the request of director Cao Dun, before in Cao Dun's "Muyun on the Sea", Du Yuming also temporarily saved the scene, playing the old man Long Jinhuan who spanned a century - the previous two "Long Jinhuan" were forced to leave the scene early because of their advanced age and physical strength.
Du Yuming admired Cao Dun, "He is a person who remembers the past and has a lot of feelings. So even though Chao's role was small, he was just as happy to go to the appointment. Compared with the former, Du Yuming cares about the fate and friendship of being able to work together. After 35 years of acting, shuttling between different sets, it is a great blessing to be able to cooperate with friends who can talk about it again.
Fan Dongyu and Du Yuming have known each other for many years, and in his opinion, Du Yuming's personality is warm. When filming "Great Shanghai 1937", Fan Dongyu had a little conflict with the actors in the group, the more noisy the two became, they couldn't get off the stage, Du Yuming came to reconcile them, "This is a big deal, not to, not to", which eased the embarrassing situation.
Du Yuming can always take care of the feelings of others, in addition to being an actor, he occasionally doubles as a B group director and producer.
He never slept well, often falling asleep at two or three o'clock at night. He sometimes pondered his choices at that time, "If I hadn't acted for a long time and thought about being a director, I would almost be a medium-level TV series director now." 」 ”
After the spy war drama "Black Fox", Du Yuming has not been a director for nearly 10 years, "the energy is not as good as before, the director is even if it is done, try to do less, act well." ”
After filming scenes for more than thirty years, he has done a lot of dangerous actions, and he has been afraid and injured, but he has carried them all. But sometimes walking on the road, occasionally a passerby will suddenly point to Du Yuming and say, "Aren't you the villain on TV?" He was speechless and dumbfounded.
Because of the limitations of the image, it is difficult for Du Yuming to have the opportunity to play the main theme of the film and television drama, and he feels some regrets. But he also clearly knows that as an actor itself has limitations, coupled with his own image is special, the limitations are even greater, "I do not approve of a person with a thousand faces, actors will have certain limitations, actors can expand the drama road, but can expand is limited, there is no way, people have their own lives." ”
Du Yuming, who has been playing a bad guy, finally became a good guy in "Snow Leopard". Zhu Ziming, who he played, completed the transformation from a bandit to an anti-Japanese fighter, and also let Du Yuming pass an addiction to playing a good person.
Du Yuming played Zhu Ziming in "Snow Leopard"
"So what role do you most want to play now?"
"Heroes definitely want to act, men have heroic plots."
But Du Yuming knows that if he plays a hero himself, the audience will not believe too much, "I think this is normal, because you have grown up like this." 」 ”