Lu Yan's light and shadow story: he changed career as an actor at the age of 30, and is still shooting new films at the age of 96

"Dancing gracefully for a century, I have been chasing the light for thousands of miles, turning my life and movies into a dream like a dream."

Young audiences know Lu Yan because she starred in the drama "Dream Like a Dream" a few years ago. ", in the play, she plays the elderly version of Gu Xianglan - with short white hair, as soon as she opens her mouth, she can bring the audience into the story.

Now, 96-year-old Lu Yan has a new film - the documentary film "Chasing the Light" was released on September 9, and Lu Yan is a key figure in connecting the film. Starting from the growth trajectory of Lu Yan, this film recalls the life stories of filmmakers such as Anna May Wong, Li Minwei , Cai Chusheng, Bruce Lee and other filmmakers who pursued film careers throughout their lives, thereby reviewing the history of Chinese film development in the past 100 years.

"Chasing Light" Lu Yan's stills , Teacher Lu Yan is the best choice, because Lu Yan has an intersection with these people.

As the first Chinese to serve as a lifetime judge for the Academy Awards, Lu Yan's name may be unfamiliar to young audiences. But when it comes to her works, probably many people will exclaim that it was her! She is the Empress Dowager Cixi in "The Last Emperor", An Mei in " Joy Luck Club ", Mrs. Shui in "Aunt 's Postmodern Life "...

has never been favored by her family to the point of breaking into Hollywood , Lu Yan's life experience is like a movie, with lows and highs.

Lu Yan's mother is Li Guifen, a famous actress of Peking Opera . The mother and daughter once lived in the home of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang , and they lived there for 10 years, so Lu Yan called Mei Lanfang "Ji Dad". Lu Yan, who has been immersed in the art of Liyuan since childhood, was considered by her mother to lack the talent for this profession, so she chose to study finance at Shanghai Jiaotong University .

In "Chasing the Light", Lu Yan recalled a touching scene: when Lu Yan and her mother went to the United States, Mei Lanfang's four children came to see them off, and when they got on the boat, Mei Baochen handed them She has a bag, which is her favorite but has been reluctant to buy. And Mei Baojiu gave her the $5 lucky money she had saved for a long time.

When this past incident surfaced, Lu Yan couldn't help shedding tears.

Screenshot of "Chasing the Light"

After arriving in the United States, Lu Yan studied business at University of Hawaii, , and also studied drama and speech, and worked as a part-time reporter in the Chinese newspaper. After graduation, she worked as an accountant at the largest hospital in Hawaii, and later became the financial director.

She then moved to Los Angeles with her husband, who by then had three children and lived a happy and stable life. However, her dream of being an actress is still just around the corner. Although it seemed hopeless, her husband still encouraged her: "You have liked acting since you were a child, so now you might as well give it a try." "If you don't succeed, you will have no regrets in the future." So, at the age of 30, she entered the California state of California. Studied Acting at the Sadina School of Drama. After

graduated, she worked for a few years. During the audition, the director said that her image did not match, so she immediately went home and dressed up; when she acted with the wrong accent, she practiced all night.

In the late 1960s, Lu Yan participated in a series of classic films, such as Tang Shuxuan's " Mrs. Dong ", Li Hanxiang 's " Allure ", " Yingtai Weeping Blood ", and these films are all. It was a commercial and artistic success.

At the age of 86, Lu Yan starred in the nearly 8-hour drama "Dream Like a Dream". At the age of 92, the drama " De Ling and Cixi " was sold out, and it was hard to get a ticket.

Today, although she is 96 years old, Lu Yan still appears in many movies and TV series, and continues to be active in various performance stages.

The following is an exclusive interview with Lu Yan:

01

Mr. Mei Lanfang is YYDS

in my heart, regardless of my life or acting career, the person who has the greatest influence is my mother - Ms. Li Guifen, my mother herself is an outstanding person A Peking Opera performing artist, she has very rich stage experience. Mother's Selfless Giving and Sacrifice for the FamilyThe sacrifices, and the unconditional support for my acting career made me what I was. If it weren't for my mother's broad-mindedness and supportive strength, I probably would not have pursued a career in acting. In fact, many of my roles will be played for my mother at home, and my mother will also give me some advice.

Lu Yan when he was young

The other is Mr. Mei Lanfang. Although Mr. Mei and I are of different generations, he taught me some body styles, but we had a conversation that actually touched me. Once at the performance at the Golden Theater, I performed two copies of "Hong Ni Guan". When I got home, I asked Mr. Mei for advice. Mr. Mei said to me: "You have done what you taught me. But I didn't get home." "To get home" means to do enough work and have the feeling that it's a matter of course. This sentence has always inspired me. In art, you must strive for perfection, and you must spend your time in your daily life, and then you can achieve success in the end.

Mr. Mei's position in my mind is YYDS (Eternal God) in a very fashionable way. Mr. Mei is very good in both art and life. His loyalty and heroism towards his friends, as well as his patriotic feelings when he fought against the Japanese invaders, will always be worth learning by future generations. As I mentioned earlier, the two words I learned from him—to get home is to be the best and the most perfect.

Young Lu Yan (first from left) and Mei Lanfang (third from right) took a group photo I want to try out characters with different personalities. Some female characters are the kind of forbearance, and some female characters are warm, such as Mrs. Dong. More distinctive female images such as " Cixi ", this role has appeared in many film and television dramas, and she has become a more facial image. In fact, Cixi in life is not only an empress dowager of the two palaces who listen to the government, she is also a woman - a woman who loves beauty, so when I show Cixi, I will show her life-like side, such as showing her love for De Ling's love, her emotional life, etc., make this character more three-dimensional and full.

Stills from the drama "De Ling and Cixi"

As an actor, I definitely hope to challenge all kinds of roles, but it's a pity that when I was engaged in art, I was already relatively old (in my 30s). So it's a little regretful that I haven't staged the image of a typical young girl on the screen.

The actor's experience of life is very critical because he wants to bring himself into that role. When I was young, I went to the United States to study and then work. I have to raise three children because of my livelihood, so I have been engaged in various occupations, and because of this, I have experienced various human relationships and differences in different occupations. Including engaging in performing arts after the age of 30, as an older newcomer, in fact, in performing arts, I also experienced an era of cultural differences. The most important thing is the image gap between the image of women in the hearts of the East and the West. Many times, in Western people's minds, the role of Chinese women is a low-brow and submissive, a very exaggerated and humble image. When I was shooting, I was more resistant, because for me, I prefer to perform a real, natural, relaxed state, because only real performance can make the audience integrate into the character.

02

Packaging and publicity are very important, but what is more essential is the love and pursuit of art , said the film resonated with them. I think this also achieves the original intention of the film creators.

From my point of view, this film contains a lot of important filmmakers in the history of Chinese film. In order to connect the characters' geographical crossing, the filmmakers hope to select a person who can tell the story of chasing light. Because of my rich experience and age - I have had realistic exchanges with many of the protagonists in the story, so the director finally found me and asked me to tell this story of chasing light.

"Chasing the Light" should impress me the most with the spirit of Chinese filmmaker Dilu Lanlui. In the past suffering years, their tireless pursuit of art, their reflection on real life, and their presentation of public life made me feel that they are the "greatest artists". I hope the stories of these representatives can inspire some young people nowFilmmaker. I hope that everyone can have higher ideals, higher value pursuits, and more tenacious will, so as to create better works of art to serve the public.

"Chasing the Light" poster

Anna May Huang is a relatively accomplished Chinese actress in the early days, especially in the eyes of Westerners, she should be a relatively well-known Chinese actress. But she once mentioned that in the past, when there were cultural barriers or large cultural differences, in the eyes of Westerners, the image of Chinese women was very stylized, which could not truly reflect the personality of Chinese women. So many times she passively starred in some so-called Chinese female images.

Li Minwei is a great filmmaker, both his works and his thoughts are very advanced. For example, the selection of scenes in his films, including some scenes, are very ethnic, and the aesthetics of the film are very advanced. His artistic level is very high, he is a very great filmmaker. Moreover, he also put forward the idea of ​​"moving to save the country", and he himself was a revolutionary. He is one of the pioneers of the Chinese film industry, a very remarkable filmmaker, and I admire him very much.

Bruce Lee is even more remarkable. His achievements are mainly to make Hollywood re-acquainted with Chinese people. He is the founder of kung fu movies. He made Chinese Kung Fu go to the world. He can be said to have contributed to the spread of Chinese Kung Fu and Chinese martial arts . It's a pity that he died very young. I think many fans and younger generations will also miss such a great Chinese-language filmmaker. He established the status of Chinese-language films, especially kung fu films, in Hollywood. He is still a figure talked about by many Western audiences.

Director Cai Chusheng is good at expressing the common emotions of human beings delicately. He is a master of realism, and his artistic creation can expose some social contradictions. I think his work is very successful and resonates strongly with the audience. One of his great things is his penetrating portrayal of national traditional ethics and morals. I have seen many of his works, and I think he is a great film director.

Chinese film art has become a very important part of the world film industry, both in terms of art and commercial operation. Today, the number of viewers, market share, filmmakers, and audiences' aesthetic standards of Chinese films are no longer what they were 100 years ago. This is inseparable from the efforts of generations of outstanding filmmakers in China, the support of our country in the film system and mechanism, and the investment and incentives for excellent films. The changes of the times have spawned a number of excellent works, which are very artistic, ideological and commercial. In terms of world status, with the improvement of China's comprehensive national strength, our right to speak is much stronger than before. As our country prospered, so did our cultural self-confidence. Therefore, many works now can highlight the characteristics of our nation, rather than cater to some Western audiences.

People in the art industry, like our older generation of artists, they spend a lot of time polishing themselves, improving their abilities and literacy, and they don't spend a lot of time trying to develop relationships. Of course, packaging and publicity are also very important, but for filmmakers, the more essential thing is the love and pursuit of art. The fragrance of wine is not afraid of deep alleys, as long as you polish yourself well, it will shine. So I guess that's an expectation from the younger generation of actors.

03

is very happy that I am 96 years old and someone invited me to film

"Chasing the Light" took more than a month and traveled to 5 cities. I often think of the scenes where I once lived and grew up, as well as the bits and pieces of filming. Time flies very fast, even though I'm in my 90s now and I'm in the age of the stick. However, bits and pieces of the past often come to mind all at once. Especially when I went to Beijing to see the place where I was born, I felt that things were different, and I was very emotional. But I am also very fortunate that I spent a very happy childhood in that alley.

should say there was no difficulty (shooting), the crew took good care of me. When I am older, I may not be so convenient to move, so sometimes it is a bit difficult. There are many places I want to go, but I can't do it, which is a small regret.

Lu Yan in "Dream Like a Dream""

at the performance site, thank you for your praise, I think elegance may be a kind of self-discipline. It is a kind of self-discipline in life. You must always know what you want, be able to restrain your desires, and be able to view the changes and changes of the world in a relatively peaceful way of life.

I have been to Chengdu. I was impressed with Jiuzhaigou , it's so beautiful there. Our country is really a treasure of treasures and outstanding people. Jiuzhaigou is a place like paradise on earth. I especially hope to go again. Because of the epidemic, I have not returned to China for several years. I especially look forward to returning to China and visiting our famous mountains and rivers.

Lu Yan and Ang Lee

I have no retirement plans. I feel that if I can be engaged in art all my life and dedicate my life to art, this is actually the best life, so I never want to retire. As long as the filmmakers are willing to invite me and let me act, I tell them that I don’t want any pay, you just need to give me some opportunities to perform. As long as I can, I still hope to keep working. I think this is also the secret to preventing aging. Bar.

My new work is a web drama. This drama was filmed in Vancouver's studio. I play an old Chinese lady in it. I am very happy to be 96 years old, and I am also invited to film. Before filming, the crew also asked a doctor to examine me. They all said that I was in very good health and could be competent for the filming of this film, so I was also very happy. If there is a need for me, I will go to film. I often travel between the United States and Vancouver, Canada. I also hope that domestic audiences can also watch this American drama. Thank you.

Red Star News reporter Zhang Shihao Intern Xiao Zhiwen Editor Xu Yunxiao

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