The movie "Han Dan", released on January 5, is actor Zheng Renshuo's first movie released in mainland China. While he was filming in Bangkok, he asked for leave from the crew and flew to Beijing to accept media interviews and attend the film's premiere, which shows that he attaches great importance to this film.
Actor Zheng Renshuo was born in Taiwan, China. He is known to mainland audiences for his films such as "Drunk, Dreams and Death", "My Classmate Manasi" and the TV series "Skyscraper". The movie "Handan" was filmed five years ago. Ayi, played by Zheng Renshuo, was accidentally injured during a folklore activity called "Handan" and became deaf and addicted to drugs. In order to find the character's state, he found prototype characters in real life, experienced the life of a deaf-mute several months in advance, and used the stupid method of "making steel with local methods" to help perform.
This is the acting method that Zheng Renshuo has always adhered to since he became an actor. Whatever role he plays, he must find the prototype from life, and then enter the state of the character. "Han Dan" director Huang Chaoliang said that Zheng Renshuo is a dedicated and hard-working actor who uses his own body to achieve the status of his character. But for Zheng Renshuo, he feels that as long as he can complete the role, everything is worth it. He just wants to try his best not to be replaced.
It was a challenge to play the role of Ayi, who specially learned the sign language of the deaf and mute
Zheng Renshuo was born in Taitung, Taiwan Province, China. Some areas in Taitung have always retained a folk activity called "Handan". The prototype of "Master Handan" is Zhao Gongming, the god of martial arts. It is said that "Master Handan" is afraid of the cold, so he needs to use firecrackers to blow up his body when traveling to ward off the cold. Every year during the Lantern Festival, people hold the "Handan Ye" activity. The actor who plays "Handan Ye" stands on a sacred sedan chair and is baptized by firecrackers thrown by many gunners. The longer he persists in the billowing flames, the more respect and admiration he will gain.
Stills from "Han Dan". Ah Yi is acting as a physical "Handan". In order to film this scene, Zheng Renshuo suffered some skin injuries from a firecracker.
When he was a child, Zheng Renshuo went to see the "Handan Handan" event. His impression at the time was that it was "very noisy, crowded and crowded." Later, as he grew older, he felt that the "fried Han Dan" had a meaning and could be used to pray for blessings and make wishes. Today, this folk custom is still preserved in Taitung during the Lantern Festival every year.
In the movie "Han Dan", Zheng Renshuo has a scene where he acts as a physical "Han Dan". He only wears a scarf and shorts, with his upper body exposed, and countless firecrackers are thrown at him. During the filming, although the staff tried their best to throw the firecrackers as far away as possible, Zheng Renshuo still suffered some skin injuries. "The first few blows were very painful, but after the third blow, I felt a sense of relief." Zheng Renshuo felt that "exploding Handan" was a very unforgettable experience in his life.
There are two male protagonists in "Han Dan", Lin Zhengkun and A Yi. Initially, when director Huang Chaoliang handed the script to Zheng Renshuo, Zheng Renshuo chose the role of Ayi. "I choose the one that is more challenging for my career as an actor," Zheng Renshuo said. The role of Lin Zhengkun is not easy to play, but the role of Ayi is more obvious. He has to go through several twists and turns. One of them changes from a human to a "ghost", and then The process of transforming from a "ghost" into a human being.
Ayi was accidentally injured during a "Bombing Cold Singles" event and became deaf. He became depressed and addicted to drugs. How to present Ayi's state is a challenge. Zheng Renshuo is not an acting major. Every time he receives a new role, he has his own set of acting methods, which is to look for prototype characters. In order to perform the state of deaf people, he specially went to find deaf-mute people who were newly deaf-mute, get along with them, and observe them. "They will look at your body, lips, and read your language." Zheng Renshuo arrived in Taitung two months in advance and did nothing. He specialized in observing and training these things and learning their sign language and movements.
In order to portray Ayi's decadent state, Zheng Renshuo made himself drunk by 60 to 70% every day and did not sleep for four days.
Zheng Renshuo also used his relationship with the crew to find people who were recovering from drugs or who had successfully recovered from drugs. With their permission, he got to chat with them. "I have to imitate and learn." In order to get close to the character's state after taking drugs, Zheng Renshuo made himself drunk by 60 to 70% every day and did not sleep for four days, "reaching a state of panic.""I must give the most authentic state to the audience. This is the actor's responsibility," Zheng Renshuo said. After that scene, the director asked him to rest for four days, and Zheng Renshuo slept for two or three days.
director Huang Chaoliang did not hesitate to praise Zheng Renshuo, "Renshuo is a very dedicated and hard-working actor." What impressed him deeply was that halfway through filming, during a scene, he smelled a strong smell of alcohol on Zheng Renshuo. The director scolded him for why he smelled of alcohol so early in the morning. Zheng Renshuo quickly bowed and apologized, and then stayed away. It wasn't until the movie was finished that Huang Chaoliang found out that during that time, Zheng Renshuo had been using his own body to achieve his character status.
has experienced the ups and downs of life, and uses stupid methods to enter the role.
Zheng Renshuo has not received professional and systematic acting training, but in his opinion, life is acting. When facing parents at home, one has to "play" the child, in front of one's girlfriend one has to change roles and "play" the boyfriend, and in the workplace one has to "play" the role of a subordinate or colleague, "everything in life, everyone's happiness and anger" Sadness and music are the nutrients for my performance, which cannot be taught in school."
's rich life experience provided a lot of nutrients for Zheng Renshuo to engage in acting later. Zheng Renshuo was born in a well-off family, but when he was in high school, his family fell into decline and his mother died of cancer. "With no money, I sent her away with both hands." Two years later, Zheng Renshuo's father suffered a stroke, leaving him with a large debt. At that time, Zheng Renshuo had already got the opportunity to become an actor. In 2001, he starred in the TV series "Red Flower" with Joe Chen. However, because his father was seriously ill, he gave up his career as an actor and went home to take care of his father. During that time, Zheng Renshuo could only make a living by picking up garbage and taking care of his father who had suffered a stroke. Seven years later, my father also passed away.
In "Han Dan", there is a scene in which his mother commits suicide. Ayi, who is addicted to drugs, is lying on the ground and sees his mother hanging, but he can only struggle feebly. This emotionally complex scene will be more painful for Zheng Renshuo. He has personally experienced similar heartbreaking experiences, and when performing, he will transfer his past emotions to the character. My parents sent them off by themselves. I helped them change their clothes, pushed them into the cremator, and rolled them out, leaving only a pile of ashes. These memories buried deep in my heart will be cruelly brought out during the performance. "Otherwise How do I act? I have to transfer my emotions."
Zheng Renshuo knows that his own experiences and feelings cannot be deceived. He can only use the stupid method of "homemade steel-making" to get himself into the role step by step. Although this creative method is relatively draining on the body and spirit, But after seeing the audience's feedback on the character, he felt it was all worth it.
Before becoming an actor again, he worked behind the scenes for 8 years.
Zheng Renshuo took a break from the entertainment industry for 7 years to take care of his father. And he returned to the entertainment industry, thanks to the support of Yu Kanping, the director of "The Wrong Ride". "He picked me out of the trash and recommended me to his apprentice Zhang Zuoji," Zheng Renshuo said. At that time, he wanted to be an actor, but director Zhang Zuoji felt that if he wanted to be an actor, he had to endure some hardships first. From the lowest level of the crew Get started.
"I have experienced no matter how hard things are, so this little hardship is nothing." Zheng Renshuo recalled that at first he was responsible for cleaning, buying groceries, driving, repairing things, and even catching mice in director Zhang Zuoji's company. Pass. After that, I went deep into the work of the crew, starting from the set management, art, props, lighting, recording, photography, all the way to the directing team and production team. "Except for the styling team, I have not done it, but other teams have done it."
One day, Zheng Renshuo drank too much and asked director Zhang Zuoji why he was always asked to do behind-the-scenes work? Zhang Zuoji said, if you want to be an actor, if you don’t know what the people behind the camera are doing, what qualifications do you have to stand in front of the camera. Zheng Renshuo seemed to suddenly understand the director's intention when he sobered up. The experience of working with the director for nearly 8 years helped him a lot as an actor in the future. "I believe that few actors in Taiwan have had such an experience."
In 2013, in the movie "Summer Homework" directed by Zhang Zuoji, Zheng Renshuo played a chef in a seafood store, which became his first film work since his debut. He also truly moved from behind the scenes to the front.
Zheng Renshuo won the Taipei Film Festival's Best Supporting Actor Award for his film "Drunk, Dreams and Death" and was nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor for the first time.
Zheng Renshuo really started to attract attention two years later with "Drunk, Dreams and Death". In addition to being an actor, he is also the producer of the film. "I handled all the actors and sponsors in the film." At that time, the director asked him if he wanted to sign the subtitles, but he refused, "Because I want to be an actor, and if you give me the name 'producer', others will ask me to be the producer in the future," Zheng Renshuo said.
The entire drama "Drunk, Dreams and Death" took about half a year to prepare. The director gave Zheng Renshuo 4 months to do the production work and prepare the actors, scenes and everything, leaving two months to prepare. Role. Brother Shuo, played by Zheng Renshuo, works in a public relations store, struggling in the torrent of desire in Taipei's nightlife, looking for life-saving straws everywhere. In order to experience the role, he actually went to a public relations store to apply for work and lived with some clerks. In the end, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 17th Taipei Film Festival for his wonderful performance in the film, and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the 52nd Taiwan Film Golden Horse Awards for the first time.
Playing the ultimate role on the screen, going to the traditional market in life
Many of the screen roles played by Zheng Renshuo are quite extreme. They are low-level characters who fight against fate in physical combat, and they still move forward bravely even after being beaten to a bloody head. For Zheng Renshuo, being an actor is a matter of choice. He must maximize the possibility of performance and act whatever others ask him to act.
"I'm not a star, I'm an actor. You have to have a high possibility to make the crew think you're useful, so I won't go wrong finding you. This is my only belief." Zheng Renshuo said that he did not set limits on his performance. If he was not used by the crew, then he would be limited by himself. He has played many roles before, such as doctors, lawyers, prosecutors, love liars, etc., but the audience may always remember those more extreme roles. Zheng Renshuo feels that there is nothing wrong with this, at least it can be remembered by others.
Since his debut, Zheng Renshuo has made many literary and artistic films, such as "Drunk, Dreams and Death", "Island of Rivers", etc. This has led many viewers and industry insiders to label Zheng Renshuo, saying that he can only act in literary and artistic films. "I'm very rebellious. I want them to see my potential. I can act in commercial films and bring in box office sales." Zheng Renshuo has since recommended himself to companies to work in commercial films. After that, he starred in "Jiaotou 2: The Rise of the King" and "Human Fish: The Story of the Little Girl in Red", two commercial IPs that were very popular in Taiwan at the time, and both achieved good box office results.
Zheng Renshuo plays a gang member in the film "Jiaotou 2: The Rise of the King".
"If you think I can't do it, I'll show it to you, and make it so that you think it's okay." Zheng Renshuo uses this very rebellious mentality to try any possibility in performance. For him, there are no taboos in performance.
Zheng Renshuo doesn't usually film. Cooking and shopping for food are Zheng Renshuo's favorite things to do. "I don't go to the supermarket, but to the traditional market where the floor is wet and there is blood and you can bargain." Zheng Renshuo feels that the place is very warm.
When his father suffered a stroke, Zheng Renshuo learned to cook in order to take care of his father's meals. After that, he fell in love with this thing. He felt that sometimes when buying vegetables, washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, and cooking, no one was making any noise, only the sound of the cooking fire and the range hood. In fact, he was getting along with himself, which was quite good. of.
[Conversation]
"I try my best not to be replaced"
Beijing News: "Handan" was already produced four or five years ago. When you look back now, do you feel there are any regrets in the performance? ?
Zheng Renshuo: There must be regrets in . Only with regrets can there be progress and expectations, so I watch my own films every time. I don’t watch them right now, but only after a while. I find that I still have so much room for improvement. big.Because it is easy to be replaced in this era, I try my best not to be replaced, so I will review myself repeatedly. As my age and experience increase, I will continue to improve. If I change my way at that time, say It may have different effects.
Beijing News: "Han Dan" is your first drama to be released in mainland China. What are your expectations?
Zheng Renshuo: I sincerely hope that can be seen by more people and let the audience know that in addition to this custom (fried Han Dan), there are many good actors for your reference. You can use it to watch , you will not be disappointed.
Zheng Renshuo plays an architect in the TV series "Skyscraper".
Beijing News: Most of your current works were shot in Taiwan. Have you ever considered cooperating with mainland filmmakers?
Zheng Renshuo: There is no need to consider at all. Come to me as soon as possible. I am willing to serve you. After the online drama "Skyscraper" was aired in 2020, many people came to invite me, but it was really just an invitation. Maybe the fate was not there and the timing was not right. It doesn’t matter, good things come hard. As long as they are mainland filmmakers I have never worked with before, I want to cooperate with them.
Beijing News reporter Teng Chao
editor Huang Jialing
proofreader Liu Jun
