has been preparing for ten years, only aired for 14 days, but it also dominated the screen for 14 days, firmly occupying the top spot among the "hot dramas to start the new year". In the play, not only is Mr. Bao's all-powerful history of getting rich, but the rivers and lakes on Yellow River Road also contain inspirational legends belonging to Shanghai's independent women. As a representative of professional women, she has an iconic upturned head and walks around in uniform. Manager Pan, the "Thousand-Hand Guanyin" of Zhenyuan, doesn't speak much, has firm eyes, does things smoothly, and manages to impress everyone with his professional demeanor. She is played by supermodel-turned-Tong Chenjie. As for how she got the "ticket" for "Flowers" and how she successfully mastered this role, she revealed it one by one in an interview with the New Yellow River reporter.
New Yellow River: How did you first become associated with this drama?
Tong Chenjie: The earliest round of casting involves many of our actors. Almost all actors who are from Shanghai and can speak Shanghainese will have one round. It is equivalent to auditions. Each person records a self-introduction without makeup and gives it to the director. to filter. In the second round, the director felt that there might be roles in the play, so he auditioned again. After the director came to Shanghai, he built a night Tokyo scene upstairs in his company, so the roles he auditioned for were all Regarding Night Tokyo, for example, I tried Ling Hong and read Lu Meilin's script. My sister-in-law also tried it, but I think the director wants to see us in a prescribed situation or in your character's behavior. In the process of acting, did you say that he could find inspiration, or something that he could use in other roles in the future?
New Yellow River: How did you feel when you decided to play the role of Manager Pan?
Tong Chenjie: I think itâs pretty good, yes. In fact, I heard the director say before that I might be more suitable for Yellow River Road, because Yellow River Road is the biggest scene, and Li Li is a very mysterious character, the woman on Yellow River Road. They are all very independent, sassy, ââand enterprising, so he may think that my temperament would be more suitable for Huanghe Road.
New Yellow River: How do you understand the character of Manager Pan?
Tong Chenjie: I already had some feelings after entering the scene on Yellow River Road, because the entire Yellow River Road was restored at that time, and Zhizhenyuan was very luxurious. In such a store, as the second-in-command, all aspects of execution are It's your responsibility, what kind of temperament do you need? Another very important point is that the scenes we shot at the beginning were all about walking around. There will be many shots of walking around in the scene, so I think finding the character (feeling) from walking is my first focus. . Because everyone knows that I am a model, it sounds like walking is a daily routine for me, but Manager Panâs walk is very different from that of a model. I was very worried about the feeling of walking out of the stage, but it was okay, because externally I actually spent a lot of effort to change some of my walking habits, so people would think that this might be the way a lobby manager walks. This is to find the shape of some characters from external actions. Slowly, as we come into contact with more and more details, you will feel that this character has a very professional core inside, and she is the kind of person who is "quiet". What Shanghai people say about "being quiet" is vividly reflected in Manager Pan. She actually knows a lot of things, but she won't gossip about her previous boss to please her current boss. She has her own principles and feels it is necessary. She is good at talking, she doesn't think it is necessary to say anything, and she will never discuss other people's rights and wrongs. She is the kind of person who keeps a ledger in her belly.
New Yellow River: Xin Zhilei mentioned that Li Li has been finalized four times. As a person around her, has Manager Pan also experienced multiple finals?
Tong Chenjie: She was also notified of the finalization, but I was not (laughs). When I finished shooting the last scene, they said it was almost dawn, and it seemed that there was no time to shoot the last scene. So I always thought that there was still one shot left, but maybe in the end I said no, so I called and informed me that it was finalized, thatâs what happened.
New Yellow River: Please talk about the scene opposite Xin Zhilei.
Tong Chenjie: Teacher Xin Zhilei, her character is actually quite lively and cute, but in order to play the role of Li Li, we will relatively maintain the atmosphere with each other at the scene, because if the audience is too happy, we will not go on stage. Itâs easy to lose your arms. We were in the scene in the private room on the top floor, keeping a relatively quiet and in character state, but in private we still had a good relationship.
She is very beautiful in her own right, and Director Wang's shots brought out her temperament. Working with her became very smooth, and gradually the characters seemed to grow on us.
New Yellow River: What scenes were the most unforgettable about the directorâs guidance to you?
Tong Chenjie: The most obvious ones are the opening and the ending. At the beginning, because it involved the prequel issues of some characters, Li Li actually had a lot of information when interviewing Manager Pan. She said that I didnât want shares, especially the shares in the hotel on Huanghe Road. I think she may have lost a lot with Jin Fenghuang. The director of this scene had a lot of designs in terms of lines and scheduling. When I appeared on the stage, teacher Chen Yifeiâs painting passed by me. From the directorâs perspective, he felt Because I appeared with my back on the stage and the painting was facing the audience, there was a kind of imagery in it, including me telling Li Likai that the water on the Yellow River is deeper than you think. At that time, I also stopped for a moment in front of the painting. In fact, Manager Pan knows the goods. I donât know if you have noticed this detail. She knows that this painting is very valuable and is made by a famous artist. To a certain extent, she recognizes Li Liâs taste, so when Li Li When Li said, I don't just open a restaurant, and you want to be more than just a manager, she was so quickly convinced by him.
New Yellow River: How does it feel as a Shanghainese to be cast in a Shanghainese drama?
Tong Chenjie: I think itâs pretty good. I will handle the Shanghainese part in a more down-to-earth manner, because Shanghainese is spoken to the guests, and it is easier to get closer to the guests. But when talking to Li Li, using Mandarin to talk to her, the feeling of the play will enter another realm. You would think that these two people have their own agenda behind the bustling Zhizhen Garden.
For my personal performance, I feel that I can express both Mandarin lines and Shanghainese lines in the play. On the one hand, it is a challenge for me, and on the other hand, it also allows everyone to see that Tong Chenjie is still a relatively comprehensive person. actor.
New Yellow River: Speaking of "silent", this temperament is difficult to act. Did you ask other actors for advice on the spot?
Tong Chenjie: No one else is my acting style, all my focus is, I try not to act. I think Director Wang is very good. He chose me to play the role of Manager Pan because he saw some "quiet" or relatively resilient parts in me. So during the entire filming process, I rarely talked to anyone. Later, when I became one with the character, I would feel that the director had actually determined some of Manager Panâs character traits from me, so I felt more and more comfortable when performing. In many scenes, I just reacted without lines, or just watched, but every time she had different emotions in it, so it was a good exercise in acting for me.
New Yellow River: Does the value of female struggle in the play remind you of your career trajectory?
Tong Chenjie: I feel that throughout the creative process, I very much recognized the values ââof this drama, especially the depiction of female group portraits. Every woman in "Flowers" has her own sense of career that she insists on.
This kind of professionalism has been consistent with me since I was a child. Although I may have been a little lax when I was young, as I grow older, I tell myself that I have to work harder. I think the best state for women to be independent is at work. Just like this time when I met Director Wang, the whole team, and so many outstanding actors, you have to be at the table all the time, you can't get off the table, and you have to maintain your qualifications.I think the women in "Prosperity" are also like this. They never said that I gave up for a moment. Don't give up, this is very important for girls. Even if you can take a break and step back on the surface, in fact, you have never given up. This tone is what you must fight for.
Xin Huanghe: Regarding your career journey, do you think you made any key choices that were right for you?
Tong Chenjie: Actually, it was when I almost wanted to give up, maybe after thinking about it all night and feeling like I couldnât do it, but I still decided to try.
Especially when it comes to being an actor, my transition was not particularly smooth. I think this is normal, because we are all relatively tall, and our appearance is not very close to that of ordinary people, so when you start to transform, others may have some stereotypes about you and ask you to play a domineering female CEO, or to play a But gradually, after having more conversations and contacts with some real creators in the entertainment industry, after they understand me, they will feel that they can still play other roles. Put it on me. For example, itâs the same with Director Wang this time. Manager Pan is a character that is different from the stereotype of a model, but he is willing to let me have fireworks and let me show a side of me that maybe no one has seen in my daily life. I think this is a very big encouragement to me.
New Yellow River: At this age, what advice would you give to some young girls?
Tong Chenjie: Again, never give up, never give up your place in society. If you have the opportunity to meet or see more powerful people and a wider world, donât shrink back or be afraid. Your positive attitude will be seen and your professionalism will be recognized. In fact, Just like Manager Pan.
Reporter: Ren Xiaofei Editor: Xu Min Proofreader: Liu Tian
