Text | Anqing
Editor | 9527 Miao Gujun
The TV series launched from 2024 to now seem to have always fallen behind. The quality of "Flowers" is excellent, but the threshold for chasing dramas is too high, and movie-level art is not suitable for sinking. In response to the market's appetite, "Dajiang Dahe 3" has not made much splash in the air. The ratings are good, but the popularity on the Internet is obviously insufficient.
As for the ratings performance of "Long Time Love", which frequently hits the charts, Yang Zi and Fan Chengcheng's status in the drama is also disappointing.
At this time in previous years, hits continued to hit the market. "The Beginning" in 2022 and "Hurricane" in 2023 were both launched in early January.
In comparison, this year’s audience was indeed shortchanged. However, after waiting and waiting, a work with the potential to become a blockbuster "Happy Parents" finally arrived.
The TV series "Happy Parents" focuses on family life and is a typical parenting theme. In the first few episodes, Zhang Jiayi performed steadily. The plot points were not only very down-to-earth, but also achieved constant laughter and high-energy plot.
But by far, what attracts the most attention of the audience is actually the performance of the actresses in the play.
01
Chen Hao and Wang Xiaochen appear on screen without their beautiful faces, but their status is eye-catching
Audiences have always had a "heartthrob" filter for the actor Chen Hao, and after so many years, Chen Hao has ensured that he has taken good care of himself, and his status is online, and he can still see it in front of a high-definition camera. To the sexy charm of the past.
However, time is the butcher's knife of time after all, and even Chen Hao cannot escape the changes brought about by age. In the camera, Chen Hao also has moments when her nasolabial folds are obvious, especially when she lowers her head, two nasolabial folds and two marionette lines have appeared on her skin that is no longer tight.
When the camera moved down, one could even see the neck lines appearing one after another on Chen Hao’s neck.
Wrinkles are a badge of age for women. On the road of anti-aging and anti-wrinkle, 45-year-old Chen Hao has done a good job. It's just that aging is a process that everyone must go through, and it's obvious that Chen Hao doesn't care at all about his lost youth being seen by the audience.
In addition to nasolabial folds and marionette lines, Chen Hao can see tiny crow's feet in the play even if he just closes his eyes. From this point alone, it can be seen that "Happy Parents" focuses on a real-life filter in the post-production process. , Chen Hao is exactly what a 45-year-old woman should be like on the screen.
Wang Xiaochen is as calm as Chen Hao. In fact, Wang Xiaochen has been portraying a mature female image in the drama in the past few years. This time she is the same in the drama, playing the role of a young mother. Although her dressing style is better than Chen Hao She has more of an internet celebrity style, but the aura she exudes is that of a new mother.
In the high-definition footage, Wang Xiaochen’s facial smoothness is not even as good as Chen’s, and her dark skin color reveals her true age of 35. The most surprising thing is that in the busy entertainment industry, Wang Xiaochen wears bare-shouldered clothes. The short top exposed the obvious swimming ring on her belly and even the midline of her abdomen.
However, Wang Xiaochen in this picture is not sloppy or greasy. On the contrary, her authenticity and naturalness are highly suitable for this TV series that focuses on family life.
It is obvious that Chen Hao and Wang Xiaochen have positioned their performances appropriately. They play the right roles at the right age, without the baggage of idols, and they do not pursue the aesthetics of being thin and white.
Now it seems that Chen Hao's wrinkles and Wang Xiaochen's fat are a slap in the face to many young actresses.
02
Refusing to act young is the most basic professional quality of an actor
In fact, it has almost become an industry norm for actresses to act young. Take "Long Time Love" to be released in 2024 as an example. As a 90-year-old flower, Yang Zi has unlimited stardom and is loved by fans. The sought-after beauty has gradually become her label.
However, it is a fact that she was in a bad state in "Long Time Love". She had two deep nasolabial tattoos and played an adolescent girl in school uniform. It was abrupt and dramatic, and it was a complete visual shock.
Yang Zi's overturn this time may be related to her state and makeup during filming, but apart from Yang Zi, there are many actors in the industry who are overconfident in their acting skills.
In "Shangyang Fu", Zhang Ziyi pouts cutely, pouting her lips and squeezing her neck. Her acting skills are very expressive and she has mastered the role of a girl, but her sense of maturity that cannot be blocked by filters overflows the screen. Her deep-set eye sockets and obviously droopy corners of her mouth are fighting against her acting style.
Zhou Xun in "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" used Barbie pink lipstick and a hoarse voice to persuade the audience as soon as he appeared. Obviously the plot quality of "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" is good, but Zhou Xun's face is swollen, and she still pouted and pretended to be cute, which made her a part of the dark history.
The most outrageous thing is Carina Lau. Carina Lau, who is already over 50, is not even a girl, let alone a young woman. She is not good at playing young women, but she played the role of Gu Manlu in "The Origin of Love". Now I think about her wearing double ponytails. The scene of pure white moonlight is performed with a serious face, but there is still a kind of embarrassment that makes people dig their toes into the ground.
In fact, many actors' acting skills can catch the eyes of the audience, but many actors do not have a clear positioning of their own image.
performed brilliantly in "Flowers", and Ma Yili, with outstanding expressiveness, vividly played the Shanghai femininity of Lingzi's charming and soft-spoken Wu Nong.
But in the TV series "Dragon City", she wore full bangs and big waves, and had a face of pleats and fine lines to play the role of Zheng Dongni, who has been wild and free-loving all her life. It was strange and strange.
Ma Yili is still the same Ma Yili, but when she collides with different characters, she has a completely different look and feel. This is enough to prove how important it is for actors to find their own path and position.
Jiang Wenli, a powerful actor who has won the Golden Rooster Award, also played a role in "Love Around the Corner". There are also actors who think that acting is all the conditions for shaping a character, so I can only say that there is a high probability that he will connect with the audience. Hatred, but prejudice does not make the audience happy.
Hao Lei bluntly said in an acting variety show, "You have to act at whatever age you are." This attitude is not only sober, but also responsible for the audience and the work.
Of course, actors may have no choice in many cases. Apart from the fact that the actors themselves are not clear-headed, the entire domestic entertainment film and television environment seems to have a grudge against newcomers. Big IPs dare not use newcomers, and original scripts do not dare to hire unknown actors. To put it bluntly, Yes, it is the lack of confidence in the works that has created a market environment in which domestic dramas are overly dependent on celebrity benefits, and without well-known actors, there will be no success.
If you want to change this situation, you have to start with the audience and the actors. The audience resists and the actors screen. Only in this way can we gradually improve the way domestic dramas always let middle-aged women fall in love and pretend to be cute.
Finally, what are your thoughts on coquettish behavior on screen? Are there any other outrageous casting choices in your memory that are particularly eye-catching? Join the discussion in the comment section.
