Text | Diving Fish Ang Lee met him backstage at the Golden Horse and cheered him up, saying, "Taiwan specializes in niche students. It's very promising. I think the weather is very good."
This was said 13 years ago when he won the Golden Horse Award for "Monga" It was quite appropriate when he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, but Ethan Juan was 41 years old last year and is no longer the age he should be.
Probably the reason Ang Lee said he was a niche is because Chen Guilin still showed some unruly youthfulness at the beginning of the film, as if he still had the shadow of the monk who amazed the world. It's just that Ethan Ruan didn't know at that time that the gift given prematurely by fate would only be close to it even if it took another ten years, but it would be difficult to repeat it.
Many mainland audiences may be surprised by Ethan Ruan's acting skills in "The Three Evils", mainly because most mainland audiences still only know him as Ji Cunxi in "Destined to Love You" - One Site A classic boss at the pinnacle of Taiwanese puppet history. But Ethan Ruan's comfort zone has always been "little gangsters" like Monk and Chen Guilin. For him who is not an acting major, this is almost a true performance, so he can contribute such a touching quality.
"Eliminating the Three Evils Every Week"
Returning to the comfort zone is not only a kind of "not confused at forty", but also a rare luxury. Although Ethan Ruan's acting career has been luckier than that of most people, he also faced confusion and bottlenecks during the bubble period of the film and television industry. However, the bottleneck did not ultimately reduce him to the status of a professional in bad dramas or a host with goods, but allowed him to be recognized again and become a teenager again.
"Everyone likes Ji Cunxi, but I don't like him"
Ethan Ruan's starting point is much higher than others.
first accompanied his friend to audition for a model. As a result, his friend no longer wanted to work, but he was chosen by a modeling agency. He practiced swimming since he was a child and even reached the level of a professional reserve team that year, which also gave him a model figure with long body and wide shoulders. In his first appearance after his debut, he played the leading role in Dai Penny's music video. In Hunan Satellite TV's "The Story Behind the Scenes" program, he mentioned that he, who had never studied acting at that time, had to be directed like a puppet by the director on the set, "Xiaotian, look to the right, look up, look at the camera... …That’s how I acted in my first music video.” After
, he took on a large number of music videos for diva-level singers, including Stefanie Sun, Faye Wong, Zhang Huimei, etc. Zheng Yuanchang, He Junxiang and him from the same company are collectively known as the "Three Musketeers of Kaiwo". They often perform in variety shows in this capacity. Kaiwo is also the leading model agency in Taiwan. Lin Chiling is the senior sister of the "Three Musketeers". Tiffany Hsu, who later dated Ethan Ruan for seven years, is also an artist of the company.
Two years later, Ethan Ethan finally made his film and television debut - "The Dance of Michael." He played a gloomy dancing genius in it. It was through his performance in this work that he was noticed for the first time by the later "Bole" Niu Chengze.
A year later, Ethan Ruan starred as the infatuated second actor in "The Green Forest", a typical character ceiling. The performance of this drama should have skyrocketed his acting career, but because of his scandal with the 17-year-old heroine Liu Pinyan, he was hidden by the agency. After that, he could only play supporting roles and guest appearances for many years. Ethan Ruan ushered in his first disappointment. During the same period, Zheng Yuanchang and He Junxiang had successfully ascended to the top with "Mischief Kiss" and "The Devil Is Around", but he was the only one who couldn't make it through.
"Green Forest" stills
Before encountering the project "Destined to Love You", Ethan Ethan was already preparing to quit the entertainment industry. The originally proposed lead actor Ming Dao declined, and director Chen Mingzhang tried his best to persuade Ethan Ruan to star. He reluctantly accepted the role because he thought he had never played a leading role before.
Ji Cunxi is not a typical "personality ceiling". He is always hesitant between his ex-girlfriend and his current girlfriend. He is always beaten up for being too scumbag in the drama. He was once evaluated as "the worst boss" . This is also the reason why no one was optimistic about the project before it was aired. Unexpectedly,
became a huge hit once it was aired. With an average ratings of 10.91 for a single episode and a highest segment rating of 13.64, it became the first in ratings in the history of Taiwanese puppets, and no one has surpassed it to this day. Ethan Ruan and Joe Chen, who were both at a low point at that time, would cry with each other every time the ratings data were released, because of the frustrations of those years.
Stills from "Destined to Love You"
After "The Overlord", Ethan Ruan cheated all the way. The next year, he starred in "The Lost Dog Queen" and performed the "Sister-Brother Love" with Yang Jinhua, which was still very advanced at the time. Rather than being an idol drama, "The Lost Dog Queen" is actually closer to a female coming-of-age drama. The Lucas he plays is the healing and redemption of the older heroine.
's transformation was like a whirlwind. One year later, Ethan Ruan produced the movie "Monga" that won the Best Actor Award. Director Niu Chengze developed him to be able to act in movies. It's completely different from the idol drama. He doesn't have to wear fancy clothes and recite exaggerated lines to act as a "tycoon" who is far away from him. Instead, he only needs to rely on his instincts to play the role of a "little gangster" on the street.
The year when he won the Golden Horse Award, Ethan Ruan was only 28 years old. "Applause" and "popularity" came to him prematurely at the same time, making it seem like a downhill road for him to go.
In 2013, during the 50th anniversary of the Golden Horse Film Festival, the best actor and actress took a group photo, but Ethan Ruan was absent for no reason. Although he later responded that he was rushing back to film "Army Paradise" because he didn't have a clear schedule, this statement was not recognized by the industry. Later, recalling that period, Ethan Ruan said in an interview, "I was very resistant for a period of time. I tried many roles during that time... but the audience seemed to only remember Ji Cunxi, and their perception of my performance was still the same as when I was 25. ."
Although he encountered many twists and turns, Ethan Ruan's luck as a nobleman has always been good. When first joined a modeling agency, he was introduced to resources by an agent who was 12 years older than him, and he was reluctant to receive an MV film appointment. Later, thanks to the appreciation of Chen Yushan, the co-producer of "Destined to Love You" and "The Lost Dog Queen", I gained a foothold in the field of idol dramas. The producers of "Monga" and "Zhou Chu Eliminate Three Evils" are also the same person - Luo Dayou's ex-wife Li Lie - a person who was once regarded as a mentor by Ethan Ruan.
Li Lie later responded to the media that because of her absence from the Golden Horse photo, she had not contacted Ethan for ten years, and it was not until the casting of "The Three Evils" that they broke the ice. To a certain extent, this may also be the reason why he began to go to the mainland for development after the Golden Horse incident. Among the movies, dramas, and variety shows he took on, none of them were successful. When he was nominated for "The Three Evils" last year, Ethan Ruan told the media, "Thank you, Sister Lie, for taking me home."
In fact, Taiwanese local films have also had a hard time in recent years, and the situation is very similar to the Hong Kong market - Imported films dominate the box office. Among the top 10 annual box office hits in the Taiwan Film Market in 2023, there is only one local film, "The Time a Ghost and I Became Family." Among the top ten local movies at the box office, 6 are comedies and 3 are ghost movies. The situation of single genre is also very serious. Although the artistic status of the Golden Horse Awards is still guaranteed, it is also difficult for the Golden Horse Award-winning films to be competitive at the box office. "The Three Evils" only had NT$46.91 million in Taiwan (equivalent to about 10 million RMB). The shrinking local market means that Taiwanese films are destined to be unable to invest in high-cost production, and comedies, ghost films, crime films and other genres are precisely the most suitable for low-cost creations. "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils"
The epidemic is undoubtedly an important factor that prompted Ethan Ruan to return to Taiwan. He mentioned in the interview that because many jobs were forced to be suspended, he spent more time with his family and returned to Taiwan. Organized my life. In addition to "The Three Evils", Ethan Ruan also starred in "The Pursuit" produced by Junning Chang, which was released in mainland theaters at the end of last year.
's re-entry into low-budget crime films is, to a certain extent, a re-enactment of itself during the "Monga" period.Only after producing convincing works again, Ruan Jingcai had the confidence to reveal his true feelings to the outside world. He was not his true self in the idol drama. "I speak with conscience, many people are attracted to the character in "Destined to Love You" I like it, but I don’t like it that much. I am not that kind of person."
is a gangster, but not a hopeless illiterate.
"little gangsters" like Monk and Chen Guilin are really Ethan Ruan's comfort zone. This isn't entirely an afterthought based on a highly regarded work, but rather because this type of character is the closest to his true self.
Before being spotted by a modeling agency, Ethan Ethan went through a rather rebellious adolescence. He attended high school for 5 years and transferred schools 5 times. Because he always fought and was truant, he was kicked out of the school and finally attended a night school before barely graduating. But his physical fitness was quite good. His family originally wanted him to become a pilot. He had already passed the test, but in the end he secretly ran back to Taipei to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
For those who have not received any performance training, real-life experience is the most important reference for him to perform. and Ethan Ruan is a pure experientialist. The heart-wrenching crying scene in "Monga" where a friend dies in his arms is the most brilliant scene in the entire film. When the scene was finished, Ethan Ruan was still immersed in emotion and couldn't stop crying. The director came to hug him but was pushed away. He asked the director, "It's just for one scene to open up my good wounds and become an actor." Does it have to be so painful?"
"Monga"
Including later filming "Army Paradise", he played a new soldier in the movie and was nominated for Best Actor at the Asian Film Awards. At that time, he had just finished his military service. , the recruit is also himself.
Although his education level is not high, he is different from the "hopeless illiterates" who have been in art examination institutions since childhood. He has never shown timidity in any situation where he needs to speak. For example, in the interview, he used a blackboard and an eraser to metaphor the boundary between reality and performance, "There is a dividing line between the requirements of the script and my real experience. When the performance starts, I try to erase it with the eraser as much as possible. But no matter how hard you wipe it, there will still be a little bit of visible but invisible line left."
When talking about the relationship between Cheng Xiaomei and Chen Guilin, he said, "It is actually not The so-called affection and ambiguity are not that simple. It should be said that at the moment of their lives, two people who were originally parallel have intertwined, but each other has more important things to complete. Cheng Xiaomei may be the opposite of Chen Guilin. When a person is quiet at night, he will recall that this is one of the few romances in his limited life."
Compared with some artists who replied "I think your question is meaningless", I have to say that they are illiterate. There are also gaps between them.
Even after he became famous, his life was extremely normal. This may be an important reason why he can continue to enrich himself with nutrients from real life and supply it to his performances. It is also the biggest difference between him and the "208" people. He mentioned in an interview with the Beijing News, “In my circle of friends, there are vegetable farmers, pork sellers, people who get up at two in the morning to work the night shift, and ordinary workers. This is my most authentic circle of friends. . Everyone thinks that artists are very mysterious. That mystery is just self-restraint and trapping oneself in a cage. I just live as an ordinary person. I happen to work as an actor. I happen to have the opportunity to perform what I see and hear. ——I am not a star, just a normal ordinary person."
Using Ning Hao's metaphor in "Mr. Red Carpet", Ethan Ruan is not the kind of Chinese medicine bag soaked in warm water, and he does not eat the fireworks of the world. internal entertainment is still building false "boss" in the world of idol dramas one after another, eating the leftovers of Taiwanese idols. The first group of people to interpret "overlord" have already stepped out of the false trap.
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils"
To a certain extent, the current front-line Taiwanese actors are all people like Ethan Ruan. They can see the breath of life in them, and the life behind them is never a black box. The five people who were shortlisted for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor last year were rated as "the most handsome ones" by the public. Of course, handsomeness does not entirely come from appearance, but also the temperament revealed by the characters and actors themselves.
2023 Golden Horse Award Best Actor Finalist
At the Golden Horse Award nomination luncheon, the five handsome guys did not regard themselves as stars at all when facing the media, but disclosed the details of their lives very casually. Ethan Ruan praised the muscles of Hui Guanghan and Lin Bohong. Wu Kangyan, who is celebrating his birthday, will not avoid his girlfriend Shao Yuwei. He even said when attending the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award that "it is more convenient to rent an apartment in Hong Kong."
After the award ceremony, Ruan Jingtian, whose expression could not hide his disappointment, still tried to appear relaxed when accepting a group interview with the media. He said, "I want to finish tonight well, and then go back to my mother tomorrow and return to normal daily life. I I want to remember this moment, my current mood, you will see it in the performance one day."
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" is not a perfect movie, but the kind of Taiwanese actor Ruan Jingtian represents is A good footnote for domestic entertainment. Mainland artists have never seemed to understand what it means to be alive. They either completely castrate their true personalities and become puppets on stage, or they interact face-to-face in the live broadcast room. Living person means that the audience can see his small world and his origins from the actor, but he does not need to know everything.
