"I was given a salary increase all of a sudden." Zhang Guoli said. The "salary increase" was because he won the first Plum Blossom Award for Sichuan Province. The Plum Blossom Award is the highest performance award for Chinese dramas. That year was 1987.
The play that Zhang Guoli won for his performance is a foreign drama "Miss Julie", a masterpiece by the Swedish writer Strindberg, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Zhang Guoli (left) in the drama "Miss Julie". Data map
Many years later, Zhang Guoli directed his first foreign drama as a theater director-"The Shawshank Redemption." This masterpiece by American writer Stephen King has been adapted into a Chinese drama version for the first time. All the actors are foreign actors, and all of them speak pure Chinese.
Director Zhang Guoli (third from left) and the cast of "The Shawshank Redemption" took their final bow. Photo courtesy of the crew
Everyone in this all-foreign aid team has deep Chinese experience and Chinese connections. Among them, there is Dashan, who is well-known to Chinese audiences, and An Di, who is well-known to some audiences (he played Dr. Hendler, Li Tianran's (played by Peng Yuyan)'s American father in Jiang Wen's movie "The Righteous"). Jacob Ke, who plays the male lead Andy, is the last actor to report. He is the president of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce. Because he was late, Jacob Ke also practiced his lines hard on the plane, "I didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill the person," which shocked the passengers next to him.
Dashan joined "Shawshank" because he recorded a King Lear-style recitation on Douyin, "The Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by the Autumn Wind", and was discovered by Zhang Guoli. When approached, he thought he would play the male lead Andy, played by Tim Robbins in the film version. It turns out his character is Red, played by Morgan Freeman.
"I usually don't participate in projects that are purely foreigners." Dashan said that he always cooperates with Chinese professional actors. He is the weakest among them and has room to learn. "This time it is a combination of all foreigners, so I am worried about the audience. The requirements were lowered, so I was a little hesitant at the beginning."
Mo Lingfeng's Chinese learning began in his sophomore year. Because he had to learn a "foreign language", his classmates at the Bard College Conservatory of Music had many Chinese classmates, so He chose Chinese. In 2009, he came to China to study for a period of time, and also learned cross talk from Ding Guangquan. After graduating from graduate school, he moved directly to China and served as an interviewer for Bard College’s admissions in China. "My leader is Tan Dun." he said.
In 2019, Tan Dun became the dean of the School of Music at Bard College. Mo Lingfeng once participated in the recording of Tan Dun's "Hero" music album. He is a musician, violinist, and also composed the score for the stage version of Shawshank, but he played a bad guy in the play, one of the Shawshank sisters, "but not completely bad."
Many viewers mistakenly believe that Shawshank is the name of the male protagonist. In fact, Shawshank is a prison in Maine, USA. Hu Boli's parents live in Maine, which is fate, Hu Boli joked. Boli Hu played "Tommy" in "Shawshank". Tommy's death was the starting gun for Andy's escape from prison.
Tommy, played by Boli Hu. Photo courtesy of the crew
Hu Boli's Chinese connection happened when he was in the first grade of elementary school. He walked into the home of a 7-year-old female classmate and heard the beautiful Chinese that her classmate's grandmother spoke like music. He fell in love with Chinese ever since.
Regarding the choice of an all-foreign team, Zhang Guoli admitted that he was taking a risk at first, but he was very satisfied with the result. At the curtain call of the premiere in Beijing, Zhang Guoli said: "They not only like Chinese and Chinese culture, they all love China from the bottom of their hearts, everyone is like this." A group of Western actors performed Western famous movies on the Chinese stage in Chinese The drama, according to Dashan, also reflects China’s cultural confidence.
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the premiere of the movie version of "The Shawshank Redemption". This is not only a familiar movie to Chinese audiences, but also a top three movie in various international movie lists. However, the stage version of "The Shawshank Redemption" directed by Zhang Guoli was authorized from the English stage version adapted from the novel.
Tim Robbins plays the leading actor Andy in the film version of "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994).Data picture
Zhang Guoli also believes that this is a "fairy tale that takes place in a prison." The magic of this story lies in its incredible ability. A man who spent 27 years in prison finally redeemed himself. "Its core moved the audience. What core? It's the line in the play: As long as hope is still there, everything is possible."
Before the performance of the Chinese version of Shawshank, the crew received a letter from Tim Robbins, the star of the movie version of Shawshank. Send a congratulatory letter. Tim Robbins and Zhang Guoli collaborated in the movie "1942".
Zhang Guoli: I am preparing to live in old age, and this drama is here.
"The Shawshank Redemption" is the fourth drama that Zhang Guoli has collaborated with Longma Society. The previous three movies were "Wotou Club", "Broken Gold" and "I Love Peach Blossom". "Broken Gold" and "I Love Peach Blossom" are both works by Zou Jingzhi. "Wotou Guild Hall" is Liu Heng's work. Longma Society is a drama group founded by Zou Jingzhi, Liu Heng, and playwright Wan Fang. It has been established for fifteen years. The producer of "Shawshank" is Li Ruigang, and the producer is Chinese Dream. Chinese Dream has previously supported the Chinese version of the musical "Mamma Mia".
When he first received "Shawshank", Zhang Guoli hesitated a little. The following is his self-report:
I met Tim Robbins when we worked together on "1942", and we also talked about his play. Later, when he brought the crew to Beijing to perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream", (Feng) Xiaogang and I went to see his play. We mentioned in chat that we should do "Shawshank", but we still didn't dare.
Tim Robbins plays Father Megan in the movie 1942 (2012). Information picture
This time I didn’t agree immediately, but Mr. Yao (producer) kept doing work for me. Initially, I also secretly made a Chinese actor, which is a so-called star arrangement, because this is a play with 11 men. All-male class, all-stars, so difficult.
Later I read the novel again and read their translated script. One day I was thinking, what would it be like if it were played by foreign actors? I called Mr. Yao and treated this as a condition. Mr. Yao initially agreed: "Okay, I think your idea is a good one." Two days later, she told me that it was too difficult. A foreign actor comes to China to work. With his visa, can he act? Could he stay that long? Does he have the ability to do this with you? There is too much going on in this drama. I thought so, and I said let’s think about it again. Two days later she said: "I think we have to persist, let's get started."
We started to contact Dashan, and Dashan was the first to agree and support, which gave us confidence. Dashan recommended Andi again, but there were only two people, and there were still many people missing. I searched through the CAA agency and found some people who had acted in China.
As soon as I met them, I had no problem listening to one or two sentences. But when it came time to decide who would play whom, the problem started. Because people learn one or two sentences in Chinese, just like we might learn one or two sentences in a foreign language, which makes you think that I can speak it well. When it comes to expressing and creating a character, when so many emotions need to be expressed in Chinese, that is, his foreign language, I think a problem arises.
Andi is the second actor confirmed after Dashan to play Warden Stomas. An Di was born and raised in Beijing. He has never studied acting, but he often plays foreigners in Chinese movies and TV shows, all of which are supporting roles.
Andi plays Dr. Wallace Hendler in the movie "The Evil Can Suppress the Right" (2018) directed by Jiang Wen, speaking with an authentic Beijing accent. Data map
He has his own comfort zone - he has acted in many movies and TV shows, and he is used to acting. I have to keep telling him that when it comes to movies and TV, if you raise your eyebrows or move your nose, it will be a huge disaster. On the stage, you can’t use such a 16-meter proscenium and such a large scene. That state - when you feel that there is a camera pointed at you, you are afraid that you are out of life. That's not the case. There is emotional communication between the people on and off the stage.
Andy plays the warden.Picture provided by the crew
When the events and emotions of a drama require actors to support them, it is necessary. Otherwise, what kind of communication would you have with the audience? He is also working hard. He is the most active person. I think there is still room for An Di, and it will be better after some time.
Dashan also has its problems. Dashan studied crosstalk in China, and crosstalk actors generally speak in a high-pitched manner. I kept pressuring him: "You speak more relaxedly and live a little more." But he was used to it. Learning a language requires muscle memory. I keep saying that sometimes you are a character, sometimes you are a bystander, and sometimes you are a commentator who popularizes the plot with the audience. I say you have to constantly alternate these identities. He did a good job. .
plays Old Brooke, an executive of a multinational company. He has been working as an executive of a large multinational company in China. He is a complete fancier. His wife is the Yu Lan, the one who acted in the sketch "Magnolia, Open the Door" with Dashan. This time he came on the recommendation of An Di. He didn't dare to come, but his wife Yulan encouraged him to come, saying that he would never have such an opportunity again in this life. After he came, he took notes every day and watched you filming for anyone every day. When it comes to him, he always demands logic, which is a bit problematic.
Ray Martin plays Old Brooke. Picture provided by the crew
He kept saying, now that you have finished talking to me, you want me to make changes for you immediately, but no, I will go back and think through the logic before making changes for you. This made me very anxious. He delays, and the logic may not be correct the next day. What should I do? There was a time when I was really anxious, and I even apologized to Mr. Yao, saying that maybe I had made a particularly wrong decision.
But it got better later. I told him that acting is not a logical matter, but an emotional matter. Only when the characters' emotions break out and lose control can events occur. Only after the incident comes out can your character's actions and relationships change. One day he said to me: "I understand this." If you ask him now, he will do it for you.
James was the last to arrive on set. He already has a position in major companies and is the president of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, so he works a lot. He has rehearsals during the day and meetings at night. It makes me feel sad to see him. He memorizes his lines every day. I think he is very smart and hard-working.
All eleven actors of "The Shawshank Redemption" took the stage for the curtain call. They are all foreigners and their lines are all in Chinese. Photo courtesy of the crew
Doing this scene was also a process for me to reawaken myself. I am now seventy years old, and I have to prepare for how to live in old age. Fortunately, such a drama has come to me. This means I have woken up again, or I have already bought pens, ink, and several boxes of large rice paper, ready to write.
I think drama is still in a bit of a situation right now, and it feels a bit like "doing it in a dull way".
Andy has a small dream, to build a small hotel by the sea, with 6 houses by the sea and 6 houses by the road. What is my current ideal? In the end, the deserted village in Pingshan, Shenzhen, has a different stage. There are people performing on that stage, and there are audiences below, and there are children running and playing on the grass. I think people who were acting at that time also enjoyed it, and people who watched the theater also enjoyed it.
In addition to his usual acting in movies, Tim Robbins also acts in stage plays. He is great in this regard. Because of "The Shawshank Redemption", he has been leading a theater troupe and a group of people to perform plays in prisons for those serving sentences.
Tim Robbins has his own theater troupe. Can Zhang Guoli have his own theater troupe? This really feels like learning from him. We now have a creative and rehearsal center, a place for actors to rest, and five rehearsal spaces.
You see, I have been like this my whole life, always being pushed around. It’s not that I’ve thought about what I’m going to do, it’s that when this matter is put in front of me, all I want is to do it well. I can also play
. (Zhang) Tielin and Wang Gang, I always feel that the three of us are still young. Wang Gang is 75 years old, but his health is better than mine. I feel that they are all shining when they stand on the stage. So I still hope to work with the two of them to do (plays) that we are familiar with.
"I was given a salary increase all of a sudden." Zhang Guoli said. The "salary increase" was because he won the first Plum Blossom Award for Sichuan Province. The Plum Blossom Award is the highest performance award for Chinese dramas. That year was 1987.
The play that Zhang Guoli won for his performance is a foreign drama "Miss Julie", a masterpiece by the Swedish writer Strindberg, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Zhang Guoli (left) in the drama "Miss Julie". Data map
Many years later, Zhang Guoli directed his first foreign drama as a theater director-"The Shawshank Redemption." This masterpiece by American writer Stephen King has been adapted into a Chinese drama version for the first time. All the actors are foreign actors, and all of them speak pure Chinese.
Director Zhang Guoli (third from left) and the cast of "The Shawshank Redemption" took their final bow. Photo courtesy of the crew
Everyone in this all-foreign aid team has deep Chinese experience and Chinese connections. Among them, there is Dashan, who is well-known to Chinese audiences, and An Di, who is well-known to some audiences (he played Dr. Hendler, Li Tianran's (played by Peng Yuyan)'s American father in Jiang Wen's movie "The Righteous"). Jacob Ke, who plays the male lead Andy, is the last actor to report. He is the president of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce. Because he was late, Jacob Ke also practiced his lines hard on the plane, "I didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill the person," which shocked the passengers next to him.
Dashan joined "Shawshank" because he recorded a King Lear-style recitation on Douyin, "The Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by the Autumn Wind", and was discovered by Zhang Guoli. When approached, he thought he would play the male lead Andy, played by Tim Robbins in the film version. It turns out his character is Red, played by Morgan Freeman.
"I usually don't participate in projects that are purely foreigners." Dashan said that he always cooperates with Chinese professional actors. He is the weakest among them and has room to learn. "This time it is a combination of all foreigners, so I am worried about the audience. The requirements were lowered, so I was a little hesitant at the beginning."
Mo Lingfeng's Chinese learning began in his sophomore year. Because he had to learn a "foreign language", his classmates at the Bard College Conservatory of Music had many Chinese classmates, so He chose Chinese. In 2009, he came to China to study for a period of time, and also learned cross talk from Ding Guangquan. After graduating from graduate school, he moved directly to China and served as an interviewer for Bard College’s admissions in China. "My leader is Tan Dun." he said.
In 2019, Tan Dun became the dean of the School of Music at Bard College. Mo Lingfeng once participated in the recording of Tan Dun's "Hero" music album. He is a musician, violinist, and also composed the score for the stage version of Shawshank, but he played a bad guy in the play, one of the Shawshank sisters, "but not completely bad."
Many viewers mistakenly believe that Shawshank is the name of the male protagonist. In fact, Shawshank is a prison in Maine, USA. Hu Boli's parents live in Maine, which is fate, Hu Boli joked. Boli Hu played "Tommy" in "Shawshank". Tommy's death was the starting gun for Andy's escape from prison.
Tommy, played by Boli Hu. Photo courtesy of the crew
Hu Boli's Chinese connection happened when he was in the first grade of elementary school. He walked into the home of a 7-year-old female classmate and heard the beautiful Chinese that her classmate's grandmother spoke like music. He fell in love with Chinese ever since.
Regarding the choice of an all-foreign team, Zhang Guoli admitted that he was taking a risk at first, but he was very satisfied with the result. At the curtain call of the premiere in Beijing, Zhang Guoli said: "They not only like Chinese and Chinese culture, they all love China from the bottom of their hearts, everyone is like this." A group of Western actors performed Western famous movies on the Chinese stage in Chinese The drama, according to Dashan, also reflects China’s cultural confidence.
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the premiere of the movie version of "The Shawshank Redemption". This is not only a familiar movie to Chinese audiences, but also a top three movie in various international movie lists. However, the stage version of "The Shawshank Redemption" directed by Zhang Guoli was authorized from the English stage version adapted from the novel.
Tim Robbins plays the leading actor Andy in the film version of "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994).Data picture
Zhang Guoli also believes that this is a "fairy tale that takes place in a prison." The magic of this story lies in its incredible ability. A man who spent 27 years in prison finally redeemed himself. "Its core moved the audience. What core? It's the line in the play: As long as hope is still there, everything is possible."
Before the performance of the Chinese version of Shawshank, the crew received a letter from Tim Robbins, the star of the movie version of Shawshank. Send a congratulatory letter. Tim Robbins and Zhang Guoli collaborated in the movie "1942".
Zhang Guoli: I am preparing to live in old age, and this drama is here.
"The Shawshank Redemption" is the fourth drama that Zhang Guoli has collaborated with Longma Society. The previous three movies were "Wotou Club", "Broken Gold" and "I Love Peach Blossom". "Broken Gold" and "I Love Peach Blossom" are both works by Zou Jingzhi. "Wotou Guild Hall" is Liu Heng's work. Longma Society is a drama group founded by Zou Jingzhi, Liu Heng, and playwright Wan Fang. It has been established for fifteen years. The producer of "Shawshank" is Li Ruigang, and the producer is Chinese Dream. Chinese Dream has previously supported the Chinese version of the musical "Mamma Mia".
When he first received "Shawshank", Zhang Guoli hesitated a little. The following is his self-report:
I met Tim Robbins when we worked together on "1942", and we also talked about his play. Later, when he brought the crew to Beijing to perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream", (Feng) Xiaogang and I went to see his play. We mentioned in chat that we should do "Shawshank", but we still didn't dare.
Tim Robbins plays Father Megan in the movie 1942 (2012). Information picture
This time I didn’t agree immediately, but Mr. Yao (producer) kept doing work for me. Initially, I also secretly made a Chinese actor, which is a so-called star arrangement, because this is a play with 11 men. All-male class, all-stars, so difficult.
Later I read the novel again and read their translated script. One day I was thinking, what would it be like if it were played by foreign actors? I called Mr. Yao and treated this as a condition. Mr. Yao initially agreed: "Okay, I think your idea is a good one." Two days later, she told me that it was too difficult. A foreign actor comes to China to work. With his visa, can he act? Could he stay that long? Does he have the ability to do this with you? There is too much going on in this drama. I thought so, and I said let’s think about it again. Two days later she said: "I think we have to persist, let's get started."
We started to contact Dashan, and Dashan was the first to agree and support, which gave us confidence. Dashan recommended Andi again, but there were only two people, and there were still many people missing. I searched through the CAA agency and found some people who had acted in China.
As soon as I met them, I had no problem listening to one or two sentences. But when it came time to decide who would play whom, the problem started. Because people learn one or two sentences in Chinese, just like we might learn one or two sentences in a foreign language, which makes you think that I can speak it well. When it comes to expressing and creating a character, when so many emotions need to be expressed in Chinese, that is, his foreign language, I think a problem arises.
Andi is the second actor confirmed after Dashan to play Warden Stomas. An Di was born and raised in Beijing. He has never studied acting, but he often plays foreigners in Chinese movies and TV shows, all of which are supporting roles.
Andi plays Dr. Wallace Hendler in the movie "The Evil Can Suppress the Right" (2018) directed by Jiang Wen, speaking with an authentic Beijing accent. Data map
He has his own comfort zone - he has acted in many movies and TV shows, and he is used to acting. I have to keep telling him that when it comes to movies and TV, if you raise your eyebrows or move your nose, it will be a huge disaster. On the stage, you can’t use such a 16-meter proscenium and such a large scene. That state - when you feel that there is a camera pointed at you, you are afraid that you are out of life. That's not the case. There is emotional communication between the people on and off the stage.
Andy plays the warden.Picture provided by the crew
When the events and emotions of a drama require actors to support them, it is necessary. Otherwise, what kind of communication would you have with the audience? He is also working hard. He is the most active person. I think there is still room for An Di, and it will be better after some time.
Dashan also has its problems. Dashan studied crosstalk in China, and crosstalk actors generally speak in a high-pitched manner. I kept pressuring him: "You speak more relaxedly and live a little more." But he was used to it. Learning a language requires muscle memory. I keep saying that sometimes you are a character, sometimes you are a bystander, and sometimes you are a commentator who popularizes the plot with the audience. I say you have to constantly alternate these identities. He did a good job. .
plays Old Brooke, an executive of a multinational company. He has been working as an executive of a large multinational company in China. He is a complete fancier. His wife is the Yu Lan, the one who acted in the sketch "Magnolia, Open the Door" with Dashan. This time he came on the recommendation of An Di. He didn't dare to come, but his wife Yulan encouraged him to come, saying that he would never have such an opportunity again in this life. After he came, he took notes every day and watched you filming for anyone every day. When it comes to him, he always demands logic, which is a bit problematic.
Ray Martin plays Old Brooke. Picture provided by the crew
He kept saying, now that you have finished talking to me, you want me to make changes for you immediately, but no, I will go back and think through the logic before making changes for you. This made me very anxious. He delays, and the logic may not be correct the next day. What should I do? There was a time when I was really anxious, and I even apologized to Mr. Yao, saying that maybe I had made a particularly wrong decision.
But it got better later. I told him that acting is not a logical matter, but an emotional matter. Only when the characters' emotions break out and lose control can events occur. Only after the incident comes out can your character's actions and relationships change. One day he said to me: "I understand this." If you ask him now, he will do it for you.
James was the last to arrive on set. He already has a position in major companies and is the president of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, so he works a lot. He has rehearsals during the day and meetings at night. It makes me feel sad to see him. He memorizes his lines every day. I think he is very smart and hard-working.
All eleven actors of "The Shawshank Redemption" took the stage for the curtain call. They are all foreigners and their lines are all in Chinese. Photo courtesy of the crew
Doing this scene was also a process for me to reawaken myself. I am now seventy years old, and I have to prepare for how to live in old age. Fortunately, such a drama has come to me. This means I have woken up again, or I have already bought pens, ink, and several boxes of large rice paper, ready to write.
I think drama is still in a bit of a situation right now, and it feels a bit like "doing it in a dull way".
Andy has a small dream, to build a small hotel by the sea, with 6 houses by the sea and 6 houses by the road. What is my current ideal? In the end, the deserted village in Pingshan, Shenzhen, has a different stage. There are people performing on that stage, and there are audiences below, and there are children running and playing on the grass. I think people who were acting at that time also enjoyed it, and people who watched the theater also enjoyed it.
In addition to his usual acting in movies, Tim Robbins also acts in stage plays. He is great in this regard. Because of "The Shawshank Redemption", he has been leading a theater troupe and a group of people to perform plays in prisons for those serving sentences.
Tim Robbins has his own theater troupe. Can Zhang Guoli have his own theater troupe? This really feels like learning from him. We now have a creative and rehearsal center, a place for actors to rest, and five rehearsal spaces.
You see, I have been like this my whole life, always being pushed around. It’s not that I’ve thought about what I’m going to do, it’s that when this matter is put in front of me, all I want is to do it well. I can also play
. (Zhang) Tielin and Wang Gang, I always feel that the three of us are still young. Wang Gang is 75 years old, but his health is better than mine. I feel that they are all shining when they stand on the stage. So I still hope to work with the two of them to do (plays) that we are familiar with.We also talked with teacher (Zou) Jingzhi a few days ago and he was very willing, so we also want to do a drama version of "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan".
Dashan: At the age of focusing on self-realization
On the stage of the Chinese version of "Shawshank", Dashan is one of the veteran actors. He has performed in plays before in Shanghai, one of which was "Red Star Shines on China" in which he played Snow. Joining Shawshank was by chance. Zhang Guoli discovered a recitation video of Dashan, a recitation of Du Fu's poem with the momentum of King Lear, "The Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by the Autumn Wind." So the call came to Canada. The following is Dashan’s self-report:
What I do is basically within the scope of language arts, so it doesn’t feel particularly strange to perform in a drama, because I am very familiar with this stage and this environment, whether it is hosting a party or Crosstalk, sketches, talk shows, and dramas before.
In 2005, Dashan (left) and master Ding Guangquan (right) performed cross talk on the same stage. Visual China
After emerging from the epidemic, I organized a new solo show called "Dashan Laughter Club". It turned out to be a stand-up comedy show. One person spoke for 60 minutes, but I felt it was too monotonous. Or I will give a 10-minute or 20-minute lecture, interspersed with some other friends’ programs, and then add some magic, music, and various programs, and then my performance will be segment by segment. For example, in this section I will prepare an allegro book called "Three Strikes of White Bone Demons", and in the next section I may recite "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" to music. Others may find it strange to perform, but it seems reasonable to me. Because they are all learning Chinese traditional culture and Chinese language and art.
I have acted in two dramas in Shanghai before, but this time I feel that I still have some experience. The main challenge was that the role was quite heavy and I had to learn from American actor Morgan Freeman, so it was a bit stressful.
Morgan Freeman plays Red in the film version of "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994). Data map
When they asked me to star in "The Shawshank Redemption", the first thing I thought of, like everyone else, was the banker Andy. Then after the first video conference, teacher Zhang Guoli said "we", and the character "we" refers to is Rhett. Rhett is the narrator of the story, with a lot of narration from beginning to end. Although this drama tells the story of Andy, it is told from Red's perspective, and it has been upgraded from a simple prison escape story to a story of hope, which is more reflected in Red's character. of transformation and growth.
Rhett has lived in prison for more than forty years and has given up hope. He believes that hope, including the warden himself, has made it clear that hope is actually the most dangerous thing in this environment, and it is the mentality or concept that makes it most difficult for you to live. As a result, Andy insisted that people must have hope. As long as hope is still there, dreams will come true.
After Andy escaped from prison, Rhett changed. He began to harden his back. He felt that Andy was so courageous, so I should at least tell the truth for myself. The next time he met the parole officer, Rhett stopped telling the lies and told the truth. Unexpectedly, he was released.
Dashan version of Red. Photo courtesy of the crew
Back then (for the movie version), Morgan Freeman’s voice was chosen because he had played the role of God in two or three movies and was known as the voice of God. God is probably Morgan Freeman’s particularly loud voice. He has also played the role of president several times. As long as it is a particularly important role, he usually has a voice like his.
Then everyone said that my voice is very distinctive. Many people now say that I am older and my beard has grown gray, making me unrecognizable, but when I hear the voice, I know it is me. When we were rehearsing for the first time, the other actors started laughing and said that the voice did sound a bit like Morgan Freeman and that they just needed to keep it lower and calmer.
At our age, we may pay more attention to a kind of self-realization. When we were young, we were working hard. When the opportunity came, we had to seize it and make money however we wanted. There is also the pressure of supporting a family after getting married and having children, which makes it more realistic to consider.
I have two children, both of whom have graduated from college and are now independent. At this time, I feel that the financial burden is not very heavy anymore, and the family arrangements are quite good. It is more of a stage of self-realization in life. So I just want to do something that I think is interesting and meaningful.
I have always been like this, that is, I am looking for a balance between China and the West, between culture and lifestyle, between public figures and ordinary people.
In January 2023, Dashan (left) recited "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" to the soundtrack at the "Chinese and Western Fusion" New Year's Concert in Toronto, Canada. Visual China
We were once invited to the United Nations Building, and we prepared a jazz version of "The Road to Shu is Difficult". Because I think "The Difficult Road to Shu", from a more international perspective, expresses a sense of fear in the face of nature. I think this feeling is very easy to understand for people all over the world.
We use a free jazz style to express its artistic conception, which is a bit interesting. A relatively abstract background of AI mapping, depicting the difficulty of the Shu Road. English subtitles, Chinese recitation, and then jazz music, because I hope that my poetry recitation will not be too traditional, but can still be slightly international. When it comes to cross talk, I shouldn’t completely imitate the performance style of the old Tianqiao artists. I should bring in some of my own things.
Southern Weekend staff writer Xia Chen
editor-in-chief Liu Youxiang
I have two children, both of whom have graduated from college and are now independent. At this time, I feel that the financial burden is not very heavy anymore, and the family arrangements are quite good. It is more of a stage of self-realization in life. So I just want to do something that I think is interesting and meaningful.
I have always been like this, that is, I am looking for a balance between China and the West, between culture and lifestyle, between public figures and ordinary people.
In January 2023, Dashan (left) recited "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" to the soundtrack at the "Chinese and Western Fusion" New Year's Concert in Toronto, Canada. Visual China
We were once invited to the United Nations Building, and we prepared a jazz version of "The Road to Shu is Difficult". Because I think "The Difficult Road to Shu", from a more international perspective, expresses a sense of fear in the face of nature. I think this feeling is very easy to understand for people all over the world.
We use a free jazz style to express its artistic conception, which is a bit interesting. A relatively abstract background of AI mapping, depicting the difficulty of the Shu Road. English subtitles, Chinese recitation, and then jazz music, because I hope that my poetry recitation will not be too traditional, but can still be slightly international. When it comes to cross talk, I shouldn’t completely imitate the performance style of the old Tianqiao artists. I should bring in some of my own things.
Southern Weekend staff writer Xia Chen
editor-in-chief Liu Youxiang
