◆Sun Ping
When director Ling Qingcheng handed me the script of the historical legendary drama "Empress Wu Zetian" and also informed the crew that he had decided to ask me to play the protagonist Wu Zetian in the play, I agreed without hesitation. I am grateful to the director and crew for their recognition and trust in me, which also ushered in a new challenge for my acting career. I know that in the magnificent history of the Chinese nation, Empress Wu Zetian has long become a household name. How to correctly interpret and express her on the stage of a drama is not easy for any professional actor. thing. Fortunately, director Ling Qingcheng wrote the script himself. As the soul of the whole play, those simple and sincere words describe the magnificent historical scene, and each scene is permeated with vivid character emotions and image portrayal. I really read the script by heart and treated Wu Zetian as a friend I had never met but had been friends with for a long time to analyze and understand her. Just imagine how a generation of queens used the magic wand of power to control the country, the country and the country, authoritatively inside and outside the palace, in a male-dominated society where men and women fought hard and laughed on the battlefield. But what kind of mentality should she use to express her feelings about the vicissitudes of life as a woman and the reunions and separations? I think it is impossible for me to play the character of Wu Zetian impeccably, but I will try my best to follow the requirements of the director and the script to play the character of Wu Zetian with a full personality and unconventional.
Also, the purpose of this script written by director Ling Qingcheng is not to "overturn the verdict" of Wu Zetian, but to pursue the "restoration" of Wu Zetian. This kind of "restoration" is not only a restoration of historical truth, but also a restoration of characters. Because of this, I personally think it is very important to avoid binary oppositions such as black and white, good or bad. Wu Zetian must be played with flesh and blood, a living person, and a woman with pursuits. This is the way to go.
Wu Zetian’s character is multi-faceted and complex. Many commentators "attack one point and don't choose the rest." Did Wu Zetian really like "palace fighting"? Look, when Wu Zetian entered the palace of the Tang Dynasty as a "martial arts talent" because of her beauty, she did not engage in "palace fighting". Even though she accompanied Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty on hunting trips, he did not compete for her limelight. What was the result? As a result, after Tang Taizong's death, she was eliminated from the "gong fight". As for some people, it is because there are regulations in the palace. Women who have not given birth to children for the emperor but have "talented" status will be sent to Ganye Temple outside the capital after the emperor's death. There may be such a rule, but we can't see in the history books that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty dealt with other concubines in this way after his death. Therefore, I insist that Wu Zetian was driven to Ganye Temple as a result of "palace fighting" , and this result made Wu Zetian understand that if she did not participate in the "palace fight", she would be "fighted by the palace." It should be said that it was the cruel historical reality of "the sadness in front of the Qingdeng Ancient Buddha" taught Wu Zetian "Palace Fighting".
From history to reality, many people still focus on Wu Zetian's first commitment to Tang Taizong, and then her love for Tang Taizong's son Li Zhi. Who can understand that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was surrounded by beauties, but never "get involved" in Wu Zetian's "love affair"? Since Tang Taizong never fell in love with Wu Zetian, then Wu Zetian certainly has the right to choose her own love! We can see from history books that Wu Zetian and Tang Taizong's son Li Zhi were not a "single choice", but a "two-way choice" of true love and great love. All comments on emotions are from a worldly and despicable perspective, and use "double standards."
Many people regard Wu Zetian as the queen, focusing on "power". In fact, what Wu Zetian was thinking about was "the glory of the Tang Dynasty", and she wholeheartedly wanted to hold up the "backbone of the Tang Dynasty" and assist the "prosperous Tang Dynasty". If he is not in his position, it is difficult to govern. If Wu Zetian was not the queen, she would not be able to realize her pursuits and ideals. Wu Zetian wanted "power", loved "power" and wanted "power". It was precisely because Wu Zetian became emperor that the Tang Dynasty became one of the four most powerful dynasties in Chinese history. Wu Zetian lived up to history, and history made Wu Zetian successful.
Someone commented that my large lines at the end of the last scene of the drama "Empress Wu Zetian" showed my skills as a professional actor in the past. I would like to say that it was my true monologue after a painful understanding of Wu Zetian's life. If you only rely on recitation, you will inevitably make mistakes and show insufficient strength. Only by understanding from others' perspective can you have a passionate stage performance.
The most valuable thing is that Wu Zetian is at the peak of history and does not deliberately need any contemporary evaluation. She looked forward to being buried with her beloved husband, Tang Gaozong, after her death. She was willing to leave a "wordless monument" and "raise a glass to invite the moon to accompany me in my loneliness and sadness, and listen to the eternal melancholy." At this time, she did not use it. "The emperor's power", but restores a "woman's nature".
