Cover News Reporter Wu Deyu, Zhang Jie, Wang Yili, Zhou Bin
"When a white car drives on the bridge in the distance, this photo will have depth of field." At around 6 o'clock in the evening on April 20, 2024, in Pudong, Shanghai, in order to wait That white car that Teacher Niu Ben was talking about, we missed our flight that day.
Waiting for a white car in the distance
In fact, we were reluctant to leave, because Teacher Niu said: "Are you leaving? I also said that I would give it to you to eat tonight." This bowl of noodles was included in our wishes. List, looking forward to having the chance to taste it next time.
On and off the screen, he is a "big actor" who specializes in "small roles".
Stills of "The Wrangler" (pictures from the Internet)
In "The Wrangler", Guo Zhenzi said "Old Xu, don't you want your wife?", allowing the audience to see the simplicity and kindness of the herdsmen on the Qilian Mountain prairie. For more than 80 years, the famous performing artist Niu Ben has carefully portrayed more than 200 classic screen images. Whether it is the protagonist or the supporting role, he has given the characters fresh vitality. On April 20, when we actually met Teacher Niu Ben in Shanghai, we discovered that this veteran actor is actually an authentic Shanghai "Lao Carat" in private, with a very "accent".
Teacher Niu Ben is 90 years old this year. What is surprising is that he has no assistant or entourage. For all interviews, we directly contacted him by phone. Sometimes the calls were not answered, and he would still call back.
On April 10 this year, the reporter called Niu Ben’s number for the first time, but the call showed no one answered. Just when I thought I might miss the opportunity to communicate with Mr. Niu, at 11 a.m. the next day, a familiar number called me. It was none other than Mr. Niu Ben. "I just finished washing the clothes and saw a missed call yesterday, so I called him," he said. Hearing that we wanted to do an exclusive interview with him, Mr. Niu readily agreed and said bluntly: "As long as you have needs, I will tell you everything, but I hope we can talk about something different." Niu Ben said, now At this stage, he is happy to share the story of Chinese film history with everyone. In the past, there were many artists who worked hard and left a brilliant mark on Chinese films. He hopes to pass on their spirit. During the phone call with
, Niu Ben always talked endlessly about his past filming experiences and old friends. When he learned that the reporter was from Chengdu, Mr. Niu was a little excited: "I have many old friends from Sichuan. I have been to Sichuan before. I really love traveling and I like to see more of the outside world."
on why he is in Sichuan Niu Ben did not hire an assistant in filming or in life. Niu Ben said: "I think I am not old enough to need someone to take care of me. I can do it myself." He told reporters that although he is unable to complete too many scenes now, He is willing to play every "small" role as well as possible as long as he has the energy, because this is his job.
Famous performing artist Niu Ben (Photography by Zhou Bin)
On April 20, we finally met in Shanghai. Considering that the old man is old, we tried to raise the volume as much as possible during the first interview so that Mr. Niu could hear clearly. However, the so-called "hard-of-ear" phenomenon does not exist for Mr. Niu Ben. He can even be described as having sharp ears and eyes. Instead, they said to us, "Your formation shocked me." After the "misunderstanding" was resolved, the interview got better. Even though he has played countless small roles on the big screen, being an actor is a big career for him. Everything he says and does shows us a person with capital letters.
In life, he is like an amiable grandpa beside you.
From a street boy to a well-known film and performing artist, Niu Ben frankly admitted that his original intention of entering the industry was "to have food to eat and fill his stomach." Director Xie Tian originally introduced him to the industry to deceive him "to have food to eat." For more than 80 years, movies have become his career and pursuit, and at the same time, diligence and frugality are engraved in his bones.
He is not like an actor, but more like an elder in the family. On the evening of April 19, a neighbor kid whom he had watched grow up was going to travel far away, and his son picked him up for a dinner party.Niu Ben pointed to the packing box on the stove and told us: "I packed all the unfinished food yesterday. What a good dish. If you heat it up, it will be today's dinner." He said, going to the set, He is the easiest to gain weight, because no matter how much the lunch box prepared by the crew is, he will finish it. "I will not leave any dish left, I must eat it." Waste of food, he reused all the packaging boxes of nutritional supplements given by friends. He proudly pointed to his cabinet: "Look, this is my invention. Now these layers of drawers are all unused packaging boxes, used to hold things. How nice."
tells the story of the past
The thick photo albums in the cabinet not only carry the beautiful past of Niu Ben and his friends in the film industry, but are also a precious record of Chinese film history. The reporter couldn't help but ask: "Do you still keep in touch with those old friends?" He replied humorously: "Not so much, and the communication is not very good now, because they have been burned to ashes underground, and I can't communicate with them. "He would also test us, pointing to the black and white photos: "Do you know who this is?" When we accidentally admitted the wrong one, he would not help but scolded: "Fuck you!" You are really like the one who criticized you for being naughty. The naughty old man.
pays attention to details and never gives up the pursuit of art.
When Niu Ben guided us to take a group photo of
, we habitually turned on the beauty mode. Niu Ben, who was not used to this mode, was very puzzled: "What's wrong with your lens? Why is it so blurry?!" which made us burst into laughter. At the same time, he also pointed out some compositional issues when we took photos of people, and kept explaining them to us. In particular, he said that we should not frame useless things. Every prop should have a reason for its existence. We took a few more test shots and asked him to "check his homework." It was obviously a very important interview, but it turned out to be extremely joyful in the end.
He said very bluntly: "You are all young. As for what movies I have filmed, you may not know, and you may not have even seen them. Because I am not the kind of person who likes to rely on my elders or be a teacher, so I just These are not comprehensive discussions as works of art. "
When the handsome Niu Ben
learned that we wanted to take some portraits for posters, Teacher Niu Ben immediately said: "Then I will put on a hat" and wait for him to show up again. At that time, our eyes were even more dazzled. He was wearing a blue and white plaid hat, a color-blocking vest, jeans and brown-red leather shoes. He looked so handsome.
Treating work as a career is the most precious message to us.
Although he lives in a retirement apartment, Teacher Niu Ben feels as if he is at home and feels very comfortable. There was a river behind the nursing home. It was late spring and the riverside was full of greenery. There were lush green trees, brown fences, and bright red benches. As he walked along it, it was like an eye-catching scenery. There was no sign of a 90-year-old man looking old. feeling. When we were about to freeze this moment, Teacher Niu Ben shouted "Wait a minute" and pointed to the bridge in the distance: "When a white car drives up on the bridge in the distance, this photo will have depth of field." But. For some reason, there were very few cars that day, and the white car we were looking forward to didn’t show up, so the scene at the beginning of the article appeared.
Niu Ben in his youth (remake of Wu Deyu)
During the visit, we discovered that the retirement apartment had a work display area specially set up for Mr. Niu Ben, where he placed trophies for important awards and stills of classic characters. Niu Ben has appeared in "Alive" and "Happy Time" directed by Zhang Yimou. Zhang Yimou also wrote the preface to Niu Ben's new book "Playing a Little Person for Life". When we directed Teacher Niu Ben to move around the work display area, we found that we were doing Zhang Yimou's work. We joked to the young photographer: "Did you know? What you are doing now is Zhang Yimou's work." Teacher Niu Ben said: "There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you are right.
When they were saying goodbye, Teacher Niu Ben asked casually like a test: "How do you feel about your interview with me today?" "I replied: "You said that you should treat work as a career, and we are deeply touched. He nodded: "No matter what difficulties you encounter, you will eventually come to an end. Don't be afraid." There will be many ups and downs in the middle, but if you overcome them, you will make progress and gain knowledge. Just like taking photos of people, experience will tell you how to place the lens and how to frame the scene. ”
Thank you, Teacher Niu Ben, and look forward to seeing you next time!
