The movie "Kids Are Not Stupid 3" directed by Singaporean director Leong Chi Keung and starring Hu Jing, Zhou Yuchen, Liu Shengmei, Jiang Songheng, Yong Qihang, and Wu Weien will be released nationwide on August 16. The film revolves around two students in a primary school in Singapore and the families behind them. While the parent-child battle is hilarious, it also has in-depth thoughts and discussions on current issues such as education and parent-child relationships. It is a family carnival that brings laughter and tears. Movie.
Poster for the movie "Kids Are Not Stupid 3". Before the release of the
movie, the Beijing News conducted an exclusive interview with the film's director Liang Zhiqiang and starring Hu Jing to talk about the behind-the-scenes stories of the film's creation. Director Leung Chi-keung added elements of new immigrants into "Kids Are Not Stupid 3" - a mother from Shanghai went to Singapore to accompany her to school, using a new perspective to deconstruct and reflect on her parents' educational philosophy. For actress Hu Jing, after filming this movie, she will also reflect on her children's education issues in reality, and the conflict with her son has basically been perfectly resolved. "I am the biggest beneficiary of this movie."
The story of staying with my mother is very consistent with reality.
Beijing News: Why did the director restart the series "Children Are Not Stupid" after 18 years?
Leung Chi-keung: After filming "Kids Are Not Stupid 2" in 2005, I suddenly had a flood of inspiration, and many themes came to me. I thought at the time that if I kept filming children's subjects, the director would become very limited, so I wanted to try something else. Later, I filmed "The New Soldier", which is about soldiers, and "The Story of the New Soldier", which tells the history of the founding of Singapore. Our Story ", "Mao Shan King of Kings" with durian as the story, etc. Originally, we planned to restart the "Kids Are Not Stupid" series in 2019, but then it came to a halt when the epidemic hit. As soon as the epidemic passed, we started filming immediately.
Beijing News: How did the two of you achieve this cooperation? Did you know each other before working together?
Hu Jing: Actually, I know the director, but the director doesn’t know me. More than ten years ago, when I got married and moved to Malaysia, the first film produced locally in Singapore and Malaysia I watched was the director's film. At that time, I thought Singaporean movies were quite interesting, because Teochew, Cantonese, Hokkien, English, and Malay were all mixed together, which was very Singaporean and Malaysian. The editing was also very new, which was very funny. So when they saw the script last year, they told me it was directed by Tony Leung, and I asked which Tony Leung it was. They said that there is only one director Leung Chee-keung in Singapore.
Stills from the movie "Kids Are Not Stupid 3".
Beijing News: How did you feel after getting the script and reading the story and characters?
Hu Jing: I think is very in line with the current reality, because there are many Chinese mothers accompanying me in Singapore and Malaysia. The previous films directed by the director were very local, and there must have never been a character with a Chinese identity and background as the main line, so I was very curious about how the director would go about filming.
Beijing News: The film incorporates elements of new immigrants. A Shanghai mother went to Singapore to accompany her to school. How did the director come up with the idea of entering the story from this angle?
Simon Leong: In fact, in Singapore, we have always heard or seen some mothers who stay with them. We know many of them, and we heard many very touching stories. In the early years, we wanted to make a story about mothers who stay with them. After the epidemic is over, I took the photo right away. Actors are also a key factor. Frankly speaking, it would be great to find two actors, Hu Jing and Liu Shengmei, to act together.
Beijing News: In the initial stage of the script, did the director and the team collect stories and find some accompanying mothers to chat with?
Liang Zhiqiang: There is . We have found a lot of study mothers to chat with, because there are many study mothers around me, and friends of friends are also study mothers. We also found two screenwriters this time, both screenwriters from mainland China. They have lived in Singapore for about 20 years, so they are very accustomed to some domestic thinking and ideas, so I also relied on their strength to write this The story is completed.
"Everyone can find themselves in the movie"
Beijing News: Wen Ting in the film is very strict with her son. In real life, are you the kind of parent who is very involved?
Hu Jing: I played a "tiger mother" in the movie, but I am usually a "goat mother" and my sons are all free-range. In fact, I think mothers’ love for their children is the same. Although I am different from the character, I can find common ground with the character. For example, we all hate games very much. During my child’s education, I basically don’t care about his studies. The most important thing to me is what kind of person he should be taught to be, so I control his playing games very strictly. . When I was filming, I would set an alarm clock to set the time for him to go to bed. I would call back to ask him if he went to bed on time and if he returned the computer on time. I also installed a camera where he studied. He kept saying there was no privacy. I said you don't need privacy when you study. The biggest conflict between my child and me is the same as that of Wenting and her child, which is the issue of electronic products and games.
Hu Jing plays a "tiger mother" in the movie.
Beijing News: What are the educational concepts of Wenting in the film that you don’t agree with?
Hu Jing: Actually, I think every mother has her own way of educating her children. I don’t agree or disagree. Anyway, I think Wen Ting is a great mother. She gave up her career for her children, and of course she also has feelings. The reason is that she traveled across the ocean to Singapore. In a completely unfamiliar environment, she had to adapt to the new environment and make new friends. As a foreigner, it is very difficult for her to integrate into the environment and take exams with them, so I don’t think there is anything wrong with her, but I think that in addition to studying, mothers and children may also need to have more spiritual aspects. communication.
Beijing News: It has been 18 years since the second part of this drama was released. Has Singapore’s educational philosophy changed over the years?
Leung Chi-keung: In fact, Singapore’s education philosophy has changed a lot, but why should I film this movie? Because I found that the parents still haven’t changed. Our education system no longer talks about scores, but instead looks at ABC grades, but parents will still check to see what score you get for this A, or continue to compare. I tell some moviegoers, if you see something like this in a movie, don't worry, I'm talking about you.
Hu Jing: Every mother can find herself in the movie, and her children can also find themselves in the movie.
Beijing News: Some of the lines in the film are actually quite resonant, such as "It's all for your own good." It seems that parents all over the world have said this.
Tony Leung: I have been saying this since the first part of "Children Are Not Stupid". It was already very popular in Singapore at that time.
Hu Jing: After filming this movie, I don’t dare to say this sentence anymore. I have to hold back every time I say it. I feel guilty.
Beijing News: After making this movie, it will also make you reflect on your children’s education issues in reality.
Hu Jing: Of course, I have reflected on it and made changes. In fact, I was the biggest beneficiary of filming this movie. There is a scene in the movie that talks about the conflicts between mothers and children about games. I think it is so realistic that I used to unplug my computer. When I finished filming and went back, I told my son, you can play games from now on. You have to thank Director Liang Zhiqiang, because after my mother finished filming the film, she decided to try his method and free up game time, but the prerequisite You must complete your homework, go to bed on time, and play as much as you want at other times. As a result, I found that I didn’t have to ask him to go to bed, he would come down on time, and it didn’t mean that he would play on the computer whenever he had free time. Instead, he would sometimes go back to his bedroom to read. I have to thank the director for acting in this play. The conflict between my son and I was basically resolved perfectly.
Hu Jing believes that she is the biggest beneficiary of this film.
"Children are not stupid at all, we adults are stupid"
Beijing News: There is a scene in the film where Wen Ting and Jayden's mother quarreled, each accusing the other of having problems educating their children. That scene was particularly exciting. The two chatted. Let’s go through the shooting at that time.
Tony Leung: I remember when we were writing, I told the screenwriter that the two mothers were secretly competing with each other, but in the end there had to be a head-on contest. There was no pretense and they started to tear each other apart. I think that scene should be very exciting. When filming, I was really just watching the scene. I didn't teach them too much, they were all very good at acting.
Hu Jing: Many of the scenes in were adjusted on the spot. In the original script, Jayden's mother blamed Wenting for leaking the news, and a quarrel broke out between the two. Later, it was adjusted so that Wen Ting caused the conflict first, and Jayden's mother went back to report Wen Ting in the next scene. For myself, I am not satisfied with this scene. If I had to do it again, I could do it better, but sometimes there is no way. Movies are a regrettable art.
Beijing News: You and the young actor who plays your son Zihao in the film have many exciting scenes together. How did you get along in the first place?
Hu Jing: When I met Zhou Yuchen, the actor who plays Zi Hao, my phone was already turned on. It was quite stressful for me to take this role. In fact, I am not a person who is particularly good at getting along with children. Even though I have children, when faced with a strange child, I might chat with him for 5 minutes and the topic will be exhausted. So I'm quite afraid of getting along with children. But this play was performed with children from beginning to end, so I wanted to have more contact with Zhou Yuchen. Later, I found that they are children in their own way, and it is difficult for adults to integrate with them. I remember there was a scene at a fish ball noodle stall. After the child said a few words, he stopped thinking about filming and started playing. After that, I had a very serious kiss with him. After a heart-to-heart talk, he has changed a lot since then.
Tony Leung: In fact, I have talked to him twice before. When he first came, he seemed to be on vacation.
Stills from the movie "Kids Are Not Stupid 3".
Beijing News: Everyone knows that scenes with children are particularly difficult to film, but the director has filmed three movies of "Children Are Not Stupid". Do you have any secrets for working with young actors?
Tony Leung: When a child is acting, you can't predict what he will give you, but I often gain a lot from the scene. For example, I previously filmed a movie called "Run, Kids" (2003). More than 1,000 children applied for the role, and many of them were not suitable. There was a little girl named Zheng Jiyun who applied for the role. Her performance was mediocre. Before she left, she He said, "I'm very good at crying as a director. I burst into tears after saying two lines." This child's tears were very attractive, so I was sure of her, but her lines were really bad, and everything she said was bland and tasteless. Later I changed my mind, maybe this kind of acting for children is also a kind of acting. She is just plain, she happens to be a little dark, she looks like a child who grew up in the countryside, thin and small. As a result, after the movie was cut, her expressionless performance shocked many people, and she later won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Actor.
So after children join the group, I usually don’t teach them too much. I first let them perform in their own way. If the performance is too far away, I have to pull them back. This is what I will do on site. Sometimes when writing a script, it's hard to know how the children will perform, because everyone comes with a different background. You can only put all the children together and let them create their own chemistry, and then you will see their effect.
Beijing News: How do you two understand the title of the film "Children Are Not Stupid"?
Hu Jing: I don’t think children are stupid at all, it’s us adults who are stupid. Only when you watch our movie will you know how stupid you are.
Leung Chi-keung: The four-character title of the movie "Children Are Not Stupid" actually scolds adults for being stupid.
Beijing News reporter Teng Chao
editor Xu Meilin
proofreader Zhao Lin
