Fan Guangyao, a not-so-dazzling actor, has created dazzling characters on the stage such as Jiang Binliu, Count Henry, and Bai Shi. In the drama "Yaoyaodongba" recently performed at the Shanghai Theater, Fan Guangyao successfully played the role of a blind sculptor who carves the

Fan Guangyao, a not-so-dazzling actor, has created dazzling characters on the stage such as Jiang Binliu, Earl Henry, and Bai Shi.

In the drama "Yaoyaodongba" recently performed at Shanghai Theater, Fan Guangyao successfully played the role of a blind sculptor who carves the world with his heart. He has a "toolbox", what exactly are the "tools" in it?

Eyes are blind but the heart is not blind

Shangguan: After five years, you returned to Shanghai Theater to star in "Yao Yaodong Eight". What new feelings do you have?

Fan Guangyao: I was very anxious when I first received this drama in 2019. This is a legendary story that travels back and forth from 2019 to 1943. It is very romantic and requires a lot of imagination. Shiraishi, who I play in the play, is a blind sculptor. To be precise, he was once a sculptor and later lost his sight, but his skills are still there. He is an anti-Japanese hero who also has spiritual pursuits. He has been carving a beautiful world with his heart.

In order to grasp this role, I had a little trouble at first. I looked for a lot of information about sculptors, and finally found out on the Internet that there really is a blind sculptor in Europe, but he mainly makes clay sculptures. Shiraishi makes large sculptures. The journey from convincing myself to believe in this incredible character to standing on stage and letting the audience absorb and immerse themselves in this legendary story has been both challenging and rewarding for me.

I returned to the Shanghai Theater to perform this play after 5 years. I really enjoyed the feeling of being on stage. Before the performance, we conducted intensive rehearsals, and I was sincere and sincere every time. I play a blind person, so I tried to further open myself up in terms of hearing, touch, and even smell, and concentrated on feeling the actors' lines, breathing, and performance rhythm.

In 2019, the actor I partnered with was Ni Ni. This play was her first stage work, and her performance was remarkable.

The heroine of this year's "Yao Yao Dong Eight" is Dou Jin. I have known her for 9 years. We have collaborated since the opening scene of the theater. Over the years, she has grown greatly and accumulated rich knowledge. performance experience. I would rather make green leaves and let her flower bloom more brilliantly.

In 2019, Fan Guangyao and Ni Ni starred in "Yaoyaodongba"

View from the top: How do you understand the belief in Bai Shi's heart?

Fan Guangyao: I have a lot of guesses about the character written by Mr. Lai Shengchuan, and I have chatted with him several times, but I did not break the pot and asked for the final answer, and still wanted to maintain a sense of ambiguity. He didn't tell me how you should understand it.

I think Shiraishi in his novel is actually blind but not blind. Although his eyes are invisible, his heart is rich and he has compassion for mankind. He can listen to Bach and imagine himself sculpting the air into many beautiful people and a peaceful world.

Shiraishi lived in Shanghai in 1943. His determination and efforts to fight against Japan were based on his mission and belief, but it was not at the mercy of fate and the call of fate.

He had a conversation with Shu Tong, who had traveled from 2024. He asked her carefully: "Did we win?" When he heard Shu Tong say that the Anti-Japanese War was won in 1945, he was both grateful and a little doubtful. : The current situation is so difficult, victory is just around the corner? His emotions are complicated, but he knows that he must carry out anti-Japanese actions more firmly now, because "the victory of will not come by itself, someone must do ."

In August 2024, "Yaoyaodongba" starring Dou Jin and Fan Guangyao is being performed at the Shanghai Theater

I often organize my "toolbox"

Viewing: You starred in "Dream Like a Dream" at the Shanghai Theater this year Earl Henry in the play, this play has a key word: "see yourself". Do you think he sees himself in the play?

Fan Guangyao: "Dream Like a Dream" is also a legendary story. Patient No. 5, Gu Xianglan, Earl Henry... they all saw themselves after experiencing their own life journeys.

To see oneself is to know oneself. As an actor, I had this experience many years ago: re-recognize and discover myself through every play and every role. Because different scripts and directors will lead you to different fields, and you must constantly adjust your mentality to enter new periods of life and find ways to understand yourself.

The audience has many conjectures and their own understandings about the relationship between Henry and Patient No. 5, and Henry and Gu Xianglan. From watching the play as an audience member in the audience to playing Henry on stage, I realized bit by bit that Patient No. 5 actually traveled to another dimension to help Henry get to his beloved Gu Xianglan and apologize to her. , repentance, reconciliation. In a way, Patient No. 5 is Earl Henry, and Earl Henry is Patient No. 5.

On stage, I saw myself through the role I played, and by activating this role with my colleagues, I increased my understanding and understanding of the people in the play. The gains and experiences in this process are unique.

View from above: The word "activation" is very interesting. How to activate a character on stage?

Fan Guangyao: To make a character come alive on stage, an actor needs to use different tools in the "tool box". These performance tools are accumulated over time and need to be organized regularly. Every time I stand on the stage, I want to give myself a new feeling, so I open the tool box to see if I need to change a tool.

For example, in "Yaoyaodongba", I played the roles of Bai Shi and Lao Zhuang. They were relaxed and had very different personalities. I told myself that I should let go when I should. When I express the beautiful world I pursue in my heart, I should be a little more "wild", and when I face the difficulties in reality, I should express it more implicitly.

Fan Guangyao plays Count Henry in "A Dream Like a Dream"

Strong enough yet humble enough

Watch: In the first half of this year, you played Jiang Binliu in "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land" at the Shanghai Theater. What “tools” did you use to bring this classic character to life?

Fan Guangyao : When this drama was born in 1986, I was more than ten years old. I've seen many versions, including movies. Mr. Jin Shijie’s performance is a very good example. He is my role model, but I can’t follow him. I have to activate the role of Jiang Binliu myself.

Audiences who are familiar with this drama know that although Jiang Binliu is the male protagonist, he does not have too many roles. I spent a lot of effort to let the audience "see" this character who does not appear so frequently on the stage. I have actually played this role for 10 years. Especially for Jiang Binliu in the hospital bed, I am very confident. I am better at playing the elderly.

In this year's edition of "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land", Xiao Ai and I acted opposite each other. She has played many versions of Yun Zhifan and is very experienced. She helped me a lot and made me feel more relaxed on stage. Especially the last farewell scene, I enjoyed it very much. I didn’t think about how to perform next. I lived completely on the stage and in ward 1120. This feeling is quite beautiful.

Watch: For a few minutes in that scene, it felt as if the air in the theater had solidified. This kind of blank space is valuable.

Fan Guangyao: Jiang Binliu and Yun Zhifan didn't actually say a few words when they said goodbye, and they even made very few body movements, but their hearts were in turmoil. When Teacher Lai rehearsed the play for us, he said that we should boldly stop at this time and let these two minutes quietly fill the gap of these decades.

I think that as actors, our hearts must be strong enough and humble enough, because we are playing small people in a big era, but when we stand on the stage, we must support the inner emotions of the characters without fear. , express it.

Fan Guangyao plays Jiang Binliu in "Secret Love in the Peach Blossom Spring"

Live a good life offstage

View from the top: In addition to dramas, you have also appeared in some TV series and movies. What is the biggest difference between film and television performances and stage performances?

Fan Guangyao: There are definitely differences, but essentially there is no difference. Whether acting in a play, a TV series or a movie, an actor's bounden duty is to make the character come alive.

However, this is easier said than done. Sometimes the audience recognizes my performance, but I can't pass my level. For example, one day, after I finished the performance, I met an old friend in the audience. He enthusiastically said to me that the performance tonight was really good. But only I know that my performance today was actually quite bad. For example, I didn't match the tone of my opponent's actor. The audience may not notice it, but I will regret it for a long time.

Therefore, as an actor also needs a kind of cultivation, which is to live in the present. empathizes with the audience on stage and enjoys the moment. After you get off the stage, if there were details that were not handled well just now, you must learn to be relieved and not wallow in pain. Next time, you must let yourself live on the stage again.

: To be an excellent actor, one must be "harsh" on oneself?

Fan Guangyao : Others will not ask you, you can only ask yourself. Actors must make their characters come alive on stage and live a good life off stage. Every rehearsal must be worthy of the actors working with you and yourself. I think that when people reach middle age, they cannot waste every opportunity to enrich themselves, but they must cherish the tools in the "tool box" that have not been eliminated, learn to organize themselves, and give themselves an explanation.