"Acting is really difficult!" - It's hard for you to imagine that these words came from "Uncle Ge". On New Year's Day in 2024, the classic comedy IP "If You Are the One 3" directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You and Shu Qi will be officially released. After each road show,

"Acting is really difficult!" - It's hard for you to imagine that these words came from "Uncle Ge".

On New Year's Day in 2024, the classic comedy IP "If You Are the One 3" directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You and Shu Qi will be officially released. After each road show, seeing the enthusiastic audience, Ge You would say embarrassedly, "You are a good audience, but you are too involved in the show."

Whether it is a drama or a comedy, actor Ge You is a special existence in the entire history of Chinese films. Outside of his work as an actor, he rarely participates in variety shows or commercial activities, and even rarely gives interviews during the promotional period. During the intensive live broadcasts and road shows of "If You Are the One 3", he was always the one who "doesn't talk much".

Ge You considers himself not good at interviews. He feels that his daily work routine is not worthy of being mentioned repeatedly. Photo by Beijing News reporter Guo Yanbing

At last year’s Beijing International Film Festival, a Beijing News reporter had a brief exchange with Ge You, “I know you have no demand, but as a film reporter, I am very eager to have the opportunity to interview you. You..." Ge You smiled after hearing this and said that he was just doing his job and there was no need to talk over and over again. He considers himself not good at interviews and doesn’t know how to express his thoughts. However, "life should still be full of dreams and hopes, and work hard towards what you want to do."

Fortunately, this conversation came to fruition in late 2023. During the intense promotion period for the movie "If You Are the One 3", Ge You accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News, "Time is really tight, so let's focus on a few questions I want to ask." Without a camera hanging around, he felt much more relaxed and comfortable. When faced with compliments and compliments, Ge You would subconsciously wave his hands and say "Hi", as if all the hard work was "not worth mentioning" to him; he was afraid of being labeled as a "professional New Year film maker" or "model" by the outside world. Label, "Don't say that, you can't catch it." He said, "Performing is endless. Even if you have some achievements, you have to live how you want to live. Because acting is really difficult! You need to think , It needs to be constantly pondered."

Ge You and Qin Fen

Those interesting and humorous characters have influenced and changed him.

The story of "If You Are the One 3" takes place in 2031. At this time, Liang Xiaoxiao had been wandering overseas for ten years. Qin Fen, who was nearly seventy years old, lived alone in a house by the sea, looking forward to Xiaoxiao's return home every day. Until one day, his friend Lao Fan brought him an identical AI version of Xiaoxiao. Qin Fen and the "real and fake" Xiaoxiao started a new love story...

"I just want to make a nostalgic, It’s a movie that gives face, thinks about the other person’s good things, values ​​feelings, makes people feel warm after watching it, and makes them cherish their friendship.” This is how director Feng Xiaogang summed up the original intention of restarting the “If You Are the One” series. He has always felt that people need an outlet to relieve stress and depression, and at the point of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, comedy is what the audience needs. It was his wish that allowed Ge You to return to the Lunar New Year show, allowing the audience to relive the golden combination of "Feng's comedy + Ge's humor".

The story of the movie "If You Are the One 3" takes place in 2031, starting from the love story between Qin Fen and Zhen Jia Xiaoxiao. Photo courtesy of the film crew

Interestingly, Ge You was the last person to know about the film’s launch. After Feng Xiaogang finished writing the script, he first finalized the time with Shu Qi, and then "said hello" to Ge You after confirming it. "Ge You has not taken on so many roles in recent years. As long as you tell him a year in advance, he will definitely come if nothing unexpected happens. After all, the two of them are indispensable for this play. If one of them is not there, the play will not work." Feng Xiaogang said . When asked if he felt any pressure to return to the Lunar New Year movie again, Ge You said bluntly that he was "embarrassed" to act in love scenes at this age, but "I'm not worried. After all, the word 'Lunar New Year' comes from Xiaogang. Let's go back to this We are already very familiar with the schedule.”

Audiences who like this series of works can easily find that "If You Are the One 3" continues the main scenes of the previous one, except that the "old house" has been painted with color.Ge You was also a little surprised by the visually striking combination of dopamine, "The blue clothes I wore when I first saw Xiaoxiao in the movie were a bit dazzling; the green ones looked fatter, so I was quite confused. But later I discovered that this is exactly the difference between Qin Fen and me. Because my life is not as rich (colorful) as him. My life is relatively simple. I may occasionally wear a red one, or wear a white sweater like now. Wear a pink collar, but you will definitely not wear it in a contrasting color. So in terms of the richness of life, you still have to learn from Qin Fen."

"If You Are the One" has accompanied the audience through the years since the first part of the series was released during the Lunar New Year in 2008. Fifteen years later, the male protagonist Qin Fen in the film is nervous but values ​​love and righteousness. He is soft-spoken but kind and down-to-earth. He always maintains a comfortable and confident state, and his sense of humor is at his fingertips. This has attracted many viewers. He was equated with Ge You.

"Who do you think is following whom?" Ge You thought for a long time, " In fact, my personality is not suitable for being an actor. I used to be the kind of person who was afraid of people when I saw them. I was nervous and sweating. Now he said, 'Ge You is afraid 'No one will believe it, after all, I have a lot of friends. But if you think about it carefully, my current personality has changed after acting. The more I interact with people, the more I become stronger. Gu Yan (the male character in the movie "The Big Brother") The protagonist) and Qin Fen all influenced Ge You. At first, I was not so funny or humorous. It was these characters that shaped my current character. "

Nervous and strenuous

After 50 days of shooting and 45 days of insomnia, I got the role Fear first

In his known career, Ge You is undoubtedly an actor who has been favored by opportunities, but he never thinks that he can easily control any role. Even if Qin Fen, who has already acted twice, asked him if it would be easy for him to act again, he said two words without hesitation: "Tough". "Xiao Gang (director) said before that filming this movie was like a vacation, but Shu Qi and I thought it looked like a vacation on the surface, but it was actually quite strenuous. Especially at this stage, because of my age, sometimes it is difficult to remember the lines Live. There are so many lines in "The Story of the Editorial Department" that I was asked to memorize now, and I think it is impossible."

"Contemplate" is the word Ge You mentioned most in the interview. Insomnia caused by thinking about the role is not uncommon. During the 50-day filming period, he had to take sleeping pills to fall asleep for 45 days. Even at the moment of the interview, the nervousness still bothered him. " is quite torturous. Now when I see the character, I feel a little scared at first, thinking, 'How can I act like this?' But now that you accept it, you have to think about it and think about it. Actors always hope that they will change. , me too, after all, acting is always the same, what’s the point? But it’s actually very difficult to be different. Because your tricks are almost used as you grow older. You must admit that Qin Fen has Ge You in him This is inseparable from the elements, even the expressions of joy, anger, sorrow and joy are similar. So I spent a lot of time looking for the feeling of acting. For example, smiling at the real and fake character played by Shu Qi, which one is what character, and what is the character of the play? How to take it, you need to think about every shot. If you don’t think about it clearly, what will you do when you get to the set the next day?”

Even though Ge You played the role of Qin Fen for the third time in the movie “If You Are the One 3”, he still felt “nervous” "Effortless". Picture provided by the film producer

Ge You frowned from time to time and lamented that it was "difficult to do". It’s hard to believe that he would also say words like “nervous” and “effortful”. "Probably only by going through this process of 'self-torture' can the performance of the play be a little better." He would often tell himself, "Don't be anxious, think about it little by little, and enjoy the process slowly." Try to think of as many ways as possible for yourself. Since memorizing lines is no longer the way it used to be, try to start with your eyes or other details. You must be modest and cautious. "Acting in is not easy. It requires a lot of thinking and pondering. If you don't think about it in , you really don't know how to act. Of course, there are actors who can act directly without thinking, but I can't, not like that. ability."

Old friends, nostalgic

"Not 1" have become memories. Fan Wei, who has not contacted Shu Qi for ten years

and has collaborated many times, always feels that Ge You has a special ability. No matter how nervous and uneasy you are in front of him, he will always It can give you a sense of security, and you are used to thinking about each other, but you also maintain a "Ge You-style" sense of propriety. In "If You Are the One 3", the two people once again returned to their original relationship, "very comfortable and very similar." Frequency, no matter what kind of role it is, we can play it at any time. "In Fan Wei's view, Ge You is an out-and-out experientialist. He must mobilize all his energy and emotions to become that character. "Actually, actors are quite sensitive, and it is difficult to truly express their appreciation for rival actors. We have never talked about each other's good feelings, but every time we shoot with him, we can really figure out a lot of interesting things, and we can also relive every bit of past filming. "

Ge You is also a nostalgic person. Many of the "emotional killing" scenes in "If You Are the One 3" can poke fun at him, " I rarely look back at my own works, but this time I watched "If You Are the One". You have to ask Whatever I feel is just a memory. The day I told Shu Qi, I was really nervous and shy in the scene in the first film where we met for a blind date in a coffee shop. Because she and I have never worked together before. When filming "If You Are the One", one day Xiaogang said he was going to pick up Shu Qi at the airport. I asked if I could go, and he said, 'Okay, of course it would be better if you go.' Once the camera was turned on, I brought out the nervousness of a man seeing a strange beauty into the scene. "

But no one thought that after "If You Are the One 2", except for the brief intersection in "One Step Away", Ge You and Shu Qi had no contact for a full ten years. Because Ge You never used WeChat, he thought it was troublesome, and he had to watch it There are endless messages and circles of friends, but in the past few years, I have still "accepted" this trend. I only became friends with Shu Qi when we collaborated on "If You Are the One 3". "People must not believe that I have no contact with Shu Qi. It's not as good as in the movie." Qin Fen and Xiaoxiao, they occasionally send postcards. I'm also quite puzzled, why haven't you left any contact information for so many years? But in fact, in the past ten years, I have also looked at her works, and sometimes looked at the fashion magazines she shot, and then I realized, "Oh, she is like this now." Now that I have WeChat, although it is at a very basic and simple stage of use, I will still keep in touch. Not long ago, during the winter solstice, she sent me a dumpling, and I responded with "Eat a good dumpling." "

Before "If You Are the One 3" started filming, Ge You and Shu Qi had not contacted each other for ten years. It was only this time that they became friends on social media. The picture comes from the official account of "If You Are the One 3"

Director and audience

There was no talent on the set. I don’t pay attention to “appearance” in life

As the first Chinese actor to win the Best Actor at the Cannes International Film Festival (in 1994, for the movie “Alive”), many people call Ge You a “national actor” for his down-to-earth roles and natural performances. It’s not artificial. But when it comes to acting, Ge You thinks that he often doesn’t think through it thoroughly enough, let alone how good the performance is. “Many dramas are actually related to the screenwriter. For example, when Xiaogang made a New Year’s film, he Know how far you can act. He is familiar with you, and the plot and lines he writes are very natural. He knows how I should say this sentence. Many times, every word more or less has to be negotiated. So you have to understand the role, otherwise you won’t be able to play it. "

Having worked together for many years, Ge You and Feng Xiaogang have long figured out each other's thoughts. But in Ge You's eyes, Feng Xiaogang in "If You Are the One 3" has changed. The movie has softened, and he has also softened. He is not so anxious anymore. He really needs to be anxious. When talking about the relationship between the two on the set, Ge You emphasized that there is no so-called trick in front of the director, "You can only play this role if someone looks for you. If they don't look for you, you won't be able to play the role." For this opportunity, I must respect and listen to the director. When you encounter disagreements, talk, because the purpose of communication is to get things done and do a good job. "

Ge You once revealed that he rejected many scripts after "Alive" because he was worried that it would be difficult to come up with new themes and character types.But Feng Xiaogang's New Year films are different. They are films that can bring joy to the audience. He likes to participate in such films. In Feng Xiaogang's view, "sincerity" may be the main reason why the series "If You Are the One" can move the audience and be regarded as a classic. "Initially, Qin Fen had to wait for Xiaoxiao for 20 years. Who in life can wait for someone for 20 years? I have never heard of this. But I believe that a promise is worth a thousand dollars, and that as long as you are sincere, you can be recognized. As some viewers said, I was deeply moved by our movie, and I said you are a good audience and you were deeply involved in the movie," Ge You said.

After so many years of acting, Ge You has always cared about what the audience thinks, and he never feels that he is any different from others. Feng Xiaogang once said that the matter of "pai noodle" does not exist in Ge You. He grew up in the Beijing Film Academy compound and met so many famous people. There was never such a thing as shouting and hugging each other. He went to buy groceries and wash clothes as usual. “I’ve been surrounded by people like this since I was a child, so naturally I’ve never been around them. This ('Pai Nian') concept". Because of this, you can still see Ge You in the vegetable market. When audience members ask for autographs or photos, he never refuses and sends them away cheerfully when the work is done. He always said that for him he may have experienced this thousands of times, but for others it was the first time. "Don't be careless about the first time. If you understand, It can be done."

Dialogue

Ge You: As you get older, you have to accept that your acting career will become narrower.

Beijing News: The movie "If You Are the One 3" is more like a summary of life lessons. In the Easter egg, you say, "It's over here. It's coming to an end." Will I never see Qin Fenhe smiling again?

Ge You: Maybe . Maybe now we say goodbye and there will be no more "If You Are the One 4", but the future is unpredictable and anything is possible. However, this matter is indeed too difficult. It is not easy to bring this group of people together, so now let’s talk about farewell first (laughs).

Beijing News: In the movie, Qin Fen finally reconciles with himself, but at this point, it seems that you are not as good as Qin Fen?

Ge You: There is really no . You are absolutely right about this. Qin Fen is curious and receptive to new things. He will make his living environment colorful just to regulate his emotions. But as far as intelligent robots are concerned, I definitely can't accept it. It's better to have real people. They have to be alive and flesh and blood to have feelings.

Beijing News: Many people say they want to laugh when they see Teacher Ge You. On the other hand, in the "If You Are the One" trilogy, which actor did you laugh at when you faced him?

Ge You: There is no such thing as . Being on site is just work. In fact, it is not affected by emotions. As for what you said about the audience not laughing at these scenes, that should be related to the plot. A lot of it is due to the script, so everyone will find it interesting when they watch it.

Beijing News: Some viewers once said they would like to see a drama version of "If You Are the One". You are a drama actor, what do you think of this proposal?

Ge You: Oh, this is really a very good idea. I am really very emotional in the dialogue drama. It would be very good to watch if it is made into a drama version. But I haven’t acted in a play for a long time, so the possibility of appearing in it is not very high.

Ge You has always had very high requirements for his performance, so when he receives an important role, he will be a little anxious, afraid of making mistakes and not performing well. Beijing News reporter Guo Yanbing photo

Beijing News: Everyone knows that you don’t take on dramas that frequently. Do you get addicted to dramas when you are not filming?

Ge You: Addicted to ? No! Someone asked me the other day, are you tired of hearing that you are now asked to take on the role? I do have this kind of worry, because at this age, once my energy cannot keep up, how difficult will it be to perform this play? So when I received an important role, I was quite anxious because I had to work hard, couldn't sleep, and had to take medicine. Now I take sleeping pills every day, quite a lot.

Beijing News: So you have been troubled by insomnia?

Ge You: Because you don’t take (sleeping pills) and can’t sleep, you won’t be able to feel energetic during filming. Especially in a scene where several actors are in the same scene, I can't make a mistake. If I make a mistake, I have to do it again. I have always had very high standards for myself when it comes to acting, and I can’t go wrong.

Beijing News: So you are also nervous and stressed before filming?

Ge You: I won’t think too much about in advance. Acting in should be a fun and interesting thing. It doesn’t mean you have to do it, and you don’t need to prove that you can act. But always thinking about becoming another person and letting yourself try to be him is actually very difficult and takes a lot of time. Especially what you said about acting like that, how difficult it is! Where is it so easy? So I can only try my best to do it. I don’t dare to say how well I can perform it. If I am qualified for the role, I will do it. If I am not qualified, I will not bother to do it.

Beijing News: As someone who has been there, what would you like to say to the younger generation? How do you plan your acting career in the future?

Ge You: Don’t come over, I haven’t “come over” yet. I haven’t figured out many things myself, and I don’t know what to say. But actors must be humble and communicate with the director frequently. is getting older now, and he has to accept that his playing field will become narrower. After all, a 60-year-old cannot act like a 30-year-old. In the past, when you played the leading role, many people played supporting roles for you. Now you have to consider supporting roles. You must try your best to meet everyone's requirements, think more about others, and try your best to complete it. As for the future, just be prepared to see what kind of scripts and roles come up, just let it happen.

Beijing News reporter Zhou Huixiaowan

chief photographer Guo Yanbing

chief editor Wu Dongni

proofreader Wang Xin