(Liang Yingfei/Picture)
Reiki and Methods
In early December 2023, the temperature in Shenzhen was still hovering at 28 degrees. The stage play "Hey... He's Not Here" starring Ye Tong is currently on. The interview was held in an empty theater. Ye Tong walked slowly and slowly, his feet so light that he made no sound, but his steps had a clear rhythm. Her figure was as thin as paper, and she pulled the sleeves of the floral dress hanging on her shoulders from time to time to prevent it from accidentally slipping.
This is the appearance of Ye Tong who has never appeared on the screen. In the movie, she plays from a young girl to a young woman, and then from a young woman to an old woman. She is versatile and charming, and she can easily portray youth, charm, beauty, and vicissitudes of life. Her hair is as long as a waterfall, and her small movements of flicking it behind her ears make people's eyes fixed on her. In the variety show, she speaks softly, but her eyebrows are bright and soft, but she can't be bullied. During the recording of the talk show "Undefended Tonight", Ni Kuang, Cai Lam, and Huang Zhan all appeared. The three men, who smoked and drank, did not take any advantage of her. When she reaches middle age, she appears on the show with Zhao Yazhi and Chen Meiqi. She is always the most showy one, with all kinds of weird hairstyles, colorful eye shadows, swooping expressions, and awkward Mandarin, which is very similar to the image in movies and TV series. Not even close at all. In comparison, the woman in front of me is really unfamiliar: her conversation is elegant, her tone is indifferent, and her attitude is enthusiastic. The
stage play "Hey... He's Not Here" is adapted from "Hey... He's Not Here" written by American realist playwright Sarah Ruhl in 2007, and explores the relationship between mobile phones, technology and reality.
Ye Tong tried stage plays a few years after her debut, believing that stage plays could give her more ideas and methods for acting. During the interview, she mentioned "methods" many times, saying that after more than 40 years of experience, she had finally figured out how to support her performances. As you accumulate more and more methods, you will become full of confidence. She spoke eloquently.
However, when facing the camera, all methods give way to "feeling".
"The Legend of Heaven and the Dragon Slayer"·1994
On the set, she was used to testing the lights herself instead of having to worry about the lighting replacement. "It allows me to feel what the environment is like, what the atmosphere is like, and it feels like meditation. I enjoy it very much." Ye Tong said. She refuses to go on stage until the scene is fully prepared. The director's "action" will make her anxious, and she is also afraid of guest roles, because it is difficult to enter a scene that lasts only one or two days. "I don't mind being at the scene all the time and slowly experiencing it. At first I thought it was part of my job, but later I found that this process can make me more involved."
reacts almost instinctively based on the touch in the overlapping of light and shadow. This is where Ye Tong's energy comes from as an actor. In the face of intuition, the method becomes precise and ingenious. What countless practitioners call "spiritual energy" has fueled Ye Tong's more than 40-year career as an actor, connecting her with the character, the camera, the screen, the audience, and herself.
"The Legend of the White Snake" · 1992
It has been 41 years since Ye Tong debuted. Whether in Hong Kong, where she started, Taiwan, which became popular for the second time, or mainland China, although the audience is familiar with her, she is more of a stranger - " After "The Legend of the White Snake" (1992), she was just Xu Xian holding an umbrella on a broken bridge. The arc of this role spanned her entire acting career - including nearly 70 movies, nearly 50 TV series, two Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress trophies and a Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress trophy. When
producer Yang Peipei approached Xu Xian, Ye Tong was a popular movie star. His works were released steadily every year, and word-of-mouth ratings were guaranteed. In the golden age of Hong Kong movies, female stars showed their talents, but she always lived alone in a corner.
"Swordsman" · 1990
She debuted at the age of 19, and her limelight was once overshadowed by Anita Mui, Chung Chu-hong and Maggie Cheung. The first TV series "Blue Sea Loves the Sky" (1991) that she starred in was also an olive branch offered by Yang Peipei because she saw her role as Yue Lingshan in "The Swordsman" (1990). She didn't want to do the film, so she offered a high salary, but she didn't expect that the other party agreed immediately. She was riding a tiger but couldn't get off, and became Yue Ying in "Blue Sea and Love in the Sky".
Yue Ying has a cheerful personality, strong subjective consciousness, and a clear distinction between good and evil. She was raised as a boy since she was a child, and she did not regain her daughter's body until she was forced to marry.In this old "Lady and the Tramp" themed TV series, Ye Tong's male costume appearance is as popular as the theme song "Mortal Song". When "The Legend of White Snake" was being prepared for filming, Yang Peipei thought of her again.
From a woman pretending to be a man to playing a real man, it is not only the physical differences that need to be overcome. In Ye Tong's understanding, Xu Xian is a coward who doesn't know anything except medical skills. When it comes to other magic, he looks very stupid. But if he is just cowardly, Xu Xian will only be hated by others. "I imagine what a girl's ideal boy looks like? He must love his wife, all his actions are based on this, and he only has eyes for her."
At the end of "The Legend of the White Snake", Xu Xian met the man who had been imprisoned for 20 years. Bai Suzhen. Three days later, they will ascend to immortality. At this time, Xu Xian could not see the sadness or joy in his emotions, his eyes were calm and his words were capable. In the last three days on earth, he was not as happy and overjoyed as before when he saw Bai Suzhen, and even the love in his eyes faded away. The two of them treated each other with respect and were more like Taoist friends than a couple. Because of this performance, some commentators believe that Xu Xian is the only person in "The Legend of White Snake" who gets what he wants, because all he longs for in life is a wife and children on the hot bed. When dealing with this paragraph, Ye Tong believed that at that time, Xu Xian had already attained enlightenment, and those who attained enlightenment should let go of their desires, so that there would be no entanglement of cause and effect, which was the proof of becoming an immortal. The 30-year-old Ye Tong played Xu Xian to the age where he knew his destiny and found his own path. Now that Ye Tong is over 60 years old, has she found her own path?
"Youth on Fire" · 1982
"green and young"
In Ye Tong's acting career, courage, aura and luck were the basis for her initial fame, while delicacy and introspection are the reasons for her continued fame.
When she was 16 years old, she worked part-time as a graphic model to support her family and met director Chen Guoxi. The two met to watch a play and met Chen Yunwen, Chen Guoxi's good friend, and exchanged a few words. A few days later, Chen Yunwen called Ye Tong and invited her to star in "Youth on Fire", which she wrote and directed by Tan Jiaming. Tam Jiaming was Chan Kwok-hsi's mentor when he was working at TVB. His work "The Famous Sword" is one of the iconic works of the new wave of Hong Kong movies. Ye Tong has seen his works.
Tan Jiaming and Ye Tong made an appointment to meet in the lobby of a hotel. After meeting, Tan asked her to walk from one side to the other. Ye Tong, wearing a T-shirt and ripped jeans, walked back and forth several times. The next time I see Tan Jiaming, she has become tomato in "Youth on Fire".
tomato is a model. She just fell in love and fell in love at first sight with Louis, played by Leslie Cheung. Louis lost his mother and his father was indifferent to him. Only his young stepmother dangled in front of him. He lacked care and spent his days wandering in sex, soft drugs and Japanese pop culture. The two had sex on the day they met, and Tomato became pregnant with a child. They went on a trip with another couple played by Xia Wenxi and Tang Zhenye, and were involved in a killing.
Leslie Cheung, who had just entered the industry at that time, was very gentle and always read a book on the side, like a statue. But he can also be very lively and will joke with the director: "Did I perform well just now? Did you invite me by mistake?" 19-year-old Ye Tonghua, sitting aside, confused and confused, like a partridge, Don't dare to talk. But once she came on stage, her state was different. In the movie, Ye Tong has a naked passionate scene with Leslie Cheung. She is brave enough to say what she wants and does what she says without any shyness off camera. In an interview, Leslie Cheung recalled the shock that Ye Tong brought to him: "This girl is a genius, and she is extremely free."
Ye Tong said: "I have a good thing, I hope I can not trouble others too much, so I always want to hurry up Come and do it well, without being too coy, it makes people feel that I am more relaxed as soon as I come out."
Before filming that scene, the crew prepared some wine so that they could relax a little. After taking a break, a licorice actor told her: "Don't drink while filming." She thought about it carefully, and felt ashamed: "I have to rely on alcohol and other external substances to make myself more relaxed, rather than relying on my ability to perform. Are my acting skills deceiving the audience? He reminded me not to indulge in (external forces), and I am very grateful to him."
In November 1982, the movie was released and became a representative work of Hong Kong's new wave. In Hong Kong in the early 1980s, four idle young people repeated the youthful game of finding love and partners. The secular world of the city had nothing to do with them. Their There is no dispute, no jealousy, no trouble in love, lust is the only theme.
"That drama is very special. It was very popular at one time and cheered by others, but it was not good at the box office. It was too ahead of its time. " Ye Tong recalled. She and her co-star Xia Wenxi were nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for this film, but the award ended up being won by Ma Chen from "Into the Angry Sea." "I am very eager to win it. I wanted to win an award, but I didn’t. I felt a little bit like the time was not with me. "(laughs)
At that time, stage names became popular among Hong Kong artists. Ye Tong's real name was Li Sisi. During the filming, the director felt that she was full of vitality and innocence, "green and young", so he named her "Ye Tong", which has since become her name in the world. No.
"Seven Days of Love" · 1983
The following year, Ye Tong starred in "Seven Days of Love". She played the young woman Yang Naidong who originally lived with her husband in a big house on Lantau Island, but her husband ran away due to debts and left her behind. In this big house that is about to be paid off. To prevent her from escaping, the government sent bodyguard Li Du (played by Zhong Zhentao) to monitor her. One day the big house was robbed, and Li Du fought off the robbers. After that, the relationship between the two changed.
movie It was a huge hit and was the first Shaw Brothers film to gross over NT$10 million, ranking second in the Hong Kong box office rankings that year. Ip Tong played the role of a young woman with ease, and this role won her the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actress. She was only 20 years old when she won the award.
Ye Tong believes that at that time, the mainstream films were kung fu movies and zombie movies. Suddenly, there was a very fresh urban love sketch that was very eye-catching, so she had a chance to win the award. "There is a scene in it that makes I can't even cry. I'm still thinking, how can I cry? I know that I have a lot of shortcomings, so I know that winning the award is because the play is really special, rather than because I acted really well. How do you define good or bad acting? (Acting) is about playing an ethereal possibility. Some people didn't react at all during the play, but the audience said the play was good. Some people perform very excitedly, and the audience will say that the performance is good. It's hard to tell. "
Logically speaking, Ye Tong should have entered the golden age with Hong Kong movies since then, but she has gradually disappeared in the stream of movies, with low output and limited quality. Actresses in the same period worked hard to film, or were affected by Entrusted by favors or for self-breakthrough, Maggie Cheung was called "Zhang Shisan" because she filmed 13 movies a year, and Zheng Yuling was named "Zheng Jiuji" because she had to do 9 sets of movies a day... In an era where quantity wins fame , Ye Tong, who emerged early, kept a different pace. She made requests to the film studio very early, hoping that the contract would specify the start time to ensure her rest.
"After winning the award, I told myself to work harder and to I want to do better, but at the same time, I will also be a little proud. I feel that I have never learned this art, and I am also loved by everyone. I think that I am really great and a little bit arrogant, so I will make many demands (that are not available in the mainstream market). . When these requirements are met, I feel even more relaxed. " Ye Tong said.
Having said that, she also tried acting, but found that she could not devote herself to it. When she got to the next group, her mind was still stuck on the previous role. From then on, she only concentrated on filming one film at a time. 1988 Production 4 films is her limit.
"Flying Over the Dusk" · 1989
Learning to Act
In 1989, Ye Tong and Feng Baobao filmed "Flying Over the Dusk" together. Feng Baobao had to film a crying scene. In the second scene, she was able to let only Tears fell from her right eye. Ye Tong was amazed and puzzled. Later she discovered that professional actors can really control their emotions and tears. Controlling emotions is more demanding than letting them out. "I read the script, which sentence is it? , tears will fall and there will be pressure. In fact, it can be done, but if you have to control your emotions well, it is like a rubber band. If it is too tight, it will have no elasticity at all."
In 1991, Ye Tong and Tony Leung Ka Fai collaborated in the movie "Marriage Without Words". A couple who had been married for three years divorced because their husband cheated. After the divorce, the two people switched between the two relationships of "husband and wife" and "friends". Ye Tong knew Tony Leung Ka Fai when she was a model, but this was their first time working together. After the filming started, Ye Tong felt a sense of familiarity. She thought of the two of them going shopping and taking photos together in the past, and the long-lasting years came flooding back from her memory. She suddenly felt better. There is a lot of background information, which is different from filming in the past, and everything is easier to shoot.
has been in the industry for almost ten years, and for the first time she began to think about the relationship between characters and plot. In previous dramas, she was used to digging out some feelings from life, In the work, for example, a bird died at home, and she was very sad. This sad feeling was used in sad scenes, and it worked repeatedly. "My previous roles were basically images, and there was no big one. What needs to be expressed inside. If I make it and everyone thinks it's OK, then if you think it's OK, I'll make it OK. I thought that was right, not knowing there was a deeper level. "Yip Tong said.
"Peace Hotel" · 1995
"Flying Over Dusk" and "Marriage Without Words" won her the Best Supporting Actress Award and the Best Actress Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards, making her the first in the history of the Hong Kong Film Awards. She is the first actress to win the Best Actress Award twice and combine Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.
Even so, she still keeps a distance from the circle and insists on not participating in dramas. It seems that she is really squandering her own money. reputation. But perhaps because she was targeted when she was young, her artistic life was longer. During the same period, when actresses changed careers or retreated to the second line, she still had works published. Although she changed from the protagonist to a supporting role, as long as she appeared in the camera, Some people lamented: What a good actor.
Her most recent screen role was Zhao Huanxin in the movie "I Love You!" released in 2023. Zhao Huanxin is an Alzheimer's patient and also suffers from bowel cancer. She worked hard all her life with Tony Leung Ka-fai's character Tse Ting-shan, but in her later years she had to face the rejection and neglect of her children. As her illness worsened, Zhao Huanxin was sometimes sober and sometimes lost, and could only respond to her husband's hard work with dependence and companionship. Before the official filming of
, The crew conducted a rehearsal. Ye Tong felt that this character was very helpless, and because there were many uncertainties about her condition, she overplayed her emotions. After watching the clip, she felt that she was exerting too much force and needed to control it. "This is a very prominent one. The character can easily steal the spotlight. "
In the film, Ye Tong is wearing old clothes, with two pigtails, eyes dull, and snot and saliva always hanging on her face. After sorting out, she re-summarized Zhao Huanxin's character characteristics: She thinks she is a normal person People who have no problems themselves have problems with others. Others think she is hard, but she never feels that she is hard. When she is sick, she is like a child, reacting very directly, but occasionally she feels very guilty when she is awake. She is more like an animal. This kind of feeling, if you are nice to me, I will smile back to you; if you look in pain, then I will say "Thank you for your hard work".
This character is both tragic and complex, sad and deplorable, and has become a movie Ye Tong also gained attention again. In order to play this role well, she specially dyed her hair white. In the comments, many people did not compare Zhao Huanxin and Ye Tong for a while. The media wrote about her with the title " 60-year-old Xu Xian has become an old man scavenging.
Ye Tong’s life is much happier than that of Zhao Huanxin. After the age of 60, her life goals have become detailed and specific: going to bed before 10 o’clock every night, getting up early to do some small exercises, and eating more vegetables , Eat less meat... At the age of 50, she began to learn electric guitar to fulfill her childhood dream. Now she insists on playing for 15 minutes every day, "to give myself a little self-discipline." "
In the past, Ye Tong enjoyed the freedom of working as an actor. He memorized the dialogues and did his homework. Sometimes he would go to bed at two or three o'clock at night, sleep until 10 o'clock and get up, and eat lunch soon. It was chaotic and the whole day was wasted." For a long time, I was not a very self-disciplined person. I used to think that this was the source of my inspiration. I watched TV, watched movies, listened to music, and did not sleep. I thought it was a kind of relaxation, a kind of freedom, and a kind of freedom. Kind of cool. In fact, it is a kind of willfulness."Ye Tong said, "I have already tried it at that stage and must stop. Now I have to make good use of my time. When I get up early, the whole day becomes very real. I suddenly felt that I had wasted too much in the past. "
"I love you!"·2023
I have no talent - a conversation with Ye Tong
Southern People Weekly: Zhao Huanxin and Xie Dingshan committed suicide in the end. What do you think of their choices?
Ye Tong: They are also ordinary people with strong self-esteem. , I don’t want to get in the way of others or be a burden to others. I think their tragedy is because their self-esteem is too strong. Many things happen in a moment.
If they can get more help, life may not be so boring. Help. Even if he gives Zhao Huanxin an electronic watch, Xie Dingshan can feel much more relaxed. There are still many ways to help them, but just one thought can lead to a tragedy.
Southern People Weekly: This is one of the roles you have ever played. Is it the more difficult one?
Ye Tong: is more difficult to grasp, but I don’t put too much pressure on myself. Only in a relatively relaxed state can I perform better.
Southern People Weekly: Are you How do you know that you can perform well when you are relaxed?
Ye Tong: In the past, there were many emotional scenes and crying scenes. When the script reached a certain sentence, there was a point where tears were shed. I would be very stressed. Now I I am more confident in acting because I have many ways to enrich the character and make her inner world fuller. I don’t need to rely on external forces or find some special materials. I already have a pile of materials. I know how to use it, it's very convenient.
I began to understand what filming is about and how it works. In the past, I filmed some emotional scenes, and they were brewing there very early. I had all the emotions. The machine hadn't been turned on yet, but by the time it was time to shoot, my tears had already dried up. As I became more and more familiar with it, and knew more and more what filming and acting was all about, I became more comfortable.
Southern People Weekly: Many people who have worked with you say that you are very talented. What do you think?
Ye Tong: In fact, I have no talent. I am very lucky. I have a lot of work experience to accumulate, and I also work hard to act. I think The method makes my character more reasonable, and I can feel what kind of person this character is from the dialogue between me and my opponent. It is also convenient for myself and allows me to feel more.
I acted based on instinct at that time and never accepted it. After formal training, no one will tell you how to act better. So I always complete my work in a state of uncertainty, feeling very unsure.
Southern People Weekly: But your first play is She was nominated for the Newcomer Award at the Academy Awards and won the Best Actress in her second year in the industry.
Ye Tong: is like what I just said, many of them are images. I don’t know there is a deeper level, I try hard, but my abilities are limited. Now I think those characters are quite good. In the past, I would always criticize my own roles. I would always be very nervous and afraid to watch my own works because I always felt that the acting was not good. I also felt it was unfair, because at that moment I really acted with my heart. Now that I have grown up, I went to see "Youth on Fire" last year. As an audience member, I enjoyed watching it very much.
(Liang Yingfei/Photo)
Southern People Weekly: You have never been involved in dramas. As a popular actress in the 1980s, is it easy to adhere to such principles? At that time, many actors had situations where they had no choice but to film. For example, if the underworld came to your door, how would you deal with it?
Ye Tong: I have offended many people, and I am still making amends.
However, my work attitude is also good. I will do what I have agreed to do. I will not ask for anything extra, nor will I tell you that I can’t do it anymore. My work attitude has always maintained a good record in the industry. So I thought, "Thieves have their ways," and they thought they could let me go.
Southern People Weekly: When did you start to think that being an actor would always be your job?
Ye Tong: When I kept getting jobs. I was very young when I entered this industry, and I thought I would give myself three years to give it a try. The film company I signed with quickly went bankrupt, but people are still looking for me to film, and that continues to this day.
I seem to be able to handle some assignments that I thought I couldn't do, but I found a way to complete them. When my fame began to be known, and when everyone suddenly got to know the actor Ye Tong, I suddenly discovered that acting is not as simple as acting. I had never thought about fame. Acting is acting, just a job. But when I found out that I had the chance to win an award, more people would know me. Some people would say "I like you so much" on the street. I was scared. A jump.
When I gradually become more famous, I will think about the direct relationship between making movies or being an actor and these (fame and the things that fame brings). I can no longer go back and live like a normal person. A different path. So how to deal with other aspects of life?
When I let more people know me and won awards, I told myself that I have to work harder, but I also feel a little proud, thinking that I have never learned this art, but I will actually be loved by everyone, thinking that I have never learned this art. I am really amazing, a little bit arrogant. When I hear some comments saying that my acting is not good or that my acting is artificial, I will be very angry. I act very hard, why do you say that to me? I can't accept criticism because fame makes me feel really great.
later discovered that others were very nervous when communicating with me and felt that I was really difficult to deal with. I will also hear some people say that I am troublesome. Just reflect on yourself to see if it is true. Actually there is. Even when my head is hot, I will have a moment of clarity. I will ask myself if I didn’t win the award, would I be more sober?
I see many people working hard, they really want to act, they are very good, but they just don’t have such opportunities, and I seem to get good opportunities easily. I would also ask myself why? The only answer is that since I can be much more relaxed than others, I should cherish it more and not let down the blessing God has given me.
Southern People Weekly: Will you continue to act in ?
Ye Tong: I have gained money and fame in this industry. I also hope that I can give back to this industry. What I can do is acting, so I hope to act in some works to let everyone feel more. I hope there will be A good influence. I don’t have a particular role that I want to play. I don’t want to aspire to anything. If I say what I want to play, it’s like winning the lottery. It’s very unrealistic. I'm quite prosperous, I've been through a lot, and it's not bad to be light now.
Southern People Weekly reporter Zhang Mingmeng
editor-in-chief Yang Jingru
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-