Chapter 254: Giving Zhou Dong a Lesson in Acting

【Reborn Starting from Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

Although he didn't meet Gong Huang or Fa Ge, Cheng Chen didn't come away empty-handed.

For instance, the man with the large face and bald head right in front of him.

Besides that line, "I want hand-ground coffee," Cheng Chen's strongest impression of him was…

Him chewing a cigar, expressionless, firing a machine gun—tatatata.

That's right, this man is Ni Dahong.

Ni Dahong was born into a performing arts family in Heilongjiang Province; both his parents were actors.

Growing up in this environment, he developed a deep interest in performing arts.

After watching films and imitating the characters, he applied to Zhongxi Academy but wasn't accepted, so he first worked at a theater for a year.

After successfully entering Zhongxi Academy, his start was always more mature than others'.

Of course, this maturity applied to his conduct, his acting, and even his thick, elderly-looking face.

At school, whether rehearsing plays or skits, he always played fathers, grandfathers, or elder roles, earning him the nickname: Old Master Ni!

Not long after graduating, he was noticed by Xie Jin and appeared alongside creamy boy idols and Lv Xiaohe in the film Curse of the Golden Flower.

Hmm, the title of this movie might sound unfamiliar to some.

But it was truly a great film, and a boldly made mainstream production.

It could easily be said to crush today's mainstream films.

When this film premiered in Gang Sheng, it caused a sensation, breaking the 30-year box office record for Mainland films in Gang Sheng.

Afterward, Ni Dahong took on many roles but remained consistently low-key.

It wasn't until he portrayed Doctor Jiang in Curse of the Golden Flower that he finally entered the public eye.

Influenced since childhood by Stanislavski's theatrical theories, Ni Dahong preferred to be an "experiential" actor.

While filming Ming Dynasty, he played the villain Yan Song.

That year, he was only 47. Ni Dahong seemed far removed from the aged, frail Yan Song.

The director didn't believe he could portray such a complex, octogenarian character.

To everyone's surprise, after makeup, Ni Dahong instantly won the director's praise.

"After Ni Dahong, no one can play Yan Song."

To prevent audiences from breaking immersion, Ni Dahong rarely stayed on set during breaks.

In his free time, he often pondered how to appear even older.

Ni Dahong gave Yan Song a slight hearing impairment and trembling hands.

One reason was that these traits are common among the elderly; another was that they subtly reflected the character's circumstances and inner state.

According to him: "After each day's shooting, my movements were very slow.

If I had several days without scenes and went out to eat with friends, they'd wonder why I seemed so foolish lately."

It's said that when people on set accidentally bumped into Ni Dahong, they immediately rushed to help him, afraid they'd hurt the old man.

Thanks to his role as Yan Song in Ming Dynasty, Ni Dahong became a legend, cementing his status as a master of acting.

To better experience acting, Ni Dahong had long been stationed on the stage of spoken drama…

"Master Ni, you're here so early too?"

Cheng Chen walked up and smiled.

"You're Cheng Chen?"

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【Reborn Starting from Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

Ni Dahong, an "elderly man," rarely went online and occasionally read newspapers—only official media.

Though he moved in entertainment circles, he treated acting as just a job, keeping his life completely separate.

Had Cheng Chen not become so famous now, and had he not occasionally encountered promotional material or TV dramas in daily life,

Ni Dahong wouldn't have recognized him.

"Yes, I'm Cheng Chen."

Cheng Chen smiled.

For veteran actors with real skill, Cheng Chen genuinely respected them.

"Oh, I watched your Great Dyeing Workshop. Very good."

Ni Dahong smiled.

"Ah, to receive praise from a veteran like you, I'm overjoyed!"

"I can't accept such praise."

Though the term "veteran actor" sounded unfamiliar to him, he could easily deduce its meaning from Cheng Chen's tone.

After chatting with Ni Dahong for a few moments, Ni Dahong had other business and left first.

Cheng Chen stood where he was, watching his back, thinking of a drama perfectly suited for Ni Dahong…

Literally tailor-made for him—if only he could get him to join that drama…

As he thought, Cheng Chen wandered around the set.

The set was based in Wulong, Shancheng.

If you've watched CCTV often in the future, you probably know this place.

In 2016, CCTV did a major, detailed report on this location.

The reason? Probably because Lao Mou Zi filmed several scenes of Curse of the Golden Flower here.

Transformers 4 also used this place as one of its filming locations.

Cheng Chen and the others were at Tiansheng Three Bridges, where looking down revealed a narrow path winding through the valley floor.

On one side flowed a quiet stream; on the other, dense forests clung to the steep slopes and cliff faces.

Swaying gently in the clear breeze, it looked deeply soothing.

But the mountains were still chilly at this time; Cheng Chen had only stood outside admiring the view when he began to feel the mountain wind was too biting.

Returning from outside, just as he reached the entrance to the lobby, he spotted a familiar figure.

Zhou Dong.

"Oh, you're here so early!"

Cheng Chen had thought he was the first to arrive, but unexpectedly Ni Dahong had come—and now this drinking buddy had arrived too.

"Yeah, I just got here. Heard you'd arrived, so I came looking for you."

Zhou Dong said with a smile.

Since their drunken encounter, their relationship had grown much closer, and they occasionally called each other.

"To be honest, I'm feeling pretty unsure."

Zhou Dong rubbed his hands, speaking with little confidence.

Zhou Dong wasn't unfamiliar with film and television—he'd even acted in Star Garden back in 2002.

Of course, strictly speaking, that TV series wasn't a proper drama.

It was more like a reality show with autobiographical elements.

Star Garden, directed by Cai Yuexun after Meteor Garden, was a romantic story series co-created with renowned TV producer Zhang Xiaoyan, totaling 156 episodes.

Think about it—156 episodes! That's as long as those morning soap operas.

The show's most striking feature was its star-studded cast, whose real-life romantic entanglements formed the central storyline.

It also pioneered a unique format blending plot with music—doesn't that sound familiar? Like those Indian TV dramas?

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【Rebirth Starting from 2002 in Chinese Entertainment】【】

You can hardly imagine Zhou Dong suddenly bursting into song mid-scene—still not getting it?

Haven't you seen The New Legend of Madame White Snake? Aaah~ Aaah~ The beauty of West Lake in March~ It felt just like that.

The show consisted of romantic love stories performed by top-tier stars from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Mainland.

The protagonists' names in the drama were all the actors' real names.

The background music was sung live by the stars themselves, blending the actor, plot, and song into one seamless whole.

When these hit songs by popular stars were seamlessly woven into the TV series, how did it feel? Absolutely satisfying for fans!

After that came the film Initial D, which many movie fans know well.

This movie needs no introduction—even if you haven't seen it, you've heard of its name.

But noteworthy is that Zhou Dong won the Best New Performer Award at the 42nd Golden Horse Award and the 25th Hong Kong Film Award for this film.

Yeah, he's a Best Actor now.

But right now, our Best Actor Zhou Dong was genuinely nervous.

This anxiety stemmed from the trauma of his last audition.

After all, Lao Mou Zi hadn't been satisfied with his audition performance at all.

Since that day, Zhou Dong had thrown himself into studying acting, even turning down many commercial gigs.

After all, he was facing Zhang Yimou—a director famously strict.

Seeing Zhou Dong's nervousness, Cheng Chen decided to help his good buddy—he'd already freeloaded so many songs from him; he owed him at least this much.

"Let's go over it together—what parts don't you understand?"

Cheng Chen offered.

Hearing Cheng Chen's words, Zhou Dong immediately realized his buddy was going to help him out.

He'd seen Cheng Chen's acting firsthand—during the audition, Cheng Chen had completely crushed him.

So learning from someone like that, he felt zero pressure.

"Let's go to the room and talk."

Zhou Dong suggested.

"Alright."

In the room, Zhou Dong pulled out his script.

It was covered in markings made with highlighters; beside the lines he'd written notes on tone, expression, and emotional delivery.

Looks like Zhou Dong was a diligent little learner.

"This scene, and this one… and this one."

Zhou Dong pointed out the scenes troubling him, then looked at Cheng Chen.

Seeing so many marked sections, Cheng Chen felt a headache coming on—he set the script aside and said:

"Let me briefly explain your character—from my perspective. See if any of it helps."

Lao Mou Zi had given Cheng Chen the script in advance but hadn't specified which role he'd play.

So during his seclusion, Cheng Chen studied nearly every role suited to him.

Among them was Yuan Jie, the role Zhou Dong was playing.

Cheng Chen paused, then said:

"Yuan Jie is brave and battle-hardened, fiercely loyal, deeply filial, commanding tens of thousands of elite troops.

First, the Empress has been having an affair with Yuan Xiang—the King has long known.

One is his beloved son; the other is the daughter of his trusted ally."

Family is important, but the empire is even more important! So the King can only pretend not to notice.

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【Rebirth Starting from Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

In the drama, the King forces the Queen to drink various medicinal soups every day; this life, worse than death, forces her to make a choice!

The Queen knows the King has poisoned her, so she pressures Crown Prince Yuan Xiang.

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince is cowardly and fears death; he would rather injure himself to appease the Queen's hatred than rebel against his own father!

The Queen realizes she cannot rely on Yuan Xiang, so she calls her other son, Yuan Jie.

Before him, she performs a self-harm act to make Yuan Jie believe his mother is being oppressed by his father and has no choice.

Yuan Jie, filled with filial piety, cannot bear to see his mother suffer, and resolves to raise an army and rebel.

Yuan Jie believes his plans are meticulous and flawless, but the King, shrewd and calculating, has seen through everything.

Thus, in the end, Yuan Jie is defeated.

The King never intended to kill Yuan Jie, but Yuan Jie's foolish filial piety sealed his fate.

He would rather sacrifice his own life to save his mother's than live on in shame—and so he drew his blade and slashed his own throat!

The King's three sons: Yuan Xiang is weak and inept, cowardly and fearful of death.

Yuan Cheng is loved by neither his father nor his mother; he is like an afterthought.

Yuan Jie is brave and skilled in battle, wise and intelligent, yet he lost his life because of his foolish filial piety!

Of the three sons, Yuan Jie had the greatest potential to become King—but his foolish filial piety destroyed his bright future.

Cheng Chen spoke slowly, doing his best to help Zhou Dong untangle these relationships.

"Look again at this scene."

Cheng Chen pointed to the passage marked in the script with a highlighter and said:

"At this point, nearing the Double Ninth Festival, Yuan Jie—who had been exiled to guard the northern frontier for years after committing an offense—is recalled."

Yuan Jie does not return to the palace first; instead, he camps at the relay station, and the King personally visits the station to spar with Yuan Jie.

Although Yuan Jie gains the upper hand in the confrontation and feels the fight is evenly matched over several rounds,

he ultimately loses to the King—this contest foreshadows the outcome.

Because of Yuan Jie's return, a family banquet is held at the Chrysanthemum Terrace.

During the banquet, the young prince Yuan Cheng tries to impress the King; when the King asks questions, he eagerly answers.

"On the ninth day of the ninth month, the two nines coincide; the sun and moon are both yang—thus it is called Double Ninth..."

But the King's real intent is not to receive an accurate answer.

The King says, "The platform is round, the table is square; heaven is round, earth is square—this is the law of heaven and earth, the foundation of order.

Within this circle and square, each of you must know your place. This is order: ruler and subject, father and son, loyalty, filial piety, propriety, righteousness—order must not be broken."

This is actually the King's warning to the Queen—he uses her failure to finish her medicine before the banquet as an excuse to humiliate her.

When the King pressures the Queen, Crown Prince Yuan Xiang and young prince Yuan Cheng kneel and beg her to drink the medicine.

Notice Yuan Jie's reaction... only Yuan Jie kneels and begs the King not to torment the Queen.

This is why the Queen loves Yuan Xiang so much, yet when he plans rebellion, she chooses Yuan Jie to be King."

"Too rigid breaks easily."

Zhou Dong's eyes lit up; something important seemed to flash through his mind.

"You can understand it that way. Have you seen 'Thunderstorm'?"

'Thunderstorm' is the prototype of 'Curse of the Golden Flower'; when he took on this film, Zhou Dong naturally studied it.

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【Rebirth Starting from Chinese Entertainment 2002】【】

"Having seen 'Thunderstorm,' you know Yuan Jie's prototype is Lu Dahai.

Lu Dahai has ideas and takes action, sharply contrasting his stepfather (Lu Gui).

He is like the sea—wild, straightforward, and never compromises.

As a worker representative, he wages a determined struggle against his biological father, Zhou Puyuan (the prototype of the King).

He demonstrates his spirit of rebellion, yet due to his lack of experience, he has flaws like recklessness.

Applied to Yuan Jie, these traits are exactly what you just called 'too rigid breaks easily.'

Remember, the King rose from a Commandant to his current position—not merely through brute force.

He is a politician, and it is precisely because of this that he keeps all three sons firmly under his control.

Especially Yuan Jie, the most rebellious, who, like Lu Dahai's fate, possesses only reckless courage.

This is the Yuan Jie you must portray: a man with rebellion and struggle, but whose inner recklessness makes him a tragic, pitiable figure."

Cheng Chen delivered the final verdict, defining the character of Yuan Jie.

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