The movie "Not So Passionate", released on September 28, is the only comedy movie in the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day schedule. But it’s not just a comedy, it incorporates basketball elements. There’s a lot of “bloody” in the movie, and the title is modest and polite with a bit of humor.
The film tells the story of Wei Guozheng, a basketball coach with an arrogant personality and extremely persistent pursuit of victory. He was punished for violating regulations and was forced to teach in a special school. When a conceited coach who pursues "playing is to win" meets a group of players who love basketball but have "negative ability values", they finally find basketball and life in their daily interactions and interrupted basketball training. The true story.
Wei Xiang, who plays Wei Guozheng, is the second male lead in a movie. The last movie starring him, "The Killer Is Not Calm", earned over 2.6 billion yuan at the box office during the Spring Festival last year. That was the first time that Wei Xiang, who had been playing supporting roles for more than 20 years, took the leading role. The extra actor in the film who worked hard to act was highly compatible with the actor himself in and out of the film. A good actor has been struggling in the industry. The years of dormancy have thus been seen by more people.
"It doesn't seem that exciting" poster
Wei Xiang once served in the Political and Art Troupe of the Chongqing Armed Police Corps as the captain of the actor team and achieved third-class merit. After retiring, he went to take the Nortel exam, and then on the comedy stage, he used more than 20 years of experience in thousands of plays to achieve success. Audiences who like to watch comedy movies will probably be familiar with this face, even if they don't know his name yet. He is the football coach who "eats a pig in three mouths" in "The Richest Man in Xihong City", and "Hello, Li Huanying". The staff members who are "30% sarcastic and 70% careless" are all impressive characters. When he made his stunning debut with "This Killer Is Not Calm", his good partner Shen Teng said that Wei Xiang would be his "biggest threat" in the future.
Wei Xiang said that his "passionate" memories in his life are all related to acting. The moment when he took the Nortel exam, the moment when he entered Happy Twist, the moment when he played the leading role for the first time... Compared to the last time he played the leading role Wei Chenggong, he He was moved to tears during various premieres, road shows and interviews. This time, Wei Xiang is a bit calmer and calmer. He admitted frankly about the pressure brought by "carrying the box office". During the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, when the competition is extremely competitive, he was a little anxious because the film was lagging behind in schedule and "the number of people who wanted to see it".
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
At every road show in the movie, Wei Xiang was in a lively state. He interacted with the audience intensively and exchanged jokes. The chat was full of light-hearted laughter. The quality of an excellent comedian made him efficient. He adapts to circumstances and easily resolves some embarrassing moments of "strange problems", and is as lively as a living treasure; when facing reporters, Wei Xiang turns into another person who is meticulous and rigorous, carefully choosing words and sorting out the order and meaning behind the phenomenon. Logic, serious dismantling of professional techniques, and even some "comedy sadness" of helplessness and worry about the general environment.
Before the film was released, actor Wei Xiang accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper and talked about the unique performance experience and creative status of the new film. He also had an in-depth discussion about his journey in the industry for more than 20 years and his observations and thoughts on the development and changes of the comedy industry in recent years.
The Paper’s exclusive interview with Wei Xiang
【dialogue】
"Don't look at them through colored glasses"
The Paper: One of the special aspects of "Not So Passionate" is that you really need to act with these "young people at heart" this time. Will your working methods and experience be any different?
Wei Xiang: In fact, the filming process was very difficult. There are not many teams or people in our field who can really work with special groups of people like "Heart Youth" for 8 months. Our whole team created a very warm and relaxing environment for them. We invested a lot of patience in this, and it took countless trials and errors to make it look like this.
There is no difference in the way of working. We treat them as actors, but the communication process requires more patience. You have to make them understand what to do and how to do it. At the same time, we try to fix their lines as much as possible so that they can memorize them in advance. It is normal for them to memorize many lines for twenty or thirty days. When they adapt to the filming process and can relax, our professional actors will make corresponding adjustments according to them on set.
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
The Paper: Will their "naturalness" put pressure on professional actors?
Wei Xiang: They have a very natural presentation, which does not mean that they are really excellent actors. It is because the whole team of staff worked together to complete this incredible task. I believe that the three of them will be accepted and liked by more people, but the chance of actually doing this is very slim.
Most of us should give them more patience and opportunities to invest in this society. The public should think about this issue like Wei Guozheng and not look at them through colored glasses.
The Paper: So the six-month filming period has something to do with this?
Wei Xiang: It has a lot to do with it. Because when you play with them, the number of NGs will actually be many times more than normal, and this kind of patience cannot be achieved by just making up your mind and talking about it. Once it is done, it requires hundreds of people to be together. trudging through it day after day. At most, I may have taken thirty, forty, forty or fifty pictures, and even on average I can take this many pictures.
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
The Paper: As a professional actor, would you believe that situation more than if you were in such an environment?
Wei Xiang: That’s true. Because acting is a process of back-and-forth communication. If you just give it to your opponent, it won't be easy to act if your opponent doesn't give it to you. Acting with them means that when you see their expressions and eyes, of course you can fully believe that they are the "young people at heart", and the feeling they give you will also stimulate you and make you believe in this prescribed situation and character relationship.
For example, there was a game in the basketball hall. Liangliang said, "I want to play singles." I went over and asked him, do you know what singles is? Why do you want to go solo? He didn't have any words in the script, so he just left. It turned out that when he was acting, he used the action prompts in the script as lines. He said, "Liangliang, turn around and leave." I followed him and said, "Then leave." It seemed that in that situation, this was very reasonable.
The Paper: When filming "This Killer Is Not So Calm", we felt that Wei Chenggong had some similarities with your own experience. Where did Wei Guozheng empathize with you this time?
Wei Xiang: For me, acting is a profession. If I choose this script, no matter whether I am empathic or not, I have to find a way to make others empathize. Therefore, whether I can play a role well or not, empathy is Not the most important thing.
The Paper: This is a comedy, but it has very heart-warming parts, and the characters also have their own complexity, especially the crying scene at the end. You cried hard and had many complicated emotions in it. Can you talk about that scene? of filming?
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
Wei Xiang: Yes. In my opinion, the first reason for crying is that Wei Guozheng has never felt the heartfelt recognition of others since he was a child, recognizing his value and giving him MVP and trophies. Although he also won the MVP when he was young, he did not have a harmonious relationship with everyone at the time. Among this group of "young people at heart", for the first time, his value was recognized by others.
Secondly, I think Wei Guozheng let him go at that moment. I think his original view of himself and the world was too extreme. Only at that moment did he realize that looking at the world from a different perspective would bring more happiness. The third and perhaps more complicated thing is that he may think that the goal he pursues throughout his life seems to be wrong, and he feels a little annoyed.
As you said, there are many complex feelings in it. The audience does not have to follow my interpretation when watching, they can also follow their own understanding. Originally, in the script, Fumio wrote quite a long line when he was crying, but later it was removed because he wanted the audience to feel it for themselves.
The Paper: As a comedian, you make people laugh most of the time. Is it a challenge for you to film a crying scene with such strong emotions?
Wei Xiang: Capturing extreme emotions is a difficult task for actors, because in addition to technique, it relies more on your feelings to get you into the character's thoughts.
As for that shot, everyone watched it once, and I actually cried seven or eight times. It had different camera positions and scenes, and it was very demanding to show such intense and full emotions every time.
Adaptation is not easy, it is getting harder and harder for comedians
The Paper: The previous "This Killer Isn't So Calm" and this time's "Not So Passionate" are both remakes. They interpret a role that has already had successful precedents and make this character your own. For you, Will there be pressure?
Wei Xiang: We professionals use the word adaptation. In fact, I noticed that there are many people criticizing the adaptation on the Internet. Everyone has a certain prejudice against the adaptation. Some viewers even feel that it is plagiarism. I think this concept is outdated. Adaptations are happening all over the world, and adaptation does not mean easy. Just like "The Killer Is Not Calm", a movie made seventeen or eight years ago, the world has not changed it over the past many years, but this does not mean that no one wants to adapt it. As far as I know, there are many people around the world who want to adapt this work, but the adapted script must be approved by the original author Yuki Mitani himself, which is not an easy task. So Fumio's script was approved in one go, and I'm very proud of him.
Of course, as people in our industry, you can't ask the audience to know much about this industry. Whether they misunderstand or express some natural feelings, we have to bear the responsibility. But I also want to output through the media, and I have some unacceptable or uncomfortable reactions in my heart.
Stills from "This Killer Is Not So Calm"
The Paper: Does it sound like you feel a little "aggrieved" by the audience's attitude toward the adaptation?
Wei Xiang: I noticed the controversial voices, and I didn’t want to remain unknown forever, as if I was acquiescing to something. I don’t want to acquiesce to this, because it is very difficult to do comedy in this era. Only those of us who do it can truly understand how difficult it is. We are still moving forward with difficulty, just to entertain you. In this era, the media is too developed, and it is not easy to amuse anyone.
The Paper: Indeed, we have interviewed many comedians over the years, and everyone will say that comedy is getting harder and harder to do. It seems that it is getting harder and harder for the audience to please, and it is also easy to be offended.
Wei Xiang: Whether you like comedy or not, whether you laugh or not, these things are very subjective, and it is difficult for you to use a unified standard to measure them. Because everyone's feelings are different, and a film has various feelings, and it can be understood at the audience level in any way. Especially for those of us who are in this industry, we cannot judge whether we laugh or not. The standard of a comedy. If I'm not filming, I'm still an audience member sitting in a movie theater, and all the audience members around me laugh, but I don't, then is it a comedy to me?
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
The Paper: So do you think so?
Wei Xiang: It's hard to say. Everyone else enjoyed it, but I didn’t. If it’s a comedy based on laughter, then wouldn’t it be a comedy for me? So even though only one person didn't laugh, isn't this one person in the audience important? This thing is inherently subjective. Just like taste, everyone has their own preferences for radish and green vegetables, and aesthetics have varied since ancient times. So many movies always advertise how many times the audience laughed. So to what extent can the number of laughs be counted? These things are too vague to be standardized.
The Paper: As a comedian, how long have you been thinking about this?
Wei Xiang: It is not difficult to figure it out technically. From the script structure, the way of telling the story, the creation of prescribed situations, whether there is reverse thinking, leap thinking, and whether there are misunderstandings, these are the most basic things. All comedians understand this, but for the audience, they don’t need to know this. They can just use their most intuitive feelings to describe it.
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
The Paper: You have been in this industry for many years. Have you felt any changes in the industry environment and the audience?
Wei Xiang: If you look at it for a longer period of time, you look at those countries whose film markets developed earlier than ours, and those countries that had more standardized and mature film markets earlier than ours. Their comedies account for a larger share of the film market. The share is also declining. Now it’s almost less than 15%, but if you think back to the past 20 years, were there a lot of comedies? In the early stages of development of the film market, people went to cinemas for entertainment and relief. And when people watch more, their aesthetic appreciation of movies will improve, and they will find that their expectations for movies are not only fun, but also interesting and have other charms. As a result, everyone has higher requirements for comedies, and gradually comedy films need to have the logic of the story and whether the characters are reasonable. This is normal.
So, in the long run, in the next 20, 30, 50 years, the comedy market will definitely be more difficult. This is my personal opinion. It doesn’t matter that many friends may not agree. It’s just my personal understanding, because sooner or later, no one will No one is amusing, and we are not far away from this day.
Moreover, the increase in the audience's demand for laughter, or the improvement of the point of laughter, is also the result of the joint efforts of all colleagues. Looking back on the process of improving the aesthetics of comedy since childhood, I saw Zhao Benshan for the first time, Stephen Chow for the first time, Guo Degang for the first time, Happy Twist for the first time, before and after each first time node, Do you feel that your laughter has improved?
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
The Paper: It sounds like you comedians wound up like this yourself?
Wei Xiang: That's right. Then we were almost unable to deal with it. But I mentioned this argument in an interview that day, and then I saw some comments saying "That's a matter of your level." I can't argue with the audience, because there is no way to discuss technical matters. It is not easy to reach the top in the 360 industry. It requires a lot of practice and accumulation of professional knowledge. It does not mean that we are good at comedy. No technology required.
The Paper: We say that comedy is difficult to make. On the one hand, it is due to the technical problems of comedy, and on the other hand, it is easier for today’s audiences to keenly catch certain “offenses”. Specifically speaking of this movie, because it involves “young people at heart” ", and have to be "funny" with them. Will it be a big challenge to handle this scale?
Wei Xiang: Wenxiong put a lot of effort into this, and he put a lot of effort into it when setting up the script. After watching it, I felt it was very good, and during the entire road show, there were also many "young people at heart" and parents of "young people at heart" who also watched this movie. Whether it offended me or not, I think they are the ones who have the most say. Right.
I've long known that I have acting talent, I don't need to prove anything
The Paper: Starting from "This Killer Is Not So Calm", people will say that Wei Xiang has finally been seen as a good actor. Do you think there have been any changes in the past year or so?
Wei Xiang: Yes. There are many people asking me to act, but the person you find may not be the one you like, and they may not know what you are good at. At the same time, you also have to consider what the people who want to buy tickets for you want to see from you. If you want to change, you need a process, step by step. If they just come to see you to shake off their burdens, and you suddenly perform a tragedy, they will not accept it. Although I am very grateful in my heart.
The Paper: Many comedians don’t want to be bound by this label and are willing to play different roles to prove themselves. You actually accept your “persona”.
Wei Xiang: I don’t have such “vanity”. For me, I have been in this business for 24 years, and the audience has only known me for the past four or five years. During these 20 years, I have performed in more than 1,300 plays, and in many sitcoms and TV series, but the audience has not watched it. For me, I don’t just do comedies in Mahua, I do a lot of things that are not comedies.
So for me, I don’t need to prove anything by taking on any role at this stage. I already knew that I could act, but some people didn’t see it. Whether I'm a comedian, a sketch actor, or a drama actor, it doesn't matter how I'm perceived, I accept it.
The Paper: You also know what the audience expects from you, so as the leading male lead, is there any pressure on you to carry the box office?
Wei Xiang: Definitely, it’s stressful for everyone. We’re behind in scheduling films and the number of people who want to see it, so I’m very stressed.
Stills from "It doesn't seem that exciting"
The Paper: I think you are much calmer this time. You were very emotional when you finally got the leading role in the last movie. Was that a "bloody" moment in your life?
Wei Xiang: That’s so exciting! My blood was boiling when I watched "The Killer", and I was also very excited when I sat down to watch it. Not only because I was the leading actor, but I also loved that movie very much. But I only get that level of excitement once, because it’s the first time in my life that I will be the leading male lead. I was definitely excited. I thought I was going to die.
The Paper: So this time it became “not that enthusiastic”?
Wei Xiang: It will be better, but the pressure will be greater. Of course I know how well the performance goes. When this character is built from scratch, it is like building a building from the ground. When you lay the foundation, only you know every difficulty you encounter. I vividly remember the pain we faced when we created this character and the actors who were both "Young at Heart" and those who were not "Young at Heart".
The Paper: During the road show, I thought you were very cheerful and kept making jokes to interact with the audience. But during the interview today, I thought you were a very serious person.
Wei Xiang: Maybe it’s because we who work in comedy are much more sensitive, so when the scene becomes cold, we feel particularly intolerable, and we habitually throw away the burden quickly.
In fact, we are all the same. We are also actors in life. If we only have one side, everyone will have a different side. It is not just comedians.
The Paper: Looking back at your resume, it turns out that you were in the art troupe at the beginning. It felt like a very restrictive and serious place. When did you discover you had a talent for comedy?
Wei Xiang: I think I really discovered it after I went to Mahua. But in my opinion, this is not called comedy talent, but acting talent. I may seem a bit thick-skinned when I say this. I think I have acting talent, otherwise I would not have persisted for so many years. In those days when I was almost out of food, the reason why I was able to get through it was because I asked myself countless times, I'm sure I have the ability to perform. For me, I don’t think I have to act in comedy, but people know me through me acting in comedy.
The Paper: How do you view those days when you were “obscure”? What impact does being surrounded by great comedians have on you?
Wei Xiang: I think I am particularly lucky because I have a stage where I have been practicing kung fu for 12 years and meeting the audience every day. For me, these 12 years have been a rapid experience in my skills. We all complement each other, you are in me, and I am in you. Especially Shen Teng has a great influence on me, as well as Yan Fei and Da Mo. They all have their own personalities in comedy writing and expression.
