Since the preparation of "Moonlight Samurai", director Hong Ying has visited Chongqing many times to audition "young people". In this movie about Chongqing's young hero saving a beauty, Dou Xiaoming, a lonely, kind, brave and fearless young man, is the core of the movie. For a long time, Hongying could not find Dou Xiaoming in her mind.

Until by chance she was at the airport and encountered a large number of people surrounding several boys. She remembers her first impression of Zuo Hang, "The exquisite facial features and attractive temperament are very similar to the beautiful boy in the Italian director Visconti's movie "Death in Venice" that she has watched repeatedly."

"Moonlight Samurai" poster

During the first audition, Zuo Hang sat on a low stool and acted like he was surprised to discover that the nurse sister was a local "big fan" (big beauty). Hong Ying was surprised by the relaxation and naturalness of this 15-year-old young idol, "His eyes are pure, and his mischief, enthusiasm, and innocence are all in one go."

In addition to exceeding Dou Xiaoming's original age setting of 12 years old in the original novel "Moonlight Samurai", Zuo Hang's conditions are "almost perfect." As a child who grew up in Chongqing, the interpretation of Chongqing dialect throughout the whole process was not a problem. Coming from an ordinary family background and observing the hard work of his parents, Hongying felt that "it was as if Dou Xiaoming was hiding in his body."

So she raised the age of the protagonist by two years. 15-year-old Zuo Hang and 14-year-old Dou Xiaoming met in the movie "Moonlight Samurai".

"Moonlight Samurai" poster

Now open Zuo Hang's Baidu Encyclopedia, his identity introduction reads "Mainland Chinese actor, singer, TF family trainee." Because of this work, Zuo Hang has a new identity as an actor.

This handsome little boy was born in 2006. He was discovered by a talent scout in 2018 and entered the "TF Family" owned by Times Fengjun. As a third-generation trainee, he will accumulate energy for his future acting career. As the rap leader in the TF family, Zuo Hang is both handsome and explosive on stage, while offstage he is sometimes funny, sometimes well-behaved, and sometimes showing precocious melancholy.

As the first trainee of his generation to be "electrically shocked", Zuo Hang admitted that he was under pressure and even felt a little "at a loss" at first. He was fully prepared before joining the group, memorized all his lines early, asked the acting teacher to guide him, and practiced and pondered over and over again.

The story of "Moonlight Samurai" takes place in a well-known key middle school in Chongqing, which is also the school Zuo Hang attended. Time spans nearly half a century, and a contemporary trendy young man and a passionate young man from the past have an interactive dialogue in time. Zuo Hang deliberately made himself "young and mature". He learned how to play the 1970s top on the spot, made seasonings and became a "small noodle expert" while experiencing life, and even the ripples on the river in the movie were all his skills.

Teenagers are all equally stubborn. The film was filmed in summer and winter. The blue-checked white-on-white sea soul shirt and shorts made people shiver from the cold. The crew prepared a local white dry for the actor to warm his body. He refused to drink and could not tell his age. In the scene where he was beaten by gangsters, he He allowed his opponents to freely attack him and even throw him into the cold river. In an interview, he proudly said, "This is a must-have experience for an actor." In the film, the intense conflict plot includes With complex emotions such as humiliation, anger, sadness and disappointment, he said that acting allows people to see faces that are usually invisible; movies have always been an option among his hobbies, and when it came to the role he wanted to play, it turned out to be "Silence of the Lambs" An "elegant villain" like Anthony Hopkins.

At the premiere before the movie was released, fans came from all over, and his every move triggered fierce screams from the audience. The host asked him to talk about his first experience in a movie. He said, "I have experienced a completely different life." The host asked a bit provocatively, "A different life? Don't you have a girl you like?" "Amid the roar of the audience, he replied slyly, "I'm still young and don't understand love."

Zuo Hang performed the exclusive pose for "Moonlight Samurai" in the movie at the movie premiere. Pictures from the Internet

The movie "Moonlight Samurai" will be released nationwide on December 15. Before the movie was released, Zuo Hang accepted an exclusive interview with reporters from The Paper and talked about his first experience of "electric shock" and his yearning for a bigger stage before he is about to become an "adult".

【dialogue】

This kid is quite stubborn. Even though he knows something is difficult, he will still do it.

The Paper : Do you still remember how you felt about the work and the characters when you first read the script? How do you understand the character Dou Xiaoming?

Zuo Hang : Director Hong Ying’s script has a strong sense of visuals. My first impression of this character was that this child is quite stubborn and wants to fight with adults. Looking back, I lament that life at that time was very different from today, and I also feel that people in that era were stronger than people today.

Zuo Hang and director Hong Ying

The Paper : Do you think you are similar to Dou Xiaoming in any way?

Zuo Hang : Maybe it’s similar in terms of “rolling”. What I mean by “rolling” is that I know that this thing is difficult, but I still have to do it. For example, when we encounter some difficult tasks, we know that the time is tight and the task is heavy, but we will not back down and will still work hard to complete it. This is like Dou Xiaoming knowing that Brother Gang is a powerful enemy, but he still launches a challenge for what he believes and defends in his heart.

But Dou Xiaoming is a more determined person than me. Throughout the film, it seems that he has no difficulty in choosing anything. I may be erratic sometimes. For example, in life, I have to think about what I am going to eat for lunch today, so I envy him this.

When the movie was finalized, Zuo Hang shared his "friendship" with Dou Xiaoming on Weibo

The Paper : As a Chongqing native, what are your feelings and memories of this city? How is the era in the film different from Chongqing where you grew up?

Zuo Hang : I feel that the feeling of Chongqing is very consistent with those four words - fireworks in the world. The Chongqing of that era in the movie may have a more rural flavor, while the Chongqing of today may be more "magical". Chongqing of the two eras each has its own advantages. But you can also notice that the fog in the movie is an image that runs from the past to the present. I learned about the historical background of the story, and also observed the performances of other actors, trying to find the feeling of the old age. At first, I was worried that my acting was more modern, and that I was deliberately trying to feel "old school". Go act.

Dou Xiaoming

Being beaten is a necessary experience for actors, the most important thing is experience

The Paper : You are the first among the trainees of your generation to start making movies. Do you feel any pressure?

Zuo Hang : There will definitely be pressure, mainly because it is the first time and I have little experience. The crew is also in an unfamiliar environment, so I may feel a little at a loss at the beginning. But as the filming progresses, I gradually seem to know what I should do, and this pressure will be relieved.

The Paper : What kind of preparations have you made for this character? The director said that you did a lot of homework in private. How did you do it specifically?

Zuo Hang : I read through the entire script first. I have a notebook, and I will summarize it section by section according to the content. The more important content will be marked in red, and I will read it more carefully in private. After that, I will go over the more difficult scenes with my acting teacher and make preliminary preparations. After reading the entire script and smoothing it out, before shooting each scene, I review the lines to be filmed and the opponent's reaction in the scene the day before. By the time of filming, I memorize all the lines naturally. I seem to be quite good at reciting.

The Paper : Some scenes in the film were quite painful to film, such as being beaten or really beaten. How did you feel at the time?

Zuo Hang : I'm a relatively well-behaved kid, and I haven't really had any fights with others since I was a kid. I've just experienced this different kind of life in a movie. Being beaten seems to be a necessary experience to become an actor. The emphasis is on experience, but I also know that everyone is weighing it in their hearts and not getting hurt.

The Paper : When filming the scene where Qin’s father died, I heard that you were still crying after turning off the phone. What was it like at that time?

Zuo Hang : It took a long time to prepare for that scene. At that time, in order to mobilize my emotions more realistically and reasonably, I imagined and perfected many storylines by myself. With my understanding and feelings of the script, I imagined myself as Dou over and over again. Xiao Ming, imagine that someone close to you is going to die. Although I have not experienced this experience myself, I also understand what this feeling is like from many other works and people around me. At that moment, I would think of a lot of things about parting. I would think about it over and over again, and I would find that I found the feeling and couldn't stop.

The Paper : You mentioned in a letter to yourself that you love to cry, so is it easy for you to activate this emotional switch through performance?

Zuo Hang : Maybe it’s more appropriate to say it’s more emotional. The crying scene is still challenging, but now it seems that it is completed.

"Moonlight Samurai" stills

Become an interesting adult and find answers slowly

The Paper : When facing the audience after the premiere, you said you were "socially afraid." Actors can hide behind their characters, but idols still have to come to the stage and communicate with the audience. Which state do you prefer? Which do you enjoy more, acting or singing and dancing?

Zuo Hang : Acting may allow others to discover a side of you that they usually don’t see. It may not be too similar to my own personality, but may be quite different in behavior. It may be a switch to discover more about your inner self. I feel that I must study and invest seriously in everything I do, but in terms of hobbies, I still love music more, and I still like to be myself more often.

The Paper : From the lyrics you wrote and some of the words you recorded, you ask yourself questions such as are you happy now, are you lonely? When did those questions start to pop up?

Zuo Hang : Maybe sometimes I observe some things in life, or when I am free, such as going to bed after a busy day, I lie down and think about what happened that day. When I have doubts, I will ask myself more about why. In fact, life is about two questions, where do I come from and where do I go, right? Life is still very long, and you have to find the answer slowly.

Zuo Hang released the lyrics of his original single "Hey Left" last year. Pictures from the Internet

The Paper : You were 15 years old when this movie was made. By the time the movie was released, it was "visible to the naked eye" that you had grown up a lot. How do you feel about growing up? I still feel a little confused from some of the words you wrote?

Zuo Hang : Every stage of life has new scenery. If a new stage comes, just accept it calmly. It’s not scary. Of course you will still feel confused, so just listen to music, do something you like, and escape for a short while.

The Paper : How would you sum up your adolescence?

Zuo Hang : Adolescence is... very "youthful", ignorant, and I felt confused for a long time, and then I got over it. I feel like I am no longer in adolescence now, and I have to pursue my ideals in life.

The Paper : What is your ideal life now?

Zuo Hang : I want to be famous, be known by more people, and have a bigger stage.

The Paper : I am about to become an adult. What kind of adult do you want to be in the future?

Zuo Hang : I hope I can become an interesting adult. Just be interesting.