When ghosts scare people but also need to meet KPIs, "urban legends" become part of the internal competition in the underworld workplace. The movie "The Way of Weird Talent" tears open the survival anxiety of real society with the bizarre setting of the "underworld entertainment industry".

The horror comedy "The Way of Weird Genius" was released in mainland China on February 22. The film uses entertaining comedy packaging to explore serious issues such as involution and survival that plague contemporary young people, allowing the audience to gradually touch the deep core of the film in a wonderful and refreshing feeling of shouting and laughing. The film was released in Taiwan and Hong Kong last year and received many praises. Not long ago, it was nominated for the "Best Asian Chinese Film" at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards. The Douban score of the film also rose from 7.4 to 7.7, making it a surprise Chinese film masterpiece at the beginning of the year.

The film’s Douban score is climbing.

In the film, the leading actors Chen Bolin and Zhang Rongrong, one incarnates as a "greasy agent" and the other interprets as a "dead ghost queen", and they have achieved a breakthrough in the boundaries of performance in the interweaving of horror atmosphere and black humor. Makoto was an idol singer who dreamed of becoming a star, but died before she became famous. After becoming a ghost queen, she couldn't find her way to survive in the ghost world where female ghosts are "popular", but fortunately she met the ghost queen Catherine played by Zhang Rongrong. The scary queen Catherine, who firmly believes that "talent will naturally be seen", is a superstar in the ghost world. She seems to be aloof and strict, but in fact she is a proud and soft "roll king" who is secretly working hard. The two once dominated the world with the urban legend of Wanglai Hot Spring Hotel, but they could not escape the "mid-life crisis" of overlapping new and old.

Recently, Chen Bolin and Zhang Rongrong accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper, talking about their unique feelings that their trip to the "underworld" was like "living again."

Chen Bolin and Zhang Rongrong accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper.

Chen Bolin: A manager who is not greasy is not a good idol singer

Makoto, played by Chen Bolin in "The Way of Weird Talent", has changed from his previous clean and youthful appearance to a greasy one. Chen Bolin introduced that Makoto had a passionate dream of becoming an idol singer, but fate played tricks on him and he failed to realize his dream. After becoming a manager in the underworld, his character still retains traces of his past.

Talking about the characteristics of his character, Chen Bolin said, "Makoto is really a very greasy chatterbox, he can't stop once he starts talking." The biggest difficulty in interpreting this role is to find the right degree of "greasy". "It has to be greasy in a cute way, but also restrained and not too exaggerated, and also prevent the beard from falling off when talking too much."

Chen Bolin plays the greasy agent

In the film, Chen Bolin has a retro MV segment that is both "eye-catching" and "brainwashing", and the audience who have seen the movie will definitely be impressed by it. Chen Bolin revealed that originally the scene was only a few dozen seconds long, but as the filming went on, it became more and more exciting, and the director simply fulfilled Makoto's unfulfilled dream of becoming an idol singer. Regarding the handling of that performance, Chen Bolin said, "I was singing and dancing very seriously, and it had to be a little funny, but not too handsome, which was actually a challenge."

The film is a mixture of horror and comedy, but also has some emotional and heartfelt parts, which requires the actors to perform at a certain rhythm. "The rhythm of comedy is more difficult to master. When acting in emotional scenes or inner scenes, you usually have time to prepare and get into that state, but comedy requires you to be in the beat and rhythm, and cooperate with everyone at the same time. This is not a play that can be produced in a short time. So it is relatively more difficult and stressful."

Makoto, who is already a "mature uncle" in the film, discovered the new ghost "classmate" played by Wang Jing. In the process of "old and new", Chen Bolin also reviewed his growth path in the entertainment industry. "We have also experienced the entertainment industry from the time when there was no Internet to the current social media era. The changes are too great. Just like the ghosts in the movie, we need to keep learning and keep up with the times."

From the passionate and sincere young man Zhang Shihao in his debut work "Blue Gate", to the affectionate and warm man Li Daren in "I May Not Love You", to the restrained rural teacher Jiang He in "See You Tomorrow", he has created many impressive characters. Today, Chen Bolin is also trying to continuously expand his acting range. When he encountered the peculiar script "The Way of Weird Talent", even before reading the complete story, Chen Bolin actively sought to participate in the performance. "I think it is a very happy thing to meet Makoto at this stage. In fact, there are very few scripts writing roles of my age recently. Makoto is also a gift to me."

Zhang Rongrong: My face is sour, but it makes the audience laugh

If the talents of ghosts can be divided into civil and martial arts, then Zhang Rongrong can be called the "martial arts master" in "The Way of Weird Talent".

In Catherine's life, she was born into a rich family and received a strict education. She was also driven to despair by emotional setbacks. In the second half of her life, she worked hard to create the famous "Room 414 Urban Legend", but she could not escape the loneliness of the changing times.

Catherine's background is full of sadness, which made Zhang Rongrong sigh with emotion when talking about this character. "She has to work hard all her life. After becoming a ghost queen, she still practices every day. It was not until her classmates joined that she let go of her obsession a little. She tried to tell herself not to be too hard on herself and not to be a special person. Anyway, the boys I like in my team will look at me."

As a classic element of horror movies, the ability to scare people is a lesson that Catherine cannot neglect for a single day. Zhang Rongrong's performance in the film is also very dedicated, which greatly subverts the audience's previous cognition. In the behind-the-scenes special, the scary queen Catherine lightly stated her own motto for success, but the devilish training course behind it was extremely painful. Because the scary methods all rely on "superb physical skills", stretching and bending the waist are already exhausting, crawling forward and crawling quickly are even more difficult, and all the skill points are enough to make the performers "scream like ghosts and gods". "In addition to yoga, we also have to practice some parkour and some martial arts parts, which have to be rehearsed very accurately. At that time, my waist hurt every day."

The "devil" training Zhang Rongrong experienced

In the public's perception of traditional horror films, the fact that ghosts scare people seems to have been an established fact. However, in the peculiar imagination of "The Trickster", the skills of ghosts are actually defined by humans. "In our impression, friends in the underworld have some special abilities, such as floating and passing through walls, but in this movie we don't do these things at all, so it's all very much like a large-scale stage play. When acting as a ghost, you have to be fully prepared mentally, and even make yourself a little painful, so that you can scare others in the most terrifying way. This setting is quite cute." Zhang Rongrong said.

In the first half of the movie, Catherine is not a likable character. As the plot develops, her "sharp tongue but soft heart" traits and the charm of the character gradually emerge. Unlike Makoto, Catherine is always "dignified" and does not actively participate in the comedy or create jokes. "The sense of humor of this character lies in the fact that she looks so arrogant, but she is actually a tsundere. How to have a sour face but make the audience laugh is quite difficult to grasp."

Zhang Rongrong has also created many characters of different styles in her acting career. From the young and ignorant Xiao Ai in "Miao Miao" to the peerless Yang Guifei in "Legend of the Demon Cat", Zhang Rongrong's characters are either fresh and natural or noble and elegant. In recent years, from the blind girl in "Flying Against the Light" to the female police officer who stepped forward in "The Accidental 3", Zhang Rongrong's roles have become more profound and diverse, and less and less related to the label of "beauty" in her early years. Zhang Rongrong didn't care about her "ferocious" performance in the film this time. "I don't care at all. An actor must believe in the role he is playing. If there are these concerns, the feeling will not be in place. It means that I worry about things that I shouldn't worry about before acting."

Zhang Rongrong admitted that she had felt the inner struggle and confusion that Catherine experienced in the film, and was deeply healed by this role. "Playing Catherine this time, I seemed to have suddenly experienced her life, from a big star who was in the limelight to someone who was out of fashion. I seemed to feel a little bit sad, but it's not that the world doesn't want her, it's that she hasn't faced up to what she really wants."

Zhang Rongrong, who has experienced ups and downs in the industry, has her own understanding of the theme of the film. "I think what the film wants to talk about is the core of seeing and being seen. When they are in the underworld, everyone is just a hard-working worker who has to work non-stop in exchange for the opportunity to not disappear. So even if you become a ghost, it is actually like living one more life, reconciling with your previous self, and meeting a group of new partners to move forward together."

In the film, Chen Bolin and Zhang Rongrong are a pair of lovers who pretend to be ignorant. They have many unspoken understandings and regrets of love that cannot be expressed in words. It is really fun to watch. According to Catherine's "official disclosure": "Makoto must be worried whether Salin has forgotten her ex. Catherine is always reserved and is embarrassed to let down her guard and let him see my true feelings for him. But in fact, Salin has liked Makoto for a long time. She wants to see her ex-boyfriend just to make you angry. She is even a little jealous that he brought his classmates back."

Finally, when talking about the recommendation of "The Trickster", Chen Bolin said enthusiastically: "This is an unprecedented horror comedy, which is rare in this era. It is suitable for audiences of all ages. Everyone can see themselves or the shadows of people around them in it. They can laugh heartily and gain something." Zhang Rongrong also added: "People with little courage can also watch it with confidence. Although this movie is scary, it will make you laugh out loud in the next second. It uses the shell of tragedy to wrap the core of comedy, which is full of power and warmth."