Recently, the new film "Flowers" directed by Wong Kar-wai was released as planned, and it instantly caused a sensation in the premiere on the night of the 27th. The audience ratings approached 2 in just a few minutes, which really surprised everyone.
Many netizens sighed: "Sure enough, Wong Kar-wai is still the Wong Kar-wai who should not be underestimated." So, what exactly is unique about this film?Don't worry, let's get to know the starring lineup first. The starring roles not only include Hu Ge, but also Tang Yan, Xin Zhilei, Ma Yili, Wu Yue and other powerful actors.
However, the most discussed on various social platforms is the nearly 90-year-old veteran actor You Benchang. Maybe you are a little unfamiliar with the name "You Benchang", but once you mention the role he played, it definitely accompanied you in your childhood.
In "Flowers", You Benchang and Hu Ge performed the master-apprentice relationship together, and they were called uncles. Every line and every action of his shows a very natural performance, and there is no trace at all. For him, who is about to turn 90, it is truly breathtaking to be able to achieve such a high level of performance.
For today's young actors, they usually pursue Eileen Chang's famous quote: "Be famous as soon as possible." However, You Benchang belongs to the kind of late-blooming character. He was already 44 years old when he first stepped into the entertainment industry, and it was almost impossible to become famous at this age.
Therefore, at the beginning of his acting career, he devoted himself to participating in drama performances and gradually honed his acting skills.
At the age of 48, an unexpected opportunity set him on the road of acting. To everyone's surprise, he got off to a stunning start with his first foray into TV drama acting, and quickly climbed to the pinnacle of his career.
The character he plays is Lu Xun's Kong Yiji, a character with a complex and multifaceted personality. For You Benchang, who is challenging the TV series for the first time, this is a rather huge test. However, in the whole process, he did not encounter accidents, but accurately grasped the role of Kong Yiji. Every action, every line vividly shows the helplessness and vicissitudes of this character's heart.
If "Kong Yiji" opened the prelude to You Benchang's acting career, then "Jigong" pushed his acting skills to the peak. For most of the post-00s and post-90s, the Living Buddha Jigong was our childhood companion.
The shoes are torn, the hat is torn, and the robe on the body is torn", this lyric instantly brings us back to the story of Jigong in the play. At that time, You Benchang was 52 years old and faced many difficulties in the process of playing Jigong. Although many scenes require high-intensity performances from actors, he never shied away. Whenever the director proposes a feeling to achieve, he will study it repeatedly and strive to bring out the best performance in front of the camera.
There is a haunting scene in the play where Jigong needs to eat a piece of elbow.
At the same time, it needs to show a surprising taste and an unstoppable expression.
However, according to the staff at the time, the elbow had been purchased the afternoon before. Due to the unusually hot weather, the elbow actually had an unpleasant smell when shooting the next day.
Although it was too late to buy fresh meat, Mr. You Benchang insisted on starting the shooting on time in order not to slow down the filming progress. What is touching is that he did not show a trace of disgust throughout the filming process. On the contrary, in order to achieve a better shot, he swallowed and chewed heavily, and finally presented a very excellent result.
This kind of professionalism and dedication cannot but be admired, and it is difficult to see in many young actors today. Today's actors often complain about poor shooting environments, inadequate props, and even the most basic professional attitude.
And You Benchang is not only dedicated, his acting skills are even more amazing, so the role of "Jigong" has won him a high degree of attention.
However, just when everyone thought that he would take advantage of this success to continue to achieve greater achievements, he went against the mold and voluntarily stopped moving forward. The reason is not complicated, at that time You Benchang's wife was seriously ill. Therefore, he did not hesitate to put down his work and chose to accompany and take care of his wife.
Mr. You Benchang's qualities are very precious, he is not swayed by fame and fortune, and focuses on returning to his family. In the following years, he played many classic roles, such as Li Hongzhang in "The Fake Emperor", Master Su in "Qingming Restaurant", Taishang Laojun in "Baolian Lantern", and Lao Li Xianji in "The Adventures of Li Xianji". Each character carries You Benchang's hard work.
He never made special requests for a role or a script because of his age. On the contrary, compared to many young people, he is more patient, concentrates on honing his acting skills, and constantly improves on the road of acting. You Benchang is not only an outstanding actor, but also an actor who only makes the audience remember the character and not the name.
He has portrayed many acclaimed characters, but audiences have paid little attention to his name. Through You Benchang, we truly understand what is "throwing drama" acting skills. Out of love and respect for acting, he doesn't let a certain role limit himself, nor does he live up to the role for personal reasons. Therefore, in each play, the directors will give a thumbs up when they mention Mr. You Benchang.
In the latest "Flowers", although Mr. You Benchang is in his nineties, he still stays up late to participate in filming like a young actor. He never complained about his age or poor health, nor did he trouble the crew. What's even more amazing is that he shows amazing line skills in the play. Those lines seem to be deeply rooted in his brain, not only are the words correct and round, but the tone and body movements of each line are intoxicating. With such excellent acting skills, he can really be called a national-level veteran actor.
It is especially worth mentioning that many viewers didn't realize that the actor of "Uncle" was Teacher You Benchang at the beginning of this drama. It wasn't until they saw his name on the list of actors that everyone reacted quickly: "No wonder 'Uncle' is so good, it turns out that it was played by an old actor."
But this also once again proves the superb acting skills of Mr. You Benchang, he is not bound by the role, and he is not allowed to be defined by the role. Despite being almost 90 years old, he is still active on the big screen, and this professionalism is truly admirable, and everyone can't help but praise him.