Wong Kar-wai was quite surprised, he invited dozens of experienced actors, however, a "layman" who had no connection with the film industry at all unexpectedly stole the limelight of the entire stage.
At the age of 54 years old, Fan Zhiyi surprised everyone at the age of retirement, showing unique skills beyond football. Despite his lack of acting experience, he won the favor of director Wong Kar-wai.
Wong Kar-wai has said many times: "This role belongs to you." Although Fan Zhiyi once politely refused to show business, at the insistence of his wife, he finally decided to challenge himself and accepted his new identity as an actor.
Fan Zhiyi has always understood that the entertainment industry is not his stage, but the perseverance of the king of sunglasses made him feel the preciousness of this opportunity. Under the persuasion of his wife, he stepped into the field of sports and embarked on a new journey as an actor.
Why does Wong Kar-wai take a fancy to Fan Zhiyi?Maybe it's because he, as a native of Shanghai, just fits the characters of that specific era in the play. The portrayal of this role coincides with the period experienced by Fan Zhiyi himself, which became one of the reasons why he was chosen.
In the eyes of a director with a large number of influences, Fan Zhiyi's unique charm transcended his identity as an athlete and successfully embarked on the path of acting, becoming an indispensable part of the classic "Flowers".
He is duty-bound, as a Shanghainese. I hope that today's young generation can understand what his parents have done for Shanghai through this drama. In "Flowers", Fan Zhiyi played the role of "Lao Fan", the leader of the workshop, in his true colors.
In the play, he shows the same traits as in real life, becoming a little leader with a loud voice and a fiery temper. In various rival scenes with Tang Yan, Fan Zhiyi's performance was very professional, and he had no feeling of being an amateur actor. Once turned on, he quickly immersed himself in the role. However, since he is not from a professional background, it is still a challenge to control the lines.
The frequent NG scenes made Fan Zhiyi feel pressured, but at the filming scene, he showed the temperament of "Old Fan" like a coach and was at ease. The character didn't have many fixed lines before filming, mainly by mastering the atmosphere of the scene with director Wang, and the rest was based on his personal improvisation.
It turns out that Fan Zhiyi is the best actor at acting among all the actors who play football. When talking to "Miss Wang" played by Tang Yan, his "Brother Mink" made Tang Yan laugh out loud at the scene. Although Director Wang did not delete this set of dialogues, he let this scene remain deeply in the hearts of the audience. Then, when arguing with Tao Tao played by Chen Long, Lao Fan's gestures reminded people of the scene where Fan Zhiyi was lecturing on the court. Many viewers said that this performance fully demonstrated Fan Zhiyi's real acting skills.
He played a powerful role in the play, kicking Tao Tao directly out of the door, showing the majesty of "General Fan". This role was identified by Director Wang as his, so it can be seen that his excellent performance is excellent. No matter what kind of actor he is, it seems that it is difficult to deduce Fan Zhiyi's unique charm.
After the show was broadcast, even Fan Zhiyi's master Xu Genbao expressed his appreciation for his performance in the play. Xu Genbao is well versed in his character and talent, and said that if he plays a gentle role, Fan Zhiyi may not be suitable. This high evaluation of Fan Zhiyi's acting skills highlights his outstanding performance in the play.
In addition to his acting career, Fan Zhiyi's football career is equally brilliant. In the 90s, he was a representative figure of Shanghai, and the strength of the national football team at that time was far better than now. Fan Zhiyi stands out with his all-round skills and can play almost any position on the court. In 1995 and 1996, he was awarded the title of "Footballer of the Year" for two consecutive years, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of football.
Fan Zhiyi's football talent comes from the fact that he grew up in a family with a strong sports atmosphere. His mother was a professional track and field athlete, while his father was a football player who had a profound influence on his life. Under the guidance of his father, the young Fan Zhiyi began football training. Despite suffering a serious injury in 1982 while playing for the Shanghai Junior Team against the Japanese Junior Team, he returned to sport in 1984 after a fourteen-month break.
On the pitch, Fan Zhiyi showed amazing football talent and eventually became a member of Shanghai Shenhua in 1994. His football career was not only a personal glory, but also a brilliant chapter in the football of that era.
Under his leadership, Fan Zhiyi led the team to successfully win the 95 A championship. As a result, he became a representative figure of Shanghai Shenhua. In 1998, he joined Crystal Palace, where he was named Player of the Year and captained the team, becoming an integral part of the team.
The Chinese national football team of that era was not outstanding, but Fan Zhiyi stood out and became the captain of a foreign team, showing outstanding strength. As a centre-back, he scored four goals in three consecutive seasons.
In 2001, Fan Zhiyi's Crystal Palace won 2-1 against Liverpool. This caught the attention of two clubs, Liverpool and Newcastle, who extended olive branches to him one after another. Although these ** are very tempting, the premise is that Fan Zhiyi must play for the club full-time and cannot represent China in the World Cup. Faced with these tempting but troublesome conditions, he did not hesitate to refuse, because he believed that the interests of the country were above all else.
However, not being able to join his favorite team is still a bit of a regret for Fan Zhiyi. Despite this, he is willing to make personal sacrifices for the good of the country, showing the pride of a football man. In fact, this choice proved to be the right one. Under the leadership of Fan Zhiyi, the 2002 national football team successfully entered the World Cup, which was an important moment in the history of Chinese football. In the same year, he also became the first Chinese player to win the "Asian Footballer of the Year".
The national football team met the champion team Costa Rica at its peak, and the starter Fan Zhiyi left the game with an injury on the 73rd minute of the game, missing the opportunity to face Brazil. It also marked the end of his journey at that World Cup. With the end of the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Fan Zhiyi left the national team he once played, and his football career has entered a bumpy period since then.
Not only was he deeply involved in various scandals, but Fan Zhiyi also became the focus of attention because of emotional problems. His straightforward personality was sometimes considered too reckless, making him controversial in football. Finally, in 2006, Fan Zhiyi announced his retirement, ending 24 years of struggle for football.
Fan Zhiyi, who once gave a lot to football, is now a thing of the past. He has a straightforward and keen image of telling the truth, and has left many classic quotes in interviews, such as "I don't want my face anymore". This also laid the foundation for his "variety sense".
Fan Zhiyi, as a "comedian" delayed by football, has performed well in major variety shows, especially in "Tucao Conference", he is full of firepower and unreservedly shows his ability to complain. He even found the "floor pole" of the men's basketball team when he was ridiculed as "stinky feet" in the face of the national football team, complained about football in a unique way, and left classic sentences such as "football can still have a day to spur others".
Fan Zhiyi, who picked up the microphone, instantly sketched the image of the coach on the training ground, as if bringing the audience back to that passionate moment. "It's like this at the door of the house, and the face is gone. These words sparked a burst of laughter from the audience, and the atmosphere reached a climax in an instant. Some viewers even playfully ridiculed him: his mouth is more flexible than his feet.
Fan Zhiyi's complaints about the men's basketball team on the court were unceremoniously, and he cleverly mocked basketball with the metaphor of the national football team. Regarding Guo Allen's performance of only scoring one point in the men's basketball team's life-and-death battle, he teased mercilessly: "It is really not easy to score only one point in basketball." ”
However, Fan Zhiyi, who seems to be outspoken and intimidating, showed a full "iron man tenderness" side when facing his daughter. In the program "Wuha", his daughter cried to him, complaining that her boyfriend couldn't spend Valentine's Day with her due to work. Fan Zhiyi did not rush to get angry, but calmly asked his daughter to slowly tell the ins and outs of the matter.
It turned out that the reason why the daughter was crying was because her boyfriend was supposed to accompany her for Valentine's Day, but because the team had to report and the guard's task was dictated, he couldn't fulfill the contract. Fan Zhiyi did not get angry because of this, but patiently persuaded his daughter to face it calmly, understanding that the guards had a task on their hands. Regarding the issue that the guards could not accompany her for her birthday, he suggested that someone could be found to pick her up instead of the guards. A series of thoughtfulness and understanding quickly stabilized her daughter's emotions.
In this process, Deng Chao also gradually relaxed from the initial sitting upright, and expressed great envy for the communication between Fan Zhiyi and his daughter. The whole scene reveals warmth and understanding, making people feel Fan Zhiyi's gentle fatherly heart.
Fan then showed his thoughtful side and had a compelling exchange with another figure, and the conversation quickly became a hot topic of online attention. People were infected by his calm and composed attitude, and praised his values as very positive. Fan Zhiyi did not lose self-control when his daughter cried, and he did not rashly blame his daughter's boyfriend. It is no exaggeration to say that he demonstrates the right values and ways of coping with a true father.
On the football field, Fan Zhiyi is a man of the hour, and his words and deeds have attracted much attention. However, off the field, he showed a very different side, although sometimes hot, but when faced with major problems, he can distinguish between right and wrong and do not follow the crowd. This explains why he gave up on a big club like Liverpool and made an unusual choice for the 2002 World Cup.
Whether as an athlete, coach or actor, Fan Zhiyi has been constantly breaking through himself. As a man at his peak, and still at his peak, he deserves everyone's respect for his contribution to football. This attitude and spirit have been confirmed in a number of ** interviews, and he has shown a great side in the pursuit of self-breakthrough and dedication to football.