Not long ago, in CCTV's one and eight popular TV series "Flowers", the "post-90s" old drama teacher You Benchang made a surprise appearance as "Uncle", and was praised by the audience as the "Dinghai God Needle" of the whole play. Born in 1933, You Benchang is now 91 years old, and he still devotes himself to the performance with full passion and lasting concentration.
On February 5th, "Genting Observer" invited "Granduncle" You Benchang to use the stories in front of and behind the scenes of "Flowers" to hook up You Lao's acting career of more than 80 years of ups and downs.
Don't be a star, be an artist
Don't be a star, be an expert in art. At the beginning of this issue of "Genting Dialogue", You Benchang's concise sentence is quite deafening. This is not only a conceptual analysis of stars and artists, but also the most powerful self-introduction of You Benchang, and it also implies his original intention of deeply cultivating his acting career for more than 80 years.
What is Actor? Who can be called an actor? Why be an actor? Through in-depth dialogue and exchanges, You Benchang gave a pertinent answer to the above seemingly basic but actually worthy of deep thought. For the definition of an actor, he separated "acting" from "member", and traced the basic qualities that an actor should have from the etymology: "What a star, being a member is your basic position, and acting is your professionalism." Therefore, You Benchang never regarded himself as a so-called star, but regarded an actor as a correct title.
For this line in the TV series "Flowers": "It's not loudest." You Benchang looks at it this way: "No sound, does not mean that there is no content." On the contrary, it is rich in content. Listen to the thunder in silence. From appearing on the Spring Festival Gala in 1984 to perform the pantomime sketch "Shower", to being known to the audience in 1985 for the mythological TV series "Jigong", and then to the "uncle" in "Flowers" in 2023 to regain the high popularity of the whole people, the reason why You Benchang can present the audience with a classic image that has been unforgettable for decades is precisely because he has always been able to strictly demand himself with the quality of an actor, and always embrace the original intention of an artist, sublimating every performance to the height of art.
What do you think about luck? "The timing was just right. ”
Talk about performance and not stop at performance, talk about art but not stop at art. In Genting Dialogue, You Benchang often elevates some seemingly "landing" questions to a higher dimension for answering, which is due to his own rich knowledge and life experience, and on the other hand, it is inseparable from his speculative perspective and a normal heart to look at problems.
What do you think of luck? "There is luck because everyone has his roots. Poplars, willows, pines, cypresses are all different ......Is it early or late? "The timing was just right. "At the age of 52, he starred in "Jigong", and at the age of 91, he performed "Flowers", others may attribute it to the simple word opportunity, but You Benchang can look at all this with a normal heart. The so-called "just in time" means that everything happens when it is supposed to happen, and it will happen naturally. Of course, it is not advisable to wait for an opportunity. If you want to be able to seize the opportunity, you need to lay a good foundation and prepare for it through practice. "Your standards, your stance, your attitude, and all your cultivation levels are reflected in practice, and you have to practice them every day. Life is like a play, and drama is like life. ”
Another question is, how to get through those "quiet" moments in life? This is actually a topic that many viewers resonate with: things are always spiraling upwards and waves, and there will inevitably be some dark moments, from performance to life. "Be the art of love, not the art of yourself. I am a small self, a drop of water, and if I want to melt my own drop of water into the sea, it will never dry up. The answer given by You Benchang is summed up in two words, which is "no self". If you take yourself too seriously, you will inevitably suffer because of temporary gains and losses. You Benchang wholeheartedly devotes himself to the performing arts, polishes the role with love, waits for opportunities with tenacity, and "plays small roles as big roles, and works hard as the protagonists".
In the face of the torrent and changes of the times, You Lao transcends the boundaries of his years, absorbs knowledge and learns like a sponge. "What has been experienced is direct life experience, and of course there is a lot of indirect life experience. Absorb, to absorb like a sponge, to open the brain, to open yourself. You Benchang has also established free acting training classes for many years, teaching amateur performances and cultivating young actors. Over the years, he has devoted his efforts and energy to cultivating the next generation of actors, not only to teach acting experience, but also to inherit his attitude of excellence. It is precisely because of this that we can "listen to the thunder in silence and blossom after silence". This issue of You Benchang's "Genting Dialogue" not only soothes the soul of those who are temporarily struggling, but also makes those who move forward feel the power to lift people's hearts.