God seems to be a bit partial, sometimes age is not the only criterion for determining the level of acting skills. For example, look at the 41-year-old Hu Ge and the 37-year-old Zheng Kai, their performance is simply the comparison between God's appreciation and graduation. Some people are born with that acting skill, while others acquire it through rigorous training and study. This contrast is really eye-catching, and it makes people have to think about the true nature of acting, whether talent or acquired effort is more important.
As CCTV's carefully selected 2024 New Year's offering, since its premiere, its reputation has lived up to expectations, like a colorful urban ukiyo-e, and it has firmly grasped the heartstrings of the audience with its deep-rooted story threads. And in the past 2023, there are very few who can compare with it, and "Hurricane" may be the only work that can set off the same enthusiastic response.
These two works have not only won wide acclaim for director Wong Kar-wai's unique artistic perspective and ingenious narrative techniques, but also benefited from the soulful and superb interpretation of the actors.
In the star-studded lineup, Hu Ge is particularly outstanding with his enduring charm, he has always shined a unique light on the road of acting from an early youth idol to a mature and stable powerful faction today. Whether it is the wise and calm Mei Changsu who was portrayed in "Langya Bang", or the indomitable image shown in "County Party Committee Compound", it makes him firmly sit on the throne of "king" in the domestic drama world.
Although the 2023 film "It's Not Worth the Trip" starring Hu Ge failed to meet the audience's high expectations, causing controversy over his acting skills and plot choices, some viewers even questioned whether he was lax in his performance and was nostalgic for the classic roles he portrayed in the past.
However, in 2024, Hu Ge made a strong return to the public eye with a well-built hit drama series "Flowers", successfully dissipated the previous negative evaluation, and amazed the four with a new artistic image.
The crew of "Flowers" put a lot of energy into the warm-up promotion before the broadcast, although the outside world has extremely high expectations for this, but it is also accompanied by worries that this show may be just a work with an empty shell and no substance. However, as soon as "Flowers" was broadcast, it immediately broke the doubts, and Hu Ge conquered all the audience with his solid acting skills and delicate emotional expression.
In the play, the character played by Hu Ge is deeply trapped in the emotional whirlpool between the four women, and each of his emotional encounters shows unparalleled depth of acting skills. No matter which heroine he faces, he can accurately capture and present different emotional levels, making the emotional relationship between each pair of CPs full of unique charm and charm.
Hu Ge's modeling design in the play is a highlight, every frame is like a movie-like texture, bringing the charming temperament of mature men to the extreme, and every subtle look and action is interpreting the complex and real life of life, which has won unanimous praise from students and fans of Beijing Film Academy.
In the TV series "Flowers", Hu Ge vividly interpreted the mental journey of the character Ah Bao with superb acting skills. Especially after the success of his role, he met Miss Wang, revealing an affectionate and unique preference for this woman, but due to different life paths, the two finally had to make a painful decision to separate.
In the last scene, Hu Ge vividly interpreted the reluctance and helplessness in Bao's heart through delicate expressions and body language, touching the heartstrings of countless audiences.
Hu Ge deeply pondered the script and carefully carved every expression and action, so that Bao's inner world, who has experienced the vicissitudes of the world, is deep and delicate. He accurately grasps the emotional bond between Po and other female characters in the play, showing the intricate relationship network between different characters, and every emotional interaction is like a vivid emotional picture, which is impressive.
In addition, Zheng Kai's performance in "Flowers" is also eye-catching, successfully breaking through the shackles of previous images and creating a very layered role of "Mr. Wei". With his excellent acting skills and unique understanding of the role, Zheng Kai broadened his acting path and brought the audience a unique and surprising performance.
In the TV series "Flowers", Hu Ge portrayed a charismatic and successful person A Bao with his unique relaxed and natural acting skills. Compared with the comedy "Mr. Wei" played by Zheng Kai, Hu Ge pays more attention to exploring the inner world of the character through delicate emotional expression, showing the complex and rich spiritual level of the character.
Although Hu Ge is not from a professional background, he has accumulated high popularity and reputation in the entertainment industry with his solid acting skills and deep-rooted character creation. In contrast, Zheng Kai graduated from the Shanghai Theater Academy, has a formal background in dramatic arts, and theoretically has more professional acting skills.
However, in recent years, some of Zheng Kai's choices have allowed him to dabble in scripts with mixed reviews, which has affected the development trajectory of his acting career to some extent, in contrast to Hu Ge's career path of steadily rising and maintaining a high standard.
However, in the drama "Flowers", Zheng Kai broke the shackles of the audience's existing impression of him with his subversive and outstanding performance, proving that the value of an actor lies not only in his educational background, but also in his unique interpretation and accurate grasp of the script and role.
His performance in the play is like a shot in the arm, making people re-examine his acting potential, and forming an artistic dialogue with Hu Ge that complements each other, and the different performance styles of the two actors jointly demonstrate the diverse artistic charm of the entertainment industry.
In the TV series "Flowers", Wei played by Zheng Kai is always a typical nouveau riche image, he seems to be cold and detached on the surface, but in fact, his inner world is complex and deep, and he is particularly focused on Miss Wang's emotional entanglements.
With his exquisite body language and unexpected character shaping power, Zheng Kai vividly expressed Mr. Wei's personality, which not only revealed the helplessness and struggle under the shallow appearance of the character, but also gave this character a unique vitality.
Mr. Wei's vivid interpretation aroused the audience's interest in the in-depth exploration of the plot, and they were eager to gain further insight into this character who was exaggerated on the surface but full of stories on the inside. The successful portrayal of this character has won word-of-mouth and praise for "Flowers". The other actors in the play are also excellent, and they each contribute wonderful performances, and together they build a diverse and three-dimensional group portrait of the characters.
The interaction between Hu Ge and Zheng Kai in this drama is particularly interesting. With years of acting accumulation, Hu Ge enjoys a high reputation in popularity and acting skills, and his integrity and domineering qualities are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and left a deep impression on him, whether in ancient costumes or modern dramas. However, Zheng Kai also showed acting strength that cannot be ignored.
He broke through himself in "Flowers", excavated and presented a little-known side of Mr. Wei, which undoubtedly injected new vitality and possibilities into his acting career.
In his acting career, Zheng Kai has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people with his iconic comedic roles, which is in stark contrast to Hu Ge's deep and introverted performance style that is good at exploring the connotation of the role.
The two actors have their own characteristics, and they have shown irreplaceable charm in their respective fields of expertise, which has left a deep impression on the audience. However, it is not very appropriate to place them in the same dimension for acting comparison, because the types of characters they create and the way they interpret them have different emphasis.
Hu Ge is known for his soulful and philosophical characters, and if he is placed in a light-hearted and humorous script, it may break the audience's perception of his usual image and bring unexpected results, but it may not be able to continue his usual word-of-mouth advantage. Zheng Kai is unique in comedy performances, especially in the TV series "Flowers", which brought refreshing surprises to the audience.
Although the difference in acting skills was highlighted when he competed with Hu Ge on the same stage, this just proves the value of diversified performing arts in the entertainment industry.
Although Hu Ge's works have a better overall reputation, while Zheng Kai often encounters negative reviews, the success of "Flowers" just confirms that there is a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger in the entertainment industry, and every actor has the potential to stand out with his own unique light. This drama is like a bright pearl at the beginning of the year, bringing the audience full of surprises and high hopes for the future development of the two leading actors.
Looking forward to the future, it is expected that Hu Ge and Zheng Kai can continue to break through themselves on their respective acting paths, live up to the eager expectations of the audience, and continue to dedicate more high-quality works. May they ride the wind and waves in their careers and create more brilliant achievements!