Born in 1986, the CCTV classic "Journey to the West" is like the eternal peak in the history of TV dramas, with 38 years of time, and no remake can achieve its glory.
Those actors who have starred in the play have become famous with a play, which is vividly shown"One role, a lifetime"The true meaning of acting.
In the world of "Journey to the West", the image of Monkey King is almost integrated with the name of the six-year-old child Zhang Jinlai, and when it comes to this heroic monkey king, people will naturally associate him.
However, what few people know is that when director Yang Jie originally selected the actors, the key role of Sun Wukong was not in the bag of Liu Xiaolingtong. In fact, he "accidentally" became a member of the crew, if it weren't for the urgency of time, I'm afraid the image of Monkey King we see today would be very different.
So, who was Director Yang Jie's original candidate for the Monkey King? The story behind this is intriguing.
The fact that few people are aware of is that when you have a lot of treasures about the 86 CCTV version of "Journey to the West", you may not know that before its bright aura, director Yang Jie had quietly taken over the task of adapting "Journey to the West", one of the four famous novels, in 1982.
Shouldering a major mission, she quickly assembled the team, but did not rush to start filming the whole show, but wisely chose a chapter of content and carefully made it into an episode to test the waters of the TV screen.
This little-known story reveals the careful preparation and tentative progress behind the 82nd edition of "Journey to the West".
The newly presented "Demon Removal Black Chicken Country" is the forerunner"A journey of discovery", originated from the careful planning of director Yang Jie. This chapter was chosen because it brought together all four masters and apprentices to appear, and the need for special effects was relatively small, and more importantly, compared to the familiar ones"Havoc in the Heavenly Palace", its storyline is more novel for most viewers, ensuring the audience's anticipation.
Director Yang Jie launched it with a nervous mood"The branch of the 82nd version of "Journey to the West" - "Demon Removal Black Chicken Country".", unexpectedly received an enthusiastic response.
The success of this work undoubtedly gave her and her team confidence, prompting them to decide to move forward with the remake of the full "Journey to the West" project. Although the original appearance of "Demon Killer Black Chicken Country" can still be found on online platforms today, compared with the 1986 CCTV version, both the actors' performance and makeup skills seem immature and unpolished.
Friends who have watched the classic "Demon Removal and Black Chicken Country" know that although the role of Tang Seng in the 86 version of "Journey to the West" has changed, the actors of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng have always been the same, especially Liu Xiaolingtong, his Monkey King image is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
However, what few people know is that director Yang Jie carefully selected four candidates before selecting him, and the six-year-old child was due to heavy tasks and time constraints"The best emergency option", not"God-given candidates"。
The story behind this is worth a deeper understanding.
In "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong's position is pivotal, he is the key link in the development of the story, and the importance of casting is self-evident. Fortunately, the original book endowed Goku with unique monkey characteristics - vast supernatural powers and straightforward authenticity.
Therefore, for such a role setting, director Yang Jie has long known it and made it clear that he will"Monkey characteristics"As a cornerstone of casting.
In director Yang Jie's memoir "Dare to Ask Where the Way Is", she reveals in detail the twists and turns of the process of choosing the Monkey King to play the role, which is full of challenges and unexpected joy.
Initially, she had a discerning eye and will"Northern Monkey King"Li Wanchun, the well-known master of northern monkey opera, is the first choice. As a famous Peking Opera family, Li Wanchun's attainments in playing the monkey are extraordinary, and he has rich experience in the role of Monkey King on the stage, and his appearance seems to be the ideal candidate in Director Yang's heart.
Director Yang Jie has a unique eye and discovered Li Wanchun, an actor with extraordinary potential. When she proposed to let Li Wanchun play the Monkey King in the TV series version of "Journey to the West", Li Wanchun agreed without hesitation, his decision stemmed from a deep understanding of the role and years of careful preparation, especially his bright eyes, as if he was born to play the Monkey King"Sharp-eyed"And practice.
Director Yang Jie was overjoyed by this, because she could see the determination and dedication to art in Li Wanchun's eyes at a glance.
As the deep conversation between the two unfolded, a subtle tension permeated the air. As a drama giant, Li Wanchun has a unique artistic insistence on playing the Monkey King, he insists on choosing to draw his face by hand instead of a hood, and insists on interpreting the characters in the TV series in a dramatic way.
Although this traditional flowery face performance has received thunderous applause on the theatrical stage, it is obviously limited to the form of TV dramas aimed at a wide range of age groups.
In the end, their discussions failed to reach an agreement, and director Yang Jie had to regretfully start looking for a new suitable candidate.
Director Yang Jie's eyes quickly locked on Dong Zhihua, a Peking Opera martial artist, and this name is probably unknown to everyone. He was once a bright star in the Peking Opera industry, and later turned around gorgeously and devoted himself to the entertainment industry, in Stephen Chow's signature movie "Kung Fu", he relied on it"Gorou gossip stick"and famous.
Thanks to the drama honing in "Havoc in Heaven" in his early years, as well as his superb stick skills, Dong Zhihua became the ideal candidate to play the Monkey King, and there was no suspense.
It is a pity that Dong Zhihua shouldered the task from the top and was sent abroad for artistic exchanges, which inevitably clashed with the filming timeline of "Journey to the West".
Although director Yang Jie was full of regrets in her heart, she had to accept this reality and decided to give up Dong Zhihua's choice. After the northern Monkey King failed to make the trip, Director Yang Jie's eyes turned to Zhang Zongyi, the six-year-old Tong of the Southern Monkey King at that time, looking forward to his joining.
Although fate pushed Liu Xiaolingtong to the throne of the protagonist, director Yang Jie did not lose the spirit of exploration and resolutely decided to go south to find it. She arrives in Shaoxing, looking forward to meeting Zhang Zongyi, a potential Monkey King.
It's a pity that the years are not forgiving, Zhang Zongyi is already old, if he can go back 30 years, then there is no doubt that the role of Sun Wukong will be him.
Thankfully, Zhang Zongyi has no shortage of loyal "Monkey Gate **" When Director Yang Jie stepped into Zhang's house, his eyes were first attracted by an eye-catching ** in the main hall.
*, ** affectionately holds a "little elf" dressed in the Monkey King costume, which seems to be jumping in the arm of the prime minister. Although this ** is widely circulated, and many people mistakenly believe that it is a six-year-old child when he was young, in fact, it reveals a special connection between Zhang Zongyi and this legendary character.
Director Yang Jie's eyes were instantly attracted by the charm of the small actor in **, and eagerly asked Zhang Zongyi for confirmation, but what he got was a poignant answer - that lively figure was another treasure of Zhang Zongyi, but because the cruelty of leukemia took away his smile, the little monkey had passed away.
At this time, Zhang Zongyi proudly introduced the boy next to him, the six-year-old child Zhang Jinlai, who firmly believed that this child was the ideal candidate for Sun Wukong. At the request of the director, Liu Xiaolingtong showed his acting skills on the spot, although he was slightly young, Director Yang Jie decided to think about it a little and left the Zhang family with expectation and a trace of hesitation.
On the way back to the guest house, when Director Yang Jie was flipping through the newspaper, his eyes lit up and he found an article about"Shao Opera Monkey Opera Artist"article, the image of the actor in ** coincides with the Monkey King Sun Wukong in her heart.
So, she couldn't wait to visit Zhang Zongyi for the second time, eager to get to know the artist. However, Zhang Zongyi did not go as she wished, but mentioned his son again, Liu Xiaolingtong.
Although he understands Zhang Zongyi's suggestion, Director Yang Jie still has reservations about Liu Xiaolingtong in his heart. Time is pressing, and in the face of the pressure of the filming schedule, director Yang Jie has no choice but to hurriedly return to Beijing with this choice, and the dissatisfaction and expectation in his heart are intertwined.
Although the early six-year-old boy's acting skills were still young, he won favor with his well-behaved and sensible characteristics. Under the careful training of director Yang Jie, the soul of Liu Xiaolingtong gradually merged with the role of Monkey King.
It is this kind of tempering that has made the 86 version of "Journey to the West" deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and loved by the whole people to defeat the Buddha Sun Wukong.
Although Liu Xiaolingtong did not meet director Yang Jie's initial expectations, the unprecedented success of "Journey to the West" has imprinted his Monkey King character into history. Although his behavior at the director's funeral attracted criticism, and even caused controversy over the evaluation of his successor, and his reputation was damaged in his later years, we have to admit that his role as the Monkey King brought endless joy to countless people's childhood, and shaped the witty, brave and innocent Monkey King in the hearts of Chinese.
Imagine, if the original role candidates were different, it is difficult to predict whether the Monkey King in "Journey to the West" will still be as popular as in the past. The Monkey King, who is six years old, has become an irreplaceable classic.