Stephen Chow： It seems that at my age, every new play will be said to be out of talent

　　The word "superstar" came from Zhou Xingchi’s mouth, with a very "nonsensical" style. At first, it was very funny, but when you think about it, it is deeply meaningful. These four words can be said to be a true portrayal of Zhou Xingchi’s career as an actor. The dragon set achieved Zhou Xingchi’s superstar status, making him change from "Zhou Xingxing" to "Xingye", while the superstar made Zhou Xingchi "because of invincibility, a little lonely".

　　When "Superstar" recalled "Dragon Set" Zhou Xingxing, he said: "I wait every day, but I don’t know what I’m waiting for. In fact, it should be waiting for an opportunity. Wait year after year, wait one second a day. Finally, when I was about to’die ‘, I finally had the opportunity, and I realized that it was not an opportunity, it was a complete misunderstanding, so I continued to wait."

　　So, in 1999’s "King of Comedy," Liu Piaopiao tells Yin Tianchou: "It’s so dark in front of you, you can’t see anything." Yin Tianchou says: "No, it will be beautiful after dawn." But at the end of the movie, Yin Tianchou still lost the opportunity to play the lead role and did not arrange a successful ending for him.

　　After 20 years, Zhou Xingchi, who had 20 years of life insights, was even more childlike and liked fairy tales, so he made "The King of New Comedy" again. In the film, the heroine, Rumeng, saw the dawn. In this imperfect world, Zhou Xingchi wanted to give the audience a perfect ending: "Because I think this can encourage everyone more directly, so that the audience can see that life will not be a walk-in forever. It can be said that 20 years ago, the audience did not see’dawn ‘with Yin Tianchou, but 20 years later, everyone can see it. After dawn, it is really beautiful."

　　The auction was completed in two months, but it took seven or eight years to think about it.

　　On November 29, 2018, Stephen Chow’s new work "The King of New Comedy" was officially announced to be released on February 5, the first day of the new year in 2019. Once the news was released, it quickly became a hot topic. In addition to the expectations of star fans, it also attracted a lot of controversy, such as "Why shoot" The King of New Comedy "after 20 years? Stephen Chow is frying cold rice, because Jiang Lang has exhausted his talents", and it is said that "the movie was shot in two weeks. Because the production of" Mermaid 2 "was overdue, in order to fill the gap, Stephen Chow temporarily started filming" The King of New Comedy ".

　　For all kinds of "nonsense" and suspicions, Zhou Xingchi is not in a hurry and is not annoyed. He replies one by one, and he says with a smile: "It seems that at my age, every new play will be said to be talented. I have fried Yangzhou fried rice, but I have never fried cold rice." Mermaid 2 "has a long post productin time, and it was originally planned to be released in 2020."

　　Zhou Xingchi revealed that seven or eight years ago, he was already considering making another story about the struggles of the little people: "I’ve been thinking about doing something else, and occasionally I think about it. It was three years ago when I felt like I was thinking about it, and I suddenly thought about it clearly, and I started to prepare little by little. In this era, how to re-show the story of the past, but have a different feeling, this is what I have been thinking about."

　　"The New King of Comedy" came out of nowhere because the film was based on the title of "Plan D". There were rumors before that Stephen Chow was going to make "The King of Comedy 2", but the news was later denied by many parties. Chow admitted that he did "keep a low profile" on purpose. "Because the final name of the movie has not been decided yet, and I don’t want to give everyone spoilers, I just changed the name. Then why am I called’Plan D ‘instead of ABC, because ABC has already been registered by others, so I had to choose D."

　　In Stephen Chow’s mind, it was not because’The New King of Comedy ‘was an IP sequel that the difficulty was reduced. Out of his devotion to movies, Stephen Chow would not allow himself to neglect the work. "I think I need time.

　　"If it’s ok, then I’m too good." Mr. Chow denied that "The New King of Comedy" took two months to shoot because the film had no special effects, so it was relatively simple to shoot and not troublesome to post productin: "If you start with the official script, it should be three years. After the script was completed, it was actually very fast to shoot, but this time we used a different shooting method and spent some time in this regard."

　　Every time I see a group performance, I am reminded of my own experience

　　The actors who have worked with Stephen Chow, especially the group actors and set actors, will feel very distressed for him because he is too hard. Not only do the crew work hands-on, but every actor has to personally teach the play, including the group performance, the dragon set, and the filming of "The New King of Comedy" is no exception.

　　Stephen Chow admitted that filming is really tiring, so he sometimes wants to be a robot. "However, sometimes when you are doing what you like, you don’t feel too tired, and that feeling of fulfillment will dilute the fatigue. For a movie, there are no small roles, everyone is a useful role. To achieve the effect of the movie, no matter what kind of person it is, they will have an impact on the final presentation of the movie. Maybe it’s because of my own expression habits. I think the performance is more intuitive. I want the actors to immediately understand which feeling I want. But in the process, they will also create a lot of different things of themselves. In fact, everyone is giving inspiration together."

　　"The New King of Comedy" tells the story of the heroine Rumeng who encounters various setbacks in her life, but never gives up. Chow Xingchi said that every time he sees a group performance, he "naturally thinks of his own experience".

　　Stephen Chow’s movies were good at telling stories about little people, and his ability to tell the lives of little people from a normal perspective rather than a high-minded attitude was related to Stephen Chow’s mentality. Although he had been a superstar for many years, he would always say in interviews that he was still a little person and had an ordinary life. "The lives of those little people have not left me, but my job is to make movies, so everyone knows me, so I can continue to make movies and do what I like."

　　The only star in "The New King of Comedy" is Wang Baoqiang. Why don’t you find more mature actors to play? Mr. Chow said he wanted to give more people who are passionate, have dreams, and have been working hard a chance to find more talents. "This is what I have been doing myself. I hope that young actors will continue to appear, so that they can be inspired to participate in the film industry."

　　Zhou Xingchi often used some crew members in the movie, such as screenwriters, assistant directors, etc., who would become cast members. When asked why he had this "hobby", Zhou Xingchi laughed and said that because these people also have actor dreams, and there are many stories in the play in "The New King of Comedy", many of the characters are the cast members of the movie, "So it’s better to find real people to act, isn’t it?"

　　To be funny requires a very painful experience.

　　In "King of Comedy", there are many scenes from Zhou Xingchi’s real experience. For example, in the film, Yin Tianchou is shot to death by Du Juan’er after changing into a priest’s costume, but until Du Juan’er has dealt with all the bad guys, Yin Tianchou still plays "inner drama" later, so anxious that the director shouted "Cut". This clip is based on Zhou Xingchi’s experience in "The Legend of the Condor Hero".

　　In the film, a cockroach jumps onto the corpse played by Yin Tianchou, but he still doesn’t move. This scene originated from the true story of Chow Xingchi’s filming of the movie "Jiupin Sesame Official".

　　After 20 years, the "treatment" of the dragon set has not been improved. In "The King of New Comedy", E Jingwen played Rumeng, who suffered no less than Yin Tianchou, so much so that E Jingwen said with a smile that she could be selected as the heroine because of her "resistance to fighting", and the bitterness of walking around made the audience cry.

　　Zhou Xingchi himself, like Yin Tianchou and Rumeng, was an unpopular person on the crew because they had too many opinions and thought "he was an actor". In the 1983 version of "The Legend of the Condor Hero", Zhou Xingchi played a soldier who was about to be beaten to death by Mei Chaofeng’s palm. Before the performance, he took the initiative to discuss with the assistant director, "Can I block it with my hand and die in the second palm?" The assistant director glared: "Waste of time!"

　　Before he became a superstar, Zhou Xingchi had worked for six years, looked at countless eyes, and suffered countless hardships. Because he had no advantage in height, he had to wear an inner height of seven or eight centimeters to find a chance for himself, but other competitors would also wear it, so Zhou Xingchi still had no chance.

　　When Stephen Chow and Zheng Shaoqiu were filming the TV series "Metropolis" together, it was already very late one day, but Zhou Xingchi was in a daze at the elevator entrance, and then he suddenly lay down at the elevator door. The staff next to him were very surprised and watched Zhou Xingchi being hit by the elevator non-stop. Zhou Xingchi said: "If you die at the elevator door, it will have a magical effect of being hit non-stop." Zheng Shaoqiu next to you said: "You are really a good actor. I didn’t expect you to be so persistent." In the end, the director made the decision and used this shot.

　　During the "King of New Comedy" roadshow, Zhou Xingchi also recounted that when he was doing the trick, there was a line that he felt bad about when he got home, so he took a car back to the set and asked the director to shoot again. The director was not happy at first, and Zhou Xingchi knelt down and begged him in a hurry, and finally the director agreed to let him reshoot.

　　So, when asked about his deepest feelings about his long career, Zhou Xingchi said that it was common to be scolded and ridiculed, "For example, I asked the director if it was okay? The director said, ‘Forget it, I can’t see you, go away.’ What I remember deeply is that I waited every day, but I didn’t know what I was waiting for. In fact, it should be waiting for an opportunity. Waiting year after year, waiting for a second every day. Finally, when I was about to’die ‘, I finally had the opportunity, and I realized that it was not an opportunity, it was a complete misunderstanding, so I waited."

　　From the beginning of his career, after he became famous, he was hindered by various problems, criticized as a tyrant on the set, did not understand the world, and compared money with money. Over the years, Zhou Xingchi has been in constant disputes and criticisms, but he has never responded to all kinds of criticisms and is alone.

　　Wang Jing once commented: "Zhou Xingchi’s vicissitudes and melancholy are from beginning to end. He left all his smiles on the screen, as if you had to pay first to see him laugh in life."

　　Stephen Chow hides his true heart with comedy, but his seemingly simple comedy doesn’t mean shallow. Every laugh he makes is actually brewed from the five flavors of life. Chow said: "In fact, it takes a lot of pain to get a little laugh. To be funny also requires a very painful experience, and the most tragic things can also be the funniest things. It’s actually easy to do a crying scene, but to get a little laugh, you have to go through a lot of pain to achieve it. It’s really hard to do comedy."

　　I’m still working on it.

　　When 9-year-old Stephen Chow saw the movie "Tangshan Big Brother", he suddenly wanted to become an actor, "I want to become a kung fu star like Bruce Lee". At that time, he was so shy that he went out to eat with his mother. If there were outsiders, he would cover his face with menus. "I am afraid that others will look at me and talk at me."

　　So the mother’s "lofty ambition" for her son to become a star can only laugh back, but Zhou Xingchi is serious: "If you don’t have a dream, what’s the difference with Salted Fish?"

　　Today’s successful Stephen Chow is no longer a simple filmmaker. His diverse identities prevent him from returning to his youth known as "Xingzai". The power of capital makes it impossible for him to make certain decisions solely from the perspective of creation, but requires him to have greater capital ambitions and ambitions to enhance the confidence of investors.

　　Under these multiple demands, even though Zhou Xingchi was a genius, the process of his personal creativity blooming was also a process of being severely consumed. In addition to capital, age was another terrible reason for tormenting geniuses. Zhou Xingchi himself said, "Over the years, my movies have become less and less, and I just want to say to everyone, I’m sorry, I’m old."

　　As people get older, many things are taken lightly. Therefore, Zhou Xingchi now has more to endure and compromise when making a play. On the one hand, as he said: "It seems that after my age, every new play will be said to be exhausted." As an "old director", he also has to adapt to the current era and the current audience: "Not only movies, but the whole world is always changing, and we must always learn. The most important thing about movies is creativity. To bring freshness to the audience, movies are very important work for me. I think I can also give the audience something different, and I will try harder every time."

　　The childishness in the movie is a prominent label for Stephen Chow. In addition to the usual spoof and nonsense, the warm mermaid love serves the theme of environmental protection, making the film simple and easy to understand, and all ages eat it. The magic weapon in "Journey to the West" is "Three Hundred Children’s Songs", and in "The King of New Comedy", Wang Baoqiang, an outdated star, plays Snow White in a female costume.

　　Still struggling, Stephen Chow wants to convey "hard work and struggle" to people in "The King of New Comedy." He also deliberately chose Chen Baiqiang’s old song "Gale" as the theme song of the movie. When he was down, "Gale" once gave him great comfort. Zhou Xingchi said: "The lyrics of this song are very thought-provoking and need to be carefully felt, such as singing’The wind doesn’t care about the beginning and the end, it only knows how to rush ‘, or’If you have a dream in your heart, you can track it with all your strength, like the wild wind in the sky.’ You can imagine the picture of a small person running with all his strength. Isn’t it appropriate to play this song as background music at this time? At this time, the’strong wind ‘also gave the little person chasing the dream a kind of strength, just like the people who fight hard are the wild wind. "

　　In Zhou Xingchi’s opinion, everyone is Yin Tianchou, and they are all working hard for their dreams. "In fact, everyone can be the protagonist in their own life. Don’t be afraid of failure, hardship or all kinds of resistance, and work hard with full blood, just like the wind. Young people who are working hard, I hope you can all become the king of comedy in your own life."

　　The "king" in Zhou Xingchi’s mouth is by no means the king that the public understands, but a small person who lives seriously and pursues hard. "In them, you can see authenticity, confidence, seriousness and even seriousness, full of enthusiasm for the work you are doing, and will not give up no matter how difficult it is. Keep pursuing your dreams, and even some persistence. I am also working hard, so I hope to dedicate it to those of you who are working hard. After reading it, you can be more confident and work harder."

　　The classic city tower scene in "Journey to the West", the supreme treasure that seemed to be indifferent to nothing, instantly turned into the sunset warrior on the city tower, strode towards the woman he loved, hugged it with all his strength and said, "I will never leave in my life, I love you."

　　Perhaps, this is also the line that Stephen Chow wants to say to the movie he has loved all his life.

　　Text/Yang Xiao, Photo/Microscopic