news

On August 24, the movie "Daocang" was released. The film was directed by Zhang Yudi, starring Bian Cheng, Zhou Meijun, Zhang Chi, Chen Shaoxi, and Xu Shixin. It tells the story of several boys and girls who met in drama school, explored the path of growth in confusion, and finally stepped onto the stage of their dreams.

According to public information, the film won the first prize in venture capital at the 15th FIRST Youth Film Festival, the winning project of the "China Good Story" project at the China Golden Rooster Award Film Venture Capital Conference, and this year won the most popular film among audiences at the 26th Shanghai Film Festival "Belt and Road Film Week" and the best screenwriter award at the 18th FIRST Youth Film Festival.

Poster of the movie "The Warehouse". Photo/Weibo of the movie "The Warehouse"

Before the film was released, the lead actress Xu Shixin was interviewed by Jiupai News. She said: "Dao Cang is my first theatrical movie, which is particularly meaningful to me."

【1】Zheng Yiwen is a warm, brave and open-minded person

Jiupai News: How did you come across this script?

Xu Shixin:In the spring of 2022, I heard that the movie "Daocang" was in preparation, and I was fortunate to participate in the interview. There are a lot of Peking Opera performance clips in the script. Although I have always loved traditional culture, I have no foundation in Peking Opera performance. When I learned that I could perform, I was happy and nervous, and a little bit unbelievable.

Jiupai News: Did you find it difficult after receiving the script? What preparations did you make for the filming? What interesting things happened?

Xu Shixin:The character I played in the film is Zheng Yiwen, who is about the same age as me. Her stage of life and the emotions she has are exactly what I am going through, so from this point of view it was not difficult.

The four of us young actors were classmates in the drama school in the film. Before filming, the crew gave us a one-month Peking Opera training, and arranged corresponding Peking Opera teachers according to the different types of roles we played in the play.

The training intensity was very high, about 6 hours a day on average. It was also during this period of intensive training that the four of us became familiar and close. We often agreed to practice more after a day of training, and when everyone was very tired, we would order fried chicken together.

In daily interactions, we all called each other by the names in the play. I always called Shi Jiahui, played by Zhou Meijun, "Hui Er", and she always called me "Wen Er". At this stage, it seemed as if we were really "classmates in drama school", just like the setting in the play.

Jiupai News: What do you think of Zheng Yiwen’s character? Are you similar to her?

Xu Shixin:Zheng Yiwen is a very warm and brave person. For example, in the film, she would stand up for her friends when they were questioned. I am very similar to her in this respect.

She has a more open-minded personality than me. When something bad happens, I will still be sad for a while, but her bad mood seems to flash by in her heart, and she will soon return to her optimistic and cheerful state.

Zheng Yiwen (right) and Shi Jiahui (left). Photo/Weibo of the movie "The Warehouse"

Jiupai News: Which scenes in the movie impressed you the most?

Xu Shixin:I was deeply impressed by the clip where Zheng Yiwen comforted Shi Jiahui when she was frustrated. At that time, Shi Jiahui was questioned and even began to doubt herself. Zheng Yiwen's encouragement brought courage to Shi Jiahui and also encouraged Zheng Yiwen herself.

In the film, I had a lot of scenes with Xie Tianci played by Chen Shaoxi. Many of the scenes presented to the audience were improvised, such as eating instant noodles and lollipops together on the bus. These were not in the script. We acted them out differently every time, but they were all the most real behaviors and reactions at the time.

Jiupai News: How do you feel after the filming?

Xu Shixin:"Daocang" is my first theatrical film, which is very meaningful to me. My biggest feeling after filming is that Peking Opera is not an art that can be mastered overnight. The process of learning and performing has increased my respect for this industry.

【2】Wearing a thin jacket to shoot in high temperatures, I got a lot of prickly heat

Jiupai News: There are many scenes full of youthful rebellion in the film, such as "climbing over the wall" and "skipping classes". Have you ever done these things? What do you think is the craziest thing you have done during your studies?

Xu Shixin:I have never climbed over the wall or skipped classes, these are the "youth experiences" I gained from the drama. The craziest thing I have done was probably taking a cold shower with the window open in the winter in Northeast China when I was in junior high school, hoping to avoid exams by getting sick and having a fever. Of course, I didn't really miss the exams in the end, and it's quite funny when I think about it now.

Jiupai News: Have you ever encountered a "bankruptcy" in your growth path? At which stage was it and how did you get through and overcome it?

Xu Shixin:Every time I face a turning point in my life, I have to go through a "reversal". Take my college years as an example. Before and when I first entered college, I thought I could learn more about art through study, at least I would have a clear idea of ​​my goals and development direction.

But after one semester, I was even more confused. Sometimes the more I learn, the less I know. But I gradually discovered that this feeling is a curve process, from feeling that I know a lot to feeling that I don’t know, and then to finding that I do know more, the feeling of confusion and doubt will always pass. In general, my mentality has always been good, and I don’t waste myself because of temporary emotions.

Of course, there are times when my emotions reach their peak, but maybe because of my profession, when I’m very sad and in pain, a voice in my head will suddenly remind me: “Remember this emotion and see how it’s different from what you acted out.” I’ll even turn on the camera and observe myself, “Hey, this expression is right, I’ll act like this next time.” This approach will pull myself out of my emotions and it’s a way of self-relief.

Jiupai News: Will you pay attention to people’s comments on the film and you?

Xu Shixin:I will continue to pay attention to each work after it is released. I think an actor cannot just accept flowers and praise, and it is unrealistic to expect "all positive feedback". I have a good attitude. When I see negative comments, I will accept and improve if it is the right advice.

Of course, I do encounter irrational comments, but if they just hate the character and direct their dislike towards me, then I will think: "If I play a bad guy and everyone hates me, then that's also a success!"

Stills from the movie "The Warehouse". Photo/Weibo of the movie "The Warehouse"

Jiupai News: The film was shot in Wuhan in the summer. How was the experience? Did you travel in Wuhan?

Xu Shixin:Filming "Daocang" was my first time in Wuhan. Our schedule was tight, so we didn't have much to do in Wuhan, but ate a lot. The four of us young actors would go to "Guo Zao" (eat breakfast) together. "Bean curd skin" was the breakfast that left the deepest impression on me. When I heard the name, I thought it would be a bean product, but it turned out to be egg skin wrapped with rice and salty and fragrant side dishes, which was very delicious. I spent my 22nd birthday on the set, and everyone prepared bean curd skin for me.

Wuhan in July and August was really hot, and the temperature was also very high when we were shooting. Because we had to record the sound on site, we couldn't turn on the air conditioner at the shooting site. We could only shoot while sweating profusely every day. There were several scenes in the play where I played the role of "old man". The role of "old man" is usually played by tall boys. In order to support the costume, I wore a close-fitting thin jacket during the shooting. Almost every day after shooting, the thin jacket would be soaked. After the shooting, I had prickly heat all over my body. This shooting experience is really unforgettable.

Jiupai News reporter Li Yuncong

Editor Wu Di

【Revelation】Please contact the reporter on WeChat: linghaojizhe

[Source: Jiupai News]