Deng Jie took on a new drama after eleven years and recalled the filming of the 87th edition of "Dream of the Red Chamber"

Source: Beijing News

After eleven years, I took on a new drama, recalled the past of the 87th edition of "Dream of the Red Chamber" shooting that year, and said that the low production of the work was due to the lack of suitable roles

Deng Jie: I don't want to embarrass myself for exposure

In 2020, a movie about the hard work of Sichuan opera actors, "Singing Alive", pulled Deng Jie, who was on the edge of the showbiz, back to the audience's attention. When she appeared as a producer, everyone realized that "Deng Jie has not acted for a long time." Last year, Deng Jie returned to the screen after eleven years, and the new drama "My Assistant Sixty Years Old" with Wang Ziwen and Bai Jingting was completed at the end of the year, in which she played a housewife who had just entered the workplace at the age of sixty.

It is said that the role that Deng Jie left the most profound impression on the audience was Wang Xifeng in the 87th edition of "Dream of the Red Chamber" that was broadcast 35 years ago, this intelligent and beautiful "Phoenix Spicy" with a spicy personality, is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant characters in the play, and has also become synonymous with his artistic career. Acting for many years, Deng Jie has experienced the life of many roles, and she is convinced that she has a passion when facing the performance, and she also has the advantage of acting well in front of the camera.

Deng Jie has more than 160,000 social media followers, not updated every day, and the content posted and forwarded is related to her own creation and family. The last update introduced her role in "My Assistant Sixty". For "being seen" outside of creation, Deng Jie does not have too much desire, if it is not necessary to appear during the publicity period, she would rather hide all the time, accompany her children, and run the family.

In recent years, she has become more and more aware that life is nothing more than a multiple choice question, to do or not to do. If things are what you want to do, think deeply about what attitude to do. She will also laugh at herself for being "old and angry", but she does not lose her desire for good works at all. She said that she was able to return to her family calmly because she was not materialistic, and she had a husband like a "workaholic" who was constantly engaged in creation, and did not have to make a living by filming. Therefore, there is no suitable play, she would rather not act, and if she wants to act, she will act what she wants. This is the way forward that Deng Jie chose for herself - when she meets the characters who want to work hard, she is fully committed, and she can return to her family and husband and godson without encountering them. At any stage, she enjoys it.

See you on camera

Wang Xifeng, who is not optimistic

No one knows better than Deng Jie that her advantage is in front of the camera.

During the filming of the 87th edition of "Dream of the Red Chamber", Deng Jie's first scene was completed, and director Wang Fulin was relieved, he said, "Good, Sister Feng is standing up." This sentence was like a reassuring pill, too important for Deng Jie, who was "crazy" to prepare for Wang Xifeng. Deng Jie still has a lot of feelings: "Before this scene, I was also in a particularly depressed state, and I was scolded by the director almost every day. I remember very clearly that when Zhou Ruijia (Sun Caihong) and Liu Grandma (Sha Yuhua) were sitting there, I took a play to audition, and in the face of two particularly sophisticated and well-behaved actors, I spoke Sichuan Mandarin, showing no advantage. Wang Dao frowned and said, "What is this?" ”

At that time, almost no one thought that Deng Jie could win the role of Wang Xifeng. Her mother, the teachers and classmates in the Sichuan Theater, none of them thought she could control Wang Xifeng, including herself. In the spring of 1984, Deng Jie took a green-skinned train into Beijing to participate in the interview of the crew of the TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber", and the production director asked "who is Deng Jie" in the reception hall. "At that time, I was dark-skinned, short, and average-looking, and standing next to me were all white-skinned, graceful, and good-looking. It seems that I have no sense of existence, thrown into the pile of people, you can't find it. Where else dare to talk to others about what kind of appearance? When I met the director Wang Fulin, the other party also thought that she was not hooked with the "beauty Wang Xifeng", but "if you manage him, since you came, let her receive training first, and what can she act."

The surrounding doubts and opposition, and the dismissive attitude of others towards her, never wavered Deng Jie's determination. From the beginning, she thought she could play Wang Xifeng well. "Actors need to be able to speak and dare to perform, I am usually not able to say, but if this occasion is an occasion where I can perform and speak, when I have the right to speak, I must perform well." 」 Deng Jie said that on this occasion, that is, in front of the camera, it can usually be submerged in the public, but it must be the most glorious in front of the camera. "Supposedly I should be 'stressed', but I don't care at all, and I don't take those unoptimistic voices to heart, anyway, this role is already mine, why? See you on camera! ”

Eternal friendship

I have always missed Chen Xiaoxu

The sentence "see you on the camera" shows Deng Jie's "spicy strength" as a Sichuan girl. She spent all her thoughts on Wang Xifeng, for three and a half years, she did not dare to slack off a little. You ask her if she has lived herself as Wang Xifeng - "Only putting on makeup is Wang Xifeng, and I am Lin Daiyu in life, worrying about performance." First of all, I am not a Beijinger, and I have to spend a lot of effort to practice the Beijing flavor lines; in addition, I am one of the four famous works, and every day there are a bunch of tall and thick scripts on the table, and I have to recite the lines backwards like a stream, and to this day I can still open my mouth. In those years, Deng Jie didn't go anywhere, not even to the barbershop once, and usually never bothered, "I may be the most earthy person in the whole crew, my hair and style are clear water noodles, there is no level, because I never spend time on these things." ”

After staying up for three and a half years, Deng Jie's performance captured the hearts of everyone in the crew and won the recognition of the national audience, she played the phoenix spicy child in the original work, "the powder face contains spring and does not reveal", and the outside world even commented that "there is no Wang Xifeng after Deng Jie".

But this kind of fame is something that Deng Jie did not expect, "Those days when the filming was almost over were even worried that they would be criticized for not acting well." Fortunately, no one had played Wang Xifeng before me, so there was no preconception. Compared with me, the pressure and psychological burden of Ouyang Fenqiang and Chen Xiaoxu are heavier. Looking back at the time after more than thirty years, Deng Jie always smiled when talking about this role that had been with her all her life, and missed the crew colleagues who filmed together.

In this era when audiences enjoy "memory killing", it is becoming more and more popular for classic crews to reunite, and in the past few decades, some people have left, some people have changed careers, and some people have become elderly. Deng Jie said that those days were not easy, but it also cast an eternal friendship in everyone's hearts: "For example, Xiaoxu's departure, I am very clear. We didn't have much contact during the filming process because there weren't too many opponent scenes. But there was a time when we were always on the show together, she followed me, I went to her, and when I didn't go, she didn't agree, so she became a very close friend. I was very sad and reluctant to accept her leaving us. ”

Only act what you want to act

A lot of drama is found, but I don't want to embarrass myself for exposure

Deng Jie, who was well known for the 87 version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" at the age of less than 30, did not participate in many works in the following years. Asked why she didn't hit the iron while it was hot, she said that it was not that there was no script to find her, but the lack of roles that made her really moved: "Maybe the starting point when I first acted was too high, the scripts I found were all set for you, and the characters must be like Wang Xifeng, but the plot of the whole play is too much worse than "Dream of the Red Chamber", and there is no comparison at all. Then I thought to myself, what is she going to do? I'd rather not act because I can't accept it in my heart. Someone once asked her that the classic role should find ways to climb the peak again, and she was not afraid of someone guessing, "Is no one looking for Deng Jie to act?" Or is Wang Xifeng too difficult to surpass? "I'm not the same as other people, I never care too much about these comments, acting is because I really like this role, like "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo" in front of me seven years later, I read the script and felt that this play had to be performed, because it was too wonderful, too good." 」 Deng Jie said.

In addition to Wang Xifeng, Deng Jie also hopes to try some different roles, but the TV drama market in that era was relatively narrow, unlike now there are endless dramas and countless projects, she is a good actor, but she pays more attention to whether it is suitable for herself, so she chooses to go with the natural survival rules of the showbiz circle, not to have to fight for something, but to express her desire for artistic creation in a limited time.

Of course, during this period, she also met many good roles, Mrs. Liu in "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo" and Yifei in the TV series "Kangxi Micro Service Private Interview", each of which is enough to be regarded as a classic in the history of TV dramas. "Counting up, I also made some scenes, and then I could act in the scenes of my mother-in-law and mother." To be honest, I feel that my image seems to be inappropriate, not that I don't want to play an old role, but it is really not appropriate, I have to have a good script, a good role I want to play, I can't meet it, just go home and take the children, I still think it should be family-oriented. Deng Jie laughed and said that the industry is indeed full of temptations, the TV drama market was particularly hot in the early years, and there were really many people who came to her with scripts, "but I don't want to go to the set for exposure, that is particularly uncomfortable." ”

Acting couples

He was more serious than I was, and I believed more in the naturalness of nature

When it comes to Deng Jie, the topic can't escape her husband Zhang Guoli.

In 2019, Deng Jie rarely appeared in the variety show "Happiness Trio", among the three star couples, she and Zhang Guoli were the most interesting, plain and sweet, unique in the warmth and fireworks between traditional Chinese couples. Occasionally, the two people will "hate each other" because of some living habits, but they are always spoiled and worried about each other enough in their hearts. After the program was broadcast, many articles were titled "Deng Jie teaches you to keep love fresh" and "Deng Jie teaches you how to fall in love" to attract readers. In fact, deng jie has been making ideological preparations for a long time in the last section, "If I can play in my true colors, I don't pretend, but there are too many restrictions, I can agree." It's true that we are usually busy, and this show just allows us to spend a long time together, and there have been no such days for many years. Therefore, I asked for the child's opinion, and before going, I also said to Zhang Guoli that the whole process must be the true color of the performance, live a life, if he is too strong to perform, if he wants to pretend, I will definitely poke in the face, will not save face for him (laughs). ”

Most of the couples in the show business circle are related to drama, Deng Jie and Zhang Guoli are no exception, since their first cooperation in the TV series "The Password Is Not Leaked" in 1984, they have cooperated in many works along the way, "Backwater Weilan", "Kangxi Micro Service Private Interview", "Cloth Tianzi"... Deng Jie joked, "We started working together very early, and finally we had a 'break up' (laughs). ”

"Really, after cooperating, I felt more and more that it was better not to cooperate, always quarreling on the set, what does it mean?" In particular, he (Zhang Guoguo) did not recognize him after he became a director. I began to think that the director would be more tolerant of actresses and should be more tolerant of his wife. As a result, when I said my lines, I stumbled, and he was far away, shouting with a megaphone, too faceless for me. I wasn't convinced, saying, 'What do you mean by that, just a bump, I'm human, not a repeater,' and then the script flicked off and I left (laughs). ”

"You're all actors, do you compare who plays well?" The reporter asked, Deng Jie thought about it: "In fact, our style is completely different, for the role and the script, he is more serious than me, he has a drama foundation, the lines can not be wrong; I am a Sichuan opera actor, Mandarin may not be so authentic, so every time there is a similar problem he accuses me, saying that my acting is a kind of game state." But to be honest, there are some roles that I am sure I am at ease with at first glance, such as Mrs. Liu, I think I can play the right color, but he thinks how you are not serious, but I insist on a sense of naturalness. However, Deng Jie also reflected afterwards, relying more on instinct in her own performance: "I think that acting still needs talent, although I am now producing less, but I believe that as long as I appear in front of the camera and stand on the stage, I can walk into the heart of the character, and the role will naturally be possessed by me." I always thought that acting was in my blood and I knew how to do it. ”

【Dialogue】

Deng Jie: Praise never makes me feel anything different

Beijing News: Over the years, you have been working hard for this industry in your own way, such as serving as the supervising producer of the movie "Singing Alive" and doing a lot of things for the promotion of Sichuan opera.

Deng Jie: Sichuan opera is in my blood, I am a Sichuan opera actor, and their stories deserve to be known. At the beginning, everyone always said that this movie could not recover the cost, the subject matter was relatively niche, no one paid attention, and even Zhang Guoli did not support it, afraid that I could not hold these young creators. But this is something I like and should do, and I'm afraid of ruining my art, so I have to do it carefully regardless of everything.

Beijing News: Zhang Guoli said that you have lived as you want at every stage, do you agree with this?

Deng Jie: In fact, there will be regrets at each stage, but the results of each time are quite good, such as "Singing Alive", I have a mentality of "being able to shoot it is a victory", there is no schedule, it is very small, it does not matter, just do it. Later, we went to the Cannes Film Festival and the Shanghai Film Festival, and won two awards, which was so surprising that we thought it was very good.

Beijing News: Is your mentality of not insisting on everything suitable for the entertainment industry?

Deng Jie: In fact, it is not very suitable, the entertainment industry is indeed a place full of temptations, but just like the golden hairpin in "Dream of the Red Chamber" fell into the well, it should be yours, and sometimes there must be in fate, and fate is always forced. For example, later many people advised me to act, before there was a movie that did not let me play the number one woman, no matter what, I would not act, because it was not suitable for me, not that I was stubborn, but I went to act and it was uncomfortable, I did not want to play those who others wanted, but to play the way I wanted.

Beijing News: This calm should be difficult to maintain, after all, you have received a lot of praise?

Deng Jie: Yes, but praise never makes me feel that there is anything different, I can jump out of the evaluation to look at myself, for example, many people evaluate my performance of "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo", will use the words "glorious people", I initially thought that this evaluation can not be used on everyone, I also doubted, think that everyone loves, will think "Do I really have such a trait"? But turning my head, when I played "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo", I was 40 years old, and the actor next to me was only 16 years old, and at that time I also wondered "what does this mean", but would silently tell myself "then see you in front of the camera". I would think I had an advantage in front of the camera, and that's where my confidence lies. Even now, I'm not afraid of who's younger than me and who's taller than me (laughs).

Beijing News: With that confidence, you will not be afraid of the problem of getting older?

Deng Jie: This (getting old) is a fact, what to do? What's the use of being afraid? I think don't have to be afraid, go and face it.

Beijing News: But the outside world will discuss, such as comparing your photos when you were young with your current ones, if you see false reports, your personality should be very angry?

Deng Jie: I seem to automatically block these things, because it has nothing to do with me, and I will see false reports, and I will be angry for a while (laughs).

Beijing News: Remember that there is a detail in the variety show "Happiness Trio", Zhang Guoli uses a CD to play music, you use a Bluetooth speaker, you seem to be more receptive to new things?

Deng Jie: Yes, in this regard, I am quite up to date, because I have children around me, I must grasp the trendy things as soon as possible, maintain a mentality that is never out of date, so as not to derail and bring convenience to my family.

Beijing News: Have you changed since acting?

Deng Jie: No, more and more calm, I never think how I am in this circle, nor do I want to know what the future will be, always live in the present.

Beijing News: So the phrase "presents a satisfactory self at every stage" really exists? Maybe it's because you have something that someone else wants to have?

Deng Jie: There are definitely some dissatisfactions, but these are not bad things for me, they are experiences. I also had the stage of "nothing", and I also had many setbacks, such as the five years of Sichuan Opera School and the five years of Sichuan Theater, and I lived in that decade when I was extremely depressed and confused, and the period when I could not meet the opportunity was very depressed, crying was useless, not even someone who could cry. But "I was born to be useful," I thought. I have always felt that I will definitely not stumble for a lifetime, life is inspirational after all, as for the specific how, I have no specific goals, real plans, just go forward calmly.

(Source: Beijing News B02-B03 Edition/ Beijing News reporter Zhou Huixiaowan)