1. In September 2023, with the hit of the TV series "Avenue Torch", actor Hou Jingjian, who played the role of Chairman Mao, won the praise of "the successor of the image of a great man". The excellent performance of this post-85 student sparked heated discussions in the outside world for a while.
Some viewers sighed: "Can the young Hou Jingjian really take on such an honor?" After all, before him, there have been many actors who have tried to play the role of this great man, but few have been so highly praised.
The audience has always been strict and cautious about playing the image of a great man. What they expect to see is not only the outstanding physical similarity, but more importantly, the inner spiritual resemblance.
Whether or not it can reach such a height is a great test of the comprehensive strength of the actors. Some actors may pay attention to details, but lack the essence of comprehension; Some actors are limited to superficial appearance, and it is difficult to show their inner atmosphere.
Playing a great man is never easy, which requires the actor to study hard, be conscientious, and keep improving. At present, Hou Jingjian has won the praise of "successor of the image of a great man", which undoubtedly makes people have higher expectations for his performance.
In order to truly reach the height of "god-likeness" with a great man, he must continue to improve his acting skills and work the shaping of the role. I am afraid that the "image of a great man" will be ruined without being carved, which will inevitably make people doubt Hou Jingjian's praise.
Fortunately, from the perspective of historical depth, playing Chairman Mao has indeed formed a milestone lineage. When we look back on the past, we will naturally be impressed by Gu Yue, the founder of the mountain.
In 1979, under Ye Jianying's insight, Gu Yue entered Bayi Film Studio with an "identical" photo, thus starting his "chairman's career".
At first, Gu Yue was very nervous when he played Chairman Mao, even the crowd on the set would make him "run the scene", which showed his inner confusion. But Gu Yue didn't give up because of this.
He was determined to thoroughly study Chairman Mao's character and habits, and even imitated the chairman's every move in his daily life, and diligently pursued the shaping of the role.
Gu Yue's persistence is moving. He completely immersed himself in that special historical environment, carefully experienced the heavy responsibility and mission shouldered by the chairman, and gained a deeper understanding of Mao Zedong's situation.
Even if it is the appearance of smoking, Gu Yue has to imitate it one by one, and strive to be meticulous. It is this kind of tireless study and in-depth understanding of the role that allowed Gu Yue to finally shape the image of Chairman Mao into a lifelike and "superb".
At that time, even relatives and friends could not distinguish the authenticity when they saw him, which shows that his excellent performance has been unanimously recognized by the entire audience. After Gu Yue, another actor appeared who made people look forward to the interpretation of the "image of a great man" - Tang Guoqiang.
The skepticism he faced when he played this role was even harsher than that Hou Jingjian is facing now. As a hot "cream boy", Tang Guoqiang's role as Chairman Mao undoubtedly surprised the audience.
Second, in their opinion, the image of this well-known actor and a great man is simply worlds apart, how can he be competent? The voice of doubt permeated for a while. In the face of such tremendous pressure and doubts, Tang Guoqiang felt helpless in his heart.
He looked around and saw many of his peers looking at him sympathetically, as if to say, "How did you take on such a role?" Tang Guoqiang secretly gritted his teeth and was determined to convince everyone with practical actions.
Sure enough, Tang Guoqiang was not crushed by the pressure, but finally found the secret of being "godlike" to Chairman Mao with his sincere interpretation. He gave up the imitation of dialects, no longer entangled in which angle is more similar, but devoted himself to the inner spiritual world of the character, pursuing the spiritual level of the character.
As a result, Tang Guoqiang gradually got rid of the rigid image of "cream boy", and truly got close to the inner characteristics of the great man's heroic, calm, wise and wise, and was recognized by the audience as a "professional chairman household".
The voices that questioned him back then gradually subsided. However, just when Tang Guoqiang's career was getting better, an appearance on a variety show made him slammed again.
At that time, he wore a "dragon robe" and appeared in a comical appearance, and the scene was quite absurd. Soon, Tang Guoqiang was severely criticized by the audience for "smashing the signboard", thinking that his approach was extremely inconsistent with the image of a great man.
Fortunately, Tang Guoqiang quickly realized his mistake, and he secretly hammered his chest guiltily, vowing to get back on the right path. Sure enough, in the subsequent TV series "Volunteers", he once again accurately interpreted the image of Chairman Mao and regained the dignity of a professional.
Tang Guoqiang's "Late Festival is not guaranteed" incident made the audience's desire for a successor increase day by day. At this time, Hou Jingjian played the young Mao Zedong in the TV series "Awakening Age" with his outstanding performance, and won the reputation of "the successor of the image of a great man".
Unlike Gu Yue and Tang Guoqiang, Hou Jingjian pays more attention to the experience and grasp of the inner world when playing Chairman Mao. In order to truly feel the suffering of that era, he read a lot of historical materials and even experienced the environment of that time.
3. It is this kind of careful study of the role that made Hou Jingjian make a breakthrough in the first scene. It was a time of war, people were struggling to make ends meet, and some people were even starving to death on the streets.
Mao Zedong, a young man played by Hou Jingjian, holds a book in his hand and trots all the way through this narrow street that is more than 200 meters long, as if he has witnessed the suffering of the people. Seeing this, the director of the scene couldn't help but be impressed by his demeanor.
"Great, this kid really got the essence of the character." Hou Jingjian's expression at this time was solemn and full of ease, and his eyes were full of perseverance, giving people the majestic aura of a leader.
From this scene, the staff and the audience at the scene were deeply moved by Hou Jingjian's "aura", and they all thought that he had shown Chairman Mao vividly and vividly in the core of the role, which was amazing.
In fact, as early as more than ten years ago in "Iron Shoulder Morality", Hou Jingjian began to try to play Chairman Mao. After that, he performed all the way to "Autumn Harvest Uprising" and "The Great Turning" and other plays, and the age span was from 20s to 56 years old, which can be said to be a wonderful interpretation from youth to middle age.
Through the tempering of one masterpiece after another, Hou Jingjian's acting skills have become more and more sophisticated. In the end, his outstanding performance in "The Awakening Age" made him obtain the "seal certification" of CCTV and was recognized as the most outstanding contemporary interpreter of Chairman Mao's image.
Gu Yue, Tang Guoqiang and Hou Jingjian, three actors who played Chairman Mao in different eras, each presented a unique style and characteristics, showing the audience the image of great men of different ages.
Gu Yue can be said to be the first person to interpret the image of Chairman Mao to the extreme. He has spent decades studying, and he has achieved the ultimate fit for details such as smoking posture and demeanor.
Gu Yue's portrayal of the character is so intriguing that even his relatives and friends would not be able to distinguish the truth from the fake when they saw him in disguise. Gu Yue's outstanding performance won unanimous praise from the entire audience.
Fourth, in contrast, when Tang Guoqiang created the image of Chairman Mao, he paid more attention to the excavation of the inner world. He believes that if you imitate portraits too much, you will lose your soul, and it is better to pursue a spiritual fit with the character.
Based on this unique way of thinking, Tang Guoqiang gave up imitating dialects, but devoted himself to the inner spiritual world of the character, and strived to pursue the inner characteristics of Chairman Mao's heroic, calm, wise and wise.
It was this deep understanding of the role that allowed him to get out of the haze of doubt and gain the reputation of "professional". As for Hou Jingjian, his brilliance lies in showing Chairman Mao's "aura" to the fullest.
In order to truly feel the suffering environment of that era, Hou Jingjian read a lot of relevant materials and even experienced the environment of that year. It is this kind of meticulous study that allows him to naturally reveal the majestic aura of a leader in his appearance, which has won the praise of the audience.
The three of them have their own emphasis on interpretation skills, but they all carefully interpret the image characteristics of Chairman Mao at different ages, and present the glorious life of a great man to the audience, which is exemplary.