First, during the Spring Festival of 2015, a movie called "Detective Chinatown" swept through theaters across the country like a whirlwind. This Chinese New Year comedy not only made the audience laugh back and forth, but also gave everyone a resounding slap in the face at the end.
Zhang Zifeng, who was only 14 years old at the time, instantly became an unforgettable "little devil" in the hearts of the audience with a creepy smile. In the last scene of the movie, Si Nuo, played by Zhang Zifeng, suddenly asked Qin Feng: "Everyone is destined to play their own role from birth, some are good and some are evil, what about you?" Immediately after, when Qin Feng was about to answer, he saw a terrifying and weird smile when he turned around.
Those big innocent eyes flashed with a dangerous light, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a chilling evil aura. At this moment, the audience seemed to see a perfect fusion of angels and demons, and even Qin Feng, who had always been calm, was taken aback.
Zhang Zifeng used this smile to explain what it means to be "contrasting cute". Her easy transformation from a harmless little girl to a cold-blooded killer is not only surprising, but also terrifying.
Although she was only 14 years old at the time, this simple bad laugh made the audience deeply feel the ruthlessness and indifference of the murderer. This smile not only drew a wonderful end to "Detective Chinatown", but also laid the foundation for the performance element of "Ghost Smile", which became a classic imitated by many actors later.
Even today, 9 years later, when people recall this scene, they will still be frightened by Zhang Zifeng's ghostly smile. Zhang Zifeng's performance was called a "textbook performance" by the audience.
Second, she used a simple smile to show the strength of the drama bones. Even if she has a harmless and obedient girl face, she can instantly turn into an invisible murderer in the next second.
The explosiveness of this kind of acting skills makes people have to be in awe of this young actor. If Zhang Zifeng's smile is the pioneering work of a ghostly smile, then Ning Li's performance in "Undocumented Crime" broadcast in 2017 pushed this element to the extreme.
In this big hit drama, Li Toyota, played by Ning Li, became the unexpected focus of the audience, and even surpassed the performance of the actor Qin Hao and Deng Jiajia, who had high expectations.
Li Toyota, played by Ning Li, looks like an ordinary low-level laborer. He wore an old, torn black cotton jacket, dusty old booties on his feet, and a pair of chemical woolen gloves around his neck.
Such a seemingly ordinary character, but there is a terrifying murderous maniac. Li Toyota's characteristics can be summed up in one sentence: the more you laugh, the more ruthless you kill.
In a key scene, when the thugs come to trouble Li Toyota, he suddenly bursts into an unsettling laugh. The laughter was mixed with madness and ferocity, as if a long-dormant beast had finally bared its fangs.
Immediately after, he picked up the ashtray at hand and began to attack the other party in a frenzied manner. As the violence escalated, Lee's smile became more and more distorted, and his eyes flashed with morbid excitement.
Third, this scene not only shows the cruel nature of the character, but also pushes the element of "ghostly smile" to a new level. However, the creepiest scene of Lee Toyoda is still to come.
After a murder, Li Toyota was standing on the side of the street casually about to smoke a cigarette when suddenly a bloody human ear spat out of his mouth. This detail not only makes the audience feel extremely uncomfortable, but also profoundly portrays the perverted nature of Li Toyota.
Ning Li used his superb acting skills to portray a murderer who was ordinary on the surface but actually crazy, leaving an indelible impression on the audience. It is precisely because of Ning Li's accurate interpretation of the role of Li Toyota that many viewers commented that only he can suppress Liu Huaqiang played by Sun Honglei.
This evaluation proves from the side that Ning Li's acting skills are indeed wonderful online, and the name of the powerful faction is well deserved. Through the role of Li Toyota, Ning Li not only showed his outstanding acting talent, but also pushed the performance element of "ghost smile" to a new height.
His performance made the audience truly feel the madness and perversion hidden in the heart of a seemingly ordinary low-level laborer, adding more layers and depth to the performance element of "ghostly smile".
In 2024, the suspense drama "New Life" will be launched on Youku and quickly become a hot topic. However, before the series aired, when it was officially announced that Jing Boran would play the role of a villain, many viewers were skeptical.
After all, in the eyes of most people, Jing Boran has always been a sunny and handsome idol, and his sudden transformation into playing a villain will inevitably make people suspicious. However, as soon as "New Life" was broadcast, Jing Boran's performance immediately silenced the doubters.
In just three days, this drama has won the first place in ratings and popularity in a row. Fei Ke played by Jing Boran is a changeable and complex character, not only to be inconsistent from the outside, but also to show completely different faces on different occasions.
This puts extremely high demands on the acting skills of the actors. In the play, Fei Ke disguised himself as a wealthy son and successfully attracted the attention of the heroine Zhang Xuan. Their relationship seems sweet, but in fact it is secretly turbulent.
Fourth, in a key drinking party scene, when Zhang Xuan asked Fei Ke for help after being drunk, Jing Boran's performance reached its peak. A strange smile suddenly appeared on his face, and the indifference and calculation in his eyes instantly revealed the true face of the character.
"The bureau specially arranged for you, don't refute other people's face." Fei Ke's line, combined with the ghostly smile on his face, not only confirmed his image as a complete scumbag, but also showed Jing Boran's breakthrough as an actor.
He successfully left the idol aura behind and completely immersed himself in the character, interpreting the inner world of a complex character with subtle changes in expression. Although compared with Zhang Zifeng and Ning Li, Jing Boran's "ghostly smile" is still a little green, but his overall acting skills in "New Life" are already worthy of praise.
From the initial audience's doubts to the final amazement, Jing Boran proved with his performance that he is not only an idol, but also an actor who is constantly improving. This performance experience undoubtedly opened up a new direction for Jing Boran's acting career.
He showed his courage and ability to take on complex roles, and also showed the audience his potential as an actor. Although there is still room for improvement in the specific performance element of "Ghost Smile", Jing Boran's progress has been obvious to all.
I believe that in his future works, we will see more breakthroughs and innovations in this regard. Comparing Jing Boran, Zhang Zifeng and Ning Li's "ghostly smile" together, it is not difficult to find the gap between the three, and each actor gives a unique charm and depth to this performance element.
Zhang Zifeng's smile was full of the contradiction between innocence and evil. In "Detective Chinatown", her big bright eyes gleam with a sly light, and the corners of her mouth are slightly raised, but there is a hint of unsettling aura.
Fifth, the smile is impressive precisely because it perfectly shows the dark side of a seemingly innocent little girl's heart. Zhang Zifeng used this smile to interpret what "contrast cute" is, and also set a benchmark for the later "ghost smile" performance.
Even today, 9 years later, people are still shocked by her performance when they recall this scene. Ning Li's smile was even more straightforward and terrifying. In "Undocumented Crime", the more he plays Li Toyota, the more he laughs, the more ruthless he kills.
The distorted face, crazy eyes, and crazy laughter all reveal the inner world of a perverted murderer. Especially in the scene where the gangsters are looking for trouble, Ning Li's performance pushed the "ghost smile" to the extreme, leaving an indelible psychological shadow on the audience.
What's even more creepy is that he is still casually spitting bloody human ears from his mouth on the side of the street, and this scene portrays the perverted nature of the character very well.
In contrast, Jing Boran's smile in "New Life" looks slightly green. Although he succeeded in showing the dark side of Fei Ke's character, especially in the scene where he framed his girlfriend at the drinking party, the weird smile that suddenly appeared on his face was indeed chilling.
But there is still room for improvement in the handling of details. His smile stayed more on the surface, not showing a strong contrast like Zhang Zifeng, nor going deep into the character's heart like Ning Li.
However, we can't deny Jing Boran's progress in this performance. As an idol actor, his ability to break through and try on such a challenging role is in itself commendable.
Sixth, although there is still a certain gap between his performance and the two powerful actors, he has shown gratifying potential. In general, Zhang Zifeng's smile represents the classic interpretation of "ghostly smile", which Ning Li pushes to the extreme, while Jing Boran shows the possibility of this performance element among idol actors.
The performances of the three actors have their own characteristics, and they have also contributed to the development of the performance element of "ghostly smile". Looking at the performances of the three actors, Zhang Zifeng, Ning Li and Jing Boran, we can clearly see the development trajectory of the performance element of "Ghost Smile", from the initial attempt to the later breakthroughs and innovations.
Zhang Zifeng's performance can be said to be groundbreaking. In 2015's Detective Chinatown, she fused innocence and evil to create an unforgettable classic image.
The reason why this smile can become a classic is precisely because it breaks people's inherent impression of the image of "little girl" and brings a strong visual impact and psychological shock.
She used a simple evil smile to make the audience deeply feel the ruthlessness and indifference of the murderer, showing her acting skills far beyond her age. Ning Li made innovations and breakthroughs on the basis of Zhang Zifeng.
In 2017's Undocumented Crime, he combined the "ghostly smile" with the insane nature of the characters to create a more complex and profound image. His Li Toyota is not only laughing, but also using this smile to show the character's entire inner world.
Ning Li's performance is not just a smile, but a complete character portrayal, which makes the audience feel the real fear. Although Jing Boran's performance still has room for improvement, it has already shown a gratifying sense of innovation.
In 2024's "New Life", he tried to integrate "ghostly smile" into a seemingly sunny character, creating a new sense of contrast. Although compared to Zhang Zifeng and Ning Li, his performance is still a little green, but as an idol actor, being able to challenge such a complex role is a breakthrough in itself.
Seventh, the performances of these three actors show the development process of "Ghost Smile" from classic to extreme, and then to new attempts. Each actor has innovated on the basis of their predecessors, injecting new vitality into this performance element.
This also tells us that on the road of acting, there is no end, only continuous exploration and breakthroughs. From imitation to innovation, every step is a necessary way for an actor to grow.
The development of the performance element of "Ghost Smile" reflects the spirit of the actors' continuous pursuit of breakthroughs and innovations. From Zhang Zifeng's classic interpretation in "Detective Chinatown" in 2015, to Ning Li's extreme performance in "Undocumented Crime" in 2017, and then to Jing Boran's brave attempt in "New Life" in 2024, we see the charm and potential of acting.
Although Jing Boran's performance in this field is not as good as that of the two powerful actors, his progress and efforts are obvious to all. As the original text said, "I hope Jing Boran can continue to maintain it and bring more surprises to the audience in the future plot."
"We look forward to seeing more breakthroughs and innovations in this area in his future works. At the same time, we also hope that more actors can inject new vitality into the performance element of "Ghost Smile" and bring more amazing performances.
As the article says, "Smile performance is a basic compulsory course for actors, but it does require a certain amount of skill and strength to be able to perform the ghost smile that scares the audience."
"On the road of acting, there is no end, only continuous exploration and breakthrough. Let's look forward to more wonderful performances and witness the growth and transformation of more actors.