1. In an ordinary family in Wukesong, Beijing, Xiao Liu Lin has shown a different side since she was a child. Despite the fact that her parents were both technical workers in the Ministry of Astronautics, she was fascinated by acting.
When she was in kindergarten, she liked to imagine and act out all kinds of scenes by herself: the expression on her face when she walked out of the courthouse after her parents' divorce, and how to entertain guests when she was a bridesmaid with a good friend.
The origin of this desire to perform, even Liu Lin herself can't say clearly, "Maybe I was born like this child, I never thought about anything else in my life, and I have been determined to be an actor since I was a child."
When she was in junior high school, Liu Lin persuaded her parents to let her study acting at the China Children's Art Theater with her love for acting. Two or three times a week, she would take the bus alone across most of Beijing, from Wukesong to Wangfujing for classes.
"At that time, I studied two or three times a week, and I went at night, my family lived in Wukesong, and my son was in Wangfujing, so far away, I took the bus by myself, and then went home at night after studying.
Liu Lin recalled, her eyes flashing with nostalgia for those difficult but hopeful days. At that time, Beijing did not have the convenient transportation as it is now, and it took a lot of time to go back and forth every time, but this did not diminish Liu Lin's enthusiasm for performance in the slightest.
Her eyes flashed with a vision of the future, as if she had seen herself standing in the spotlight. This dedication and love have supported the young Liu Lin through countless rushing nights, and also laid a solid foundation for her future acting career.
In this way, Liu Lin worked hard to drill into the circle of actors, and finally was successfully admitted to the Beijing Film Academy when she graduated from high school. Standing at the crossroads of life, 18-year-old Liu Lin stepped into her dream hall with great expectations and began her career as an actor.
Second, she firmly believes that she will eventually shine on this road and realize her childhood dream. With her dedication and talent for acting, Liu Lin was successfully admitted to the Beijing Film Academy.
Here, she met Xu Jinglei, who later became one of the "Four Little Flowers". Although the classmates around her are all as beautiful as flowers, Liu Lin did not feel inferior, but was full of confidence and thought: "Although I am not as good-looking as them, I will never lose in acting."
This confidence comes from her love for acting and years of hard work. In her second year of college, Liu Lin ushered in the first important opportunity in her life. She was selected to co-star in "Singing in the Middle of the Night" with Leslie Cheung and Huang Lei, and was even entertained by Leslie Cheung himself.
This is undoubtedly a fantastic start for a newcomer to the industry. Liu Lin's eyes flashed with excitement and expectation, as if she saw her bright acting prospects.
Soon after graduation, she played the role of a female prisoner who mistakenly killed her sister in "Coming Home for the New Year", and won the 13th Singapore International Film Festival with Li Bingbing for her excellent acting skills.
The award is very encouraging for Liu Lin, who feels that her efforts have finally been recognized. However, these early successes did not bring a sustained aura to Liu Lin.
3. For a long time after that, her acting career has been in a tepid state. At the same time, her college roommate Xu Jinglei quickly became popular with "Carry on Love to the End" and secured the position of the four little flowers in the mainland.
In the face of frequent comparisons in the media and the question of "are you in a hurry", Liu Lin always replied indifferently: "We are different." She even laughed at herself: "There are not so many opportunities now, it's okay, when I reach my thirties and forties, there may be some old man and old lady who will be my turn."
Although these words were a little self-deprecating, they were more of a firm belief in their future. Liu Lin realized early on that her acting path might be different from others.
She recalls an experience in college: "At that time, our class was rehearsing a play called Wangxiang, Xu Jinglei played a young female reporter, and I played a Japan comfort woman.
At that time, I understood that the appearance of an actor is related to the fate of the acting career in the future. During this period, although Liu Lin was inevitably a little lost in her heart, she never gave up her love for the profession of actor.
She firmly believes that as long as she acts steadfastly, she will one day be recognized by the audience and industry insiders. "I don't think my image is so bad, it's just not as good as them, right? Since this is the case, I will act in a down-to-earth manner, and I will also be respected by others.
Fourth, this kind of persistence and self-knowledge laid the groundwork for her future career breakthroughs. In 2000, 30-year-old Liu Lin met Zhang Li, a photographer 17 years older than her, at a work.
Zhang Li is a "genius", although he has been married 4 times, his talent deeply attracted Liu Lin. For Liu Lin, the first criterion for choosing a boyfriend is talent, so she invested in this relationship without hesitation.
Liu Lin once said that she treats her feelings like a moth to a fire, even if she is broken, she must be brave to try. However, this seemingly romantic romance did not blossom. Three years later, when Liu Lin said she wanted to get married, Zhang Li declared that she was unmarried.
In the case of a stalemate between the two, Zhang Li was still merciful everywhere, and scandals continued. In the end, it was Liu Lin who proposed to break up. "Although I proposed to break up, I felt that I was the one who was abandoned.
Liu Lin recalled, a trace of pain flashing in her eyes. What made her heart ache even more was that less than half a year after the breakup, she saw the news of Zhang Li's marriage in a newspaper. That day, when Liu Lin took a taxi, the driver handed her a newspaper casually, and as soon as she opened it, it was the news of Zhang Li's marriage.
This accidental discovery made Liu Lin feel deeply betrayed and hurt. The failure of this relationship brought a huge blow to Liu Lin, but it also gave her a new understanding of love.
In 2008, 38-year-old Liu Lin chose to marry a photographer outside the circle. There was no vigorous ceremony in this marriage, just a simple meal for the family. The entire property of the newlyweds is only a car worth 100,000 yuan that still needs a loan.
5. In the face of the outside world's doubts about her "marriage", Liu Lin responded with a smile: "Born in the countryside is simple, the family is not rich but enough to spend, although he is not rich and expensive, but he is really good to me, the two of us love each other, and that's enough."
These words reveal Liu Lin's yearning and cherishing of simple happiness. This marriage brought Liu Lin an unprecedented sense of stability. She described herself and her husband as two personalities, "one anxious and the other slow", which just complement each other.
In 2014, Liu Lin chose to go home to have a child, and she didn't work for two years. "When I gave birth, it was really a baby, and from the first day of pregnancy, I didn't take any work.
For two whole years, exclusive breastfeeding. Although this decision affected her career, it also made her experience the happiness of being a mother. However, when Liu Lin returned to work, she found that she had lost a lot of opportunities.
She was shocked by the speed of renewal in this circle, and tried to contact the previous producers and directors, but the result was either bad words or extremely low salary.
Faced with this situation, Liu Lin even thought about "it's a big deal to go back to my hometown with my husband to farm, grow tea, and retire to the countryside". Despite this, Liu Lin did not give up her dream of being an actor.
She always remembers a sentence given to her by her teacher when she graduated: "Liu Lin, you are a person who regards acting as your life." This sentence has always accompanied her and supported her through the trough of her life and career.
After a long period of low times, Liu Lin's career finally ushered in a turnaround. In 2014, she played the role of "Jiang Dehua" in the TV series "Parents' Love", which was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and moved countless audiences.
6. This character is a typical representative of a rural working woman, who helped her brother and sister-in-law raise almost all their children. Liu Lin's interpretation of this role has been widely praised, she said: "I'm not acting, I'm living Dehua's life."
This sincere performance touched the audience and won her the Golden Eagle Award for the Most Popular Actress Award. Liu Lin recalled: "My nephew said to me, when I was young, you carried me on my back, and I could always smell the smell of oil on your head.
He said no, it was the most human. This dialogue touched Liu Lin many times, and it also allowed her to understand the character's heart more deeply. The success of "Parents' Love" made Liu Lin begin to be known by more and more people.
Once, a grandfather took his little grandson to school on a motorcycle, and when he saw Liu Lin on the road, he looked at Liu Lin with tears in his eyes, held her hand tightly and shouted: "Dehua."
Liu Lin recalled: "It was like seeing his long-lost relatives, how touched I was, how touched I was, I was worth it." This kind of sincere feedback from the audience gave Liu Lin a deeper sense of identity with her profession.
7. What really made Liu Lin's career usher in the peak was "Do You Know If You Should Be Green, Fat, Red and Thin" broadcast in 2018. She played the role of "big lady" in the play and became a frequent visitor to hot searches.
Her stills were made into emojis and became popular all over the Internet, and the 48-year-old Liu Lin finally ushered in her own highlight moment. In 2018, Liu Lin relied on organic traffic to appear on Weibo hot searches twice in a row, and her performance in the play was widely discussed and appreciated.
In 2020, she was stunned in the sound competition show "Sound Immersion" and won the championship, which is called well-deserved. In the same year, in the hit drama "The Hidden Corner", she played the scene of "Zhou Chunhong" forcing the child to drink milk, which was second only to Zhang Dongsheng's "Climbing the Mountain Together".
This mentality may stem from her understanding and love for the profession of actor over the years. In Liu Lin's view, the value of an actor is not how popular he is, but whether he can play every role well and touch the hearts of the audience.
This attitude of focusing on the performance itself is the key to Liu Lin's ability to usher in the peak of her career at the age of 48. Liu Lin's success lies not only in her acting skills, but also in the authenticity and peace she has always maintained.
Even after becoming popular, she still maintains her love and awe for the profession of actor. She doesn't want to be the center of attention, she doesn't want to participate in various activities, and she doesn't want to compete for the limelight from others.
In her heart, she can hardly pretend to be anything other than acting. "I'm doing something that I like and am good at, how happy I am." This pure professional attitude makes her particularly precious in the vanity fair of the entertainment industry.
Liu Lin's current life is to shoot for half a year and stay at home for half a year. No matter how painful the scene is, as long as she comes home and sees the calm faces of her husband and children, she feels very happy.
8. During the half year I was in the crew, I enjoyed that kind of solitude very much, and when I returned to Beijing after filming, he and the child came to pick me up at the airport, and the moment the child called 'Mom', I suddenly returned to the state of mother.
Liu Lin also has a unique view on the changes brought about by age. Every time she takes a photo, she will emphasize that she is absolutely not allowed to retouch pictures, especially wrinkles, "You must keep it for me."
"They represent my life experiences, the meaning of my life, and I should accept them all openly," she said. Liu Lin treats fans like friends. Once, she left a message to an iron fan, "Can you leave me a phone", and the fans thought that her number had been stolen, and immediately ran responsibly to tell each other in the fan base.
In fact, she just wants to chat with fans and report what she has been doing recently. Liu Lin's friend Dai Jun once commented on her: "There is no time when you are particularly young, but you will never be old."
This sentence aptly sums up Liu Lin's charm. She used her own experience to tell us that in the vanity fair of the entertainment industry, it is also possible to succeed by staying true and insisting on authenticity.
As she said: "You are not so young and beautiful, you have to wait until you are thirty or forty years old and have a certain amount of life experience before you can highlight your beauty." This may be Liu Lin's greatest wisdom in life.