Can the new generation of Hong Kong actors become famous beyond Lo Wu?
2024-06-21
For most audiences outside of Hong Kong, actors in Hong Kong movies are still equivalent to old faces such as Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Wu Chun yu, Liu Qingyun, Louis Koo, and Aaron Kwok, but a new generation of Hong Kong actors is emerging. During the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, several new generation Hong Kong actors appeared in the eyes of the mainland film industry and audiences, causing a lot of attention and discussion. The Hong Kong style kungfu movie "Besieged by the Kowloon Stronghold" has made Liu Junqian, Hu Zitong and Zhang Wenjie three young actors more popular. Hu Zitong and Zhang Wenjie made their debut in this year's Tiktok Wonderful Night and Weibo Movie Night, making their first appearance in large-scale activities in the mainland. At the "Extraordinary: Hong Kong Film New Generation" forum at the Shanghai Film Festival, eight Hong Kong new generation actors, including Wang Danni, Xie Yongxin, Xu Enyi, Zhu Jianran, Liang Yongting, Yang Siyong, Liang Zhongheng, and Zhou Hanning, collectively attended under the leadership of Er Dongsheng. Er Dongsheng even went live to promote to senior executives of film and television companies such as Alibaba Pictures and Bona Pictures, hoping that they would boldly hire young actors from Hong Kong. These new actors have shown outstanding performance in recent Hong Kong films. But how to make them "famous over Luohu" (Cantonese, meaning being sought after by mainland audiences) and familiar to audiences outside of Hong Kong is the most important problem that needs to be solved. New phenomenon: Unlike the older generation of actors who grew up on set, many of the new generation of Hong Kong actors come from a professional background without the burden of being a celebrity. Liang Zhongheng, Zhou Hanning, and Liu Junqian all come from the Drama School of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (majoring in performance), among which Liang Zhongheng is a first-class honor graduate; Liang Yongting graduated from the Department of Performance at the School of Film, Hong Kong Baptist University. Yang Siyong and Xie Yongxin are studying behind the scenes related majors in university, respectively from the Creative Media System of City University of Hong Kong and the Creative Film Production major of Hong Kong Baptist University. At the forum of the Shanghai Film Festival, Er Dongsheng joked, "This group of young people has a higher education, is more rational than our generation, and is not so prone to getting angry. This is the biggest difference." The background of the film troupe makes this group of actors more professional and able to handle different roles. For example, Liang Zhongheng can be a police officer who follows Zhang Keyi in the case of "Temporary Robbery", or he can play disabled track and field athlete Su Huawei with weak hearing and limb spasms in "Mom's Wonderful Boy"; He is also a stage actor with outstanding performances in "The Sky", "The Worry Alleviation Grocery", and "Fantasy Attack (Stage Edition)". In Er Dongsheng's view, new actors do not have the burden of being celebrities and are more willing to challenge marginal roles: "In the past, there were many taboos for artists, such as male celebrities not being able to do kissing scenes because fans would turn their backs. But now Hong Kong actors do not have such concerns, they can use them any way they want. For example, Leung Wing ting played" Under the Sun ", a girl with intellectual disabilities, completely disregarding her image." These actors who can and dare to play are mutually successful with "four character movies" that focus on marginal groups and social issues, such as "Under the Sun" and "Young Diary", which have emerged in Hong Kong in recent years. ". There is an objective reason why Hong Kong films have shifted from police and gangster films to realistic themes: new directors in Hong Kong find it difficult to obtain large investments, so they can only choose lower cost realistic films. But from another perspective, this also provides better opportunities for the new generation of Hong Kong filmmakers to exercise. Er Dongsheng said, "Young directors don't have much funding. They focus more on drama and deal with more serious and serious topics. Both directors and actors will make progress from it. Idol dramas don't have much to play, just like the ancient costumes I used to shoot when I was young. Just being handsome doesn't improve acting skills." Er Dongsheng replaced the new generation of actors in the film industry, "money" has always been an unavoidable topic. As a member of the new generation of filmmakers, Liang Zhongheng believes that the problem they are facing now is how to use the most limited resources to shoot better things. Although there is less funding now, this environment can actually stimulate creativity among creators. Er Dongsheng admitted that in the past five years, the Hong Kong film industry has fallen into a slump, and the salaries of new actors are much lower than those of their predecessors. He even directly sought work from the senior executives of film and television companies on stage at the forum, saying, "Hong Kong actors don't have such high salaries or high demands, which is very affordable!" He vigorously promoted Wang Danni, saying, "Her ancient costume looks very photogenic and is also suitable for playing the role of a strong woman in the workplace. Many male actors in mainland China are very tall, and it is easier to find actors to play with her height in mainland China." Wang Danni, who comes from a model background, made her debut in the film "Anita Mui" and became the Best New Artist at the Golden Horse Awards for her role in the film; Afterwards, he also appeared in "Poison Tongue Lawyer", playing a mother who was wrongly accused. She is one of the fastest growing new generation actresses in the commercial film industry in Hong Kong, and she is also featured in the disaster film "Burning City" recently announced by Alibaba Pictures. Er Dongsheng has been filming in mainland China for many years. In his view, the film industry in mainland China has reached a scale and can produce many films that Hong Kong does not have the resources to shoot, which is quite helpful for the growth of actors: "I have filmed films such as" I am a passerby "and" The Sword of the Third Young Master "in Hengdian, and I have lived there for more than two years in the past decade. There are outdoor scenes, factory sheds, and both ancient and modern scenes here. The cost will be relatively low. Nowadays, Hong Kong directors basically have no opportunity to shoot ancient films." He encourages young actors to have more exposure to different job opportunities. For a period of time, everyone was very resistant to online movies, but when I was very popular at NetEase University, I went to Gaobeidian in Beijing to watch it. Many production teams were gathered there. I saw that independent filmmakers in Hong Kong were very energetic, so don't resist NetEase University. The opportunity for new generation actors to be seen is not high in mainland China, but their dedication has been recognized by mainland filmmakers. The new film "A Man and a Woman" directed by Guan Hu and starring Huang Bo and Ni Ni has been nominated for the main competition unit of the Shanghai Film Festival. The film tells a story that takes place in Hong Kong, with multiple Hong Kong actors participating, including Zhou Hanning. Guan Hu praised him for his hard work: "He has prepared a lot for this film. I believe his work attitude is actually shared by all the new generation actors in Hong Kong." Huang Bo candidly envied the creative environment of these new actors: "They live very down-to-earth. They take the subway home after filming every day, and they are not far from life. What they extract from life will eventually return to performance." Guan Hu also gave a suggestion for the new generation actors in Hong Kong: "Language and accent still need to be overcome. Hong Kong accent is a specific label that will limit their choices in roles. As long as they can overcome this, cooperation can continue." For the new generation of Hong Kong actors, what they may lack is an opportunity to be seen. "The Siege of Kowloon Fortress" has become a "small hit" in this year's May Day season, grossing 682 million yuan at the box office in mainland China. As a result, Liu Junqian, Hu Zitong, and Zhang Wenjie have also entered the public eye. In fact, Liu Junqian had previously appeared in larger films such as "Undercover" and "Anita Mui"; Hu Zitong and Zhang Wenjie have appeared in numerous police and gangster films over the past six or seven years, playing instrumental roles such as police officers, robbers, and hackers. "The Siege of Kowloon Fortress" boldly allows young actors to take on the main responsibilities, and the actors have also accumulated a certain number of fans through this film. The new generation of Hong Kong actors may be waiting for a role to play, a production with a certain volume, to help them run out. Zhu Jianran, who debuted in the same brokerage company as Hu Zitong almost at the same time, is also among the "waiting to be exploded". He, with his tall stature, played a heroic and sacrificial undercover agent in "Sneak" last year, which sparked discussions on a small scale. He admitted that he hoped to work hard towards action acting: "I want to play historical costumes and martial arts, and I think I have an advantage in action." Before being seen, Er Dongsheng believed that young actors should still equip themselves well. He posted on the forum that this new generation should experience life more and become soulful actors: "You should pay attention to everyone around you, whether it's sanitation workers or food delivery workers. If you have the opportunity, you should even take the initiative to chat with them. This is the source of your creativity. As actors, if you don't get involved in life and just swipe your phone every day, it's useless. I see that many young actors nowadays just play their tricks and don't have anything from their hearts. Actors are happier than ordinary people and can live different lives through their roles. I have always encouraged them to experience and experience it on their own." (Xinhua News Agency)
Edit：Lubaikang Responsible editor：Chenze
Source：yangcheng evening news
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