[Exclusive Interview] Xiao Zhan: A difficult road is an uphill road

Original Article: https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404918277552865498
Original Author: 人民文娱 People’s JoyWorks
Translator’s note: The article will be published in the 496th Issue of “Global People” magazine on 1 Jul 2023.

The interview with Xiao Zhan was late at night. On this day, he was busy with the training camp for the new movie during the day and also participated in the promotion of his new drama at night, the recording was only done almost around 12 o’clock. In the lounge that was temporarily converted into an interview room, there were two sets of clothes he was wearing today hanging, two pairs of white sneakers on the ground, a rack for machines, and once the lights were turned on, there was almost no more room to move around.

After recording the show, Xiao Zhan changed his clothes and tidied his hair as quickly as possible, and again walked into the lounge as quickly as possible. When he came to the door, he paused and slowed down his steps as he walked in. He said hello calmly and sat down quietly. Surrounded by the silhouettes of the busy staff, who were adjusting the lights and confirming the sound reception, he held the interview outline and read carefully, as if a spotlight was being cast on his head, separating him from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, leaving only immersion and thought.

Holding paper materials in his hands seemed to be Xiao Zhan’s habit. Yang Xu, the performance director who had cooperated with him many times, once described him as “always holding the script at any one time”. On the one hand, this came from his anxiety about the role, and on the other hand, it also came from his respect and awe for the role. As an actor with a non-professional background, Xiao Zhan had always maintained a cautious attitude towards acting.

This kind of attitude still ran deep in him, and had helped him realize some changes from quantity to quality. In the past 3 years, Xiao Zhan had participated in the theater play “A Dream Like a Dream” continuously, with tens of thousands of lines in each showing; every year, he had a stable output of television dramas, from ancient period to modern times, from fantasy to realism; when the TV series “The Youth Memories / Where Dreams Begin” was broadcasted in June, the audience saw a more mature actor Xiao Zhan.

In this drama, he wore a military overcoat, spoke Beijing dialect, rode a 28″ bicycle, starting from the small Shichahai, interpreting a lifetime of struggle spanning 30 years, outlining the endless fighting youth of that generation. Xiao Zhan used the word “nostalgia” to describe the “dream” — to Xiao Chunsheng, who Xiao Zhan portrayed, his dream was born and raised in the city of Beijing, and it was also his original intention and persistence that had never been compromised.

Becoming Xiao Chunsheng was also the same dream. In the dream, Xiao Zhan saw the characters and the times; he also saw himself and the present.

Stick to what you think is right

When Xiao Zhan first received the script of “The Youth Memories / Where Dreams Begin”, he was attracted by Xiao Chunsheng’s full storyline of growth. “He went through a lot in his life, there were many turning points and challenges, but he always chose to face the difficulties.”

​As a TV series about the struggle and growth of youths in Beijing in the 1970s, “The Youth Memories / Where Dreams Begin” had the unique idealism and romantic colors of that era. Chief planner Ye Jing and director Fu Ning were also masters in telling Beijing stories. The story began on the eve of the resumption of the college entrance examination, where 6 youths met at the Shichahai ice skating rink: the smart and unrestrained Xiao Chunsheng, the gentle and quiet Tong Xiaomei, the generous and righteous Ye Guohua, the proud and vivid He Hongling, the sober and rational Ye Fang, and the studious and meek Chen Hongjun. They each had their own ideals, but also had their own constraints in life. With this ice rink as the starting point, they embarked on completely different and intertwined life trajectories.

In the next 30 years, Xiao Chunsheng and his friends experienced the ups and downs of life, and also struggled and grew up in the clarion call of reform and opening up of the country. Family, friendship, love, challenges, opportunities, success and failure, these were the key words that constituted the portrayal of the ordinary people in extraordinary times.

Xiao Chunsheng, played by Xiao Zhan, was the most “pivotal” of them: in the early stage, he was the big brother of the group, with ideas, courage, thoughts, and the chivalry of a youth; in the middle stage, he was eager to make contributions in the army but he returned to his hometown lonely after injury, and then he stood up again under the support of his tenacious beliefs; in the end, he walked out of Shichahai, experienced ups and downs in the business world, but still embraced his original intentions and realized another type of value for his life.

“I think the most similar thing between me and Xiao Chunsheng is that I can always stick to what I think is right. In the drama, Xiao Chunsheng had made many choices as the society changed, but what he really insisted on in his heart did not changed, this included his friends, family, and the career he cared about, he was someone who was more obstinated.” Xiao Zhan told interviewer.

This role was simple, and it was full of vigor from beginning to end; but this role was also complicated, and the roller coaster styled situations required the actor to portray completely different mental outlooks.

The scene had the deepest impression on Xiao Zhan was the scene where Xiao Chunsheng returned to Beijing after being injured. “That scene required the actor to be immersed in sad emotions, and yet at the same time to create some different layers in this emotion, the difficulty was to display this change and progression.”

His legs were injured, his father passed away, and his lover left him, Xiao Chunsheng took the triple blows and boarded the train bound for Beijing. To Xiao Zhan, Xiao Chunsheng was feeling very uneasy at that time, “He was such a proud and stubborn person, and yet he was actually carried onto the car in a wheelchair, so I thought, if it was me, what would I do?” Xiao Zhan saw a pole next to the train door, so he supported himself using the pole and got on the train. “I think this was something Xiao Chunsheng would do, because the stubbornness in his bones would be: others can trouble me, and I can do things for my brothers and those who care about me, but if I need to trouble others, this will be the end of me.” Xiao Zhan said.

After getting off the train, Xiao Chunsheng saw his sister, and the two siblings hugged each other with tears in their eyes, this scene touched many audiences. In fact, this scene was just a simple movement of positions, when the filming officially started, the emotions were already in place, and the two actors naturally released all the grievances, heartache, and unwillingness — real emotions cannot be rehearsed.

To achieve this sense of presence, firstly it would require the actor to be 100% familiar with the script, and secondly it would require the actor to be fully one with the role. “The Youth Memories / Where Dreams Begin” filmed out of sequence, and scenes before and after might not always be in sequence, so it takes time and effort to sort out the sequence and performance of each scene, and do enough homework on the script.

In Xiao Zhan’s view, this is a challenge, and even more so it is the only way to become an actor.

Actors speak with their works

Xiao Zhan is a “post-90s” actor, and “The Youth Memories / Where Dreams Begin” told the story of his parents’ generation. Speaking about the influence of his parents had on him, Xiao Zhan told the interviewer: “I have inherited that strength of theirs. Most Chongqing people have this very strong and tenacious energy.”

This strength penetrated throughout his acting career so far. Two and a half years ago, he was filming the TV series “Ace Troops”, and he entered the group early to participate in military training life. He went out to exercise at 5:30am every morning and practiced running under the scorching sun. Liu Yan, the director of that drama, had 3 simple and accurate words to describe him: “can endure hardship.”

Liu Yan’s other evaluation of Xiao Zhan was also 3 words, “can think”. For each character, Xiao Zhan always tried his best to explore, so as to find the support point of the performance. When discussing performance tips with the interviewer, Xiao Zhan said: “I like to do some preparation work outside of the script more, such as this character, what was his environment like growing up, what kind of people and incidents would have the biggest impact on him, perhaps such things are outside of the script, you need to dig them out yourself.”

Each character already already have a small biography of its own before filming started. “Writing him through my own understanding will help in the interpretation of this character.” This was Xiao Zhan’s tip.

“What kind of person would you hope people will say about Xiao Zhan when they mention Xiao Zhan in the future?” The interviewer asked him.

“His recent drama was good.” He replied with a smile.

This is his ambition, to be an actor based on acting. In recent years, Xiao Zhan had increasingly sensed the bonds between acting and actors. Often when he returned to the hotel after filming, when he recalled this day’s filming, he would always feel a sense of satisfaction, “I’d be very happy, and I’d feel that sigh, in fact, this scene was really okay, and all the hard work was worth it”; There would also be reflections, “or feel that my state in this scene was not very good, and it would be better if it did it again.”

“As an actor with a non-professional background, coupled with so much attention, the audience will inevitably look at you and evaluate you with more critical eyes. What do you think of these comments?”

“Just treat it with a normal mindset, just like a line in “The Youth Memories / Where Dreams Begin”, ‘a difficult road is an uphill road’. Those that are right, I will absorb it myself, and then correct it next time. For me In other words, actors speak through their works, so everything is in service of the works.”

Three years ago, at an event commemorating the 110th anniversary of Mr. Cao Yu’s birth, Xiao Zhan had a conversation with Cao Yu’s daughter Wan Fang. Xiao Zhan asked Wan Fang a question: “Is sincerity the most important thing in creation?”

Wan Fang replied with a line from her work “Winter Journey”: “There is no single road leading to sincerity, sincerity itself is the road.”

This sentence was deeply remembered in Xiao Zhan’s heart. He knew that he should have the same attitude towards acting — there is no shortcut to a good performance, only sincerity and persistence can complete it.

Be neither humble nor arrogant, focus on the current

Before entering the performing arts industry, Xiao Zhan was a university student studying design, as a diligent “contractor” in the company. Because of his work experiences attained before he was 25 years old, he always had a professional self-consciousness, for example, when talking about the drama “A Dream Like A Dream”, he described himself as a screw in the team.

Xiao Zhan told interviewer that he would be asked about his future plans and goals almost every year, but in fact he is not someone who likes to list plans. “It’s about doing what’s right now, living in the moment.”

It is the graduation season currently, Xiao Zhan recalled his career path with emotion. “After graduating from university, I first worked in my major and then jumped into this industry, I can empathize with the anxiety that some graduates may have. After leaving the campus, the social environment has changed, and the work content is also constantly changing, everyone will encounter different difficulties and challenges, and after one difficulty, there will be another one.” He said, “But you still have to adjust your mentality, be neither humble nor arrogant, don’t be too worried and troubled, and do your best in the matters on hand currently, the troubles will also be solved.”

At the beginning of 2020, Xiao Zhan attended an award ceremony. On the podium, he wrote “JIE”. That is his small expectation for himself: “Don’t be arrogant or hasty, refrain from staying up late, break boundaries, cross domains and explore the world.”

From a designer to a singer, this was a beautiful and unexpected turning point in Xiao Zhan’s life; from a singer to an actor, he had continuously broadened his career boundaries and gradually gained his own starlight; from fresh in the industry to gathering himself, he spent 3 years to train his stage performances and accumulate many works, he consolidated his abilities, and moved forward steadily. At the end of the interview, Xiao Zhan said that he would not set a life plan with ambition, and that the future came from this momentary self.

About life, time would give the best answer.