Xiao Zhan: About Sheng Yang, I have some questions

Original Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/OCkDuZW1tVMamPrWn__SYw
Original Author: 肉英
Translator’s note: The original author is part of Yuli Studio, this article is published in Yuli Studio’s Weixin Official Account on 14 Sep 2023 as a part of “Behind the Screens” Volume 1107.

At the end of 2019, Xiao Zhan had just celebrated his 28th birthday. He had received the script of “Sunshine By My Side” and met the 26-year-old Sheng Yang in the script.

Around the same age and having similar work experiences, there seemed to be some wonderful connection between Sheng Yang and Xiao Zhan. Coupled with the lively and lovable characters in the script, it seemed to be an obvious choice to take on the drama “Sunshine By My Side”.

In Xiao Zhan’s work resume, he had portrayed the roles of a lonely and cold prince, a young man with infinite passion and sincerity, a soldier who strove to breakthrough himself, a doctor who was cold on the surface but passionate inside, etc. These roles had given Xiao Zhan different life experiences, but he still seemed to be missing a slice of life work – after Sheng Yang met the audience, this role filled the gap.

The script of “Sunshine By My Side” took more than three years to create, and during these three years, Xiao Zhan had also experienced some of his own growth, and this gave him some doubts about his previously firm choice of Sheng Yang, “I’m already 31 years old, how can I play the role of a younger man who is new and has no experience in the society? Can I convince the audience?” In his heart, Xiao Zhan asked himself repeatedly.

All of these questions, Xiao Zhan told screenwriter Li Xiao.

01

The original Sheng Yang was lively and innocent, his body was filled with endless energy. In Li Xiao’s words, “He was a sunny and light character.” This was also Xiao Zhan’s initial feelings about Sheng Yang, but soon, such a character experienced a round of challenges.

After writing more than 20 episodes of the script, Li Xiao’s emotional life had changed, and she had a deeper understanding of the love story between this younger man and older lady. “The younger man who really wants to properly fall in love must have a very mature temperament and thoughts.” Li Xiao said.

The 26-year-old Sheng Yang actually already had several years of work experience, should he still be a naive big boy? Is it possible that for him to admire Jian Bing for 10 years because of an advertisement 10 years ago, and should Sheng Yang be a completely straightforward and passionate character? Could he fall in love with the older lady Jian Bing just based on pure love?

These questions seemed to have different answers in Li Xiao’s mind, and it was also at this time, Xiao Zhan met Li Xiao for the first time at the script planning meeting.

Xiao Zhan’s doubts and Li Xiao’s thoughts collided at the same time, “Sister Li Xiao and I have met each other too late.” In Xiao Zhan’s eyes, Li Xiao is a person who is very serious about work, both of their thoughts about Sheng Yang hit it off right away at the first script meeting.

The “image of a fledgling, inexperienced younger man”, which Xiao Zhan was worried that he might not be able to interpret well, was almost overthrown by Li Xiao, and he was transformed into a more resolute character, a bit obstinate, and a more serious Sheng Yang. He was no longer a novice in the workplace, but a character with strong personal abilities, inner aspirations, and some sense of maturity.

When encountering difficulties, Sheng Yang was responsible; he also had his own persistence when Jian Bing offered her assistance after losing his job; his choice to start a business was not a decision of a youthful impulse and a hotheadedness, “We want the audience to believe that everything Sheng Yang has gone through, believe in the decisions he made,” Xiao Zhan said.

Xiao Zhan participated in such script meetings three times in total. The communication with Li Xiao also extended from the script itself to the two persons’ tastes in art. “We would talk about some of the works we have watched recently, and she would recommend many interesting movies, drama series, and even radio and audio books, and I saw a lot of good works that I had never seen before.”

It was in this atmosphere that Sheng Yang’s image becomes more and more rounded — in Xiao Zhan’s heart, Sheng Yang was no longer just a cold description of words, but there was an outline of a complete character portrait, all of the motivations behind Sheng Yang’s choices became clear. Only after oneself is convinced then the audience have the possibility to believe, Sheng Yang’s changes finally gave Xiao Zhan the confidence to perform.

“The Sheng Yang now has a clear growth path, and the family atmosphere is also clearer, his sense of responsibility presented, as well as his ability to withstand stress, have all improved. His relationship with Jian Bing has also became more grounded and more believable.” In the three years of script creation, Sheng Yang, like Xiao Zhan, had grown up.

02

“Sunshine By My Side” chose its filming location in Chongqing, a city where Xiao Zhan had lived before and could give him a sense of security. It might have been easier to find the “sense of life” desired in the drama in such a city.

Even so, Xiao Zhan was still a little nervous before joining the drama, “What I’m particularly worried about is actually that I want to interpret the character of Sheng Yang in a very life-like and natural way, if I can make everyone feel that Xiao Zhan is not acting, and he is Sheng Yang, then it will be successful.”

How to interpret a life-like character was a lesson that Xiao Zhan must complete.

Director Song Xiaofei once took Xiao Zhan to Sheng Yang’s home, and after entering Sheng Yang’s room, Xiao Zhan first stopped and looked around to familiarize himself with the environment, then he went to tidy up the quilts and pillows he was going to sleep on. He sat on the sofa again, then got up, came beside the desk, and adjusted all the ornaments on the desk to where he could easily reach them.

“I particularly like the Sheng Yang’s home. The art directors in “Sunshine By My Side” were very good. They made the Sheng Yang’s home very life-like. So when I walked in, I didn’t feel like I was acting at all. Instead, it felt like I had already lived here for a very long time.”

In Sheng Yang’s room, Xiao Zhan seemed to see the house where he lived in as a child. Whether it was the living atmosphere or the environment, everything was too similar.

With such an atmosphere, Xiao Zhan wants to do even better in showing the character of Sheng Yang. Therefore, he is always a little nervous, “I had never acted in such a life-oriented drama, and I was a little uneasy.” From the first day of filming, Xiao Zhan would send the director a message every day.

“Director, do you feel there are any adjustments today?”

“Director, do you think this segment is alright?”

“How do you feel?”

“How about the scene tomorrow?”

Xiao Zhan liked the feeling of being Sheng Yang on the set of “Sunshine By My Side”. He communicated, discussed, and created with the director every day. For Xiao Zhan, this was a way to for him to progress.

On the first day after joining the drama, Xiao Zhan’s first scene was the scene where Sheng Yang met Jian Bing in a restaurant 10 years later. Song Xiaofei deliberately put this important scene on the first day of filming in order to retain that feeling where Xiao Zhan and Bai Baihe just knew each other, and this was also the condition the characters needed.

Recalling the first day of filming, Xiao Zhan thought it was “quite fun”, and on the second day, when filming the scene where Jian Bing was drunk and Sheng Yang took care of her in the hotel, Bai Baihe’s acting skills touched him.

“The plot of that part was that Jian Bing asked for a song and Sheng Yang asked what the title of the song was, then Jian Bing looked at Sheng Yang and said, ‘I really love you’. I had a very deep impression of the look in Bai Baihe’s gaze when she raised her head, it was very stunning to me at that time, I saw the light in her eyes and her whole state directly and closely, and I really learned a lot.”

The excellent performance of the partnering actress also inspired Xiao Zhan’s energy. In the subsequent scenes where Sheng Yang muttered to himself, Xiao Zhan’s performance was more refined than when he was rehearsing.

Director Song Xiaofei was always good at capturing the impromptu reactions of actors under the camera, and that reaction was the most real and the most touching to the audience. Xiao Zhan said: “In the drama ‘Sunshine By My Side’, I just do subtractions, don’t think too much about the plan or anything else, it’s enough to just immerse yourself in the character.”

03

Sheng Yang’s lines were life-like, but they also conveyed viewpoints. To be able to express those views without preaching was a test of the screenwriter’s creative ability, and it was also a test of the actor’s lines performance.

Director Song Xiaofei didnot ask the actors to say their lines exactly according to the script, which made them seem a bit rigid. Most of them did not deviate from the original settings of the script, and the actors could handle it as they felt comfortable. “There were still some differences from the costume dramas I have filmed previously. For costume dramas, there was its own way of segmenting lines and saying words within.” Xiao Zhan said.

In addition to family, love and other story lines, Sheng Yang’s work scenes were also very important. When walking into Shengyang’s office, Xiao Zhan, who had also been a designer, even felt like he time traveled. “Those workstations, drawing pads, pens, and even the office and design software in the computer were all too familiar.” Sitting at Sheng Yang’s workstation, Xiao Zhan would feel relaxed.

“Although these software were not used frequently now, and my skills have degraded a little, it was still possible to photoshop some pictures and edit some short clips when filming.” While waiting for the scene on the set, Xiao Zhan would occasionally make randomly sketch on the draft paper, this sense of atmosphere created an inexplicable connection between him and the character Sheng Yang.

In “Sunshine By My Side”, there was a scene that moved the audience and they exclaimed it as the reality: Sheng Yang had lost his job due to a certain project accident, but he did not complain to his parents. Instead, he behaved as usual every day and went out to find a job on time, going home on time to accompany his parents.

Xiao Zhan fully understood Sheng Yang, who only reported good news but not bad news, because the way he got along with his family was similar to Sheng Yang. Xiao Zhan liked the family of three’s noisy but harmonious way of getting along with one another in the drama, “The parents would bicker and have arguments, but they loved each other very much, were very happy, and were very wonderful.” During the filming of “Sunshine By My Side”, Xiao Zhan’s parents visited him twice and to Xiao Zhan, this is also a kind of happiness.

The audience said that “Sheng Yang is Xiao Zhan in the parallel world.” Sheng Yang, a Chongqing native and designer, has a high degree of similarity with Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan himself also felt that “in the process of portraying Sheng Yang, I would subconsciously immerse myself.” For example, Sheng Yang and Xiao Zhan would scratch their heads when they were shy.

“But I’m also afraid that everyone will feel this way.” Xiao Zhan said, “I’m afraid that the audience will project their feelings and emotions towards Xiao Zhan onto this character. Although Sheng Yang and I had the same profession, our personalities are still quite different, Xiao Zhan may be quieter and more stable, whereas Sheng Yang is more outgoing.”

There would definitely be some connection between the character and the actor himself, the real reactions given during the filming might have merged Xiao Zhan’s own temperament in some of Sheng Yang’s scenes, but this did not mean that Sheng Yang is Xiao Zhan.

If the audience felt that Sheng Yang seemed to be truly living in a certain time and space, it might also mean that Xiao Zhan’s interpretation of this character had achieved a realized effect . The “sense of life” he wants to show had been acknowledged by the audiences.

Broadcasting three television drama series in one year is a very rare achievement for an actor and Xiao Zhan also that knows clearly, “The value of an actor lies in using his works to speak, and having a very real feedback connection with the audience.” In the future, television drama series will still be Xiao Zhan’s main development direction, so what will be his next work?