Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

"Jiang Lai doesn't deserve it! He's just relying on his powerful father!"

"You can't say that. He worked hard, and his acting was pretty good."

"Why are you still siding with him?"

"Hey, I'm just stating the facts."

"We worked so hard to get here, and now others can just come and do as they please. Are you satisfied with that?"

The other voice remained silent.

"And let me tell you, he's playing an old farmer. Can someone like him really do it well? I'm waiting to see him fail!"

"Alright, that's enough. Go pee and get going, then we can go over the lines again."

Silence fell over the restroom.

After a while, the sound of rushing water was heard, and a cubicle was pushed open, with Jiang Lai walking out expressionlessly.

He walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and washed his hands over and over again.

Until the skin turned red and wrinkles appeared on the fingertips.

He looked up at his reflection in his glasses, then walked out of the restroom expressionlessly.

"Jiang'er! Where have you been? It's almost our turn... uh... are you alright?"

Liu Ye ran over and saw that Jiang Lai looked terrible, so he couldn't help but worry.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Jiang Lai forced a smile.

Just then, Zhang Ziyi came running over, pulling a girl along with him.

"Quick! Let our senior touch up our makeup again."

The three of them sat in the audience area below the stage.

Jiang Lai tilted his head back and closed his eyes, letting his senior brush his face with a brush and then smear some kind of liquid on his face. He instantly felt his face tighten.

"Okay, take a look."

Jiang Lai opened his eyes and looked at the small mirror that the senior student in front of him was holding.

His skin is dark and wrinkled, and he does look much older, but it doesn't really look that old.

"Okay, thank you," Jiang Lai said.

The senior student continued to brush and wipe Zhang Ziyi next to her.

Jiang Lai took a deep breath, trying to adjust his mindset, but the conversation he had overheard in the restroom kept echoing in his mind.

A soft little hand held his.

Jiang Lai turned his head and met a pair of clear, bright eyes. As the eyes moved, Jiang Lai read two words.

I am here.

His heart suddenly calmed down.

"Zi Yi."

"Okay, go ahead."

"I kind of want to prove myself."

"I know you're the best."

......

"They are a farming couple from the countryside. Let's give them a round of applause."

The students in the audience applauded enthusiastically.

Jiang Lai and Zhang Ziyi, who were waiting in the waiting area, exchanged a glance and instantly entered performance mode, hunching their backs, bending their knees slightly, and supporting each other as they walked forward.

Once on stage, the two looked around nervously, their smiles stiff and unnatural.

Hello, ma'am! Hello, uncle!

Liu Ye held the microphone in one hand and walked over.

Jiang Lai stumbled, as if he had fallen, and hurriedly grabbed Liu Ye's hand, grinning foolishly and shaking his hands up and down.

The students in the audience smiled knowingly.

The examiners were also impressed. The old farmer's image at the beginning was well-established, and the feeling of a small person stepping onto a big stage was also there.

Especially the tug, character portrayal is all about the details. If the tug is not done well, it will be forced comedy and the audience will not buy it. If the tug is done well, the character will come to life.

This student is good; they've put in the effort.

The teachers were thinking to themselves.

"My name is Baiyun."

"My name is Heitu."

I am seventy-one.

I am seventy-five.

"This is my husband."

"This is my old mother."

"They're from different generations!"

The audience burst into laughter, and only after they caught their breath did the three continue their performance.

......

"Hey uncles and aunties, this talk show is just for chatting and relaxing. Just be yourself here, no matter how you are at home. Don't be nervous, okay?"

"You should have told me about relaxing earlier! The sooner you told me, the clearer things would have been."

"that is."

Zhang Ziyi naturally sat cross-legged on the sofa, and Jiang Lai also chuckled and took off his shoes to sit cross-legged as well.

Zhang Ziyi frowned. "I told you to relax, why are you relaxing your legs?"

With a look of disgust, she bent down and picked up the shoes for Jiang Lai, saying, "Put them on quickly, oh dear, your feet are so sweaty."

Jiang Lai lowered his chin, glancing back and forth. "Can't I take off my shoes?"

Liu Ye awkwardly rubbed his forehead, Zhang Ziyi helped him put on his shoes, and Jiang Lai accepted it calmly.

The vivid portrayal of the three characters drew the audience's attention.

......

"Ah! White Cloud, Black Earth apologizes to you. I've come to your door, please open your eyes and see how pitiful I am. How can we repeat yesterday's story today? Can my old ticket still board your wrecked ship?"

The atmosphere on set grew increasingly lively, and the trio became relaxed and enthusiastic. Liu Ye even broke into laughter, but fortunately, the audience couldn't notice the laughter in this skit format.

After Zhang Ziyi finished speaking, Liu Ye was supposed to ask, "Uncle, what happened next?"

But this guy still had that big, goofy grin on his face, and Jiang Lai knew immediately that something was wrong; this guy had definitely forgotten what he was supposed to say.

Zhang Ziyi was also startled, but Jiang Lai remained calm, his face still bearing that shy and mischievous smile.

"Little Cui, aren't you curious about what happened next?"

Liu Ye realized what was happening and quickly followed up, "Then tell me, uncle, what happened next?"

Jiang Lai's smile widened, his entire face scrunched up.

"The sound of the waves remains the same!"

After the performance, the audience erupted in applause.

Many students and teachers from other departments, and even people from outside the school, came to watch the performance, since everyone loves to join in the fun.

The result was a series of serious skits that were incomprehensible and had awkward dialogue.

Seeing this thing that makes you laugh from the bottom of your heart, I immediately felt that the trip was worthwhile.

"So, teachers, who would like to go first?"

After each group finished performing, the teacher would give a brief comment. The person speaking was the department head.

"I'll go first."

Teacher Chang Li picked up the microphone.

"Let me start with Liu Ye. This is a comedy, which creates humor through contrast and juxtaposition. The role of the host is both easy and difficult to play because he is the rhythm controller of the entire work. If this character is not established, then the absurdity of Baiyun and Heitu will not come through. I am very pleased that Liu Ye did a great job."

Teacher Chang Li smiled and nodded, while Liu Ye on the stage looked even more excited.

"Thank you, thank you, teacher!"

"Okay, let me continue with Ziyi. The character of Ziyi is also portrayed quite completely. Whether it's the old man's demeanor and movements, or the character's concern for face, it's all excellent. This shows me your versatility in acting. Keep up the good work."

Zhang Ziyi was speechless, but kept bowing.

"Finally, Jiang Lai surprised me the most. He only studied for half a year, but he was able to portray the character so wonderfully. You not only did what you told me back then, but you also surpassed it."

Jiang Lai glanced discreetly at a resentful little eye below the stage, then bowed deeply.

"Thank you, teacher."

"Okay, Teacher Chang Li just praised me the whole time, so I'll have to play the bad cop."

A woman joked that this was also a teacher from Class 96, named Wang Lina.

"First of all, I really like this work, especially the feeling of Baiyun and Heitu bickering and undermining each other while supporting each other. The scene where Baiyun puts shoes on Heitu was performed very well by Ziyi and Jianglai. They really looked like an old married couple."

"Haha, how did I end up praising someone too?" Teacher Wang chuckled and continued.

"Liu Ye, your sense of rhythm and your performance are very good. The only problem is that you are too down-to-earth. It's fine in the work, but have you ever thought that Cui Yongyuan is an intellectual? Since you have defined the character, you still need to get closer to the character. An intellectual facing two farmers will definitely feel helpless and at a loss."

Liu Ye nodded repeatedly with a serious expression.

"Go and think about it yourself, then it's Ziyi's turn. Ziyi, you've done a good job understanding the character and added your own thoughts, but it's just missing something. That's why Teacher Changli said your portrayal is complete, but not outstanding."

Jiang Lai felt the little person next to him tense up, and gently nudged him to comfort him.

"And Jiang Lai, unlike Liu Ye, I can see that your works have the influence of Teacher Zhao from Northeast China. You are also trying to move in that direction. You performed very successfully, but I think you lack your own thinking."

Teacher Wang's comments were spot on.

Liu Ye has a self, but no role.

Jiang Lai has a role, but no self.

Zhang Ziyi possesses both qualities, but lacks a certain level of skill.

In acting, many people admire a type of performance called "being able to play any role convincingly," commonly known as "a thousand faces."

Some people support it, while others oppose it.

So what makes a good performance?

The answer is no answer.

Ge You's relaxed demeanor, Leung Chiu-wai's melancholy, Chen Daoming's domineering presence, and Stephen Chow's nonsensical humor are all excellent performances.

Even those awkward, foot-picking performances in Stephen Chow's movies become exceptionally brilliant when placed within his films.

Therefore, in philosophical terms, performance should be natural and seamless.

The trio still have to walk this path.