Yang Zi： I just want to be very sad

Original Esquire

2023 is of great significance to Yang Zi.

There are new works to meet you.

More identities are unlocked.

And she has been growing through transformation.

Over the past 10 years, Yang Zi’s reputation has gradually grown, and after experiencing changes in the level of his encounters, he has lingered with many lively and innocent or complex and multi-faceted characters. There is still a "sense of insecurity" in Yang Zi’s bones.

At the age of 30, regarding the type of character she wants to try, Yang Zi said: "I want to play a complicated, scheming, and cold person, I want to play a ruthless person… I want to be very sad."

Time is so cruel, yet so fruitful.

Ten years ago, although Yang Zi had a masterpiece of "Family with Children", she urgently needed to get out of the awkward period of child stardom as she grew up. Ten years later, she became Xiaoyao, the heroine of the big hit drama "Sauvignon Blanc", which was distressed by thousands of people. The parties were not proud of this, nor did they feel fully in control. Growing up in the public eye early, Yang Zi was sensitive, sober and insecure. She had no shortage of motivation and diligence to prove herself. She had been filming in Hengdian for two years; she also had a natural keen intuition for the play, knowing how to choose and act.

The explosion of "Sauvignon Blanc" once again proved her role completion, and it was also of great significance to her: "" Sauvignon Blanc "is very important to me, and it can be regarded as a new starting point and a turning point for me. I hope it is good, and I hope that everyone will see my transformation and efforts this time. I also want to see everyone say that I have made progress in acting."

In the past few years, Yang Zi’s growth has been obvious to all. In the eyes of more people, she has become mature and intellectual, and time has also allowed her to better control her role. For herself, growth means more relaxation in the face of life, and at the age of 30, she can make every step of herself more powerful.

A mirror

Ten years ago, someone occasionally mentioned "the daughter of the people," calling her a bead, and asking why she didn’t act in costume dramas. Yang Zi said bluntly that at that time, "I was a marginal person."

And now she is one of the most high-profile actresses at fashion events.

At a fashion event in Hangzhou the night before the shoot, Yang Zi appeared on the hot search with two sets of looks, and she was in very good condition. Behind the glossy, she would be so nervous that her palms would sweat every time she appeared. This can also be seen in front of the camera. When she appeared in front of the red carpet in a dress, her expression was a little nervous.

In our face-to-face conversations, Yang Zi’s words are introspective, down-to-earth and sincere, and she likes to say "in all fairness". She said that the nervousness comes from the fear of tripping over the dress in high heels. But after taking two steps, she found that "it seems to work again". After being rated as "pivotal" in fashion in the past year, Yang Zi attributed herself to changing her attitude. Before, she was not interested in activities, and her mentality was "time-wasting and very tired". Now, "I treat business, fashion and other activities as the same work as acting."

My mom said the biggest change this year was that I became more knowledgeable after I turned 30. The change in my mindset is that I should have a new understanding of my work and myself. When I turn 30, I don’t want to just be like, like, people are always talking about your state. If people really care, I act better and make myself in a better state. "

Yang Zi had to be patient if she wanted to "pivot". There were many procedures in an event, and it was necessary to try on clothes, make up, and take pictures, which tested patience the most. "I will try my best to try on each set, and everyone will change the clothes after choosing, and I will participate with my heart." As for which set to choose, there were too many factors to consider. Her choice was that the first was suitable for her, and the second was to make everyone look comfortable.

When the positive feedback came in, she wasn’t overjoyed, but of course she was happy. It made her understand herself better. Before, she didn’t care or understand what her hair style looked like. Later, she looked at the Internet to analyze her makeup and hair, and suddenly realized: "Oh, it turns out that my face shape is suitable for this hairstyle."

Cooley, the sociologist, famously defined the concept of "me in the mirror," which means: "Human behavior depends on self-awareness, which is formed through social interaction. The self-evaluation of others is a mirror of the self through which people know themselves. Humans are each other’s mirrors."

Looking through the mirror of the outside world, Yang Zi naturally became "more confident".

Behind the Shine

After the fire of "Sauvignon Blanc", Yang Zi’s acting skills and influence on the audience need not be proven again. After the broadcast, there will be another celebration, which shows the influence of the drama. At this celebration, Yang Zi talked about her early role, Wen Xiaoliu, and choked up tears.

Speaking of tears, she also felt very sudden. "I was actually quite happy that day, the play was well broadcast, and everyone came to celebrate happily, but when I said that’there is no more Wen Xiaoliu in the world ‘, I felt so uncomfortable just thinking about it." She teased, "You see this is emotion, the script didn’t write to cry, but I cried at that time."

Yang Zi has a sincere affection for the characters and scenes she has played.

She felt that the past characters lived in another parallel time and space. But Xiao Liu was gone, and finally became Wang Ji, and Qingshui Town was gone. The filming location of Qingshui Town was a scene built by the crew.

In the highly anticipated second season of Sauvignon Blanc, Yang Zi revealed that it was even more exciting than the first: "It is about the helplessness of life. Everyone has their own sense of mission and their own constraints. There are no absolute bad people, and they all have their own difficulties."

Each character can be understood and empathized with, which is perhaps why the show is so popular.

Before the show aired, there were a lot of children’s scenes in the first episode at the beginning, and the slow pace and long time to introduce the characters to tell everyone what the story was, worried that the audience would lose patience. For example, about Wen Xiaoliu not telling the audience that she was Wang Ji at the beginning, but that "he" was an ordinary person, and the fate was that I wanted to live. As for why there was such a miserable fate, the story unfolds one episode at a time.

In the end, the popularity of the show allowed Yang Zi to get positive feedback again. "I found that the audience was really great. Our first 10 episodes set the tone for’Sauvignon Blanc ‘, and the audience accepted it." This made her even more determined, "Tell the story with your heart and tell it well. Otherwise, the audience may feel good about the first episode of bang bang bang bang (bridge section), but after the fun, they will say why did this character suddenly want to be like this?"

The outside world was talking about Yang Zi’s koi physique, but Yang Zi was under pressure instead. "The pressure is that everyone will look forward to your next play." She didn’t want everyone to take this as a big deal, after all, it was a collaborative project, but at the same time she didn’t want to ignore her own efforts, "I used to be very humble and say that it was all the efforts of others, but in fact I put 100% of my efforts into every play, and I am also a part of the group. I will encourage myself to say that you deserve it."

At the age of 30, an explosive drama gave Yang Zi a sense of completion in stages. It is like a perfect conclusion to the past 10 years, and it is a new starting point for the next.

The scene that the minister had filmed for half a year in her head was the last scene before Shaqing, when she met her mother, "crying, her eyes were swollen." Shaqing had an event in Hangzhou the next day, and she was going to rush to Hangzhou directly as soon as Shaqing was filmed, but Yang Zi said that she had to eat Shaqing rice no matter what.

She stayed late at night, clinking glasses and chatting with everyone, and rushed to Hangzhou overnight after the end. "I have paid so much for my characters, and I have to participate in the finishing party of every play."

She will also write letters to characters on Weibo. It is to share, but also to bid farewell to the role she has played for months. This is Yang Zi’s sense of ritual.

17 to 30 years old

The popularity of "Sauvignon Blanc" has not yet dissipated, and Yang Zi is about to be busy with the promotion of the new play "To Love for a Long Time".

The latter is known as a warm drama story about youth, friendship and love, showing the innocent and turbulent youth of the six-person group of the Aerospace City Family Home. Yang Zi said that the moving thing is that the story is good-looking: "I choose the script that is not as complicated as everyone says. I always see that some people write very well, but I don’t think so myself. I never label them as ancient puppets, modern and formal dramas. I put in the role of the audience, just to see if the character attracts me."

Asked if she had finished reading the script overnight, she smiled sincerely: "I have to watch it for many days, because the drama is too long, and many episodes have to be watched slowly."

In the play, the stories of the six-person group aged 17 and 30 are juxtaposed, recalling the past at the age of 30, and interspersed with the two age groups. Yang Zi stars Huang Yingzi as a girl with a dream, but "when I grow up, I find myself a particularly mediocre person."

The story sounded cruel, but Yang Zi felt it was true.

"How I summoned back my childhood passion and friends is the most passionate thing I did at the age of 30. We went to do something meaningful and let go of a huge regret in childhood. This is a two-way redemption between Huang Yingzi and his friends."

Yang Zi believes that it will not be difficult to replace Huang Yingzi when she is 17 years old and full of dreams and facing reality at the age of 30. "When I was 30 years old, I felt very sad when I thought of 17 years old, and vaguely wanted to cry. I felt so happy when I played a play with a group of six at the age of 17, and finally really put myself in it."

At the age of 17, Yang Zi discussed subtraction with the director. Everyone’s first reaction was to hope that she would be more lively at the age of 17. After all, the role itself is very funny, but she thinks that sometimes 17 or 18-year-old girls are very mature, and the acting is too exaggerated.

The acting of a single scene is very exaggerated, and the single scene is good, and everyone will think that this character is so stupid. I want to turn her into a real character. "

This was also a comedy drama. Yang Zi said that it was difficult to act. How could it be true and fun to make the audience feel fresh and replace themselves with their 17-year-old? It required multiple considerations and required a rhythm.

Outside the play, the Gang of Six also became friends. Yang Zi remembered that when they were filming in Huizhou in the spring, one day after the filming, the six people went to walk the road and walked to a pedestrian street. Suddenly, it rained heavily, and all the shops were closed. The six people had to hide under one roof, looking at the sky, playing music, and sometimes singing a few words… There was no one on the street, and it rained heavily for an hour before stopping.

Looking back now, Yang Zi is in a light mood: "It feels like I’m back at the age of 17."

Tears and Strength

Yang Zi also has a new work, adapted from Yishu’s original novel "The Story of Chenghuan", in which she stars as the independent woman Mai Chenghuan. Many scenes in this play were filmed on location in Shanghai.

It’s not easy to play Mai Chenghuan well: "In all fairness, it’s about women growing up independently, but how to talk about it, how to act it, there are a lot of things that need to be done in each scene. Do you think it’s really reasonable for me to act like this in this scene? Or is this really something I can do with my own ability?"

She thinks more about the story of independent women: "When I tell her story, I feel that what I do is more important."

That is, the characters have real growth. Yang Zi values the shining points of optimism in Mai Chenghuan, and believes that one day he can support his family. From the beginning of Chenghuan’s knees to the final awakening to please himself, ordinary and real.

It tells the story of how difficult it is for women, and it is the epitome of thousands of you and me, and it is what I want to try. "

People always ask her why she doesn’t do realistic movies. "If there is no such play, how can I do it? Can I make up one myself? It’s actually a very difficult thing." In the optional play, she wants to play either a down-to-earth true story, playing a person in the crowd, or a very different story.

From the perspective of interpretation, Yang Zi believes that modern dramas and costume operas are essentially the same: "They are all substitutes for characters. In the end, as long as you convince the audience, substitutes, and empathizes, you will be a successful interpretation." But many costume operas often have grand national hatreds. To interpret the emotional experience of the characters, she is very familiar with the characters’ stories, understands their psychology and motives, and hopes to restore the shining points of the characters as much as possible.

There was no shortcut. The script had to be read word for word several times: "After the first reading, there is one understanding, and after the second reading, there is another understanding. After the third reading, every scene will match.

Compared to emotional outbursts, Yang Zi was more detailed in her interpretation.

In a crying scene, crying is very simple but very different. Whether it is crying aggrieved, scared or sad for the death of a pet, Yang Zi believes that these can’t fool the audience’s eyes. "The moment you shed tears, they know if you are crying from a crocodile, and who the tears are for." Now, she must understand what the motivation of the characters is, and insert it into the situation.

This fully explains the hot topic on the Internet, "Why is Yang Zi’s crying scene so infectious".

The taste of growing up

All external creation will eventually return to self-growth.

Before "Going to Love for a Long Time" was about to enter the group, Yang Zi often discussed with the screenwriter what high school life was like for the post-90s generation. At that time, Yang Zi stole vegetables and played QQ. "My high school was not as fun as Huang Yingzi. I was a very mediocre person in high school, I didn’t have so many interests, two points and one line – school, home." When her classmates went to play after school, she just wanted to go home, not to study, but to feel comfortable at home.

"Mediocre" is a high-frequency word in Yang Zi’s mouth.

It’s hard to imagine that this is from an actor who debuted at the age of 7 and shone brightly. In fact, Yang Zi’s acting career was indeed not easy. At the beginning, she followed her parents to the cast to interview for entry, and encountered many obstacles. When she starred in Xiaoxue, a high school student in "Family with Children" at the age of 12, she was always worried that she would not be replaced if she could not play well, and memorizing her lines was a big test. Once after the performance, she thought she did not perform well. She sat alone on the swing at noon and felt sad. Her father quickly reassured her that she was fine.

She has always been a sensitive child. This is also why she entered the industry: "Why did I become an actor when I was a child? It was because I watched’The Red Lantern Hangs High ‘with my grandmother. I didn’t know what the plot was about. The heroine was crying, so I cried. When I was a child, I couldn’t extricate myself when I saw crying scenes, and I imitated the chivalrous girl with my sword."

The effect of growing up on the set is that she is more sensible. Working in a team requires caring about other people’s feelings. "You have ideas, and you can use a high emotional intelligence to make people understand you and help you complete them. If you are a thorn, everyone will hate you and may not be able to do things well."

Yang Zi likes to make on-set pistachios, and is also known for being funny at Moments. She was asked repeatedly in interviews. Once she shared a heartfelt comment that was not funny, and was asked by many friends: "What’s wrong with you?"

Now that she has been in the industry for 23 years, from a 7-year-old girl to a popular actress, she has encountered ups and downs, and she has ushered in her own era. The so-called growth is no longer black and white, it can be understood that everyone, and a lot of calmness on the set: "I used to be really flying around, but now I don’t want to talk when I’m tired, and I don’t want to be lively because I want to be lively."

She still feels insecure, but the core is becoming increasingly stable and explicit.

Just like a character born with a natural desire: "I want to play a complicated, scheming, and cold person, and I want to play a ruthless person. But this ruthless person is not indiscriminate, I want to express that I am alive, I am living soberly, I want to live for myself, I don’t want to be subservient anymore, I want to consider for you and him, I want to say that it is okay, I don’t like this. I just want to be very sad, you are sorry for me, I must have a debt and take back this thing that belongs to me."

Returning to life, she still uses the word "mediocre": "I am an extremely mediocre person in life." She drives out, casually strolls around the business district with a hat and mask on, and eats in the lobby when she meets her favorite store. "I’m still quite free and happy sometimes."

The so-called mediocrity is more like truth or a kind of wisdom.

Photography, Yu Cong

Interviewing, writing, fine-tuning

Producer, Lu Guiyu

Editor, Warm Small Group

Li Meng, Fashion Editor

Makeup, Liu Qi

Hair Lssac Yu

Producer, Oolong

Li Qiaochu, Art Editor

Director Matt

Camera, Luo Wei

Edit color grading wang

Original title: "Cover Character | Yang Zi: Just want to be very sad"

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