Exclusive interview with Liu Yifei: An actor’s identity is more important than a star

Featured by Time.com Disney's live-action version of "Mulan", starring Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li and other Chinese superstars, began to be released in theaters in mainland China yesterday. On the first day of its release, the film earned more than 50 million yuan at the box office.

The film is adapted from the 1998 cartoon of the same name. The story is probably the one we are familiar with in "The Ci of Mulan" - the emperor ordered that every family in the country must have a male to be called up to fight against the north. When invaders invade, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of a military family, steps forward to join the army in place of her ailing father.

She disguised herself as a man and went by the pseudonym "Hua Jun". She went through many hardships along the way, harnessing her inner power and stimulating her true potential. Through this legendary journey, she will become a glorious warrior, not only winning national recognition, but also winning the pride of her father.

"The King of Kung Fu"

We are all too familiar with Liu Yifei - how many viewers have watched her "The Family", "Dragon" and "Legend of Sword and Fairy" ” Along the way to “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”, many people couldn’t criticize her for her heavenly appearance.

"Mulan" is not the first time Liu Yifei has participated in a Hollywood blockbuster. As early as 2008, she was the heroine in "The King of Kung Fu" directed by Rob Minkoff, opposite Jet Li. , Jackie Chan, Li Bingbing and others *** co-starred, and also had many emotional scenes with Michael Angarano.

In the 2014 Sino-foreign co-production "The Legend of White Ghost: Escape", this time it was "Anakin" principal Hayden Christensen who starred with the fairy sister (as mentioned earlier The "qi" in "Mulan" sounds like "the force", doesn't it?) This film also stars Nicolas Cage, an old friend of the Chinese people.

"Legend of the White Ghost: Escape"

At the end of 2017, Disney officially announced that after a year-long search and visits to five continents, the candidate for Mulan was finally finalized— —Liu Yifei was selected among nearly 1,000 auditioned actors. Requirements for the role included solid martial arts skills, the ability to speak English and, most importantly, star quality.

In the interview, Liu Yifei mentioned the pressure she faced as the first Asian protagonist in Disney's live-action film; what kind of preparations she made for the filming of the film in terms of movement and language training, and what she had done with What is the most erotic aspect of "Mulan", and what deep understanding does she have of the "big heroine" role of "Mulan".

Mtime: What preparations did you make for filming such a well-known story?

Liu Yifei: I have three months of training, including physical fitness, horse riding, and basic skills training every day. There is also military training, practicing formations. This is very interesting because I play with everyone. There is also line training. I also trained to dive, but it was useless in the end, but I did learn some hard skills.

Mtime: Did you have a foundation in martial arts before? So what was the most difficult training this time?

Liu Yifei: Actually, I don’t know martial arts, but every time I get into a character, I feel very powerful. I think these skills are not difficult and can be accomplished as long as you work hard. The difficult part is the character script and my own preparation. Relatively speaking, this is the more challenging part for me.

Mtime: This live-action version of "Mulan" is an adaptation of the original cartoon, but it is different. So what do you think is unique about this character?

Liu Yifei: We all love Mulan Ci, which is also the inspiration for the cartoon. Then cartoons brought our Eastern culture to the vast world stage and were loved by everyone. So for this live-action filming, I felt that I had to let go of a lot of expectations and baggage and liberate myself.

Because from Mulan’s heart, I think she has been telling herself that she must try to liberate herself, and finally have the courage to face her true identity, and gain more. I think this is an inspiration for me to develop some of my own creative potential under the premise of love and respect, and give this story some new content and angles.

Mtime: What do you think is the most romantic point between you and Mulan?

Liu Yifei: "Meng" (laughing) I find that people like some more interesting words, but my answers are sometimes boring. In fact, when an actor prepares for a role, it is not as ups and downs as writing a novel. It is a very long process. I don’t think I am a particularly qualitative person. I have many possibilities and potentials, so I think Mulan is just an aspect of me.

Mtime: As the first Asian protagonist in Disney’s live-action film, does it carry more weight than previous roles?

Liu Yifei: I will especially want to perform to the extreme. Of course, I will want to perform to the extreme in every role, but this role is very rare and very lucky. And it’s not just me, I think all of our main creators, including costumes, props, and art, they come from various countries, but they all love the story of Mulan very much.

I think when making movies and art, you have to have love for them before you start to invest as much as you want. Love is the first step. At the same time, this work also brings us expectations, hoping that many people can see it.

On-set photo with the leading actor

Mtime: Let’s talk about the leading actor An Youxin. He has a very good image. Will he collaborate with a well-known star like you? Got a lot of stress?

Liu Yifei: I have never really felt that I am a household name. There are too many famous actors and stars. I have always felt that I love my identity as an actor, maybe more than my identity as a star. I have always told the media that it was what we said when we were in school: try to love the art in your heart instead of loving yourself in the art. I think this sentence is becoming more and more reasonable now, and I think You Xin is the same. He is very down-to-earth, hard-working, and very simple.

Mtime: His character this time is different from the cartoon, but Mulan’s character is still different from the cartoon. You often discuss in private how the character will be different, and then polish it together. ?

Liu Yifei: The most common thing I say in private is "Yoson, how will you act later?" I also improvise. Anyway, you can act however you want (laughs). He is also half-joking sometimes, trying to tease him.

Mtime: Is there anything particularly different between this time and the previous filming of domestic movies or Hollywood movies? Because after all, this time she is the heroine of a real Hollywood blockbuster.

Liu Yifei: It is indeed a very honorable opportunity, but in fact, the process is the same in every aspect. If I must say it, it’s pressure. Too much pressure is sometimes a good thing, but sometimes it can hinder your emotional expression. So I think we need to know ourselves better and not let ourselves have so many distracting thoughts.

The photos on the set are particularly joyful (please see the watermark in the picture source)

Mtime: Do you need to learn additional English for the filming of this film?

Liu Yifei: I don’t actually speak English that well, but I feel that if you want me to act in a play in French or another language, if I particularly like this role, I think I will definitely do it. They will also ask, how much time should I be given to train, can I give it a try? I think when an actor stands in front of the camera and talks, even if you are speaking in your own mother tongue, it is still different. There is a drama in it, so the drama is still correct. Other languages ??such as this are correct. .

What did you say you learned? I think what we learn may be so that we can subconsciously perform without thinking about pronunciation. And our English in the movie is not regional English, it is standard, with a bit of a Chinese accent, or something that they think is more in line with the character, so I just listen and then learn to imitate it. .

Mtime: Can I understand that the language used is not that important to the movie itself, but that it happens to be an English-produced movie?

Liu Yifei: Actually, I think it is important to give audiences around the world the opportunity to learn about this legendary story originating from China. And we have dubbing versions from many countries. I also dubbed the Chinese version. It felt like it was a re-enactment, which was very interesting.

Mtime: Why do you think you were chosen to play Mulan in the end?

Liu Yifei: I don’t really think about what others think, I only think about what I think. Only when your thoughts are very specific and you feel that you can do it in every state, others will think that you can do it. But you can’t keep asking others, what do you think of me? This is a sign of lack of confidence.

Mtime: The story of Hua Mulan is being reinterpreted today. What is the spiritual value represented by the character Hua Mulan? Why do we, the audience today, still need to see such a story?

I think she is a character full of halo, but there are many ways of expression. "The Legend of Mulan" contains everyone's understanding and imagination of the character Mulan, and in the movie, for me, What's more important is to understand her truer side, her confusion, what her emotions are like.

Because we have actually seen her achievements all the time, but I am more interested in her growth from a girl to a woman and a warrior. What is her spirit? I think it is brave. She knew her challenges and difficulties, but still chose to take this step, but I think no one is born brave. For now, I think this is a lesson no matter what age or gender you are.

In the live-action version of "Mulan", Donnie Yen plays Mulan's mentor General Tang. This is the second time Donnie Yen has participated in a Disney film. He had previously played the role in "A Star Wars Story: Rogue One" "" played the role of "Blind Monk" and received high praise.

"Rogue One"

In mainland China, Donnie Yen has already made a name for himself with the "Ip Man" series, "Wing Chun", "New Dragon Inn", "Seven Swords" and so on. Many "martial arts" movies have made him an action star that audiences love and are familiar with.

His movements are clean, sharp, fast, explosive, full of strength and visual enjoyment. He is unique among many action actors and martial arts directors in Hong Kong.

In his early years, Donnie Yen was invited to Germany, the United States, Japan and other places to be a martial arts instructor or director, such as "The Snow Queen" (2001), "Blade Runner 2", and Jackie Chan's Hollywood work " Shanghai Noon 2: Shanghai Knights" etc. In the past two years, Donnie Yen also participated in the blockbuster "Xxx" starring Vin Diesel, and teamed up with Michelle Yeoh in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of the Dark" - which can be said to be the most common in Hollywood today. One of the Chinese faces.

"Shanghai Noon 2"

In the interview, Donnie Yen talked about his most unforgettable memories on the set of "Mulan", his feelings about participating in a Disney blockbuster again, and his participation in "Mulan". What considerations did you have before "Mulan", and you were also asked - if Mulan and Ip Man fight, who will win?

Mtime: This is your second time starring in a Disney blockbuster after "Rogue One". Do you feel any different this time?

Donnie Yen: Actually, this is a Chinese costume martial arts film. We all need English as lines in the film, so the performance has also been adjusted from before. In addition, it is also a big production, this time the actors are all Chinese and familiar actors, and there are many good friends, including Jet Li, so the intimacy is incomparable.

"Mulan"

Mtime: I just talked about writing lines in English. We fans all know that you are very good at English. When you were filming, was there anything you needed to prepare, or What’s particularly difficult about the language?

Donnie Yen: This is a Chinese story. Our costumes, our world, and our lines are expressed in Chinese. So how to interpret the same culture and the same gestures in English also took a lot of time. It took a long time to adjust and study, especially the lines for costume films. In addition, there is also the body language of gestures. Our Chinese culture is inherently more introverted and stable, so we need to combine that stability and introverted feeling with English lines. We also need to communicate with the director, rehearse, and try , and slowly get better results.

Mtime: If Ip Man and Hua Mulan fight, who will win?

Donnie Yen: It must be Mulan! Because Ye Wen won't fight with Hua Mulan, he must let her.

Mtime: When filming "Mulan" this time, will you give any ideas of your own to other members of the crew or to the director regarding martial arts?

Donnie Yen: This time the members are all from China, and they all respect me. They will also ask me for advice during filming, and I will also share some of my experiences with you. But I didn’t pay much attention to saying that I must do this or they must do this. I just took part in it with a fun attitude.

Li Xiang in the animated version

Mtime: I also want to ask you, the character "Li Xiang" in the original animated version is equivalent to being divided into two in the live-action movie roles, do you think it’s necessary to be so clear-cut between the two roles?

Donnie Yen: I don’t know what factors the main creator took into consideration when he started to conceive the story structure, but when I received this, he told me that it was like this, and it didn’t matter to me. Because the biggest reason why I participated in this drama is also one of the big reasons I mentioned before. First, I watched the animated movie "Mulan" with my daughter since she was a child, and the whole family can sing the songs in it; secondly, there is such a famous story like Mulan. It represents the power of women, and there are so many familiar old friends Jet Li. I think these reasons are worthy of my participation.

Mtime: How does it feel to work with your old friend Jet Li again?

Donnie Yen: It’s great. Although we don’t have many scenes with each other and there is no dialogue exchange in each scene, everyone is very happy to meet each other and we are old friends. As everyone knows, this is our fourth collaboration. The first time was "Once Upon a Time", the second time was "Hero", the third time was a short film with Jack Ma, and "Mulan" is the fourth time.

Mtime: This is your first time working with Liu Yifei and Gong Li. Can you share your feelings about this?

Donnie Yen: I have many scenes with Liu Yifei. I think she is a very hard-working and excellent actor. In addition to her beautiful conditions, she also has experience. She is very hard-working, friendly and approachable, which is pretty good. Gong Li and I didn't have any scenes together. On the day she was finishing filming, I happened to bump into her and we just had a chat. We told each other that we liked each other's movies, and that was it. Of course I admire her works. Both of us are in the Chinese film industry. goddess.

"Hero"

Mtime: My daughter likes watching the animated version of "Mulan" so much. What do your family members think of "Mulan"?

Donnie Yen: My daughter asked my dad what song do you sing? I also asked Disney the same question, but in the end, there was no singing and dancing sequence in the movie.

Mtime: What was your most memorable moment on set?

Donnie Yen: Every day is unforgettable for me. As an actor, especially one who specializes in action movies, I can honestly say that filming is very hard. You can imagine that when filming literary dramas, crying or reciting lines, you can shoot for ten minutes or even longer a day, but the action shots are relatively short, and every action must be expressed accurately and at a high level. This requires a lot of resources, time, and the sweat and even blood of the actors themselves to create, so general action movies require a lot of resources and all the elements.

At the same time, no matter how hard it is as an actor, even if you are in an action movie, you will be very happy in the process, because as an actor, what you encounter is different and fresh every day, and it is impossible to do it every time. Every scene is the same. After you shoot one scene, you shoot another scene. There are different places and different points. Even if you are an actor and an opponent, the process is different every time. Every time is fresh, so every day I get up to shoot is unforgettable. Because everything I encountered was the first time.