Interview with Ruan Jingtian： Accelerating accumulation offers more possibilities
Ethan Ruan
"Come, turn your chin slightly to the right."
Ruan Jingtian was wrapped in a black turtleneck sweater and turned his face to the right. The peaks of his eyebrows were obvious, and the lines of his chin were almost sharp.
This is Ethan Ruan under the camera, accurate and sharp.
And in the conversation that the camera can’t capture, he has the softest and most relaxed lines. Although his eyebrows are still as flamboyant as the "monk" in "Mengka", the eyes below are not at all incompatible with the warmth of Xiao Kuan in "LOVE". Occasionally, a few strands of ancient spirits belonging to "Fan Ruyi" in "Detective Runaway" sneak out and shine very brightly.
Ethan Ruan
"Many things in life are full of surprises and surprises, and this job is an accident for me." The plain ring ring on his left ring finger is not conspicuous, and the smile on the corner of his mouth is slow. "But I gradually discovered that this job is related to people. And people are the most complex and fun things in the world. I like people, whether friends, real-world friends or strangers. I like to study people more and more, not to talk to anyone deliberately, but to carefully observe how he will behave in what situation." Apparently, the older boy who had "never thought of entering this industry" enjoyed the accident.
Indeed, it was a beautiful accident that brought a new king to Taiwanese cinema.
Ethan Ruan
It’s not all real.
But emotion must come from the heart
As early as when reading Cai Jun’s novel "Murder Like Water," Ruan Jingtian liked this story very much. When Ruan Jingtian learned that director Chen Guo would adapt the novel, Ruan Jingtian had a face-to-face communication with the director. 10 minutes, from conversation to setting the angle, the matter was settled.
Ethan loves this kind of face-to-face communication, which is also his exclusive way to win the role of his favorite director.
"When communicating with people, I like to communicate face-to-face, eye-to-eye, and communicate the feelings of the heart. These are the most direct feelings I express. In many cases, instead of competing for roles through agents and companies, I prefer to connect through them, and then talk to the director face-to-face, so that I can find out if there is a common idea about the role and the possibility of cooperation."
Of course, there were exceptions.
When taking over "Mengka", don’t talk about communicating with the director. Ruan Jingtian readily agreed without even reading the script. Director Doudou (director Niu Chengze) directly said that he was "with seeds". "Sometimes this is done because of trust in certain directors and teams. Some people will never harm you, just like your own family, you will have complete trust in him." "Not afraid of not being able to play this role well?" "Of course I will be afraid, but with such a director in front to check, he will not let you go if you can’t play well, and he will never let his play go badly!" He laughed playfully, as if he had succeeded in "plotting" Director Doudou.
"Paradise in the Army" is Mr. Ruan’s most recent collaboration with Mr. Dou, and his first film since leaving the army, because Mr. Dou is Mr. Ruan’s "most important person" in the film.
The filming process was not easy, and Ruan Jingtian often struggled on the verge of breaking the dam emotionally. Watching "Lao Zhang" Chen Jianbin being captured but helpless, he could not promise a visible tomorrow to his lover. Xiao Bao, one of the thousands of recruits he plays, is wrapped up in the times and fate and has no way to fight back. In several scenes, Ruan Jingtian had to rely on the director’s help to hold back the tears that were about to flow. "Paradise in the Army is a painful and happy process for me. Sometimes it’s very torn, and sometimes I enjoy the feeling of being trapped in the character."
For Mr. Ruan, the emotions he wants in every play to be real. Whether it’s the sibling relationship between Chen Yihan and Chen in "LOVE" or the brotherhood of the Prince Gang in "Monga", he has carried these emotions into his life without reservation. "The performance is not all real, but the emotions must come from the most authentic place."
Ethan Ruan
Learn to wait
Waiting for the next big wave
In the early hours of 2006, a slender shadow was speeding skating across the viaduct. Lin Yuxian, the filmmaker, and the cameraman kept their eyes on the camera, while the rest of the crew watched and listened. Their filming was not allowed, and they had to quickly evacuate once the police showed up.
For the first-time filmmaker, it was probably the most memorable early morning of his life. "After that time, I thought making movies was a very fun thing for me." In the film’s debut film, "Exit 6," the film’s infinite creative and imaginative space helped him achieve childhood pranks such as hiding in tires and rolling downstairs, riding a trolley to shake his tail, and setting off firecrackers with his butt. Not only that, but the film also opened the door for Ethan to go to the big screen.
In 2009, he met with Monga.
Ruan Jingtian plays a super-intelligent, reserved and calm gangster He Tianyou ("monk") in the film. His extremely textured performance makes Chen Kexin praise "a superstar is born" and Woo Yusen sees "Chow Yun-fat in a young era". With this film, Ruan Jingtian runs like a dark horse into the competition for the best actor of the 47th Golden Horse Awards.
His eyes widened, his sexy mouth held up a full "O", and his muscles stiffened for a moment. On November 20, 2010, when the camera gave a close-up of Ruan Jingtian at the 47th Golden Horse Awards ceremony, he used this expression to explain all his surprise. Although he said with a smile that "he had prepared his acceptance speech ten years ago", he was still stunned by this "happy lightning" in the face of the results of beating Wang Xueqi, Ni Dahong and Qin Hao by a large number of votes.
Now talking about the little golden horse, Ruan Jingtian said jokingly: "That’s a trophy!" After a string of boy-like mischievous laughter, he turned indifferent ": In fact, at that age, getting that award was very stressful. I was lost for a while because I didn’t know what to do to qualify for it. Looking back, I found that you don’t have to do anything to qualify for it, because when you gave it back then, it means you have been there before, and you don’t have to copy it every time. As long as you do your best to do every performance after that, you can slowly learn to live peacefully with pressure and emotions."
Ruan Jingtian, who came out of the misty forest brought by the "Best Actor", saw more possibilities in himself in "Detective Runaway". "During filming, Director Luo Zhuoyao showed us German silent films. At first I was confused, but after seeing the editing of the movie, I could probably understand it." However, he did not shy away from admitting that "these are still difficult for me to understand, but it is a good experience, which makes me feel that I can slowly play in black humor."
Ruan Jingtian, who found himself with countless possibilities in the role, never said "I don’t really like this job, I plan when to retire every day and live a so-called free life". As he grew older and experienced, he began to think more and have more confidence in this job, and at the same time, he asked himself to be "a good actor".
"Every director, whether commercial or artistic, as long as you are soft, as long as you are willing to listen, he will always bring you something. For actors, this will make you more able to adapt to every director." Time has taught Ethan Ruan to accumulate thick hair. He can shoot a shot 20 times in the new film "New York New York" to try to be closer to the psychological changes of the characters; he can also seize the three or four precious opportunities given by director Liu Weiqiang in "Blood Drops" to show what the director wants to see the most in the fastest but most accurate state.
Before the accumulation had reached a qualitative change, Ethan Ruan also had a long and difficult time. However, his favorite surfing taught him to persevere and wait.
"The spirit of surfing is to wait. The experience of life is a lot like surfing. No one is always on the high and no one is always on the low. Learn to live with the low tide and wait for the point to come up. Learn to wait instead of picking up the board and going home. When you get home you don’t have the next wave. Wait, maybe five minutes, maybe an hour, but you have to wait."
Ethan Ruan
Taiwan movie story
From Niu Chengze to Hou Hsiao-hsien, Ruan Jingtian has worked with these two standard-bearers in the Taiwanese film industry.
Doudao Niu Chengze has accompanied Ruan Jingtian all the way from counting steel coins to buying bento to today. In Ruan Jingtian’s eyes, he is not only a "guide", "life mentor", "friend who can scold him as a dog", but also like a "father".
At the 50th anniversary ceremony of the 2013 Golden Horse Awards, Ethan said that he was sick and left the table early. Niu Chengze, who was watching the live broadcast, was trembling with anger and smashed the remote control in his hand against the TV. At the time, the crew was rushing to shoot "Paradise in the Army", but Niu Chengze turned a blind eye to Ethan for two weeks. During this time, even if he gave a play to the actors, he only passed the message to Ethan through the assistant director. This "strict father" punishment made Ethan realize the seriousness of his mistake.
Director Hou Hsiao-hsien feels completely different from Director Dou. "One is like grandpa and the other is like dad. Director Dou is very demanding, but for me he is the most important person. Because many times his requirements for acting will allow me to go to a state I did not expect and unknown, rather than staying in a place I know. Of course, it is not just the pressure of working with Director Dou. In the face of some directors who have high requirements for acting, it is impossible for me to bring ordinary things to satisfy them. They are like the most tricky guests, and sometimes even the color and fragrance of reason cannot satisfy them. You have to do your best and spend a little ingenuity to meet their requirements."
"Chef" Ruan Jingtian arrived in front of the director Hou Hsiao-hsien, obviously with more freedom to play. "It’s a very comfortable state. Because he has no restrictions on what the actor should do, it gives you a huge imagination. For me, this experience is very special. In fact, it was not suitable at first, and in the end, I miss every shot directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. You will really want to work with him again and bring him something different. Working with him is a great experience!"
Nine years, 13 films, 10 films directed by Taiwanese directors, Ethan has an almost persistent love for Taiwanese films. Commemorative growth and local stories are the eternal melodies of Taiwanese films in his heart. "Monga" is a typical Taiwanese film about growth in Ethan’s eyes. Brothers, fate, youth and injuries in growth make Taiwanese films that inspire youth have a sadness that shines through tomorrow. And Taiwan’s story is not just a story of growth but also a story of life. "Shanghai, Beijing, New York, Taipei, these big cities are very similar. People from all over the world take root in the local leaves and develop their own unique way of life."
Ethan Ruan
It takes fear to be brave
Ruan Jingtian’s own Weibo profile is: a timid and brave ordinary person.
He was timid. "When you ask me to jump from five or six floors on a wire, it’s a fool to say that I’m not afraid. Of course I’m afraid, but I have a reason to do it, so I have to be brave. Because being afraid is the only way to be brave."
More often, he is willing to stay at home and spend time with his two cats in the safest place. One of them rubbed Ethan’s trousers at the Taichung night market, and finally impressed Ethan, who raised a dog, before being driven away for the third time.
Now that the 12-year-old cat was old and frail, Ruan Jingtian smiled and said that he had become a veterinarian who gave injections to cats every day. But on second thought, thinking of the cat who had been with him for many years, "If something happens, it will die", a trace of gentle concern and sadness showed in his eyes.
He loves silence and also enjoys limits.
"What’s your biggest impression of surfing?" he asked excitedly of his hobby. "Summer, the beach, a bikini?" The question caught him off guard.
"Haha, but, did you know, Taiwan only has waves in winter!" The slyness in his eyes poured out, as if announcing a shocking secret. "The waves usually appear before 9 o’clock in the morning, mostly between 4 and 6 o’clock. So get up early and go into the water when it’s very cold. It’s hot at noon, and there are no waves, so you can only sleep. So when you actually do something, you will find that it is different from everyone’s stereotypes."
Racing is another passion of Ethan Ethan’s. Like many young boys, he has loved racing since he was a child and has been playing with it for seven or eight years since he grew up. In the last two years, he has participated in car racing and won two annual championships. "Racing and acting can put people in a tight environment. You can’t go wrong a lot of the time, because many good shots can only be shot once. In such a tense and precise moment, you have to be very subtle and careful to control every movement of your body, every expression, and cooperate with everyone. The same is true of racing. It’s not about who is faster, but who makes fewer mistakes." He was personally involved in every aspect of car repair, setting up, and practicing, because in his opinion: "You have to be serious about playing! Because if you are not serious, you will not be happy."
Recently, the topic of Ruan Jingtian’s relationship has attracted people’s attention. He interacted calmly with netizens on Weibo, and the comments were polarized. Some people praised him Man, while others laughed and scolded him. He said that "this matter is unique and will not appear again in the future." Even if the problem was not originally planned, Ruan Jingtian did not shy away from his most natural emotions at this moment, as he said: "At first you were not wary, the reporter editor asked your girlfriend, and you would say it. But later found that what you said would follow you like a shadow, which is a very annoying thing. Emotions are private, like closing the door when going to the toilet." And his ideal love and family life is like his grandparents, not the passion and ups and downs of the two, but the peace of the years.
At the end of the shooting, he signed for the studio. Ruan – Jing – Tian, the rounded corners, the word "Tian" one stroke and one stroke, the willful length of "two legs", Xiao Tian left the last stroke with boyish wanton and innocence. The sun, the moon, the rivers, the river of time flows, initializing the once rampage, Ruan Jingtian’s charm as a man has just revealed a corner.