Interview with Peng Yuyan: I hope to bring strength to everyone through film
[Global Times reporters, Zhou Yang, Chen Qian, Qu Qiuyan] "I often wonder what else I can do." Peng Yuyan, 37, is making a new attempt to play Gao Qian, the head of the maritime rescue team and the father of a 5-year-old child, in this year’s New Year’s Eve movie "Emergency Rescue." "He is calm and calm, which is something I have never played before," Peng Yuyan told the Global Times in an exclusive interview. Before the rescue captain, Peng Yuyan was a cyclist in "Breaking Wind", also played the anti-drug undercover in "Operation Mekong River" and the martial arts teenager in "Evil No Pressure", which he did not expect when he debuted in the idol drama "Love White Paper" 18 years ago. Off the screen, Peng Yuyan loves sports, loves food, and even tries to make his own coffee. He enjoys this slow life very much. "This era changes rapidly, so you need to slow down and be more comfortable."
"Filming is recording yourself"
Global Times: You said on Weibo that "the fourth collaboration with director Lin Chaoxian still has both challenges and gains." Can you talk about the challenges in "Emergency Relief" in detail?
Peng Yuyan:I remember that after filming "Breaking the Wind" in 2015, director Lin Chaoxian told me that he wanted to make a story about a Chinese salvage team and showed me some related cases. After reading it, I thought it was very exciting and touching. I wanted to understand the story behind the rescuers, and I also wanted to make such a story for the audience to see, knowing that there are still such a group of people who pay silently in this era. For these rescuers, saving people is addictive, and there is a kind of excitement after success. I want to interpret this feeling of excitement.
We did a lot of homework during the shooting, including going to Zhuhai for a class to learn how to first aid. There is a lot of first aid knowledge, such as determining which people must give up treatment in the event of a shipwreck, and making the first trade-off. We also learned a lot of details, such as how to calm the emotions of people in distress. I remember the first time I practiced free diving, I could only hold it for 45 seconds. After practicing for a month, I could hold it for about 2 minutes and 45 seconds. "Into the sea of fire" is not part of our training content. I wore a fire suit that can withstand 800 degrees of heat to shoot, but I could still feel the heat of smoke and fire.
Global Times: From Guild Wars, Breaking the Wind, Operation Mekong River to Emergency Rescue, what has been the greatest achievement of working with director Lin Chaoxian in the past six years?
Peng Yuyan:My relationship with the director (Lin Chaoxian) is like a good friend and a mentor. I admire his persistence, always sticking to the movies he wants to make, and never giving up. Every time I shoot his scenes, I have a fear that he will give me the most impossible tasks. But I like to challenge myself and am willing to spend a lot of time preparing before filming. From the boxing in "Guild Wars", the bicycle in "Breaking Wind", and the undercover gunfight in "Operation Mekong", every training is a record of my life.
Global Times: Many people comment that you are "hard enough" for the movie. What do you think your label is?
Peng Yuyan:It’s a good thing that someone has a label, which means everyone knows who I am. In fact, being an actor was not what I wanted to do at the beginning. At the beginning, I also had a job mentality. Later, I felt that this job requires observing people and communicating with people, which is quite interesting.
As an actor, I spend my time living in another world. In which year, I filmed what plays I learned from them, and these are all records of myself. In fact, I may not know who Peng Yuyan is, but I have the opportunity to slowly understand my hobbies and personality through filming.
"I often wonder what else I can do."
Global Times: Director Jiang Wen once commented that you have "very strong self-discipline". Have you ever thought of breaking this self-discipline by indulging occasionally?
Peng Yuyan:Director Jiang is so nice. To be honest, I haven’t been very disciplined lately (laughs). When filming, I have to focus on the character, hoping to satisfy the director’s cinematic world. For example, in the character of Li Tianran in "Evil Unconquered", I have to imagine the character and then discuss with the director how to portray it. This kind of communication is very enjoyable, and there is a sense of artistry that collides. I want to try to make some changes in every play to see where my limits are. In fact, a movie can send a lot of messages, and I hope it can bring strength to everyone. The profession of an actor can "save" people – it can heal a lot of people spiritually. I often wonder what else I can do.
Global Times: Are there any plans to enter the overseas market?
Peng Yuyan: When I first debuted, I had the opportunity to go for an interview, but I didn’t get selected. This is also a good training. In fact, our domestic film market is very rich now, and there is a lot of room to do a lot of things, but we should still learn from experts in different fields. I often go to other countries to understand the attitude of the local staff and the requirements for details. To be an actor, you need to learn from different cultures, so that you can give feedback to yourself and interpret the characters in different ways.
Global Times: Share your favorite foreign director or actor.
Peng YuyanI like Martin Scorsese very much. He recently made "The Irishman," and that kind of traditional storytelling is particularly flavorful. A lot of movies recently are that kind of commercial, special effects, fast-paced style. Maybe people don’t want to spend two or three hours understanding the core content of a character or movie these days, but there are still directors who are willing to shoot old stories in the traditional way. The actors in "The Irishman" are all in their 70s and 80s, but they are all very committed to the characters. This kind of love is amazing, and it is what I aspire to.
Global Times: In the identity of "actor", is there any type of role you want to try next? Will you consider working behind the scenes in the future, such as director or producer?
Peng Yuyan: I used to have a lot of ideas. I also wanted to try action movies. I wanted to do art movies, romance movies, and comedies. But after filming "Emergency Rescue", I felt that life was really very fragile, and filming, acting, and working were no longer all I had. Now what I most want to do is to enrich my heart – even if it’s not filming, I should try it. Being a director is too hard. I see a lot of peers (actors) as directors and involved in behind-the-scenes work. I think it’s amazing that they can do a lot of things. I may not be able to do both at the same time.
If you’re not an actor, be a food blogger
Global Times: It is said that "thirty stands, forty is not confused". What are your feelings about career and life now?
Peng YuyanWork is important, but find your true happiness outside of work. All the difficulties we encounter at work will teach us how to face life and live more seriously. This is very important. One’s life is about constantly exploring who they are.
Global Times: Summarizing yourself in life, which word do you think is the most appropriate? What would you like to do if you are not an actor?
Peng Yuyan: Be at ease. I try to pursue a state of being at ease and relaxed. Each of us is in a state of tension without realizing it, and times change rapidly, so we need to slow down and be more at ease. If you’re not an actor, then be a food blogger (laughs)! A big adventurer is fine, and when you’re not filming, I do like to run around and learn about food in different places, architecture, and what different people think.