Chinese actor-director Jiang Wen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Let the Bullets Fly) shared his take on new technologies, his approach to adapting novels, and his experience with acting, among a wide range of issues, during a jam-packed masterclass at the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival on Friday.
Naturally, the continued technological development and its effect came up during the conversation. “Why should we refuse the further evolution of new technologies,” especially if “good content, good stories” are still being told, which is the key, he replied. With film, “it is the story that you tell” that counts.
In a different context, though, he encouraged the audience to take a break from one form of technology, mobile phones. Jiang received a huge superstar ovation, including loud cheers and a wave of mobile phone snapshots after the doors to the venue were opened to welcome him in, while gladiator-like music was playing.
The star thanked everyone for the warm reception and then addressed the younger folks in the crowd, asking them to “please put down your phones,” noting that people should still be able to rely on their brains. “I’m in my 60s, and I can still remember a lot of things,” he shared, also mentioning that he was more interested in face-to-face dialogue than an on-stage “performance” during the event.
Performing in front of the camera has, of course, been a key part of Jiang’s career. He mentioned on Friday that he studied acting for four years, noting that his experience is that any work on characters includes simplicity and complexity. “It is like martial arts,” he said. “You have to study them, but when you perform them, you just fight.”
One question centered on how he thinks about approaching the adaptation of novels since he has done so regularly. “I deviate a lot from the original novels,” Jiang shared. In the Heat of the Sun is based on a novel originally called Animal Ferocity, and the film title just came to him when he read it, he said, for example, sharing that he never considered using the book’s original title for the movie.
On scriptwriting, Jiang also shared that “the background of the characters should be clear.” Otherwise, “what you write won’t stand the test of time.”
Jiang’s interactions as a director with actors on set were also a point of discussion in the masterclass. “I do not act this much anymore. But my secret is to shower actors and actresses with praise,” he told the audience. “Only if they feel good about themselves will they give me good performances.” He added: “Directors should be embracive and not boss people around.”
He concluded: “The director’s role is to make everybody feel good.” He concluded the topic by joking that directors, after all, can always blame cinematographers or sound people if a film doesn’t turn out as hoped.
The box office success of the animated movie Ne Zha has been a recurring theme of the Beijing Film Festival. So it came as no surprise that, during a discussion on dumplings, Jiang also mentioned Yang Yu, aka Jiaozi, which means “dumpling,” the creator and director of the record-breaking Ne Zha franchise. “He will have a long journey ahead,” he offered.
The multi-hyphenate on Friday also urged young creatives to follow their passions and believe in their potential, mentioning that he, for example, learned to play the piano for a role and felt he had a real knack for it. “I think I would have become a very good pianist,” he offered.
“It is important that you have something to say,” he also told young creatives considering a career in film. “It is really important that you understand life,” maybe see the world differently from others, and have an eye for “what the current movie space is lacking.”
Members of the audience were vying for a chance to ask a question at the end of the masterclass, as many hands were raised, some people even jumped up, and the sound level in the room increased.
People say Jiang’s films are great to watch, but difficult to understand, the first audience member said, asking for the actor-director’s response. “Of course, I do understand all of my movies,” the filmmaker replied. “Mona Lisa has been smiling for so many years.” But why? “Do you want Mona Lisa to tell you why she is smiling at you?” Jiang concluded his response.
The crowd was particularly electrified when one audience member asked if his girlfriend could hand over a gift that they had created together for Jiang. THR couldn’t see what they were holding, though.
The actor-director clearly enjoyed the masterclass experience, allowing several more questions even after time was up. Asked who he would compare himself to, Jiang emphasized: “I am myself and nobody else.” And he added, “I want to watch good movies in any market.”
In what was meant to be the final question and answer, he shared that he doesn’t usually watch his own movies, encouraging the questioner to ask a follow-up. That was if he could recommend a great movie he had recently seen. Jiang, in an apparent reference to the festival competition, said that he would have to wait until Saturday to share his answer.
Jiang serves as the head of the main competition jury at the Beijing fest, which will hand out its Tiantan Awards on Saturday evening. The other jurors are Chinese American director and actor Joan Chen (The Last Emperor), British director David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Chinese actor Ni Ni, Finnish director Teemu Nikki, Swiss director and actor Vincent Perez, and art director Tim Yip from Hong Kong.
The Beijing festival has brought the Chinese capital a broad range of film screenings, including homegrown and international features, along with various other events, including an exhibition of hand-drawn posters for the much-referenced Ne Zha 2.