Huang Xiaoming and his wife and children in The Fire Hero
In the movie Hero in Fire, Huang Xiaoming [Weibo] plays "Jiang Liwei" who rushes into the fire and turns off the valve, but also cares about his wife and children. We chatted with him to see his understanding of the role, the new attempt of this performance and his views on good performance.
In order to play a good fireman, he hopes to present a more realistic state. He wears the fire suit during training until the play, because it is "armor-like clothes", and he hopes that every wrinkle and every drop of sweat on the clothes is his own.
Regarding all kinds of roles in the past, and the impression that he always gives people the "overbearing president", he admits that there may be wrong life attempts at some stage, but everything is good. "I am particularly happy that everyone is willing to give me advice."
He said he might have chosen "Ma Weiguo" in the past, but now he wants to play some roles that sink and fall. The most sincere performance, the performance of doing a good job of experience and training to "become that person" is a good performance.
Sina Entertainment: I heard that when the director and producer Liu Weiqiang [Weibo] found you, you agreed directly without reading the script. Why?
Huang Xiaoming: At that time, a real fireman who was involved in the explosion in the oil depot told me this story, and was particularly moved. In addition, he talked about these things and difficulties in the real life of firefighters, and I felt that I especially wanted to play a real firefighter and a real firefighter. It is no longer the kind of high-ranking firefighters in the traditional sense, but flesh-and-blood and emotional firefighters. I think I must act this play.
Sina Entertainment: After getting the script, is the tonality of this character and the whole movie different from what you imagined before? What’s your biggest surprise?
Huang Xiaoming: What about this script? To be honest, I think the film finished by the director is far more exciting than our script. Including the filming process, I thought it was quite good, and I deliberately told the director that we wanted to find a different way of acting, which was more realistic. In fact, I shot a dozen or twenty scenes there, which could have been passed, but I hope I can keep looking for some small details to make everyone more willing to believe in this character and true feelings, rather than exaggerating the performance. Then cut out, in fact, the whole movie is more grand, more exciting and more moving than I thought.
Sina Entertainment: From the actor’s point of view, you are also holding back all your energy in the center of the whole performance process, hoping to present a different Huang Xiaoming?
Huang Xiaoming: Yes, because I hope it’s more a real natural expression and an expression of eyes, rather than an exaggerated performance. Every time I talk to the director repeatedly about how to be more real and closer to life, so I actually told the stylist that in terms of styling, first of all, the hair should not be too beautiful, and it should always be a little messy, and then the skin color on the face should not be too uniform. Real firefighters are exposed to the sun all the year round, and the skin color on their faces is sometimes not so uniform. Including not too thin, because my prototype is not such a thin person. In addition, this person relaxes his speech, and then when he looks at people, most of them look up or lift up a little, so that his face will look a little more simple and honest, and his eyes will not be so sharp, which is different from other roles I have played before.
Sina Entertainment: Because it is a real person, what preparations have you made in the early stage? Have you ever communicated with the prototype?
Huang Xiaoming: Yes, including I trained for a month, and then I wore that fire suit. I always told the director that I would also use this fire suit when shooting, because I was used to wearing it. I think it is my clothes. It is my armor-like clothes. It is my clothes for training and fighting with me outside the play. I hope it will also be my clothes in the play. In this way, every wrinkle and every drop of sweat on it is my own.
Sina Entertainment: As you said just now, this story has a prototype. His name is Sang Wu. Did you get in touch with him before shooting because you played a real character? Or, deliberately avoid contact with him?
Huang Xiaoming: No. Right, right, they don’t really want me to have contact with the prototype, just look at the relevant materials and tell some stories. They still hope that I can keep some of my own thoughts and judgments. I feel that actually playing a role, for me now, I am infinitely close to the role, but at the same time the role can also be close to me, which is a two-way thing. In fact, there are many things in my body that are similar to Jiang Liwei’s, for example, both are fathers, so I have a deep understanding of my father and family, so I also hope to play a real father. The father is also concerned about his children and his family, and he has scruples. When he is in the fire, he will hesitate and think about it, but because of his duty, he must dedicate himself, sacrifice himself and protect others.
Sina Entertainment: When it comes to the main theme commercial blockbuster, the first thing that people think of is Wei Guangzheng, and the protagonist is particularly high. What do you think is the difference between this role and similar movies before?
Huang Xiaoming: Because when people hear the main melody, they will think that they are above such roles, but they are not. I think we look good here because everyone has their own characteristics, and at the same time everyone has their own scruples. For example, Jiang Liwei is the father of the child, has a wife, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder at the same time, so for him, he has a lot of helplessness and scruples, so he will also have his own weakness.
Two days ago, I went to a fire brigade. When several outstanding squad leaders gave speeches on the stage, I actually listened carefully to everyone. They all mentioned one thing. When they were in the fire and saving people, they must try their best to save that person, but at the same time, he also said, "In fact, I will be afraid. I also hope that when I save people, I can come down safely or go out safely." Because they also have families. The other monitor also told me that I actually felt sorry for my wife, who had the most beautiful fireman’s family. Then, because I had two children at home, I didn’t go home all the year round, so I couldn’t take care of them. Then my father was confined to bed because of a car accident, so my wife had to take care of the children alone and my father. As a man, I felt particularly sorry for my wife.
So, you know that people are complicated and have feelings, and it is not true that they can be reckless all the time. I especially hope that what is reflected in this play is a real person. One will also have scruples, fear and get sick, and will want to go home to see his wife and children, and want to go back to see his wife and children alive as a flesh-and-blood firefighter. Of course, in the end, he will sacrifice himself for the sake of the overall situation. However, I think this process is very important. In it, I also have a transformation process from his stress disorder to overcoming his own psychological disorder, and finally stepping out.
Sina Entertainment: Did these places discuss with the directors in the early stage? Do you communicate with each other?
Huang Xiaoming: Yes, in fact, several of our cases have been discussed. For example, as fathers, they can’t go to school to see their children often, and they can’t accompany their children to sports meetings. That’s why there is a misunderstanding among parents in this school. A real fireman, many people say, my child’s classmates at school think that he doesn’t have a father, and many teachers have never seen the child’s father. This is a true story, so we also added it to it. In addition, there is a line called, "Other people’s homes are for holidays, and firefighters pass the customs." This sentence also shows that firefighters can’t accompany their families on holidays and are on standby 24 hours a day. Because on holidays, when everyone is having a good time, it is the most dangerous time, and it is also the most dangerous time for firefighters. Including me, I also used another sentence, which is also from the words of real firefighters and my prototype. I remember my prototype once said that when I was inside, I really really wanted to go out and see my wife and children alive. I feel very sorry for them. Because at that time, they were determined to turn off the valve with death. After eight hours in the fire, their hands were rotten and their faces were rotten. They couldn’t close their eyes for several days. This is true.
Many people say, will your movie be too exaggerated? I’m sorry, it’s no exaggeration. The prototype is even more tragic than ours. Therefore, we especially hope to pay tribute to all our real firefighters through such a flesh-and-blood movie, because they have suffered and suffered much more than us.
Sina Entertainment: As an actor, you have a lot in common with the role. First of all, you are also a husband and a father. How do these life experiences help your performance?
Huang Xiaoming: It’s very big. For example, when I didn’t have children before, I might prefer the reckless and enterprising role, that is, rushing. But after having children, I prefer the weaknesses in the characters, and I hope to be able to show the truth and weaknesses of the characters. So, when I didn’t have children before, I really didn’t care. Anyway, it’s okay to have a full stomach and a broken arm and leg. I fell from Weiya, and I don’t think it’s anything. But now I really feel that I should be careful to protect myself, because I feel that my body and my life are not alone, because there is still a home. You can’t make your family sad. You can’t let your family have no support. So what I like more now is the other side of Jiang Liwei, that is, his real and scrupulous side, but at the same time he is also growing and sublimating himself.
Sina Entertainment: The shooting environment is very hard this time. I heard that my arm is dislocated and there are scenes of jumping from high altitude. Generally, when this happens, will you report it to Baby?
Huang Xiaoming: There is really no need for this matter. Telling others more just adds to others’ troubles. Therefore, I believe that our firefighters are the same. All the firefighters I know report good news but not bad news. In fact, our own work as actors can sometimes be relatively dangerous, such as hanging Weiya. I really fell off Weiya and had six steel nails in my foot. Since then, I have been afraid of heights. So when I was doing fire training, I was really scared to do that high-altitude downhill. I have been hesitating whether I want to go on or not. Because I don’t need to do these things in the movie, but I finally think I have to do it and practice it, because I think as a firefighter, if you want to play a firefighter, you can basically do everything a firefighter can do, so that you will have a sense of faith and believe that you are a firefighter. So in the end, I overcame the psychological barrier and did this exercise of high altitude descent.
Sina Entertainment: Many viewers described your performance as "returning to the basics". In fact, you had a subversive attempt in "The Wind", probably because the public’s impression of you was more on "overbearing president". What do you think of the previous attempts?
Huang Xiaoming: I think it’s good to remind me at any time that I have done something wrong and I have to bear it myself.
Sina Entertainment: Do you think that’s wrong?
Huang Xiaoming: I think it’s a different attempt. You can’t judge by right or wrong, but it’s a life attempt that may be wrong at a certain stage, but everything is good, because all the hardships you have suffered in your life are balanced, and you may have been too smooth before, so you will definitely make some wrong choices or suffer losses afterwards, and there will be no shortage of pits to fall. Therefore, if you have any comments, I am very happy that you are willing to give me your comments. I think I want to thank you. But it is good for my own growth afterwards.
In fact, my several different plays also represent several different stages of my life. For example, Cheng Dongqing in "Chinese Partner" and I also played an English teacher. In fact, it was the worst time for everyone to laugh at my English. The Japanese in Wind, I studied Japanese for three months and memorized that Japanese line. Then the director said that my Japanese was better than Chinese, and I was at the scene. Then there was "Nothing to Ask", which was shot many times by the director, and it took many years before it was released. At that time, he was also a physicist. In fact, there is also "Datang Xuanzang", including today’s "Fire Hero". I think they all represent my different life stages. So you, like Jiang Liwei now, are just the person I like. I think it is just right for me to play this role. You left it a few years ago. Maybe you let me choose this role. I may choose Ma Weiguo or other roles, but today I want to play some roles that have settled down and put down.
Sina Entertainment: What do you think of performance now? What kind of performance do you think is a good performance?
Huang Xiaoming: I think the most sincere performance is also the one that can move the audience most, so it is very important for me to let go of myself now. I have to do a lot of preparation, training or experience to make myself that person. At the same time, people’s feelings are interlinked, and I can also understand his feelings and express what I want to express in this character, in this role, in this movie or on TV, through the role I play. I think this is what I like better now.
Sina Entertainment: Last question, the prototype character you played didn’t sacrifice in real life. Why did you make such an adaptation in the movie? Have you discussed it with the director? What is the purpose of doing this?
Huang Xiaoming: Because we are not documentary, we are a movie after all, and it is a big movie, so we can adapt it. What about the adaptation? The director may do something for the sake of dramatic tension. In fact, many people say how much they hope that Jiang Liwei will not be sacrificed. Then I will tell you the prototype, and you don’t have to be sad. The prototype really has no sacrifice. But where are so many perfect things in life? In fact, I think the sacrifices here are also made by the director and us. I hope I can pay tribute to the real firefighters who sacrificed for us and tell you that you should not forget that these people sacrificed their lives to protect us. I hope you can cherish your present life and pay attention to fire safety. Don’t let our firefighters make unnecessary sacrifices again.
