The hit drama “Running Dogs” comes to an end, and young comedians become the highlight
Beijing Daily reporter Li Xiazhi
In the just-concluded legendary period drama “Gou Sheng Run”, young comedians represented by Jiang Long, Shi Ce, Jiang Yi, Song Muzi, Ye Liu and others took the lead. For these comedians who just became familiar to the audience with the “Annual Comedy Competition” last year, “Running Dogs” opened a door for them to perform in film and television dramas, and also became a key turning point in their acting careers.
Jiang Yi: Good comedy is not about tickling the audience
Before “Run the Dog”, actor Jiang Yi had actually made several good film and television dramas, such as the revolutionary drama “When the Stars Shine” co-starring with Li Xian and Ren Min. In order, the work that he met the audience as an actor after the comedy competition was this “Gou Sheng Run”.
Jiang Yi said that as an actor, there are always many times that are uncontrollable. “For example, it is a good thing to be recognized by the audience because of a comedy competition, but it may also be considered that you can only do comedies because of this show.” The invitation from “Gou Sheng Run” was also “the right time, the right place and the right people”. Director Wang Xinjun could not find suitable actors after getting the script. It coincided with the broadcast of the “Annual Comedy Competition”, and he fell in love with these young people doing comedy at a glance. It is determined that they can not only do comedy, but also play complete characters.
For Jiang Yi, who graduated from the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama, he is naturally confident that he can perform well as he has a professional background. When he got the script for the character Yang San, he felt that this role was “very acting” and might become a “turning point” in his acting career. Jiang Yi hoped to firmly grasp this role, so he did a lot of homework before filming.
The transformation from comedy performances to film and television drama performances is also crucial. “For example, in comedy competitions, the funny is relatively externalized, while Yang San’s funny is based on the characters. It relies on the absurdity and humor of the script itself.” From the “replay” of characters, he realized a certain skill in film and television performance, which is to use the script and characters to depict the true nature of the characters.
Song Muzi: Will stick to comedy “base camp”
Actor Song Muzi is still so funny. Hou Qi, played by Song Muzi in “Run the Dog”, is always the comic relief of the whole drama. As a villain, he seems to be very lively. He died on the battlefield in the finale but still cared about his beloved wife. This is the tragedy of this character. The background color then surges up.
For Song Muzi, such a complex Hou Qi is exactly the multi-faceted character he hopes to show. “What the audience may see at first is Hou Qi’s misery. His wife cheated on him, his boss lied to him, and he foolishly believed his wife’s lies. What the audience saw was the more embarrassing side of this character, but the logic of the character I found is Hou Qi always does things for his family, and what he wants to maintain is the peace of his family.” Song Muzi believes that although the overall impression of “Gou Sheng Run” is relatively relaxed and pleasant, the theme of the series is limited by itself that this is a work about the hatred of the country and the family in a serious historical background.
Song Muzi studied at Wuhan University as an undergraduate, majoring in drama, film and television performance. He had no exposure to comedy performances until he graduated and found a job. In his graduation drama, he performed normally in the serious drama “The Witches of Salem”, but found that the audience laughed wildly for half an hour. After graduation, he went north to apply for a job, and accidentally got into Happy Twist. Only then did Song Muzi start his career as a comedian.
In addition to taking over the filming of “The Dog’s Run”, he has also made comedy movies in the past two years. He has been a guest at many large-scale evening parties, bringing interesting comedy works to the audience. He believes that comedy has always been his “base camp”, “I hope to build the building higher on this base, and if possible, I will go out for a while.”
Overall, “Running Dogs” has proven to be a turning point for these young comedians as they transition from comedy performances to film and television dramas, showcasing their growth and versatility as actors.