Photo source of Li Xiaoran: Every photo by reporter Li Jianing
Not long ago, the premiere of “This Life With You” achieved the highest rating of 1.4 on CCTV’s eight sets, ranking high in the evening’s prime, and ranked in the forefront of the broadcast rankings on Youku for many consecutive days.
I have seen a lot of the haggard Tan Jing in “I Have You In This Life”. When the real actor Li Xiaoran appeared in front of the reporter of “Daily Economic News”, her delicate dress formed a strong contrast with the characters in the play.
She has played many classic roles, such as Yin Jingwan in “It’s Too Late to Say I Love You”, Lin Ting in “Angels Come Tonight”, Gu Xiaojun in “The Husband”, and Li Yunrui in “Celebrating More Than Years”… Li Xiaoran’s superb acting skills made her a great actress. “Theatrical throwback”. But outside the play, there is hardly any news about Li Xiaoran.
The outside world commented that Li Xiaoran was “not as popular as a playboy”, but Li Xiaoran enjoyed it. In an interview with the Daily Economic News reporter, she said bluntly: “I will pick up the scenes I like, and I will not pick up the ones I don’t like.”
Anxious? Absolutely not. Li Xiaoran seems to be very different from Tan Jing in the play. When he is middle-aged, Li Xiaoran’s mentality is more open-minded. He chases dramas in his spare time, but also longs for a character with a sense of strength and explosiveness. “As I get older, I treat people and things more, and I see all kinds of things in life. I like to put these feelings in plays and characters, which are very meaningful to me.”
“Acting is painful and happy, and acting without heart is more painful.” Li Xiaoran said bluntly. Therefore, in life, Li Xiaoran will seek various ways to decompress, such as sleeping, playing games, eating, drinking and having fun.
After entering the industry for more than 20 years, she still does not live like a “people in the circle”, which is a unique existence among all female stars. When asked how to evaluate herself, Li Xiaoran thought about it and answered: “I’m a fool, I’m not very motivated, but I’m sincere to people, and I’m often deceived.
Add fat to the character and show the character from the details
In 2010, the TV drama “It’s Too Late to Say I Love You”, adapted from the novel of the same name by Bandit Wo Si Cun, hit the air. Its heart-breaking plot and superb acting skills made this drama 27th, 65,000 on the Douban Love Mainland Drama List. People have seen it and gave it a high score of 8.4, which also made the leading actors Li Xiaoran and Zhong Hanliang become classic screen partners in the hearts of the audience.
After a lapse of 12 years, the two collaborated again in the urban romance drama “I Have You in This Life”, which evoked the memories of many fans. Li Xiaoran also told reporters that whether it is cooperating with actors or cooperating with the whole team, “I can find a familiar feeling.”
After 12 years, Li Xiaoran and Zhong Hanliang collaborated again Image source: Li Xiaoran Weibo
“I Have You in This Life” is also adapted from the novel “Love You Is the Best Time” by Bandit Wo Sicun. It tells the story of Nie Yusheng (played by Zhong Hanliang), a cardiac surgeon, and Tan Jing (played by Li Xiaoran), a former lover and a single mother, who face each other hand in hand. Fate, finally ushered in the story of a happy life.
However, unlike the previous love stories that focused on young men and women, “This Life With You” initially positioned the characters’ age in middle age. “Young love is passionate, free and impulsive, but the love of middle-aged people is restrained and bursts out in forbearance. This kind of power is actually more heart-wrenching and unforgettable.” Li Xiaoran said.
From squeezing the bus to work in the morning rush hour, to picking up specials in the vegetable market in the evening, the delicate emotions and the small life are portrayed real and vivid by the long shots. In Li Xiaoran’s view, such tones and camera sense are not common in TV dramas, “like a prose poem”.
In addition to plot design and narration techniques, the actor’s own acting skills are also crucial. Whether it is Yin Jingwan, the gentle and independent daughter of a wealthy businessman 12 years ago, or Tan Jing, an optimistic and strong single mother today, Li Xiaoran’s direct acting skills have contributed to the success of the two dramas.
In fact, in the comments of “This Life With You”, the most praises are for the acting skills of several leading actors. Especially Tan Jing played by Li Xiaoran, several crying scenes that broke out after repression brought the audience into the character’s emotions instantly.
“I have you in this life” stills Image source: Maoyan Professional Edition
Li Xiaoran admitted that it is not easy to play the role of “Tan Jing” well. “She is a bit like the so-called ‘white lotus’, which is definitely not likable in real life. I have to correct her little by little to show her tenacity and warmth. People hate it.”
Facts have proved that Li Xiaoran’s shaping of Tan Jing was successful. In order to better show the characters, she added fat to the characters, and specially designed the details of the image such as a slight hunchback and downward corners of the mouth during the performance. From Tan Jing’s haggard face with dark circles under her eyes, you can see the suffering and helplessness, stubbornness and self-esteem of a single mother living in a metropolis like Shanghai.
“Tan Jing had a lot of ‘Lin Daiyu-style’ lines in the original script, and basically every scene was crying, but we removed them later.” Recalling the discussion on Tan Jing’s image, Li Xiaoran felt that she was pitiful. More than that is to show a warm feeling. “Tan Jing’s heart is a strong person. Even if life puts a lot of pressure on her, she will always be as optimistic, upbeat and warm as a sunflower that broke through the ground.”
“I have you in this life” stills Image source: Maoyan Professional Edition
“Tan Jing” is different from himself, people want to play a dynamic role when they are middle-aged
Li Xiaoran in the play is aggrieved and forbearing, but in reality Li Xiaoran is transparent and casual. She told every reporter that in addition to acting, her daily life is “eating, drinking and having fun”. “I don’t have any particularly noble hobbies. Sleeping, chasing dramas, and playing games are all my ways of decompressing.”
Li Xiaoran in life Image source: Li Xiaoran Weibo
At the age of 19, Li Xiaoran, who studied dance at a young age, was successfully admitted to the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe. By chance, he decided to quit his dance job and become an actor.
Although there have been twists and turns, Li Xiaoran was lucky. At the age of 20, he starred in his first TV series and entered the entertainment industry. In the 24 years in the entertainment industry, Li Xiaoran has starred in many TV series, including “Like Fog, Like Rain and Like Wind”, “Love When the Sun is Bright”, “Harbin under the Night”, and “The Husband”.
Recalling her career in acting, Li Xiaoran confessed to every reporter that she didn’t love acting so much when she first entered the industry, “It’s not that I can’t do it without filming.” “There was no original intention. At the beginning, it was purely acting to ‘play’, and life was more difficult at that time.”
However, after experiencing the drama “Farewell, Vancouver”, Li Xiaoran realized that acting is no longer a means of supporting his family, but found fun in it. “As I get older, I treat people and things more, and I see all kinds of things in life. I think these things are helpful to my performance. I like to put these feelings in the play and the characters, which are very meaningful to me. .”
Li Xiaoran’s personality has been like a boy since childhood. Image source: Li Xiaoran’s Weibo
He was like a boy since he was a child, and Li Xiaoran also seemed to “do whatever he wanted” when it came to filming. She revealed that she would not shoot if she could not receive a script she liked. Even though many people were talking about middle-aged actresses who had no scenes to shoot, this did not cause any trouble to Li Xiaoran. “The roles I received when I first debuted were all very youthful. I think it’s normal that these kinds of roles don’t come to me now. If someone pushes me hard, I’ll feel weird. Of course, people grow with age. When you grow up, the scripts you receive must be of different types. Even if your life is not filled with acting, you don’t think that you will receive scripts that are not suitable for you in the past.”
For Li Xiaoran, every time he plays a role, it is a challenge to at least make himself interesting and inspire something that he can’t see himself. “I don’t want to play gentle, virtuous, forbearing and other roles anymore. Although I can’t tell the specific type, I still like to play more individual and more powerful roles. For example, Tan Jing and I’s lives have been turned upside down. Same, but I just wanted to play a less pitiful, more powerful character.”
