Niu Junfeng, who plays Zhang Side in the TV series "My Name is Zhang Side", said: "When I first came into contact with the script, I thought that Comrade Zhang Side was a very noble and heroic figure. But after getting the script and understanding it, and thinking back to that era, you will find that he is actually the same as our young people today. He is what young people were like in that era. He speaks the least and does the most. He always says less and does more."
Niu Junfeng said: "Comrade Side was a very sincere, warm and passionate person in that era."
This year marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Zhang Side. Directed by Cheng Lidong and co-directed by Guo Jianyong, and starring young actor Niu Junfeng, the TV series "My Name is Zhang Side" will be broadcast on CCTV-8 every day at 21:30 starting from May 29. Many talented actors such as Nie Yuan, Wang Like, Yu Zhen, and Lin Peng also starred in the show.
The play uses Zhang Side's real deeds as an anchor, and uses flashbacks to tell his short but glorious life, creating a group of revolutionary portraits with firm beliefs. The story is told from Zhang Side's small perspective, showing the process of our party's rise from adversity to victory and the soldiers' tempering into steel in the furnace during that great era.
Poster of "My Name is Zhang Side"
Zhang Side was born in a poor peasant family in Yilong County, Sichuan Province in April 1915. He joined the Red Army in December 1933 and soon joined the Communist Youth League. In October 1937, he joined the Communist Party of China. He once served as the guard squad leader of the Central Guard Regiment and Mao Zedong's bodyguard. In a battle against the six-way siege, he was wounded twice in his right leg but still endured the severe pain, rushed into the enemy's position, and seized two machine guns from the enemy. On September 5, 1944, when he led the soldiers to perform charcoal burning tasks in Ansai County, northern Shaanxi, the cave that was about to be dug suddenly collapsed. He struggled to push his comrades out of the cave, but he was buried in the cave. He died at the age of 29.
At the memorial service for Zhang Side, Chairman Mao Zedong personally wrote the elegy "Salute to Comrade Zhang Side who sacrificed for the interests of the people" and delivered a speech entitled "Serve the People", highly praising Zhang Side's ideological realm and revolutionary spirit of serving the people completely and thoroughly.
Recently, a reporter from The Paper interviewed Niu Junfeng, the actor who plays Zhang Side in "My Name is Zhang Side". In order to get closer to the role of Zhang Side, he gained 25 kilograms. From his perspective, we are fortunate to have a glimpse of the ordinary yet extraordinary life of this soldier who "serves the people".
【dialogue】
In order to be closer to Zhang Side, I gained 25 pounds and tried to restore the photo 1:1
The Paper : In your eyes, what kind of person is Zhang Side? What attracts you most about this role?
Niu Junfeng : When I first came across the script of "My Name is Zhang Side", I thought that Comrade Zhang Side was a very noble and heroic figure, and I believe everyone feels the same way. But after getting the script and understanding it, and thinking back to that era, you will find that he is actually the same as our young people today. He is the original appearance of young people in that era. He speaks the least, works the most, and always speaks less and does more.
Comrade Side was a warm-hearted person, he grew up eating at many people's homes. Side means missing kindness, because many people helped him, so he wanted to help everyone. He was a very sincere, warm and passionate person in that era.
Niu Junfeng as Zhang Side
The Paper : In order to get as close to this role as possible, did you do any relevant homework in advance?
Niu Junfeng : There are quite a lot of them. I looked up all the information I could find about Comrade Zhang Side. He actually only has one photo, and we restored the photo-taking scene 1:1 in the play. In fact, Zhang Side is quite burly, stronger, and looks rounder, so I gained 25 kilograms and tanned my skin. These were some preparations I made in advance. So now in the play, including today when I went to the Zhang Side Memorial Hall and saw his statue and photos, I felt as if I was standing there myself.
The Paper : It’s a 1:1 restoration, right?
Niu Junfeng : I myself feel that way. When I watched the episode yesterday, I found that the scenes in the show were very similar to the image of Mr. Zhang Side that I imagined in my mind. I really felt that it showed what I thought in my heart.
During the Sichuan TV live broadcast, our actor Wang Like also said, "When acting with Junfeng, you will find that he is Zhang Side standing there, and I trust him very much, even if he does not act anything." I feel very happy and excited to get this evaluation, because I think it is a relatively high recognition from my fellow actor and teacher, so I am very happy.
The Paper : This means that they are not only similar in appearance, but also in spirit.
Niu Junfeng : What she meant was a resemblance. Actually, that's true, because I still believe in energy. When I set foot in Sichuan and put on the same clothes as Comrade Zhang Side to play this role, it seemed that there was a kind of power in me that made me completely believe that I was Zhang Side at that moment.
The Paper : The editing of "My Name is Zhang Side" uses a flashback approach. The audience sees Zhang Side's ending at the beginning, and then the story unfolds from before he joined the Red Army. How do we understand this character's growth line in his short life of 29 years?
Niu Junfeng : We are telling you the ending at the beginning because everyone knows the ending. What we need to do is to unfold it bit by bit and tell the audience what he did. Our filming is more about his growth and some of the things he did, listing them bit by bit.
Remove the traces of performance, all are true feelings
The Paper : There is a scene of being hung up and tortured in the first episode. Can you tell us how you imagined this scene? Was there any design in the performance?
Niu Junfeng : It was quite late when we were shooting this scene. You will find that I didn’t do much with my performance, no excessive expressions, and no excessive states. I think he was still in a confused state at that time. He only had one belief in his mind, which was that he had to remember that he was sent by the master of the Lin family. He was a very stubborn and persistent person. He had to remember how many guns there were and where the guns were. He did this with such a belief and such a mission.
Screenshot of My Name is Zhang Side
At that time, Zhang Side was not able to fight against the villain in the play, he was just a small chess piece of the villain. Later, the villain released Zhang Side back to report the news. In fact, this was an internal conspiracy, but the only thing the villain did not expect was that Zhang Side remembered the layout of the inside (Jinchengzhai).
In the processing of the performance, I did a lot of subtraction and did a lot of processing to remove the traces of performance. You will find that he is just silly, he is in that state, without too many techniques, all are true feelings. All the processing of this play is more of my feelings.
The Paper : You have tried war-themed dramas before, such as Xiaoman in "The Battle of Changsha". Both of them are small characters in the grand narrative. How similar do you think the two characters of Xiaoman and Zhang Side are to yourself?
Niu Junfeng : For example, when the director chose me to play Xiaoman, Xiaoman and I were more similar at that time, from his early stage to his later stage. Now Comrade Zhang Side is more similar to me, including when we were filming, I was also 29 years old, so he is more similar to me. Compared with when I played Xiaoman, I am definitely more mature.
Of course, I think Xiaoman is also good. I often tell my friends that if I were to play Xiaoman again, I would definitely do more with him, or make him perform more beautifully, but he might not be in the same state as Xiaoman at that time, because he grew up suddenly.
Stills from Battle of Changsha
Comrade Zhang Side may be more similar to me, because I am also relatively introverted and do more. We are both persistent and considerate of others.
Keep your original intention and make every step count
The Paper : From debuting as a child star to now being able to play the leading role in CCTV's main theme dramas, what do you think is the biggest change in yourself over the years?
Niu Junfeng : To be honest, I think the biggest change for me is that I haven't changed much. I always know what I want to do, so I stick to what I want to do, never forget my original intention, and work hard to move forward step by step. Every step counts, and I have to live up to my role and my audience. I think I have always been like this. No matter how the times change, I have been repeating these things, and I have come step by step. Of course, I am very lucky to have these opportunities and so many dramas that can ask me to act.
The Paper : How do you feel about working with senior actors in this drama? For example, Mr. Nie Yuan?
Niu Junfeng : I still feel very good, including when we chat privately. In fact, we can be considered to have a heritage. We all regard acting as a very important thing, and it is very pleasant to work together. We all have a lot of ideas.
The Paper : What was the most memorable thing on the set?
Niu Junfeng : Too many, for example, some scenes with Brother Yuan in the cave, because we shot them on location, the environment is quite real, so sometimes after you have talked about it in private, it will still be different in the real environment. But the collision and emotions we had directly were also very real, so the feeling of collision in this play, not only the feeling with several teachers, but also the feeling with other friends, are all very real and sincere, so it may seem like a more sincere play to you now.
The Paper : In the drama, the friends left one by one in the later period. Did the departure of these characters give Zhang Side a sense of growth?
Niu Junfeng : Of course, I can tell you responsibly that my emotional progression and his emotional expression are different in every scene. I believe you will be deeply touched after watching them.
The Paper : Would you give a score to your performance?
Niu Junfeng : I think Comrade Zhang Side deserves a 10 in my mind.
Stills from 20 Not Confused 2
Stills from Where the Winds Rise
Stills from "Ask the Vastness"
The Paper : The works you have filmed in recent years, such as "20 Forever 2", "Where the Wind Runs", "The Story of Joy", "Asking the Vastness", etc., have diverse themes, including period dramas, urban dramas, and the upcoming suspense drama "The Game Changer". What other types of themes are you interested in but have not had the opportunity to try yet?
Niu Junfeng : Actually, what I have never tried is costume drama.
The Paper : I heard that you are going to Hengdian to film a movie soon. Does this count as a spoiler?
Niu Junfeng : Because many people want me to play a costume drama. My last costume drama seemed pretty good, Yuan Song in "Princess Agents", and everyone liked it. After Yuan Song, I don't think I've had any contact with him. I think I can try it again.
The Paper : If you were to take on another costume drama, what type of character would you like to try?
Niu Junfeng : First of all, I hope the script is solid, and then I hope the character has his own uniqueness. His temperament can attract me more. I hope to be able to play a costume character with unique temperament.
The Paper : Is this uniqueness the kind of introverted gentleman, or the more extroverted, funny and cheerful personality?
Niu Junfeng : Not necessarily, but it must be distinct.
The Paper : Finally, can you recommend a book you are reading recently to The Paper’s readers?
Niu Junfeng : Mu Xin’s “Literary Memoirs” is very good. Actually, I tend to read a relatively diverse range of books, because being an actor is a multifaceted subject and I need to understand all aspects.
