Peng Yuyan is grateful that he came across the script of "Dog Formation" when he was 40 years old, and perhaps only at this age can he be so emotionally involved in "Dog Formation". The film won the Best Film Award in the Attention Section and the "Golden Palm of the Dog" Jury Award at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival this year, and began to be released in China on June 15.
Peng Yuyan said that making the film gave him the opportunity to look at his past four decades. "We may be busy every day, but we don’t know what we are busy with. In an environment like the Gobi Desert, human beings are really insignificant, that is, a grain of sand in the Gobi Desert. What you think is important may not be so important."
"This film gave me the opportunity to explore human nature and learn more about myself."
The movie "Dogs" sets the story in a small town in the northwest. After "Bullfight", Guan Hu’s director returned to the animal theme after 15 years. In the film, Jiro, played by Peng Yuyan, is imprisoned for manslaughter and returns to his hometown after parole, but it is difficult to integrate into society. Forced to join the dog fighting team, Jiro saves a black dog due to an accidental car accident, and the fates of the two are connected. Two incompatible souls resonate in each other’s loneliest moments, redeem each other, and become inseparable life partners.
The story of Jiro and the black dog in the movie has aroused the empathy of many audiences. Although the people and dogs "don’t speak the same words," they "have the same heart." Some viewers said, "Jiro is a maverick and marginal person, just like the dogs in the movie, wild and bloody coexist." Jia Zhangke commented, "People and dogs warm each other in the desolate land of the northwest, and the vitality that bursts out is touching." The director Guan Hu also said in an interview, "The animal nature contained in the human body is particularly precious. We lost it all the way when we grew up. The blood that Jiro should have was inspired by this black dog."
"The epidemic made me want to do something different, spend more time with my family, experience a different life, and my worldview and outlook on life have changed. When I came across this very good script at this time, I felt very much when I read it, and I wanted to have a different experience. So, I have to do this thing, and there is no reason to refuse."
Jiro in "Dogs" resonated deeply with Peng Yuyan: "After returning to my hometown after ten years, Jiro’s world is different. For others, time in this world has been passing, but for Jiro, it has been lost for many years. When I read the script, I think, what has this character gone through before? I don’t have a few lines in the film, but there are many opposite scenes with dogs, which is a very attractive role for me. It gives me the opportunity to explore human nature and understand myself better at the same time."
Peng Yuyan admitted that if he had seen such a script a few years ago, he might not have felt as much as he does now. "But when I encountered this scene at the age of almost 40, I felt very resonant. Many times life is not up to me to decide. How do I make changes or find my place? The process is inevitably confused and painful. Jiro in the movie is also in this situation. He is struggling to break through himself or find his place in the world. What else can he do for this society, what can he do for his family, what can he do for himself? He is at a big crossroads and does not know what to do."
Peng Yuyan said that when he reads the script, it is easy to substitute, and if he and the character have a certain degree of fit, he will have a strong desire to create. "I think the play’Dog Formation ‘can definitely give me a lot of energy and make me transform again. And Guan Hu is also a director I admire very much. I like his works very much, and I have always hoped to have the opportunity to cooperate with him."
Dedicated the most subversive performance since the film
In "Dog Array," Peng Yuyan gave his most subversive performance since he was a photographer. He admitted that Erlang was a character he had never played before. As always, he did a lot of homework for this character.
The first is the change of appearance, "The story of" Dog Formation "mainly took place in Jiuquan and Yumen, Gansu Province in 2008, and I didn’t look like the people in that environment. During that period, I drank a lot of coffee and tea, rinsed my mouth instead of brushing my teeth, and made my teeth a little yellow and tanned, which also reduced the workload of the makeup artist. Because the ultraviolet rays there are stronger, people will have a redder and darker complexion, so I got my sun spots out, my scalp was also cracked, and I shaved a short inch, and then made my body a little stronger, but I won’t be as thin as before" Tropical Past ". Because Jiro’s character is not in an unhealthy state, he came from a place where life is very regular. The bad thing about him is that his brain has not yet adapted to the current era. He has been away from his hometown for ten years and has been out of touch with the times. During the shooting process, I feel that Jiro’s state is more and more like that dog. I like my style in "Dog Array" very much.
In order to shoot "Dog Formation", Peng Yuyan also learned motorcycle stunts, "I have filmed a lot of motorcycle scenes before, but I have never practiced stunts. This time I have to ride a motorcycle to climb stairs and fly. After all, Jiro is a champion stuntman, so I still need to practice. Flick the tail, ride the stairs, rush down and fly up, and then land. I fell quite badly in the process, and the daily training will be more exhausting."
Peng Yuyan smiled and said that it is difficult to learn motorcycle stunts, "because the old motorcycle is very heavy, and its oil should be grasped very firmly. I wear protective gear when I practice, but I don’t have it when I shoot, so it is actually very dangerous. If you don’t have professional guidance, you really don’t practice by yourself. All our motorcycle riding scenes are real shots, and I like this kind of challenge very much. Like when I shot" Emergency Rescue "before and got burned or hung on a helicopter, I just had to fight hard and survive. Because of the movies I shot before, I have good physical training, but motorcycle stunts are not purely physical. Sometimes those stunts really can’t be done because it requires physical memory and brain access. You can do it today, but maybe not tomorrow. When I practice after work, I keep falling. I will have shadows and pain, so I don’t dare to practice again. I hit my instep and toes a few times in the middle, and I also took X-rays several times because everyone was worried that I would get injured. Now, riding a motorcycle has become my hobby, just like riding a bicycle before. "
"I didn’t adopt Xiao Xin, it adopted me"
A very important part of "Dog Formation" is getting along with dogs. Before the movie started, Peng Yuyan went to learn to train dogs and cultivate feelings with more than ten black dogs. "At that time, there were many dogs in the crew, and the animals were uncontrollable in filming, so I had to cultivate a good relationship with each dog. During filming, many scenes were shot to the end, and there were not many editing parts, so I would rehearse with the dogs many times in advance. I think dogs know what we are talking about. When we were filming, we knew what we wanted them to do. Every dog has its own personality, even if they are the same color, but their eyes are different. There were a total of more than a dozen dogs at that time, and I remember every one of them. We’ve been training and cultivating our relationship for a long time. We have scenes of eating, bathing, sleeping, biting me, and licking me. To some extent, the dog is the real star of this drama. "
Peng Yuyan has been with these dogs for more than four months, and there is a scene in which Erlang is bitten, so Peng Yuyan has to be bitten by dogs many times during the audition, "One time, I didn’t wear protective gear, and the dog habitually came up and bit my leg, and I was bitten before I could get out of the way. It sometimes bites me when it is not happy, but I simply don’t hide and let it bite. Of course, there is protective gear to protect it, but it will still hurt. Because the dog bites without letting go, even if it wears protective gear, it will still be bitten until it is bruised. If there is no protective gear, it is estimated that the second one will not be able to shoot, but slowly I bite a lot, and I will get used to it, and I am not afraid. A dog biting is a normal and instinctive behavior, how can you ask an animal to lose its animality. The play "Dog Formation" is quite philosophical, although I don’t have any lines, but the play with animals can show a lot of human parts. Dogs are human to some extent, they just don’t talk. Dogs know if there is any fear or anxiety in you, they use their eyes to communicate, and they use their sense of smell to identify and judge what the person has experienced. Maybe because dogs don’t have language, their senses become clearer, and they remember the smell of you. They can feel what mood you are in, or whether you like dogs or not. I believe that dogs can feel the energy of a person, and in their eyes, everyone’s color is different. "
"Xiao Xin," the black dog in "Dog Formation," also won the "Jury Prize" from the Organizing Committee of the Golden Palm of Dogs at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. After finishing, Peng Yuyan also adopted Xiao Xin. "I have three dogs now, one is Xiao Xin in" Dog Formation ", and the other two are puppies born to the pregnant dog in the play. These three dogs have been with me until now."
Xiao Xin is the dog who has played the most roles against Peng Yuyan. "On the first day I went, he could sleep next to me for 20 minutes without fear. He is the only dog who can sit next to me in the shower and act with me. Xiao Xin is very obedient, he doesn’t bark, but he is very smart. Every time I look at him, I know that his eyes are thinking, and his eyes have subtext. Xiao Xin can really perform, very spiritual, and has his own ideas, but he can’t say it. The other two puppies adopted, a male and a mother, will want to convey some ideas when watching people. The male is a little more dormant, but he is also very cute and has his own personality."
Owning a dog changed Peng Yuyan’s daily life. He got up at 6 o’clock, developed the habit of walking the dog three times a day, took care of the dog’s daily life, and even went to Cannes to attend the film festival. Most of his luggage was dog-related supplies. Peng Yuyan said that filming "Dog Formation" with Xiao Xin changed his perception of performance, and owning a dog changed his outlook on life and values. Xiao Xin is now more than three years old, and his feelings and tacit understanding with Peng Yuyan have become deeper. The pure, direct and comprehensive expression of Xiao Xin also made Peng Yuyan pay more attention to the present moment of life and cherish every moment with him. He said frankly, "I didn’t adopt Xiao Xin, but he adopted me."
This was the most unknown filming experience. There were many moments of helplessness, vulnerability and even fear
Despite a lot of preparation, Peng Yuyan smiled and said that when he arrived at the scene, he realized that it was different from what he imagined. "I can’t predict how the dog will perform, so I have to overturn the previous preparation, fully immerse myself in the moment and give an intuitive response. There are many moments of helplessness, vulnerability and even fear in this process, because I don’t know if the performance is accurate, and the only thing that can help me believe in myself is the dog who is playing against me, and they are the most authentic."
The director, Guan Hu, did not want to see any trace of performance on Peng Yuyan. Peng Yuyan said: "He wanted to shoot a real person in life, and for me, this was the most unknown shooting experience. I can only trust the reaction of the animals in the opposite scene. This movie changed my brain’s understanding of acting to some extent, and made me have a completely different understanding of acting."
Peng Yuyan liked Guan Hu’s "Bullfighting" and "Killing Life" very much. "When I watched the movie, I felt that the actors in it were tortured badly, and when I made" Dog Array ", I also wanted to be abused and watched. Actors in such an environment will be in a different state, and I don’t need to change too much by myself, because the cold and wind in the northwest will naturally give me a feeling of living there. I have always liked unknown things, and this time, I didn’t make any deliberate designs for the characters. The director and I both hope to pursue the most realistic and life-like performances, putting aside words and performing with our eyes and bodies."
"Dog Formation," Peng Yuyan’s film with the fewest lines, admits that it makes the performance more difficult, "because it is difficult to strengthen the body, especially many long shots to the end, and close-ups. When there is a camera, I feel that I need to give something, and I will realize that someone is watching, and it must be different from not having a camera. So when the camera is far away, it is easier for me to perform more loosely, but it is impossible to be too loose, and it is difficult to find that balance. And the director has found a lot of local amateurs to act with us. If I design my performance, the effect will become very strange."
Living without a cell phone signal, purely immersed in creativity
This is Peng Yuyan’s first time working with the director Guan Hu, and he is very honored. "My role may be the inner world of the director Guan Hu, the medium that the director needs when he wants to talk to the world, and I complete this dialogue through performance. The director has high requirements for the work and details, but he still gives me a very free space to create. It is really not easy for the team to shoot such a difficult artistic work in such a harsh environment. I am very grateful for this experience. Our group of people created such works together. For four or five months, we lived without a cell phone signal, and we were purely involved in the creation. It was a rare experience in my life."
Peng Yuyan praised Guan Hu for knowing how to act and being very good at acting. "The director seems to like filming animals and challenging himself. He knows exactly what he wants to do, and he doesn’t use the camera for more than a second. If the actor does something wrong, he just doesn’t want it. The director makes me feel very at ease, and I was a little afraid at first, but he takes great care of the actors and allows us to have a very comfortable environment to perform, and he will make everything around him meet his standards. He is a very demanding director, which I think is great. The director doesn’t have much setting for me, because my character doesn’t have lines and doesn’t have much action. He is stricter on actors who have lines."
Peng Yuyan laughed and said that in one scene of his scenes with dogs, there were 80 or 90 shots, "The director said that he broke the record of Teacher Huang Bo and the cow. In fact, for every scene with dogs, I basically have to shoot 30 or 40 shots. The final feeling of this film is that I will no longer shoot with animals, haha."
The director of Guan Hu hopes that Peng Yuyan is real enough and life-like enough, "I think it’s very good, I tell myself that every shot should be like the first shot, how to keep myself in the first state every time, which is really the hardest. So, I will be a little different for each one, depending on which one the director likes. Sometimes it’s more fun, sometimes it’s a little bit more small, and it gradually becomes more and more natural and more open. Seeing which one the director likes and which one to choose is actually a good exercise. Because sometimes three or four shots are taken in a scene, and the director says it’s good after the first shot, but for me, if I shoot 30 shots, of course I can have the opportunity to use 30 performances, then see if I can think of 30 performances, which is actually a big challenge. Moreover, every time a dog’s performance is different, so I can’t design it. Every time I act with a dog, I will react directly to what it does, so acting with a dog is probably the most natural. If it kisses me or bites me, my most instinctive reaction will be made, and the director will be happy, and the audience will see the real reaction. "
Try to change yourself a little bit instead of doing what you are better at
The character of Jiro is very different from Peng Yuyan’s personality, but Peng Yuyan said that he has always liked this contrasting role. "I was not a gymnast before, but I just made" Roll Over! Ashin "to make myself like that. Of course, I am much different from Jiro. In fact, whether it is this kind of literary film, sports inspirational film, police and gangster film, I try to make myself a little more change, rather than choosing to do something that I am more good at. I hope I can try every genre. This time, the director Guan Hu came to me. The director thinks he can change me to this, so I will try my best to meet the director’s requirements."
Talking about the "distance" between the character and himself, Peng Yuyan said: "Maybe I don’t look like the character, but I find it interesting that people don’t necessarily know what kind of personality I am. The me I learned through interviews or other channels is to some extent the’Peng Yuyan ‘I am playing. The real me has many sides, and the real me may be hidden in my role."
Every play that I have filmed has also become a part of Peng Yuyan’s own life. "Whether it is the skills I have learned or the friends I have made, such as cyclists or MMA instructors, it will become a part of my life later. For example, I got my license as a dolphin trainer for filming. Although I don’t usually think about it, when I go to Ocean Park, I suddenly recall that experience. This time I met these dogs in" Dog Formation "and wanted to continue the relationship with dogs into my life, so I adopted Xiao Xin."
Peng Yuyan believes that one of the blessings of being an actor is having images to help him record his life. "Many things don’t seem to exist if I don’t remember, but I am lucky to have images to record, and I will remember what year I did. When I received" Dog Formation ", I thought that meeting a character like Erlang at this time must have some meaning, and I can gain something in the days to come. I think it is a gift."
When he was 40, Peng Yuyan said that the mood when he made "Dog Formation" was different from before. "As I got older, I also experienced more things. This play is the theme of magical reality, and it is the story of a frustrated man who finds himself again. A lot of my thoughts changed during the epidemic period, and when I met this character, I could convey my understanding of the world. For example, Jiro was at a loss in the face of the new world, and his vulnerability and confusion were also my feelings about the outside world at that time. Whether it is the director or me, we are willing to fully commit ourselves to creating a work of art that may not be so commercial. We are willing to take risks to do this. We have the same bravery as Jiro."
By our reporter Zhang Jia
Photo by Xiaoxuan
(Beijing Youth Daily)
