ZhengMing
In one of the most touching scene of Shenzhou Film Production Company’s new movie, “Forever,” the leading female character, Jing Yuan, stands by the sea, smiling despite her sadness. Hopeful, she says, “I wish I would have never grown up.” Our reporter interviewed the young Dadao Fazi, a Japanese student and actress, who plays Jing Yuan in “Forever.”
Fazi, who speaks Mandarin with a slight Japanese accent, moved to Japan in grade two. Asked about the difficulty of reading and memorizing her lines in Chinese, she answered, “It doesn’t matter. I can memorize the script after reading it a few times.” Her fluency in Chinese was surprising.
Reporter: What made you decide to act in “Forever”?
Fazi: I often attend group sharing meetings held by Falun Gong practitioners every Tuesday nights in Tokyo. The director came to the group once, and said she wanted to film a movie. She discussed it with me and my mother, and said she hoped I could be the lead actress. At the beginning, I wasn’t confident because I had never done acting before, so I rejected the offer. A while later, as the movie was about to be filmed, I heard the director was still trying to find an actress who could play Jing Yuan. That day, she came up to me again, and said she wanted to create a character that was a university graduate and had just started to make her way into society. Jing Yuan had to be a person of pure nature, and the director said she knew I was the one for it, even before the casting began. I was very curious, so I decided to go for it.
Reporter: Did you feel nervous during the filming process?
Fazi: I lacked self-confidence at first, because I never acted before. I was trying to imagine what the shooting environment would be like, and that made me anxious. But I didn’t feel nervous when the actual filming started. There weren’t too many people on the set during the shooting, so I didn’t feel nervous. Plus, my best friend is also in the movie, so that helped me keep my feet on the ground.
Reporter: Who’s your best friend, and what’s her role?
Fazi: She played Zhang Yan, the second female lead role. In real life, we’re in the same dance team, and we’re about the same age, so we stayed together all the time.
Reporter: What’s the relationship between you two in the movie?
Fazi: We are friends in the movie too.
Reporter: Did you feel comfortable when you were acting with her?
Fazi: Yes, I’m very comfortable with her. For instance, we go to parties or walk on the hallway. We were very comfortable during the scenes that involved the two of us only.
Reporter: What’s the most difficult part in the movie? What challenged you the most?
Fazi: Facial expression. It was really hard, so I had to try several times to make sure my face could convey the right feeling.
Reporter: Did you have to cry in the movie?
Fazi: Yes. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to. I felt very nervous when a crying scene was coming up. That was one of the most stressful moments. I used to think it was difficult to cry, but after reading the script, I felt the characters were very admirable. They do things with honesty, and they’re righteous. Jing Yuan just wants to speak out for the truth, and doesn’t do anything bad, but the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is causing them a miserable life. I felt so much sorrow for them. When we were shooting the scene, I recalled the sadness I had felt from reading the script, and I was thinking about the director who was about to go back to the United States once the filming was done, so I cried. I remember everyone in the production team cried at that time.
Reporter: Are you the youngest member of the cast? How did you grow accustomed to acting in a film?
Fazi: In the beginning I wasn’t sure what to do, but everyone took care of me. Plus, many of the actors were Falun Gong practitioners from Japan, so we were quite familiar with each other.
Reporter: So you knew each other already?
Fazi: Yes, that’s why we weren’t nervous acting together. We were like a family, but once the filming started, everyone was very busy, so I took care of myself. Many actors were actually younger than me. When we were filming a scene that takes place at a school, I was watching the children running around. I knew many of them personally, and I was happy to see them, so I would at times lose focus and forget my character. For example, at one point I was supposed to interview them, but during the shooting, I was thinking, “Why would I interview them?” and started laughing. So, the scene had to be re-shot a few times. If I didn’t pay attention to how I was walking, I would start hopping like a kid—another reason why the scene had to be shot many times. I lost focus at other times too. For example, I once had to run down a tall hill in a scene, and I had so much fun doing it that I fell.
Reporter: Was it tiring?
Fazi: I don’t mind exercising. It wasn’t tiring, it was fun.
Reporter: Then what did you find most tiring?
Fazi: Probably the first few days of filming, when I was still going to school. The days that shooting finished really late I would sleep on-site and leave directly to school in the morning. That was when I felt the most tired. But I think that compared to the director, there were no reasons for me to be tired at all. She barely had time to eat or sleep. She spent all her time working on the film and giving us all instructions. Whenever I would look at her, my fatigue was gone.
Reporter: How did you balance school with filming? Fazi: At the time, there were only a few days of classes before the summer break, so it didn’t really affect me. I had originally signed up for a summer English course, but because of the filming I had to cancel it. Reporter: Do you have any regrets? Fazi: I think it’s rare for someone to have the opportunity to act in a movie, so I really valued the experience. More importantly, the content of this movie is great. I was very happy to act in a movie with such a good message. During the shooting, I experienced things that went beyond what I had lived before, and I also learned new things. This movie tells people a true story. Through my acting I can tell people about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. I think that’s very meaningful. I can always sign up for that English course some other time. The movie was just more important.
Reporter: What was the most memorable moment for you during the whole shooting? Fazi: I’d say the scene between Mao Fan and me in the park. There was a pond close to us, and while we were shooting, a dog suddenly ran over and sprang into the water. It scared me, but the director said, “Quick, shoot! Get the dog in the shot!” I found that was pretty funny.
Reporter: Do you want to continue acting in the future?
Fazi: If I have an opportunity, yes. Acting was even more interesting than I thought it would be. Plus, the movie portrays reality. It tells the audience a real story. I’m happy to know that people will watch it. As an actress, I experienced many things that I’ve never experienced before. For example, I learned that it takes many people to create a movie. Everyone’s cooperation and teamwork really touched me.
http://www.shenzhoufilm.com/sz/en/2009/04/01/a10051.html 2009-4-1 13:00