Run, Best Actor!

Showing two expressions on one face during a performance is a highly dramatic character design, often used to portray intense inner conflicts or complex personalities.

In film and television dramas, expressing two emotions simultaneously on one face is a test of an actor's top-level control. They usually achieve this through instantaneous switching, facial differences between the left and right sides, or a split personality performance.

Any actor who can achieve this level will be revered as a master of acting.

The characters they create will also be deified!

For example, in the 1931 film "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Frederick March played Dr. Gilger (Mr. Hyde), who, through makeup and acting, achieved a terrifying transformation from a refined gentleman to a ferocious beast on the same face, showcasing the struggle between good and evil in human nature.

In the 1999 film "Fight Club" starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, the two actors played Jack and Tyler, who were essentially two sides of the same person. In the "self-dialogue" scene, Norton's face simultaneously carried the cowardly anxiety of "Jack" and the arrogant confidence of "Tyler".

There's also "The Dark Knight," released in 08, where Heath Ledger plays the Joker. In the interrogation room, half of his face is swollen from being hit, yet he laughs maniacally, recounting the origins of his various scars. Madness and calmness, pain and pleasure intertwine on the same face.

Several people in China have also achieved this in different films and television dramas.

Like in the first episode of "Ji Gong", at the end, Teacher You Bencang showed a half-crying, half-laughing expression when looking at the former Li family mansion that he had personally burned down and which had been occupied by the bullies.

Half of his face is crying (right eye filled with tears): grief and guilt. He thought of how he had not been able to fulfill his filial duties to his parents after becoming a monk, and how his wife had been persecuted, and his heart was filled with sorrow and self-reproach.

A half-smiling face (left eye smiling): liberation and mockery. Burning down the house defiled by evildoers signifies the end of worldly ties, the avenging of great wrongs, and from now on, only Ji Gong exists in the world.

This performance, with "half a crying face and half a laughing face," is a classic example of "two expressions on one face." This design accurately externalizes the character's complex inner world at a specific moment.

Therefore, the Ji Gong portrayed by You Bencang can be considered an indisputable god-level character in the history of Chinese film and television!

In the original timeline of 2017, in the finale of the first season of the web series "Day and Night," Pan Yueming also delivered a performance worthy of being recorded in the history of Chinese dramas—a single expression simultaneously conveying the two completely different expressions of the older brother Guan Hongfeng and the younger brother Guan Hongyu.

This shot, known as the "evil smile" or the "Mona Lisa smile," is a perfect combination of plot, performance, and lighting technology.

This classic scene appears in episode 32 (the finale). After a long monologue by Detective Captain Zhou Xun to the arrested "Guan Hongfeng," "Guan Hongfeng," sitting in the interrogation chair, slowly leans forward, letting half of his face be bathed in light.

On the left side of the screen (in the shadows): a smile with the corners of his mouth turned up, carrying a hint of arrogance, contempt, and even provocation, belongs to the unruly younger brother, Guan Hongyu.

On the right side of the screen (in the light): with a serious and composed expression, deep eyes, and even a hint of anger, this belongs to the calm and collected older brother, Guan Hongfeng.

This expression strongly suggests that the person sitting in the interrogation room is actually the younger brother, Guan Hongyu, impersonating his older brother. The two brothers likely switched identities again before their eventual arrest.

This shot is considered masterpiece because it transcends mere acting; it becomes a concise symbol of the plot, the characters' fates, and thematic expression. Pan Yueming, with his precise and nuanced performance, demonstrates how a top actor can tell the story of two people with a single face.

You Benchang and Pan Yueming have both proven that top Chinese actors can also accurately present top-notch performances with "two expressions on one face".

However, Liu Taile wasn't imitating either of them.

Instead, it is Chen Yiwen, who played the role of a cult leader in the Taiwanese film "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" in the later timeline of the original universe.

In the climax scene at the end of that movie, when Venerable One was being pointed at with a gun by Chen Guilin, due to the increased sunlight from the window, Venerable One suddenly showed a "two-faced" appearance.

Under specific lighting and composition, one side of his face is gentle and compassionate, while the other side is dark and cold, creating a highly impactful image that directly interprets the character's inconsistency between his outward appearance and inner self.

However, this character is a highly unified evil entity, whose duality stems from disguise. The two "expressions" are different masks of the same personality, used to deceive believers (the compassionate face) and satisfy selfish desires (the greedy face).

Liu Taile learned the essence of this performance style and, with the help of sunlight, achieved the "two-faced" expression.

What he portrays is a reality revealed in the sunlight, while the reality presented in the shadows is a false representation of everyday life.

His smiling face reflects his humanity and the peace that comes with the continuation of life.

His indifference reveals his superhuman divinity, a profound quality of "keeping his merits and fame hidden" after single-handedly reversing the destruction of the world.

The perfect man has no self, the divine man has no merit, and the sage has no name!

At this moment, Wang Xiang has become a saint!

"That was fantastic, Brother Le! Your acting was superb!"

Guo Fan was full of praise, "My God, that's 'two expressions on one face'! I only remember You Bencang performing it once before when he played Ji Gong in China. You're so young, and you can actually pull it off! You're amazing!!"

"Yeah, Brother Le, you..."

Xiao Yang, looking utterly shocked, also came over. "That sudden unleashed attack was terrifying! They were hiding their true strength so well!"

"Let's all thank the sudden increase in sunlight."

Liu Taile waved his hand, "It was only because the lighting was just right that I was able to perform so well. This is an unrepeatable miracle."

"Brother Le, you've really elevated the depth of the character!"

Gong Ge'er also had the same "shocked look," saying, "It feels like the entire theme of the film is different!"

Strictly speaking, the ending of the script written by Gong Ge'er can no longer be considered science fiction, but rather devolves into fantasy.

It's like a deus ex machina; the protagonist, Wang Xiang, an amateur scientist, is able to resolve an interstellar war in a distant galaxy—it's practically a myth.

Anyway, it's just a short film that's streamed online. As long as the plot doesn't have too many plot holes, the logic doesn't need to be that smooth.

In fact, Liu Taile didn't intend to completely straighten out the logic.

He simply used the final performance to forcibly add Chinese philosophical speculation to the story.

If you believe it, this is the true story. The protagonist single-handedly saved the world from destruction and ultimately became a god.

If you don't believe it, this is a fake story. The protagonist is a lunatic who fantasizes that his plane crash was saving the world so that he can escape a wasted future.

It all depends on what the audience thinks.

The scene featuring Liu Taile's "yin-yang face" performance alone was enough to shock everyone and give Liu Taile a great start to his acting career.

"That's what makes a good actor; they can completely elevate the script."

Guo Fan exclaimed, "That's exactly what happened with You Bencang before; he single-handedly elevated the entire quality of 'The Adventures of Li Xianji'!"

He still can't forget the divine gaze that Teacher You Bencang gave in "The Adventures of Li Xianji".

It was from that time that he learned what a good performance was like.

What he didn't expect was that he would see the same brilliant performance from Liu Taile, a young actor who is only 22 years old.

The Chinese film and television industry has promising successors!

Although it was just a short film, Liu Taile still held a wrap party that evening after filming wrapped up, inviting everyone in the crew.

"Director Guo, Brother Gong, Brother Xiao, Brother Wang, thank you all for your hard work on this project!"

Liu Taile recovered quickly and was able to get up with the help of a single crutch. He insisted on standing up and toasted the group, saying, "I can't drink alcohol yet, please bear with me."

Let's toast everyone with tea instead of wine!

"Brother Le, you're being too polite."

Guo Fan stood up and retorted, "We should all thank you for giving us this opportunity!"

Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to get together and complete such a great work. We should all respect you!

"That's right, that's right!"

Xiao Yang quickly stood up and said, "Brother Le, if there's anything we brothers can do for you in the future, just let us know! We'll come no matter how far away it is!"

"Yes!"

Wang Taili stood up and said, "We're not picky about roles; we just want the opportunity to work with you again, Brother Le."

After seeing Liu Taile's performance at the end of the movie, it's hard not to admire him. Wang Taili is completely convinced of Liu Taile's talent.

Clearly, what truly wins people over is one's own solid strength.

"Hey, you guys are the real heretics!"

Liu Taile laughed and said, "Let's stop with all the toasting and drink together."

Cheers to the movie!

"Cheers, to the movies! *N"

The group of people happily drank a glass, and then started toasting each other.

However, because they drank too fast and too much, one of them "fell" in less than an hour—Wang Taili was "attacked" by a series of drinking games from Guo Fan, a man from Dongshan Province, and Gong Ge'er, a Mongolian man, and quickly crawled under the table...

Less than twenty minutes later, Xiao Yang followed in Wang Taili's footsteps...

This sent a chill down Liu Taile's spine, who had only drunk water all night.

Guo and Gong are truly best buddies; they're birds of a feather.

If Liu Taile could drink alcohol, these two would probably have drunk him under the table.

He's very glad he's still recovering from his injury, so those two bastards can't deliberately get him drunk.

However, I think I should stay away from them in the future, otherwise those two will definitely not miss the chance to get him drunk.

While eating and drinking, Liu Taile silently thought to himself, "Sister Mimi should be at the Golden Eagle Awards ceremony right now. I hope you like this birthday gift!"

Oh, it's already September 9, 2012, the day of the 26th China TV Golden Eagle Awards ceremony.

Yang Mi was nominated for the Audience's Favorite Actress Award for her outstanding performance as Yang Zixi in "The Love Story of Yanjing".