Entertainment: The Path to Best Actor for Talented Actors

"What's it like to have seven wives at once?"

The two exchanged a smile and said in unison, "That would be absolutely awesome! Haha..."

If he were alive today, Wei Xiaobao would be the worst kind of scumbag, but in ancient times he was a role model for all men.

Sir Alex Ferguson is truly a winner in life.

The emperor was his childhood friend. He had a total of 7 beautiful wives, including princesses, wives of religious leaders, maids, and others. In the end, he was even granted the title of Duke of Luding!

It is precisely because The Deer and the Cauldron appeals to all men that it has been remade multiple times.

Tony Leung and Stephen Chow have both made two film versions of Wei Xiaobao, each with its own merits!

Relatively speaking, Zhang Ze still prefers the TV series version of Wei Xiaobao starring Li Xiaochun and Zhang Weijian.

Although these two versions of "The Deer and the Cauldron" have different styles, they are both very interesting.

Li Xiaochun's version is probably the most popular and the closest to the original work.

Although Li Xiaochun is not handsome or dashing, his image as Chicken in the "Young and Dangerous" series is deeply ingrained in people's minds. That kind of roguish and carefree street thug image fits Wei Xiaobao's character of a street thug who is resourceful and a womanizer.

However, although Zhang Weijian's version of Wei Xiaobao was heavily modified, it was still very interesting.

Moreover, this version also boasts the highest level of attractiveness, with Wei Xiaobao's seven wives including beauties such as Ruby Lin, Athena Chu, Shu Qi, Monica Chan, and Zhang Qian.

Although Zhang Ze had watched this drama several years ago, he still remembered the classic lines very clearly.

"A cool breeze carries tidings, the autumn moon shines without end."

When Zhang Ze mentioned it, Zhang Weijian smiled and echoed his agreement.

"My longing for my beloved makes each day feel like a year. Although I am not handsome or dashing, I have a broad mind and strong arms."

After reciting a classic line, the two looked at each other and smiled.

"Hahaha……"

The little tavern, filled with the aroma of everyday life, echoed with cheerful and hearty laughter!

In the end, Zhang Ze learned that Zhang Weijian had actually married one of his seven wives, and they had become husband and wife in real life!

That's Zhang Qian, the actress who plays Princess Mu Jianping.

Mu Jianping was the first person Wei Xiaobao met. She was innocent, pure, kind-hearted, and of noble status, but she was attracted by Wei Xiaobao's humor and wit.

She should be considered Wei Xiaobao's second wife after Shuang'er.

"Your brother Wei Jian's wives are all so beautiful, and he even managed to marry one of them! I'm so envious!"

Li Xiaochun sat opposite, squinting his eyes and joking with a smile.

Although Zhang Weijian was all smiles, he had no intention of letting Li Xiaochun off the hook.

"Stop pretending! You're envious of me? Everyone knows you married a woman more than ten years younger than you. It's like an old cow eating young grass; we should be envying you!"

Hearing this, Li Xiaochun didn't refute it, but just chuckled happily.

Only then did Zhang Ze remember that a few years ago, Li Xiaochun officially announced that he and the beautiful Ying Cai'er were together and married.

When their relationship was revealed, it caused quite a stir.

Because Li Xiaochun is sixteen years older than Ying Cai'er, and Ying Cai'er is a famous beauty in Hong Kong.

One has to admit, both of these lords of the Wei family did indeed learn a thing or two from Wei Xiaobao when it came to picking up girls.

When they were almost finished eating, Li Xiaochun received a call from Ying Cai'er.

Li Xiaochun immediately put his middle finger to his lips to silence the two, then answered the phone with a smile.

"Hey! Honey..."

"Yeah, he's with Wei Jian, a friend from the entertainment industry who came from mainland China..."

"No, no, they're all men. Don't worry, I'll be home right away..."

The two of them watched with great interest as Li Xiaochun looked on nervously. They never expected that the once-powerful Chicken Brother would be so completely under the thumb of his little wife, and that he was so afraid of his wife in private.

After hanging up the phone, everyone saw that it was getting late and exchanged a few words before ending the meeting.

After Li Xiaochun left, Zhang Ze sincerely thanked Zhang Weijian.

Zhang Weijian put his arm around his shoulder and said casually, "You're too kind. My wife and I are planning to settle in Kyoto now, so let's hang out sometime!"

"Really? There's definitely no problem!" Zhang Ze replied cheerfully.

the next day,

Zhang Ze contacted the production crew and took a taxi to the filming location.

Because the character Ip Chun only appears more frequently in the latter half of the film, the crew has already been filming for some time now.

When Zhang Ze arrived on set, the crew was still filming intensively.

Just then, Li Xiaochun saw Zhang Ze and waved to him enthusiastically, "Hey, Ze, you're here so early!"

At this moment, all the actors on set looked at Zhang Ze.

Zhang Ze glanced around the set and recognized most of the actors, including Tsang Chi-wai, Anthony Wong, Anita Yuen, and Chung Tung-yan.

But the way they looked at him was so unfamiliar...

"Come on, Aze, let me introduce you!" Li Xiaochun enthusiastically pulled him over.

Li Xiaochun began introducing the actors on set to Zhang Ze one by one.

With Li Xiaochun's introduction, Zhang Ze greeted these Hong Kong artists with neither arrogance nor servility.

When Zhong Tongxin was introduced, Zhang Ze's eyes lingered on her for an extra second.

Chung Tung-yan was also one of the victims because of Edison Chen's sex photo scandal.

Zhang Ze couldn't help but glance at it a couple more times.

The woman in front of me, Zhong Tongxin, was wearing a floral dress and had two braids hanging over her shoulders.

Because there was a storyline involving pregnancy in the play, her abdomen was disguised at this time, and her belly was bulging high, making her look really like a pregnant woman.

Gillian Chung has big eyes and looks very beautiful.

My career has suffered a major setback in the past two years, and I've become more low-key.

Zhong Tongxin nodded to Zhang Ze rather reservedly, and her failure to shake hands with him was probably a deliberate attempt to avoid suspicion.

Looking at Gillian Chung, who was sweet-looking and known as the pure goddess of Hong Kong entertainment circle, Zhang Ze felt a little regretful.

"What a pity!"

After greeting everyone, the crew continued filming.

Director Qiu Litao, with his long hair flowing down his back, walked over and pulled Zhang Ze aside to discuss filming.

Zhang Ze's role is small; he mainly plays Ip Man's son, Ip Chun, who comes to Hong Kong to stay with his father after his mother's death.

He didn't start by learning boxing; instead, he looked for work outside.

Therefore, although Zhang Ze plays the son of Ip Man in this film, he does not have any action scenes, making the filming relatively easy.

After discussing with the director for half an hour, Qiu Litao said, "We did a lot of pre-production work for this film, and we even invited the real Ip Chun to the crew."

"Come with me for a moment, and I'll introduce you to senior actor Ip Chun. You can have a good chat with him and you'll likely gain a different understanding of this role."

Zhang Ze quickly thanked the director, saying that being able to communicate face-to-face with the real Ip Chun was something he had been longing for.

Ip Chun was born in Foshan, Guangdong in 1924. He was the son of Ip Man, the master of Wing Chun.

After Ip Man passed away in 1972, he and his younger brother Ip Ching took over their father's profession and taught and promoted Wing Chun together.

He played Ip Man in the 1976 film "The Legend of Bruce Lee" and later played Ip Man or served as a Wing Chun consultant in many films and television dramas.

He also won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival for his role in "Ip Man: The Legend Is Born" released in 2010.

The old man has always been active in the film and television industry and holds a very high status in Hong Kong.

As the saying goes, "Those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near the sea live off the sea!"

As the son of Ip Man, Ip Chun brought Ip Man into the mainstream audience's view after director Wilson Yip selected Donnie Yen to star in the film "Ip Man" in 2008.

In recent years, Hong Kong has been prone to following trends, and a large number of films and television dramas based on the Ip Man story have been produced, forming a major IP.

Mr. Ip Chun made a lot of money by leveraging his father's reputation.

That just goes to show, having a good dad is essential!

Following the director into a room, Zhang Zejia met Mr. Ip Chun.

The old man looked to be in great health. At 88 years old, his hair was already white, but his complexion was rosy. He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and had a kind face.

"Mr. Ye, this is the actor who plays Ye Zhun in our drama. He would like to meet with you and have a chat," the director said cautiously.

"Wow! I didn't expect the young man playing me to be so handsome, much more handsome than me!"

The old man looked at Zhang Ze with great kindness, his tone was gentle and his voice was full of energy, showing no signs of being nearly ninety years old.

"Senior, you flatter me! It's a great honor to play you in your middle age. I admire Ip Man very much, and I hope you will be generous with your guidance!" Zhang Ze said, bowing.

"Of course, of course!" Mr. Yeh Chun nodded with a smile.

Ip Chun lived in mainland China for over thirty years and speaks fluent Mandarin, so there were no communication barriers.

It was very relaxing to chat with the old man. He was very approachable and told Zhang Ze a lot about himself and his father, Ip Man.

Ip Chun told Zhang Ze that his father, the grandmaster Ip Man, was not a serious person. He was very humorous and liked to joke around, a trait he inherited from his father.

After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, he came to Hong Kong once in 1950, but because it was difficult to find work, he returned to Foshan with his mother, where he studied and later taught.

At that time, there were only him and his sister in the family, who took care of their mother. Later, their mother got cancer and needed a lot of money for treatment, so they lived in poverty.

At the time, I didn't dare to think too much; I just took it one day at a time.

She returned to Hong Kong after her mother's death in 1962 and found a job as an accountant in an electrical appliance factory through the introduction of her father's apprentice.

"I heard that you started practicing boxing in your thirties. Did Master Ip Man force you to learn boxing before that?" Zhang Ze asked.

Mr. Yeh Chun shook his head. "Although my father wanted me to learn martial arts, he never forced me. He always emphasized that learning martial arts requires dedication, and forcing someone is useless if you don't like it."

"When you're with Ip Man, what's your relationship like as father and son?"

"We didn't chat much. You should have read the script. I came to Hong Kong to look for work for a while, and I had nothing to do for several months. I often wandered around the streets with him."

"We didn't have a specific destination; we just drove or walked around Hong Kong aimlessly. We covered the whole city in a few months. We'd only exchange a few words occasionally, but my father and his apprentices did most of the talking, and they loved to joke around!"

"I think it's probably because my son and I have been separated for too long!" Ye Zhun said with a hint of regret.

Ip Chun also said that his father, Ip Man, was a very cultured man who spoke fluent English.

Many of his classmates were capitalists in the 50s. While his family was starving, many of Ip Man's classmates started to get involved in shipping and real estate.

No matter how difficult his life was, his father never asked them for anything.

Later, due to financial difficulties, he was forced to start taking on apprentices and teaching martial arts at his martial arts school.

Then Zhang Ze asked a question that he had really wanted to ask.

"Master Ye, I have a question, and I hope you won't take offense at my abruptness. Is Wing Chun difficult to learn? I heard that you started practicing after your father passed away when you were almost forty, and quickly became a Wing Chun master. Is there a secret to it, or are there other reasons?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhun burst into laughter.

He said kindly, "Many people have asked this question. The real reason is that although I didn't practice boxing before, I watched my father and his students practice every day."

At this point, Grandpa Ye Zhun's interest was piqued, and he pointed to an open space in front of him and continued...

"When I first arrived in Hong Kong, my father taught his apprentices at home. My bed was a folding bed. Every day, I would wait until the last apprentice left before I could unfold the folding bed and sleep."

"So every day after get off work I spend a lot of time watching my apprentices practice boxing. Although I'm not interested, I can't ignore it. Over time I've come to understand all the moves."

Later, sometimes when my father wasn't around, and the apprentices' movements weren't standardized, I was the one who instructed them!

As he said this, a look of pride appeared on Yeh Chun's face.

"Back then, my fellow disciples even gave me a nickname, 'The Temple Sparrow,' because I wasn't a monk, but I listened to people chanting scriptures every day!"

"Hahaha..." A burst of happy laughter came from inside the room.

Ip Chun then went on to talk about the history of Wing Chun, saying that most of the moves in Wing Chun originated from opera.

Ip Man's grandmaster, Leung Jan, was a master of traditional Chinese opera, highly accomplished in both Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera.

Wing Chun also has deep roots in martial arts from the Heaven and Earth Society and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Finally, Zhang Ze also got to watch with his own eyes the last video recording of Ip Man practicing boxing, which he had made before his death.

Although the colors are black and white, Ip Man's skills are clearly visible.

This video is truly invaluable.

If I hadn't had the good fortune to play Ip Man's son, I probably would never have had the chance to watch this full-length video in my life!

At this moment, Ip Chun said, "I personally recorded this last video of my father before he passed away. At that time, my father had a premonition that his days were numbered!"

Ip Chun pointed to a scene of Ip Man and said, "Most of traditional Chinese martial arts are related to Bagua. Look at this Tai Chi splitting into two polarities movement. My father never used such obscure words, but simply said that the body turned 180 degrees..."

Zhang Ze sat there, just like when he was a child sitting next to his grandfather, listening to the old man tell stories. Most of the time, he listened and agreed.

If there's anything you don't understand or want to ask, just ask it directly...

This conversation lasted for more than two hours.