[This article is a film review of "I Am a Passerby" written by Tony Leung]

At the beginning of 2012, "The Great Magician" was released. In the three years that followed, Er Dongsheng and I were busy with each other and almost never saw each other again.

In the past three years, I heard that this old friend went to Hengdian to shoot a movie related to extras, called "I Am a Passerby". What I was most curious about at the time was not why he was going to photograph passerby, but how he was going to shoot it. This big man who was the protagonist as soon as he debuted, talented and very willful, he has never been a passerby, how can he shoot the life of a passerby?

This is one such person who recently suddenly approached me and said he wanted to invite me to a movie. So, I was fortunate enough to see the legendary "I Am a Passerby" in advance.

It was an unexpected movie-watching experience, and if I had to sum it up in one word, I would think of "comfortable". Yes, this is the most comfortable and refreshing film I've seen this year, and it's also my favorite genre, it has a message, it makes people think, whether it's laughing or crying, it's from the heart, and it's not reluctant.

Er Dongsheng seems to have changed and matured.

I don't think he'd necessarily be happy to hear that.

Back in 2001, I went to Hengdian to shoot "Hero".

It was the first time I went to Hengdian, when the weather was getting cooler, there were not so many people, I pedaled my bicycle to the set every day, and after work, I would ride around, buy some fireworks when I was bored, and then find an open place to put them. The night in Hengdian was very quiet, and when the fireworks were set off, some villagers would be scared to scream, and I hid and snickered, pretending that it had nothing to do with me.

On November 19 of that year, the news said that there would be a Leonid meteor shower at night. After finishing work in the middle of the night, I dragged the director and the rest of the team to the roof of the studio and waited excitedly. Suddenly, a meteor streaked by, and then, another. At first we all cheered happily, then we were frightened by more and more shooting stars, and everyone stopped talking.

In such a quiet environment, I vaguely heard the sound of "Xiu Xiu", at first I was a little strange what it was, and then with the sound of "Xiu", another meteor crossed overhead, and then I realized that it was the sound of a meteor crossing the sky.

Before that, I never knew that meteors could have sounds, the city was too noisy, everyone was too busy to listen to meteors.

Because of that meteor shower, I still have a very good impression of Hengdian.

Back 30 years ago, I was still selling electrical appliances, and my life was free from wind and waves. At that time, my only vision for the future was that if nothing else, I would probably be promoted all the way up to sales manager.

There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I feel like it's not what I want in life, and I didn't know what I wanted at the time.

Thanks to an old friend, who brainwashed me during that time, drew me all kinds of bizarre blueprints every day, persuaded me to give up my job and go to the artist training class with him, and I was finally moved by him, so I took that step.

I was grateful to that old friend, but my mom was very angry at the time, because she felt that this guy named Stephen Chow had caused his son to quit his job and go to some training class with an uncertain future, and I still remember what she said to me at the time: "Decrepit boy!" I won't give you a dollar! ”

She really can do what she says, and in the year of the artist training class, I relied on my previous savings to survive. That year, I only took ten dollars a day to go out and walk to class. If you accidentally wake up late, you will have to hand over ten yuan to the taxi driver, and you will only be hungry that day.

I doubt that I have ever told Er Dongsheng about that experience, because the boy named Wan Guopeng in the movie is really in the same situation as me back then. Not only him, but every passer-by in the play, from being overwhelmed when I first entered the industry, to every time I used too much force when acting, I couldn't help but laugh, as if I saw myself 30 years ago.

The only difference is that they went to Hengdian with a clear goal, and I only found out after entering the training class that this is the life I want - I want to be an actor, not a star, not an actor, just an actor.

The word "actor" carries too much weight to me. In 2013, when I was working at L.A., I came across some "extras" who were working in a variety of occupations, from waiters to cleaners, but when you asked them what they did, they would say, "I'm an actor." ”

I believe that people who can say the phrase "I am an actor" must have a passion for acting. For me, it's an actor's job to do a good job unconditionally, nothing else.

Over the years, I've often been asked what I'd do if I wasn't an actor. I still can't think of an answer to this question. I won't do anything else, from the day I entered the industry, there has been a strong obsession with me, that is: no matter what my role is, how many scenes I have, even if I am only given a second of footage, I have to find a way to make you remember me in this second.

I have been practicing hard for a long time in order to realize this obsession, and it is difficult to say that this obsession is my original "dream", but I must do it if I want to live up to the word "actor".

When I was on set, I would often forget that I was Tony Leung, because I only remember that obsession, and it is the same to this day.

Back to the present. I've watched a lot of Japanese movies at home lately, especially a few movies starring Shota Someya that I really liked. When watching "I Am a Passerby", I had the illusion several times that the boy named Wan Guopeng was a little similar to Someya Shota, and his ignorant appearance invisibly resolved the pressure of the story itself, making the viewing process easier and more enjoyable.

Yes, the story of "I Am Passerby A" itself is not easy, and the leading actors are all strange and immature faces, but Er Dongsheng is too smart, he knows very well that the only way to complete this theme is to find a real passerby A to play. Having a clear understanding and an attitude of great trust in actors is the style he has established since "The True Story of the Crazy Guy", and I always remember the way he looked at the actors, and that look clearly said: Yes, I read that right, you are such a person.

It was annoying at times, but he was always right.

In the play, the young passers-by are discussing what success is, and I am also thinking about it when I watch it. I understand that success is not worry-free, not about winning numerous awards, but about whether you can really enjoy the process of every effort. It's good to have dreams and goals, but if you only see the goal, it's easy to ignore the process, just like running, when you want to run to the finish line, you forget to enjoy the scenery along the way.

Therefore, sometimes we don't know how to cherish, sometimes we think too highly of ourselves, sometimes we complain about others, in fact, in the final analysis, we can't let go of ourselves. A lot of grievances in our hearts are because we can't let go, and when we learn to let go, we tend to get more.

Dreaming is not only about dreaming and daring to think, but also about the process of dreaming and thinking. Because of this process, it doesn't matter what the result is.

In most people's eyes, passerby A is just a passerby, like a meteor that occasionally brushes the night sky, and will not stay in your life forever.

However, even if it is as faint as a meteor, it will have its trajectory, and in the dead of night, it will make its own voice through the night sky in the hope of being heard by those who care.

I think it's the same with passerby A, after silently persevering for so long, he finally met the person named Er Dongsheng.

This time, hopefully more people will hear the sound of the meteor, even if it's just for a second.

May 24, 2015