Source: Sina Entertainment

02nd Feb 2010

‘Gu Cheng Wang Shi’ an adaptation of Lin Zhe’s novel ‘Grandma’s Ancient City’ is rapidly filming.  On 1st Feb, Sina Entertainment visited the filming set in Zhejiang.  Michelle Ye plays two roles in the series, she had the satisfaction of wearing all kinds of cheongsam in a film for the first time in her acting career.  Discussing on her collaboration with Xing Jiadong, Michelle Ye expressed that she was deeply moved by their dialogues in the script, and even dare not meet his eyes directly, “My tears will fall upon looking at him in the eyes.”

First time wearing cheongsam for film, had much satisfaction

‘Gu Cheng Wang Shi’ is Michelle’s first film of the era times.  Not only that, Michelle will be playing two roles for the first time (sisters Gu Xiumei and Gu Xiuju), she will also be the mother of three children for the first time, “One of the son who plays my eldest son, is actually my age,” this becomes Michelle’s biggest challenge.  Luckily, among so many first times, there is another first time, that is wearing cheongsam for filming for the first time.  Back then, when she was crowned Miss Chinese International winner, she was in fact wearing cheongsam when receiving the trophy from Angie Chiu, and then entered the entertainment industry.  These few years, she did not have the chance to wear cheongsam for filming, “Maybe God accumulated the chances together and allow me to have the cheongsam-wearing satisfaction in a go.”

In the series, Gu Xiumei and Gu Xiuju are two roles who wear a lot of cheongsam, Gu Xiumei wears simple yet elegant ones, while Gu Xiuju who is a member of the revolution communists often wears wide variety of cheongsam for her undercover identity.  The two different cheongsam will be modeled by Michelle alone, giving her all the satisfaction.

Understanding Xiumei’s faith in love

In ‘Gu Cheng Wang Shi’ there is a lot of love elements, there is the husband and wife love of Mu Tianen towards his wife Gu Xiumei stretching over decades, also Xiuzhu (Gu Xiumei’s eldest sister) who secretly admires Mu Tianen, as well as Mi Tianen and Huang Anqi (by Chen Shu) intimate yet decent relationship as soul mate, “but this series is not as simple as simply about love and marriage, but about faith.  When one has faith, he will be determined, he will not be deterred.”

Michelle Ye said, Mu Tianen’s faith is the country, while Gu Xiumei’s faith is her husband, “For her husband, such a tender woman as her took up the responsibilities of looking after two families, although it was very suffering, but she allowed her husband leaving her behind time and after, to accomplish his dreams, and accepted her husband have another confidante.”  Michelle said, she will not be able to comprehend Gu Xiumei in the past, but no she understands the strength of one’s faith, “I would do the same sacrifice if it had been me in her place too, for love, I am willing to go all out without regrets.  There is a dialogue in the script that is excellent, what is faith, faith is a dream beyond all principles, and even surpasses life.”

Dare not look Jiadong in the eyes

Two roles, with over five hundreds of scenes, Michelle Ye said she knew it would be an exhausting time upon receiving the script, “On the first day of filming, I fell sick, it was very serious, I did not recover from the cold even after two to three weeks.  There was one day in between when I went back Hong Kong for an event, and met the Lau’s couple (Sean Lau), Sean told me to take my illness as part of the hardship the role has to face, integrate it into your role, then you will be freed.  True enough, the second day when I returned to Hengdian, I recovered, it was a miracle, I think it may be my inner heart hinting to let me experience the process (of hardship).”

Michelle Ye said, filming for nearly two months, she has not taken a break, (acting) for the two roles from young till elderly, she constantly needs to change her makeup, but because she is deeply moved by the script, “This script is exceptional, very detailed, all of us love this script.  When Jiadong and I are exchanging lines, we can’t look at each other in the eyes, our tears will trickle once we do.”  Actually, Michelle Ye has focused on movie in the recent years, but for the sake of ‘Gu Cheng Wang Shi’, she has in fact rejected quite a good number of movie contracts, “This is going to be the most touching series of my acting career since my debut.”