After the Chairman left, people's admiration and nostalgia for him did not diminish at all. In order to commemorate Chairman Mao, so that future generations can learn from his glorious deeds and spirit, since the late 1970s, under the strong support of the State Council, all kinds of red cultural themes of film and television production came into being.
Since it is to glorify Chairman Mao and promote the red culture, the requirements for scripts and casting will be higher, and this has given rise to the profession of "special actor".
The reason why they are called "featured actors" is that these actors look similar to the great man, and they play the roles, which is more intimate and immersive.
Over the decades, there have been many actors who have played the role of Chairman Mao, and one of the most famous is Gu Yue, who has appeared in more than eighty films and TV shows related to Chairman Mao.
In addition to Gu Yue, Tang Guoqiang, Liu Ye and others have also played Chairman Mao in related works, although their performances are not as vivid as Gu Yue's, but also gained the recognition of the audience.
As we all know, Chairman Mao's stature is relatively tall, and in most people's impression, it seems that he has only been played by male actors.
Unbeknownst to the public, there is a woman, Chen Yan, who plays Chairman Mao. Although her acting skills are excellent, but because of her gender, she has always been burdened with controversy since her debut. Even her husband is not willing to share a room with her, why is this?
01.
In 1956, Chen Yan was born in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, a farmer's family, her parents rely on farming for a living, the family's economic conditions are relatively backward. When she was a child, she was very lively, and with her resemblance to Chairman Mao, Chen Yan was very popular with the townspeople.
However, at that time, Chen Yan was still relatively small, coupled with a lack of open-mindedness, she has never taken her own looks too seriously, and did not think she would one day have a special face and become a well-known star.
After she became an adult, Chen Yan, like the fate of most rural women, chose to get married, have children, and work and live by the book. There is no art in life, and very little romance, just being wrapped up in the mundane smoke and mirrors, and busy every day for the sake of firewood, rice, oil and salt.
Although she is usually very proud when she hears people say that she looks like Chairman Mao, she will also look in the mirror from time to time, imitating the movements and expressions of the Chairman, but she just treats this matter as one of her hobbies.
Before Chen Yan was 50 years old, she had been running a building materials business with her husband, and although her income could not be compared to that of the rich and powerful, she surpassed most of the working people, and her living conditions and quality of life were quite good.
For most people, life is so, probably also satisfied, and people in the middle age, will not want to go back to the fold what. But Chen Yan is an exception, such a life in the material although rich, but does not seem to meet her spiritual needs, she has always wanted to pursue an interesting life.
In fact, in Chen Yan's heart, there has always been a free to follow the seed of the dream, only because of the secular reasons, this seed has not sprouted. Until one day, she saw a talent show on TV, this seed is completely rooted and sprouted.
This program is the hot "imitation show", in which the contestants are imitating different historical celebrities, which makes Chen Yan feel very confident. Chen Yan thought: Since everyone thinks I look like Chairman Mao, then I can not also go on stage to show it? Maybe it will be a success!
After this idea, Chen Yan told her family at the first time, wanting to ask for their opinions. However, surprisingly, when she said her true thoughts, no one in the family is willing to support her, but instead, they are advising her: "are a handful of years old, think of those unrealistic do what? The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on a new pair of shoes or boots, and you'll be able to get them to fit in your pocket.
The family's opposition did hit Chen Yan's self-confidence, but the stubborn she did not give up, she only has one idea: the rest of the life, is to live out what they want.
In order to be able to successfully enroll in the program, Chen Yan will be practicing in front of the mirror every day. 2006, Chen Yan came to a TV station program, and drummed up the courage to enroll.
Originally, she was full of confidence, and wanted to be recognized by the judges by imitating Chairman Mao, but she was rejected by the program team, and was temporarily arranged to imitate the actor Tang Guoqiang.
Chen Yan is not a professional, and has no prior experience in acting. The program's arrangement left her at a loss, and even though she tried her best to perform, she ended up losing the competition.
After the defeat, the disheartened Chen Yan sat on the train home, looking at the scenery outside the window, Chen Yan suddenly felt very confused, is his choice really wrong? The rest of his life will have to be spent in the same way?
However, when Chen Yan arrived at her hometown, the townspeople gave her a big surprise. The show's main attraction is the fact that it's a blessing in disguise. Although Chen Yan was eliminated from the show, she became famous in her hometown for her resemblance to Chairman Mao.
On the day of her return, many people were waiting outside the station, and onlookers surrounded the road. Soon after, the businessmen also sent Chen Yan performance invitations, so Chen Yan and the role of "Chairman Mao" has formed an inseparable relationship.
02.
After all, Chen Yan was an ordinary person who did her own business behind closed doors, and even when she dealt with the outside world, it was mostly out of business and normal interactions, and suddenly she was surrounded by the enthusiasm of so many strangers, and she was inevitably a little bit scared.
However, this kind of timidity is only temporary, no one does not like to enjoy the joy of success. As Chen Yan's fame continued to rise, the businessmen who came to find her performances were endless, and the trajectory of Chen Yan's life changed completely.
Unlike other professional actors, Chen Yan is not involved in film and television productions, but only accepts invitations from some businesses, which, in common parlance, is a folk actor playing Chairman Mao.
In Chen Yan's mind, Chairman Mao has always been the highest faith in his own heart, so she has her own bottom line and rules when it comes to commercial performances.
Over the years, Chen Yan received all the commercial performances are formal and legal, formal dress play Chairman Mao, she only imitated the Chairman of the action, such as: smoking, waving, far ahead, contemplation, etc., she never imitated the Chairman of the speech.
For some of the businessmen, these rules of Chen Yan are a bit lame, but for the sake of publicity, they have to be unacceptable. Because of her gender, many audiences are more curious, and Chen Yan's business shows are often packed.
Of course, Chen Yan's impersonation is recognized not only because of her outward resemblance to Chairman Mao, but also because her performance is out of this world.
From the moment she decided to make the transition, Chen Yan put in 100 percent effort, spending her free time studying images of Chairman Mao and various books and materials, and learning about the Chairman's every move and look through moving images and photographs.
In order to make her appearance closer to Chairman Mao, Chen Yan also gained 50 pounds and customized a pair of shoes with a 30-centimeter heel to make up for her height difference. After making these two efforts, Chen Yan's appearance and Chairman Mao has been very close, and her performance has been recognized by more people.
After a certain amount of fame, Chen Yan's value has also skyrocketed, from the initial appearance fee of a few hundred, to the development of a few thousand or even tens of thousands. The company has also found an agent to handle the work for her after she got busy with her job.
As Chen Yan's performance ability is limited, she is usually invited to real estate or some small companies, and occasionally receives invitations to private parties, which is quite busy and fulfilling.
When she attends private parties, Chen Yan sometimes wears casual clothes and performs a few songs for the audience, the best of which are "A Good Man Lives in Peace" and "For Whom It May Concern".
Chen Yan's performances are not too long, usually around forty minutes, and her greatest strength is her ability to **** with the audience while performing. After the show, onlookers will also excitedly shout a few times: "Chairman Mao!"
Only, as a public figure, there are praises and there are questions, and from the beginning of Chen Yan's role as Chairman Mao, there have always been questions on her, and some people feel that her acting skills are not deep enough, and that she doesn't look that similar to Chairman Mao, and that she lacks charisma, and that she has no way to compete with the professional actors, such as Gu Yue and Tang Guoqiang.
While these people's views have some merit, they are a bit too harsh on Chen Yan. When accusing her, have they considered that Chen Yan is not a professional actress, she doesn't have a professional teacher to guide her, and she is a woman herself, so to be able to do this kind of work is actually not easy. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on some of the most popular products and services in the world, and you'll be able to do it all in one place.
03.
In the eyes of outsiders, Chen Yan's life is glamorous now, and it's a lot easier to make money than before. But there is no casual success in this world, and the pain and pressure she has endured behind the scenes is beyond our imagination.
Since then, Chen Yan has been careful in every way, always paying attention to her words and behavior, fearing that it will bring any bad influence to the image of Chairman Mao.
After she became a featured actress, Chen Yan couldn't even wear her favorite dress, because if she wore it, someone would accuse her of being frivolous.
Previously, when doing business, Chen Yan's favorite thing is to get together with three or five friends in their free time to play mahjong, square dancing, after becoming a featured actor, these hobbies she had to abandon, the usual life in addition to the imitation of Chairman Mao, there is almost no recreational activities.
And the outside world of a variety of questions compared to the most difficult for Chen Yan to accept is the family since the beginning of the opposition, the former love of her husband also because of this matter with her gradually far away.
Chen Yan said that, since the special actor, her husband has been deliberately keeping a distance from her, and is even reluctant to communicate with her.
Of course, one of the main reasons for her husband's behavior is that Chen Yan has been imitating Chairman Mao for too long, and her life has been a bit masculine, which has led to him not knowing how to face his wife. Plus, the husband's heart always had a sense of reverence for Chairman Mao, and all the intimate gestures, he had no way to accept.
Later, the husband could not bear it, so he and Chen Yan proposed separation. The outside world's skepticism, loved ones do not accept, once let Chen Yan lost the confidence to continue on this road, good in that period of time there are like her fans continue to give her cheer, give her encouragement and support, Chen Yan this from the trough came out.
04.
After the trough, Chen Yan did not get better development, due to the policy and the audience aesthetic fatigue and other reasons, she can receive the number of commercial activities less and less, the life gradually tends to be calm.
Perhaps Chen Yan's performance is not so professional, but her pursuit of this career and passion is worth being recognized, even if she really do not have the opportunity to participate in film and television works, she is also proud to be Chairman Mao's "special actor".
As the article begins, Chairman Mao is a beam of light in the hearts of the Chinese people, and this feeling may not be so strong for the young people of today, but for Chen Yan, who was born in the 1950s, she experienced a period of unforgettable years, and the emotion of the Chairman in her heart is even stronger, and this respect and love won't be changed by time.
From the perspective of Chen Yan's life, there are fewer commercial performances, and she has more time to spend with her family, and her relationship with her husband may change.
Regardless of how Chen Yan is perceived by the outside world, there is no denying that she is a brave woman, and one who dares to pursue her dreams in a way that many others cannot.