Li Mengtan《against the current》Zhao Xingtang: a brave woman who went beyond etiquette

Li Meng doesn’t like to use “madwoman” to summarize the roles she has played.When it comes to Zhao Xingtang - against the current -, she prefers to use “brave” to explain the woman who dares to express her desires and go beyond the secular rules.

《against the current》 is co-directed by Huang Yingxiang and Chen Dan, written by Tong Hua and Xiao Lou, and is currently being broadcast on Tencent Video.The end of Zhao Xingtang made many viewers feel sad: he was betrayed by his beloved in the library, and handed the evidence to Xu Lanxiang in the duck shed in the reeds. At the end, she also left a wish about whether the woman can live independently.

This role came to Li Meng because the producer had seen her performance in Mo Yuyunjian.After getting the script, she quickly grasped the character's rebellion: Zhao Xingtang asked to divorce her husband Lin Jinqi as soon as he appeared on the screen, and he still had a relationship that could not be seen in the light of day.She did not abide by the rules for women of that era, and this subversiveness attracted Li Meng.

The characters also have a cold side.She despises the lives of slaves and is cruel to Ji'er, but she sincerely treats Qingfu, whom she grew up with, and appreciates Xu Lanxiang's talent.Li Meng understood that her starting point was that no one cared about her, so she didn't care about the world and only lived according to her own character.Her cousin Qian Shaoze was the only person she devoted her true feelings to, but even this relationship was heading towards deception and betrayal.

The library was a watershed in her life.Before that, she was still wary of ethics and wanted to maintain a superficial balance.When he was caught committing adultery, Qian Shaoze said, "She was the one who seduced me," and put all the blame on her.Li Meng said that she saw clearly at that moment that no one, including her lover, parents, and husband, really cared about her. Everything had become absurd and there was no need to continue to maintain dignity.

The scene in the original script was not long, and Zhao Xingtang only had about five lines.

Director Huang Yingxiang made a second creation, rebuilt the library with art and props, and the crew spent two days shooting to design the chasing and hiding schedule to create the feeling of trying to catch but not being caught, and trying to hide but not being able to hide“.The characters move from shock and disbelief to heartbreak mainly through their eyes.

Before filming started, Huang Yingxiang told Li Meng that this was the most painful day in Zhao Xingtang's life, and she believed that the actor understood this woman better than she did.The director did not prescribe her emotions and waited until she found the feeling before filming.Li Meng calls this trust "mutual support" between the two female creators.

Rival actors were also on hand to push her into the zone.Ma Wenyuan, who plays Qian Shaoze, speaks the lines of betrayal over and over again, and Wang Yuning, who plays Zhao Xuede, Zhao's father, releases strong emotions.Li Meng even suggested that he could actually use his hands when performing, and let the real pain help him get closer to the characters.

After the storm, Zhao Xingtang began to keep the money for himself.She clearly told her father that not a single penny of her dowry or silver could be taken away, and she would no longer let her father and brother use her as a tool for exchanging benefits.However, women in ancient times lacked open channels for doing business, so they were still forced to access resources by marrying someone with more status and wealth.

Some people summarized her as achieving ” career promotion% in the back house, but Li Meng did not completely agree.She believes that what Zhao Xingtang wants is the confidence and security brought by making money, and marriage is just a way to obtain economic opportunities with limited outlets.She doesn't want to marry those people, she likes to make money by herself.

The duck shed scene at the end was a different mood.

Soldiers and bandits made a riot, and Zhao Xingtang was seriously injured after a fight, but was rescued by Xu Lanxiang.When she was dying, she handed over the evidence of Lin Jinqi's rebellion by letting the deposed prince go.Although the character is self-deprecating and speaks well when someone is about to die, Li Meng pays more attention to the trust in this action: she hopes that Lan Xiang will be happy and will not have to repeat her life again.

She was once called the granddaughter of the elder Zhao Ge, Grandma Lin, and Mrs. Dai. The titles were always attached to the family and the man.Until the end of her life, Xu Lanxiang called her “Xingtang”.Li Meng said that at that moment, it was like a woman putting the weight of her life into the hands of another woman.

Qingfu grew up with her, but due to the limitations of her identity and situation, she was never able to become a friend who truly walked into her heart.Xu Lanxiang, who was in a similar position, finally saw her and heard her wish: women can study for exams, do business and make money, choose their own marriages, and not depend on men for survival.Li Meng understood this farewell as a heartfelt confession - Zhao Xingtang finally had the opportunity to express her ideals and what she wanted the world to be like.

Later, when dubbing in Hengdian, Li Meng saw the complete process of the character's ending for the first time.The filming of TV series was often broken into pieces, and it was not until the later stages that she saw the full picture of this period of life.She cried in the recording studio, and the dubbing director cried too.“I have rarely been so narcissistic. I even cried when I watched my own performance.”She said that Zhao Xingtang left important traces in her life.

Wang Yao, Princess Wanning, Lu Zhenzhen, and Zhao Xingtang are some of the strong women she has created in recent years.Wang Yao wants to find out the truth about her child's death, Wan Ning regards her love for Shen Yurong as her lifelong career, and Lu Zhenzhen tries her best to pursue career highs.Li Meng feels that their wishes may go beyond worldly conventions, but they are in line with human nature. Dare to speak out their desires is brave.

She admits that this kind of role will bring creative joy, but there are many accidents in the encounter between the character and the actor.Yu Zheng watched "The Hidden Corner" before choosing her to play Wan Ning; Wan Ning also let the producer of "against the current" see her.“The process of choosing and being chosen is also a chicken-and-egg process. It is difficult for her to distinguish the cause and effect, and she also hopes that more different women will appear in the future.

From literary films to costume dramas, Li Meng could not answer in advance whether he would return to a certain path.”I just feel that sometimes life is misplaced.You don’t know where you will end up going in circles.Maybe in the end I will still go to Cannes and win the Best Actress award, but I still have to go through the previous process.%