Celebrities face to face: Wang Baoqiang《in the octagonal cage》

There is a recent film and television drama worth mentioning called "In the Octagonal Cage". The drama has successfully attracted the attention of many viewers with its gripping plot and superb acting skills of the actors.It has also triggered a lot of discussion and attention on major social media. Next, the editor will mainly talk with you about celebrity face-to-face: Wang Baoqiang - in the octagonal cage.

Just for a promise, he spent 6 years making a movie

Wang Baoqiang's experience is more inspirational and legendary than the movies he acted in.

From Erjiang, a child born in an adobe house in rural North China, to Hengzhi, a young warrior monk in the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan.From being one of the extras at the gate of Beijing Film Studio - earning 15 yuan a day - to being one of the top-grossing actors in Chinese-language films - with a box office of tens of billions.From Feng Ming, Sha Gen, and Xu Sanduo, who performed completely in their true colors, to today they have a variety of styles and a wide range of performances.Wang Baoqiang has become a top star who can easily travel in various fields such as comedy, literature and art, action, and variety shows.

Wang Baoqiang: When I was playing a small role, people said, Wang Baoqiang, what about your appearance, height, and education can make you into a movie?

For more than two decades, Wang Baoqiang has always surprised people.

Wang Baoqiang: I'm not aggressive, but if they want to step on me, no matter how many people there are, they won't be able to step on me.

In July 2023, Wang Baoqiang released his second film director《In the Octagonal Cage》.This is a realistic movie, completely different from the previous Wang-style comedies that have repeatedly set box office records.《In the Octagonal Cage》Adapted from real events, it tells the story of a frustrated middle-aged man and a group of poor teenagers who have nothing.They - living like weeds and indomitable - they find a way out through fighting and finally break out of the prison of fate.Wang Baoqiang said that he not only wanted to tell the story of the suffering children, but also the story of the suffering children - the history of their struggle.Wang Baoqiang, who has no formal education or a primary school diploma, wrote, directed, acted, and borrowed money to invest in the film.

Wang Baoqiang: I became a director for the first time 6 years ago. I made "Havoc in Tianzhu", which disappointed the audience. It became a problem in my heart, so I spent another 6 years making "The Octagonal Cage".《.

Tagawa: If 》 inside the Octagon -- the response isn't good, how are you going to pay back the money?

Wang Baoqiang: Then I will go filming and pay off the debt slowly.At least I'm pretty good as an actor, and there are still many directors looking for me to film.But I believe there will still be people who come to the cinema to support this movie because you paid.There is no absolute in everything, everything is possible. We should not think too well of things, but we should not think too pessimistically either. Just do what you should do.For me, I am very satisfied with this drama. I made it sincerely. I recognize myself and I feel that I can overcome the hurdle in my heart.

In 2017, Wang Baoqiang's first directorial work - "Havoc in Tianzhu" - which he worked so hard to shoot, although it achieved a box office of more than 700 million yuan, it lost in terms of reputation.In addition to countless bad reviews, it was also targeted by a special organization that selects the worst movies - the Golden Broom Award.Received the Golden Broomstick Award for Most Disappointing Director.

At the event, Wang Baoqiang appeared, and he became the first A-list star to come to the scene to receive the Golden Broom Award for many years.

Tagawa: Why did you want to receive the Golden Broom Award?

Wang Baoqiang: The most important thing is that the audience went to see the movie because of me, Wang Baoqiang. He spent money and time. I was very touched, but I let them down and did not meet the audience's expectations.I feel so guilty and so sad.In fact, you don’t have to go to the Golden Broom Awards, you don’t have to care, but I just want to use this platform to say something to the audience.

“Actually, I am very grateful to Golden Broom for giving me this opportunity to say sorry to the audience. This matter has been in my heart for a long time, and I am really sorry to the audience.Anyway, I owe it to the audience.I believe that through my future efforts and continuous learning, I will definitely become a more qualified director in everyone's mind, and I will also become a more qualified film worker.

Wang Baoqiang speaks at the 9th China Film Golden Broom Awards in 2018

Wang Baoqiang: At that time, many people, including my team, told me not to go. No one was going, so don’t show off.I struggled all night.No matter how much courage you muster up, when you actually arrive at the scene and face everyone, you will still struggle in your heart.I just want to say sorry to the audience and tell them that I owe them a good movie.So when I said this, I had already made up my mind. I must counterattack. If I can't make it, my life will be in vain.

Others say, Wang Baoqiang, you still have a lot of money-making things to do, so there is no need to be serious about this matter.I don’t think so. Along the way, at every stage of life, you have to cross your own point, the point that others don’t know.

Tagawa: The point this time is that the first film I directed was not successful, so I had to prove that I could do it.

Wang Baoqiang: Yes, it is self-certification.

Except for being unable to choose his birthplace, Wang Baoqiang made his own choice at every stage of his life and then worked hard to do it.In 1984, Wang Baoqiang was born into a poor peasant family in Didaita Village, Jiasong Town, Nanhe County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province.There were older brothers and sisters, and later, a younger brother.Wang Baoqiang's nickname is "Erhuang“". As his name suggests, he has a stubborn character.When he was 8 years old, he made the first major choice in his life.One night, the Shaolin Temple in the open-air cinema excited Wang Baoqiang, who was sitting on the pile of firewood.He is determined to go to the Shaolin Temple to learn kung fu and then make movies like Jet Li.Wang Baoqiang spent half a month trying hard to convince his parents.My younger brother also wants to go to the Shaolin Temple, learn kung fu, and act in movies, but my mother doesn't agree.

Tagawa: Why were you so determined to pursue the career of an actor in the first place?

Wang Baoqiang: Because I felt that making movies was the only way to get ahead.

Eight-year-old Wang Baoqiang doesn’t have many options in life.He didn't want to spend his whole life farming like his parents did.In the future, I may not be able to get into college.Even if he passes the exam, if there are many children in the family, it is unlikely that he will be able to support him.Going to the Shaolin Temple and acting in a movie seemed like an impossible way out, but it became the only option in Wang Baoqiang's mind that he could get ahead.

Wang Baoqiang: After I became famous, many people in the village said they regretted not letting their children go to the Shaolin Temple. If they had gone, they would have become famous.I don't think so.At that time, I and my friends of the same age agreed to go to the Shaolin Temple together. In the end, no one went, so I went.When I become famous, they will regret not letting their children go, and there will be no regret medicine.It is also beyond this age to practice martial arts, and you can no longer practice it.You only have one life, only once when you are 8, 12, or 18 years old. It is impossible to do it again.Many people say I am lucky, but my luck and opportunities are all created by myself.When others help you, they must think that your child is worth helping.My background is different from others. I can only rely on myself to work hard. If I don't work hard, how can I get ahead?

Eight-year-old Wang Baoqiang came to Songshan, Henan, shaved his head, wore monk robes, took the Buddhist name - Hengzhi -, and became a lay disciple.The mountain gate of Shaolin Temple is smaller than in the movie.What you learn every day is not flying over the wall, but the basic skills that are forged with hard work.Wang Baoqiang studied in Shaolin Temple for 6 years, but he is still far away from movies.One day, bad news suddenly came.My younger brother went to work on a construction site during the summer vacation, but unfortunately died in an accident.After his tears dried up, Wang Baoqiang decided to go down the mountain and go to Beijing to realize the movie dream he and his brother shared.Many years later he said, - I am still the hesitant child with low self-esteem standing at the gate of Shaolin Temple and at the square of Beijing West Railway Station.”

Wang Baoqiang: Later I left my hometown to make a movie. When I was in a particularly difficult time, I couldn’t even borrow 200 yuan.I told my family to send me 200 yuan.At that time, my brother had just gotten married and our family owed a lot of money. We had to keep accounts when buying things in small shops.My dad held a family meeting and said that the child has no money and cannot make a living. No matter how difficult the family is, at least there is land for farming, and we must support him.Later, he secretly sent me 300 yuan and wrote a letter, saying, son, dad knows that you are a sensible child, and it is difficult to make a living without money. If you have no money, just tell your family. It is all your fault that dad is unable to take care of you.Hello brother and sister.My eyes were swollen from crying after reading the letter. I didn’t eat or go out all day.My dad never said that to his face.I thought at that time, no matter how poor or miserable I was, as long as I was still alive in Beijing, I would never look back.Unless I show off, I will never go back or contact my family.I have been missing since then and my family has no idea where I am.

In the movie Big Shots, one of the many extras in the picture is Wang Baoqiang.He could tell which row he was in, but we tried hard to identify but still couldn't find it.

Wang Baoqiang: When director Feng Xiaogang was filming Big Shots, I worked as an extra.Because it was too far away from where I lived, I spent the night in a tree in front of the Beijing Film Studio to shoot the movie, because I was afraid that I would leave too early the next day and not be able to catch up.

In Beijing, 15-year-old Wang Baoqiang and his friends from all over the world rented a small house together and bought a pager together.If there is work, I will be an extra, and if there is no work, I will work on the construction site.

Wang Baoqiang: When I was working as a small player in Beijing, other people were working at 20 a day, and I was 15 a day because I was short.I lived in Beitan Beach at that time, so I went to the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio to wait for extra work.After waiting for a day without receiving a job, I walked home.I was hungry all day and my feet were worn out, so I bought 5 steamed buns for one yuan and ate them all in one go. I was so full that I didn’t even dare to drink water.I couldn't even pay 20 yuan in rent at that time.No one treats you as a human being, no one respects you, they just make fun of you.

Tagawa: Why are you kidding me?

Wang Baoqiang: How can you be an actor with your looks?You have no money, don’t know people, and you’re not a student of acting. How can you be a star?It left me speechless.I was among the extras. When it was time to go on stage, the head of the extras would hold a loudspeaker and shout, "Get up!"I'll kick you right away - hurry up, what are you doing?“Like a sensation.

Longing for spiritual satisfaction more than material things

Wang Baoqiang is not afraid of hardship.When I was a child, my mother would say while beating the soybean stalks, - People are like soybean stalks, and only by constantly beating them can golden soybeans come out.”On the construction site, Wang Baoqiang carried twelve bricks at a time.Finally, he became a martial arts stand-in and fell from a height of two meters to the concrete floor.Wang Baoqiang, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, has sold his blood and been deceived, and is surrounded by indifference and discrimination.

Tagawa: At that stage, why did you think you would become famous?

Wang Baoqiang: They suppressed me, making me lose self-confidence and making me feel inferior. Instead, they inspired my fighting spirit.I am a martial arts practitioner and I have a skill.And I was only a teenager, so I still had time.I will try my best to do it. If I still can't get out after reaching 30 years old, time will prove that I am indeed not suitable for this industry, so I will go home and become a coach.At least I can live a normal life, take care of my parents and myself.I have a dream and I don’t want to leave any regrets.

Wang Baoqiang said: - I faced a door, and when I pushed it open, it was a new world.”Later he was selected by Li Yang, the director of the movie "The Blind Shaft", to play one of the protagonists, the young Yuan Fengming.

Wang Baoqiang: For those of us who work as group performers, getting this kind of opportunity is almost like finding a needle in a haystack, which is impossible.

《The Blind Shaft》 is a realistic film adapted from real events.The boy in the movie was tricked by two people into working in a small private coal mine.And the bigger crisis is yet to come.

Tagawa: How much money did you make from making this movie?

Wang Baoqiang: After joining the team, I was given 500 yuan without doing anything. After the filming, I was given another 1,500 yuan, for a total of 2,000 yuan.At that time, I gave 1,500 to my mother to pay off the family's debt to the canteen. I owed others a few hundred yuan, and those who could pay back dozens of yuan were paid first.

The crew filmed in a real mine more than 300 meters deep, and many people were injured.After more than 30 hours of continuous filming, the crew had just left when a mining accident really happened underground.Wang Baoqiang said that no matter how hard and tiring it is, even if he dies in the well, he must finish it.Because this is an opportunity.After performing the "Blind Shaft" and getting paid, Wang Baoqiang finally went home.

Wang Baoqiang: When we were filming, I told the director that it was not a martial arts film. He said that during the casting process, he looked at me with sincerity and fear. It showed that this kid is easy to deceive, so he asked me to make this film..

After playing the leading role in Blind Well, Wang Baoqiang never starred again in the next two years.In 2003 - Blind Well - won an overseas award, and Wang Baoqiang was also seen.Feng Xiaogang invited Wang Baoqiang to star in the Chinese New Year movie A World Without Thieves as Sha Gen.Working with celebrities such as Andy Lau, Liu Ruoying, and Ge You became the beginning of Wang Baoqiang's real popularity.

Wang Baoqiang: No one knew me before the movie was released. On the second day after the movie was released, people would say on the street, "Isn't this the stupid character in "A World Without Thieves""? Take a photo... I became famous like this, and people started toInterview me.I really enjoyed the interview at that time, it was like a dream.

Wang Baoqiang said that opportunities are like buses. Sometimes they never come no matter how long you wait, but sometimes several buses come at once.In just a few years, from movies to TV, from variety shows to the Spring Festival Gala, Wang Baoqiang became famous.Wang Baoqiang became famous as Sha Gen, and from then on he took on honest and honest roles one after another, and became popular as Xu Sanduo, and played a series of soldiers.Just when people thought that Wang Baoqiang would continue in these types of roles, Wang Baoqiang suddenly appeared in a literary film-HELLO Mr. Tree, playing a mentally abnormal low-level character.And it was well received.

Wang Baoqiang: At that time, everyone said that I could only play one kind of role, so I told myself that I would definitely let them know that I am not what you think.You don't understand me.I don't even understand myself, how can you understand me.

Later, the reason why I filmed "HELLO Mr. Tree" was because the script was given to me and the opportunity came.Even though I was already very popular at that time, and other movies approached me, and the money was not even a little bit rich, I still chose -HELLO Mr. Tree-.I think this kind of script is hard to come by. Who else is paying attention to the lives of such low-class people now?I think as an actor, if you don’t act in this kind of script because of lack of money, you don’t deserve to be an actor.In the future, there will be many opportunities to make money by making commercial films. I am not anxious to make money at all. I am more eager to get everyone's recognition of me. The spiritual satisfaction is greater than the material satisfaction.

In the past ten years, Wang Baoqiang has challenged more and more types of roles and has shined in comedies.《Thai囧》became the first domestic film to exceed one billion.《Detective Chinatown》 series has continuously created billions of box office myths.Among the top ten Chinese actors in terms of total box office, there are Wu Jing, Shen Teng, Yi Yang Qianxi and others, and there is always a place for Wang Baoqiang.

In 2017, just before Wang Baoqiang got the golden broom, an incident involving a fighting boy occurred in Sichuan, causing social controversy.Wang Baoqiang was deeply moved by the story of a group of neglected children who, under the leadership of a coach, found a way out of life through fighting.Wang Baoqiang leads the team to start filming in 2022 - in the octagonal cage.

Tagawa: This time you are not only the director of the Octagonal Cage, but also an actor, producer, and investor, wearing many hats.

Wang Baoqiang: Actually, I am forced to become a producer because I have no money.After being famous for so many years, no one believes me when I say that these few years have been the hardest.Everyone thinks that since I am a celebrity and I have box office sales, how can I not attract investment?I really can't pull it off.First of all, the movie was shot during the epidemic. Once it was closed, it could not be shot, and the money would be wasted.And everyone is not very optimistic about realistic themes. They think Wang Baoqiang should act in comedies. If he doesn't act in comedies, who will watch?In addition, my first time as a director was not very successful, and people also doubted my ability to direct, so I couldn't attract investment.In fact, there were several people who had good talks with each other, but when it came to the contract stage, no one came forward. People said that your movie is full of amateurs and there are no stars. Who will watch it?I'm just taking money to play with you.No matter how good the relationship is, people are not willing to take this risk.I searched almost everyone I knew. It was understandable that everyone didn’t want to invest, but I was actually very desperate and uncomfortable.Later, I said that I had to do this scene because I thought it was worth it.

Tagawa: How was the funding problem solved later?

Wang Baoqiang: Most of the money I borrowed from friends was from banks.

More than 20 years ago, Wang Baoqiang himself was discovered, respected, and given a chance.This time, Wang Baoqiang took his camera and went deep into the mountains to find actors to play the fighting boys in the movie.

Wang Baoqiang: Actually, the process of finding young actors was quite happy. I felt like I was looking for my old self.

Tagawa: Are you worried that when they finish filming, they may not be able to return to their ordinary, or even poor, lives?

Wang Baoqiang: I think their future life will be much better than if they didn't make movies.At least they will have dreams and aspirations in their hearts.Having seen what it's like outside, he will definitely find a way out of the mountains, which I think is good.If they have been in the mountains, they may not have dreams.And if there is a suitable opportunity in the future, I will definitely think of these children.

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