Text | Cai Xiaoma
After entering the year 2000, several veteran actors left us one by one.
Such as Guanhai Mountain;
Shi Jian;
The afternoon horse;
Cheng Kui’an;
Dong Biao, Shen Dianxia;
And so on.
At the beginning of this year, what shocked and saddened me the most was the departure of Wu Mengda.
After Uncle Da passed away on February 27, many superstars such as Chow Yun-fat, Stephen Chow, Andy Lau, and others sent messages of condolence.
Major portals, social media, and self-media have expressed their regret for Uncle Da, and social platforms such as Weibo WeChat have also aroused national nostalgia.
What’s more rare is that Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily and other official media have also issued multiple articles to mourn and review Uncle Da’s life.
The death of Uncle Da seemed to remind everyone of this golden supporting actor who had accompanied him in his childhood, youth, and even middle age.
Although the old saying goes: man is inherently dead, or heavier than Mount Tai, or lighter than a feather.
But Uncle Da’s life seemed to have been like a feather, spinning in the wind behind the light, but at the moment of the final landing, it shook the corner of everyone’s heart that had almost been forgotten.
"Forgetting" is Uncle Da’s key word
Uncle Da is not always remembered by people.
We always remember "Xingzai and Uncle Da", but after Zhou Xingchi’s influence grew, Uncle Da was gradually not mentioned.
Especially after Zhou Xingchi became the director, people no longer tied the two, but looked forward to the sublimation of Zhou Xingchi more, while Uncle Da was drowned in many small-scale movies.
In 2016, there was a question on Zhihu: Who are the outstanding actors in the Hong Kong entertainment industry?
At the beginning, there were many people answering questions about Tony Leung, Leslie Cheung, Leung Ka Fai, Maggie Cheung, and other leading actors and actresses. However, in the end, an answer about Uncle Da’s acting skills received the highest number of likes, and today, they are all ranked first.
Maybe it’s because all the people who watched Uncle Da’s movies have grown up.
When we were young, we all liked the protagonist.
Because we will imagine that one day, we will also become the protagonist, strategizing, maneuvering, and exuding dazzling charm in the crowd.
But when we grow up, we realize that we are not the protagonists.
We may be the third uncle in "Gambling Saint";
It may be the Taibao in "Heaven Ruoyou Love";
It may be the loyal uncle in "Urban Love";
It could be Ming Feng from Shaolin Football.
Even the boss in "God of Cookery" is not the protagonist of the work.
The reason why people top the answer about Uncle Da is only because most people have starred in a movie.
And the name of this movie is "The Life of a Supporting Actor".
Uncle Da was like this. Only when he was forgotten to the point of almost disappearing would he be remembered by people.
Is that demeaning?
No, definitely not.
Da Shu said in an interview with "New Oolong Courtyard": "The protagonist and the supporting actor are just a noun. When you perform, every character should be treated as the most important."
What the supporting role needs to do is to make people forget his existence and his sharpness in order to make the protagonist stand out even more.
Uncle Da, who took the initiative to make the audience "forget", was gradually "forgotten" by the audience passively, but every time you think of it, everyone will feel that this person has actually evolved into your heart.
"In 100 years, I hope the audience will still remember me."
Uncle Da’s acting skills are of course top-notch.
Although most of the time, he is playing a "bad character".
Wretched, sloppy, chicken thief, frivolous, stupid, weak…
He was like the idle middle-aged greasy man we could see on the way to and from class. His origin was unknown, his background was unclear, and it was better to live than die. When he saw someone he knew, he would greet him with a smile, say a few words without beginning or end, and then disappear into the crowd.
But we don’t hate that kind of uncle.
Because we remember in "Variety Star Lord", the dog leg Uncle Da asked Xingzai to cut off his hand;
Remember "martial arts champion Su Qier", the down-and-out uncle and Xingzai eat a bowl of dog food together;
I remember that in "Tian Ruoyou Qing", Uncle Da covered the blood spurting from the wound with a proud face;
Remember that in "Love in the City", Uncle Da took his son out of prison on crutches;
Remember "Black Prison Heartbreak Song", Uncle Da laughed at his own experience, but hid from others to cry;
Remember "Shaolin Football", Uncle Da smiled but not smiled, as if crying but not crying helplessly;
I also remember Uncle Da’s emaciated body and powerful performance in "The Wandering Earth".
As Zhihu said in his reply:
Uncle Da’s acting is different from Stephen Chow’s.
Stephen Chow is the ultimate comedian, while Uncle Da is the playboy.
Whether it is a small person or a hero, whether it is serious or funny, Uncle Da can perform well.
So we can see Uncle Da playing the villain;
You can see Uncle Da playing the villain;
You can also see Uncle Da playing a doctor playing politics.
Uncle Da said in an interview with the 1905 film network:
"I can’t live without my acting. I love acting very much. Many people ask me, I’m almost 70, why do you love acting? Although I was sick a few years ago and my heart was not good, I have been following movies and the development of Chinese movies. I really like being an actor. In fact, I can move behind the scenes very early, but I just don’t want to go. I hope that in 50 years, 100 years, there will still be audiences who can remember Wu Mengda."
A protagonist of an era
We probably won’t be able to live to 100 years from now, but will anyone remember Uncle Da in 100 years?
I believe there is.
Because Uncle Da, who has played supporting roles all his life, is the protagonist of an era.
Da Shu, who was born in Xiamen, moved his family to Hong Kong at the age of 7.
At the age of 20, he attended the Hong Kong Wireless Artist Training Course with Chow Yun-fat and was always at the top of the class, pressuring Chow Yun-fat.
At the age of 26, because Hu Tiehua in "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang" became popular, he began a life of eating, drinking, drinking, and gambling.
At the age of 35, Uncle Da, who rose from the bottom of the valley, began to cooperate with Zhou Xingchi. This cooperation lasted for 30 years and created a new brilliant life.
Uncle Tat’s life is like the ebb and flow of Hong Kong movies.
From a small harbor that no one paid attention to, it suddenly ushered in the golden age, gradually deteriorated in the feasting, and went to a desperate situation. Under the support of nobles, it ushered in the peak of travel, and finally, under the torrent of the times, helplessly exited.
Uncle Da’s acting is worth remembering, not just because he acted well, but because he experienced such a unique and dynamic era.
Including the actors of his era, the torrent of the times has left a mark on their faces, which is a kind of imprint that can make the audience feel the sense of story even without doing too much performance.
Uncle Da said in "Thirteen Invitations": "If you have not suffered, you will not know what performance is."
Nowadays, we criticize young actors for their poor acting skills. Sometimes it is not their fault that they are not good at learning, but they do not have some specific experiences. How can they interpret the traces left by the years?
Among the green leaf actors who have gradually faded over the years, most of us only lament that time prompts people to grow old. Only when Uncle Da passed away did we feel the end of the era. In fact, it is because among the supporting roles, Uncle Da’s works are more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, have greater influence, and have the imprint of the times.
Uncle Da and countless green leaf actors jointly performed a movie called "The Life of a Supporting Actor", and Uncle Da was the absolute protagonist of this movie.
"A Dream-seeking Journey" says: When a person is forgotten, he is truly dead.
If this is the case, Uncle Da will be remembered by people for a long, long time…
