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Actor Sun Honglei
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Mei Lanfang's acting advisor and agent, Qiu Rubai is a man with acute taste and vision, and is a central figure in the "Mei Entourage". Famous for playing bad-tempered gangsters, the role of Qiu Rubai gives fresh leeway for Sun to explore a different side. The result is a subtle and sophisticated performance, one to rival Leon Lai in the lead role of Mei Lanfang.
Actor Sun Honglei said, "The part of Qiu Rubai is very different from my previous roles. There's another me tucked inside, one people seldom see or get in touch with. It's a sound from the bottom of my heart, the origin of my character."
Before setting his sights on acting, Sun started his career as a nightclub singer and host. In 1997 he graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, with a major in Musical Theatre. He has since been the lively dancer in "A Cat Wanting to be a Human", "Three Penny Opera", and "All Beijingers".
Sun Honglei said, "I was somebody in the circle of plays and dances. People called me "Little Jiang Wen" in the China Youth Arts Theatre."
In 1999, Sun played in director Zhang Yimou's "The Road Home", as a negligible and all the while significant part. It was his first big-screen appearance, yet almost no one recalls his presence in the film. He lived up to Zhang's instruction, which was to act with no visible trace of acting, even in a subordinate role. The tips have helped Sun with a smooth transition from stage actor to screen actor.
Sun Honglei said, "If only the film could make me a star! When Zhang Yimou met me for the first time, he told me point-black that I won't be made a star in the film. I was not the center of the film, and he asked me not to dwell on it. I am having quite a hard time accepting it."
After the Road Home, Sun has been typecast for roles like hit men, scoundrels, or blood-feasting killers. His roles are far from gentleman-like, not to mention the occasional outbursts of violence. His reputation as a tough guy has spread, until the big turn in 2008, when a film and a TV series changed both the professional and audience perspective.
Sun Honglei said, "Sun Honglei impresses us with rough roles, those at the bottom of society, even gang members. It's hard to believe that he could also play literati like Qiu Rubai. I thought he did a terrific job. The knack to success is simple. He engendered the thoughts and emotions of his character. His performance lives up to one thing: an true actor is capable of immense creative power."
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