Chang Chen Tells Six Rising Actors to ‘Be Like Water’ — SkimNews
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- TCCF x The Golden Horse Awards: Taiwan Emerging Actors Showcase brought Bai Xiao-ying, Ho Man-xi, Rosen, Jimmy Liu, Ma Shih-yuan and Lin Yi-ting to Taipei, aiming to connect them with international creative teams, investors and media.
- Chang Chen told the six actors to “be like water,” adapting to each set’s atmosphere and each director’s latitude; citing Wong Kar-wai and Hou Hsiao-hsien, he also relayed Ang Lee’s advice to read varied autobiographies and said Taipei’s local ecosystem can help actors do their best work.
- Bai Xiao-ying, a film student who started acting at six and trained in traditional Chinese martial arts for a decade, said she wants to try comedy or villain roles beyond familiar casting.
- Ho Man-xi, this year’s Best New Performer nominee for “Sunshine Women’s Choir,” said she drew on extensive dance training and hopes to take on suspense-action or other physically forceful roles.
- Ma Shih-yuan, last year’s Best New Performer winner for “Left-Handed Girl,” said complete commitment to a role conveys sincerity, gives others strength and helps actors understand themselves; she also wants to try comedy or villains.
- Rosen, nominated for “Marching Boys,” said each role calls for new skills: he learned Western fencing for a project, then entered a competition and won a bout.
- Lin Yi-ting, nominated for “A Dance With Rainbows,” said actors should prioritize “light up others” over “light up myself”; Jimmy Liu, nominated for “Blind Love,” reported seven years of taekwondo practice.
Why it matters: The showcase was designed to connect international creative teams, investors and media with six Taiwanese performers who already carry Golden Horse recognition, while giving the actors access to potential collaborators. Chang’s benchmark is versatility across directors and roles, with work in a familiar local ecosystem identified as an aid to doing one’s best.
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