Chang Chen: Actors Must Be Like Water, Fit The Vessel

Six emerging Taiwanese actors gathered in Taipei this week to receive career guidance from Chang Chen, chair of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee. Chang, who won the Golden Horse award for best leading actor for his role in “Lucky Lu” last year, urged the group to adapt their techniques to suit different production environments.

The event, titled “TCCF x The Golden Horse Awards: Taiwan Emerging Actors Showcase,” was part of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest. It brought together performers with international creative teams, investors, and media representatives. The six attendees are all nominees or winners of the Golden Horse Awards for Best New Performer, a category recognizing talent in Chinese-language cinema.

The group included Bai Xiao-ying and Ho Man-xi, who are nominated for this year’s award for the films “Girl” and “Sunshine Women’s Choir,” respectively. Ma Shih-yuan won the same honor last year for “Left-Handed Girl.” The remaining participants, Rosen, Jimmy Liu, and Lin Yi-ting, were nominees for “Marching Boys,” “Blind Love,” and “A Dance With Rainbows.”

The performers shared their physical training backgrounds and acting philosophies. Bai, who started acting at age six and now studies film at a university, trained in traditional Chinese martial arts for ten years. Ho Man-xi, who described herself as serious and slow to warm up, drew on her dance training and expressed interest in suspense action roles. Jimmy Liu noted his seven years of taekwondo practice.

Lin Yi-ting emphasized the importance of supporting others on set. “At this stage, I feel it’s more important to light up others than to light up myself,” Lin said. Ma Shih-yuan described acting as an outlet for pressure. “When you give yourself completely to a role, audiences can feel your sincerity,” she said. “It can give others strength and help you understand yourself better.” Rosen discussed his interest in nature and his acquisition of new skills, such as Western fencing, for specific roles.

Chang Chen focused on the practical aspects of working across different film sets. “Actors have to be like water, changing shape to fit the vessel,” he said. He noted that each set, whether directed by Wong Kar-wai or Hou Hsiao-hsien, possesses a distinct atmosphere. He advised actors to understand the level of creative freedom granted by each director and production team.

Chang also shared advice from director Ang Lee regarding reading autobiographies to understand different personalities. “Our job is to inhabit the lives of many different characters through our performances,” Chang said. He acknowledged that while Taipei lacks the specific industry ecosystem of Hollywood, working in a familiar environment allows local actors to perform at their highest level.