It was at the film set of Lin Cheng-sheng's (
"Of course it's a hard environment for us. There are scarce opportunities," said Chen, the leading actress and lonely woman who wandered Paris in Tsai Ming-liang's (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
An actress for more than 10 years, Chen has only appeared in seven movies. The small number of opportunities is one reason -- consider that Taiwan produced only 16 films last year -- but Chen also has personal reasons for having limited her screen roles. She was away from the business for three years studying theater performance in New York and now teaches acting at Taiwan Arts University, as well.
"We have never felt much of the pain in the whole process, perhaps because we've never tasted the sweetness, either. For us, the hardship is always normal," said Dai, who plays Chen's onscreen boyfriend and was her real-life classmate at the college where she now teaches.
For a year in which he had no acting opportunities, Dai hosted at a call-in show on a cable channel.
But he hasn't had to worry about a lack of opportunities lately. Dai has averaged three film contracts a year for the past three years, making him one of the highest-profile actors in Taiwan. He appeared as a gang member in Lin's Betelnut Beauty (
"My screen time and screen exposure have exceeded the amount for big movie stars in the 1970s, a prosperous era for Taiwan's film industry," said Dai.
"Does Taiwan not have any movie stars?" I ask them. When we discuss the question, Dai seems a little more agitated than Chen.
In the late 1980s, a group of directors presented a new film language to voice Taiwan's social reality, a wave now called New Taiwan Cinema (
"The directors at that time figured highly and it became the trend. So the spotlight [continues] to shine on the directors, not the actors. They are more like the stars. ... To establish a screen image for Taiwanese audiences is something I've been trying to achieve," Dai said. "I work hard and I'm responsible for every role I take," he said.
Lacking stardom is a symptom of Taiwan's barely surviving movie industry. Dai lights a cigarette and explains why.
"In Hollywood, the marketing and publicity arms of a [production company] will do everything they can to publicize the actors' faces. But here, nobody is spending money to promote us," he said.
"Marketing in Taiwan's film industry is so weak that the promotional budget for a local film is far less than that of a pop music album," Dai said. The industry struggles to brighten the star of even an actor with three contracts a year, let alone less exposed actors.
But there is always hope and passion, at least in Lin's newest project. Dai will play Robinson, a real-estate salesman who is surrounded by several women and the troubles of his loathsome job. "It will be a love story with modern feelings," said Lin.
Stardom for Chen is an old concept. "We cannot go back to the glory days of the 1970s, why not try something new?" she said after finishing her make-up. Chen has been accompanying Tsai on his nation-wide lecture tour of college campuses for the film What Time Is It There?. Using this new means of promotion, the film has garnered nearly NT$2 million at the box office.
"There will always be a huge gap between us and Hollywood. We don't have to chase them. We should be walking our own roads. It may be hard, but we should try as we can," said Chen.
Dai agreed. "Hollywood is not the only standard. We [referring to himself and Chen] joined this business at a time when we already knew about the weakened environment. Nobody forced us. I have this working philosophy that as long as I'm happy with what I do, I will continue. In this is business, you shouldn't struggle with reluctance and complaints, because you can always leave," he said.
And for now the two actors are happy with what they do.
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