Wang Yanhui stuns local audiences as Faust

Veteran Chinese actor Wang Yanhui, winner of China's top honor for stage performing arts, the Wenhua Award – has recently stunned audiences in Shanghai with his vivid portrayal of Faust.

In the new Chinese adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's classic "Faust," Wang gave his own interpretation of the protagonist, who makes a deal with the devil in order to obtain unlimited knowledge and pleasure in life.

It was the last drama work by the celebrated Lithuanian theater director Rimas Tuminas before he died. Wang told Shanghai Daily that he was deeply impressed with the script.

"The drama was a big challenge for me for its large amount of lines and philosophical speculation," Wang said. "Faust's long monologue at the end of the drama touched me a lot."

When performing the monologue on stage, Wang did not add exaggerated movement, including physical movement, to the scene. The 55-year-old performing artist's in-depth understanding of life helped him to grasp the role.

"If people really understand every experience in life, they will learn, grow, and develop insights, and their lives will never end without gain," Wang added. "They will eventually understand the true meaning of life, and enjoy the preciousness of life and freedom."

The classic German legend can be very complex and difficult to understand, so Wang also simplified some words in his portrayal to better resonate with today's audiences. Owing to these efforts, he was able to express the profound truth of the story in a simple and straightforward way.

He viewed the drama as an opportunity to reflect upon his own life.

"It is quite normal that people will encounter all kinds of difficulties in different phases of their life," Wang said. "Life is about solving problems."

Born in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in 1969, Wang's childhood dream was to become a police officer and protect the safety of people's lives and property. However, due to his handsome appearance and standard Mandarin, he was admitted to the Yunnan Arts University, where he fell in love with the performing arts. He later improved his acting at the Beijing Film Academy.

Audiences are very familiar with the classic villain roles Wang played in movies such as "The Equation of Love and Death" (2008), "The Dead End" (2015), and "Dying to Survive" (2018).

Wang's several-minute interrogation scene in the movie "The Dead End" caused a sensation and has been included in a textbook of the Beijing Film Academy. He successfully portrayed an impressive villain through his profound understanding of the role. Because of his outstanding acting skills, some movie fans even mistook him for a participant in a real crime.

His acting in the drama "Working Shed," which centers on the lives and emotions of migrant workers, was highly successful, winning him the Wenhua Award. In the 2019 crime film "The Big Shot," Wang played a police officer for the first time. His portrayal of the former prominent military leader Peng Dehuai in Chen Kaige's 2023 production "The Volunteers: To the War" also touched audiences.

"I'm very fortunate to have worked with so many good directors, such as Cao Baoping," Wang recalled. "When I was filming, he taught me some ways to analyze the characters, that is, not just to think about their singular aspects. If the villain thinks he is doing bad things, he will not do it. He must have something to support him. He must have a reason to do that."

Wang admits that he now has a different understanding about acting. In his 20s, like many actors, he worked hard to gain attention and fame, but said that now he feels that he loves and respects acting.

"What a noble profession it is," he said. "As an actor, I can interpret various lives to inspire people, while the feedback from audiences can also inspire me."

He encouraged young actors to persist with their dreams and love their acting careers, even if the road ahead was full of difficulties and obstacles.