A young Canadian man walking onto the stage at Kingglory Plaza
to compete for the female role of Lin Daiyu in the TV series A
Dream of Red Mansions became the most attention-grabbing event
in Shenzhen on Christmas Day.
Of more than 10,000 people competing for the acting roles in the
city, more than 200 came from Hong Kong, 70 from Macao and 20 from
foreign countries.
Jules Nilsen, from Calgary, west Canada, who is in his 20s,
became the focus of interest among a group of girls dressing up for
the occasion.
"I could be the only male foreigner who entered for the role of
Lin," he told the Shenzhen Daily on Thursday.
"I did not expect to pass the first round of the competition,
since everyone can see how different I am from Daiyu," said Nilsen,
who is more than 180 centimeters tall.
He said he did it chiefly for fun. "Since I cannot pass the
scrutiny, even for male roles like Jia Baoyu or Jia Lian, why can't
I do something different to entertain others?"
Nilsen said people laughed when he portrayed Lin onstage, but it
was laughter of encouragement and amusement. "I laughed along with
them. Perhaps they were cheering me on because I've got the balls
to do this absurd thing," he said.
"I am a foreigner who speaks good Chinese, which has literally
made me famous among people around here." But Nilsen also
acknowledged that the event had brought him more fame, with people
recognizing him since local media first published his photo
Tuesday.
Nilsen speaks fluent Putonghua, English and French. He has just
read the original Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novel A
Dream of Red Mansions in a couple of weeks and watched the
TV series shot more than 20 years ago.
"I understand the basic story of that great work. There is the
love tragedy between two young people and the tragedy of a
declining family. The book is also about politics, hierarchy and
many conflicts behind the scenes. It gives me a glimpse and insight
into Chinese culture," he said.
Nilsen joked he would not let Lin die in depression if he were
Jia Baoyu, Lin’s lover. A fan of performance, Nilsen has studied at
a performance school opened by Hong Kong movie star Eric Tsang for
six months.
The search for actors and actresses in Shenzhen will finish
Friday. Names of the winners will be announced January 2.
With an investment of 990 million yuan (US$123 million), a
nationwide search for actors and actresses, organized by Beijing
TV, is taking place for the 111-episode TV remake of A Dream of
Red Mansions.
(Shenzhen Daily December 29, 2006)
