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Acting as Dexian, Tracing the Origins of the Character

In the early part of the film, Mo Dexian seems to revolve solely around his own “little family”, constantly trying to appease his elderly great-grandfather before turning around to discipline his mischievous son. In his spare time, he tries to listen to the radio and uses his mechanic skills to repair various tools. Xiao Zhan sees Mo Dexian as an unconventional hero; he’s “eccentric”, “haphazard”, and sometimes a rambling “talker”, experiencing struggle and growth under external stimuli.

Xiao Zhan admitted that working with director Kong Sheng and screenwriter Lan Xiaolong, and playing the unique character Mo Dexian, initially made him so nervous that he suffered from insomnia. To prepare for the role of Dexian well, Xiao Zhan’s primary focus wasn’t on the acting style, but rather on returning to the character’s “origin”—

Global Times: You once said that working with director Kong Sheng and screenwriter Lan Xiaolong was a “dream come true”. How did you feel when you learned you would be participating in “Gezhi Town”?

Xiao Zhan: My first feeling was disbelief, followed by nervousness, because I knew that the story and characters written by screenwriter Lan Xiaolong were very challenging for actors. This nervousness continued after reading the script. The film is called “Gezhi Town”, and I played a significant role as De Xian. In the early stages of filming, I was under so much pressure that I had insomnia, spending my nights thinking about how to make everyone understand, accept, and like this character. But later on, I stopped thinking about these things.

The film set we were shooting on seemed to have a “barrier” that automatically shut out outside noise once you entered. I barely looked at my phone on set; I just sat there, looked at the surrounding mountains and houses, and then at the crew and actors, and my state of mind instantly changed. It was a magical state.

Global Times: What kind of struggle did the character De Xian go through from forbearance to rebellion?

Xiao Zhan: I don’t know everyone’s specific feelings after watching the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw this character. Dexian is not a hero in the conventional sense, in the early stages, he only wanted to protect his “little family”, and only later did he want to protect the “greater family”. The most important preparation I did for this character was to trace his experiences before the film’s story, to understand why he became what everyone calls “neurotic”, and why he had such neurotic and haphazard thinking.

He went through a period of struggle and growth. At the beginning of the film, Dexian and his great-grandfather fled Nanjing, witnessing the Mo family go from four generations to just two persons. He must have felt heartache and rebellion, but on that escape ship, his heart was numb. To put it selfishly, he only wanted to survive with his great-grandfather. It wasn’t until the invasion of Gezhi Town that he began to awaken and choose to fight back. As for the details, many people have asked me how the expressions and reactions in the film were designed, they were simply very genuine, spontaneous reactions in real time.

Global Times: What was it like playing a father and the pillar of the family?

Xiao Zhan: When I was first told I was going to play a father, I wondered, “How do I get along with my child? How do I get along with my wife? How do I protect this family?” But when filming actually started, I felt an invisible energy within me, and I unconsciously had the responsibility and commitment a father should have, and in times of crisis, I would instinctively take certain actions.

Just like my family and I, we often worry about “planning for the eventual difficulties”. He is the same way when he has free time. Although they have lived a peaceful life in Gezhi Town for three years, he still listens to the radio. He has never forgotten that the outside world is still in danger, so he makes a lot of preparations and transforms the tools in his house into weapons that can be used to defend against enemies at any time.

“Building a Bridge Between Fathers of That Era and Fathers of Today”

After the release of “Gezhi Town”, behind-the-scenes footage of Mo Dexian standing on a mountaintop and shouting, venting his emotions sparked discussion on social media, with netizens commenting that peaceful life is hard-won. During filming, Xiao Zhan was actually surrounded by towering buildings and modern overpasses, but he needed to portray Dexian’s repressed and painful state of mind under the shadow of war. This strong “time-space intersection” made it difficult for him to break out of character for a long time after filming.

Currently, social media platforms are rife with detailed interpretations of “Gezhi Town”, highlighting the film’s dark humor and the struggles of ordinary people, leaving a lingering emotional impact on viewers. Xiao Zhan, after watching the film, also gained a new understanding of the work, recalling in an interview a conversation at the premiere that moved him to tears—

Global Times: When filming scenes on a mountain side, there was a modern view in the distance. What were you thinking at the time? Which scenes left you feeling heavy-hearted after filming?

Xiao Zhan: I remember Lan Xiaolong saying that scene brought tears to his eyes. During filming, I also felt a sense of “time travel”, but as an actor, I need to completely believe in the current situation, and what I was seeing were very prosperous and modern high-rise buildings, so my feelings at the time were very complicated. After filming, my deepest feeling was that the life that seems so ordinary to us now was unattainable for people in that era. It was really not easy.

There were so many scenes that deeply moved me. The scene where I pulled the flagpole with Ogawara (played by Yin Zheng) left me in a daze long after filming, still immersed in the story. The final conversation with Xiao Yan (played by Peng Yuchang) in the ruins also left me feeling very heavy.

Global Times: What were your thoughts after seeing the finished film for the first time? How do you understand the meaning of the phrase “Dezian Jin Zhi / Gezhi Town”?

Xiao Zhan: On 5 December, an hour before the film’s press conference in Yichang, I watched the entire film for the first time. Before, when I watched my own performances, I couldn’t help but think, “How was my acting? This scene seems a bit lacking; I wish I could have acted like that in that scene…” But while watching “Gezhi Town”, I completely forgot about those things. I shed tears several times during the film, and I also laughed out loud, my feelings after watching it were very complex.

At first, I thought “Dexian Jin Zhi / Gezhi Town” simply meant meticulous creations belonging to Dexian. But when I sat in the movie theater and saw the film, already edited and set to music, on the screen, I had a new feeling. “Dexian / Leisure” actually represents the yearning of millions of people for a peaceful life, while “Jin Zhi / Meticulous Creations” represents the resilience that people develop in the face of adversity.

Global Times: You were moved to tears by the audience’s comments at the premiere. Which comments impressed you the most?

Xiao Zhan: I’ve seen many audience interpretations, including many angles we hadn’t considered during the creative process. They were really good, and I could feel how much everyone loved this film. As one of the actors, I’m very grateful and content.

The audience member who moved me at the premiere was also a father, he came to see the film with his wife and child. I clearly remember why I was moved — we, a group of people living in the present, are telling a story from that era, I portrayed a father and husband from that time, and I’m building an invisible bridge between myself and a father and husband in the present, allowing us to connect and communicate. This audience member found something moving in the story, and I feel that this work expresses the values ​​we want to convey.

“Whether You Want to Do Well or Not is a Matter of Attitude”

Why was Xiao Zhan chosen to play Mo Dexian? Hou Hongliang, the executive producer of “Gezhi Town”, stated in an interview that he saw in Xiao Zhan an actor’s attitude of stepping out of his “comfort zone”. Xiao Zhan was grateful for this praise, but in his view, he never thought about “stepping out” or “going anywhere”, only about doing his best in every job with the most positive attitude.

In 2025, Xiao Zhan will be meeting audiences with several works. In this interview, which is nearing the end of the year, when asked about his summary of 2025, Xiao Zhan somewhat shyly said that he is “very afraid of summarizing and making expectations”……

Global Times: What were your takeaways and insights from working with director Kong Sheng’s team this time?

Xiao Zhan: I think the director is incredibly talented. He’s responsible, insightful, and very efficient, giving the actors a tremendous sense of security. He has a very precise understanding of each scene. Before filming, he’ll gather the actors on set for a rehearsal, clearly explaining the key points he wants to convey, the background of the scene, and what we should be thinking while performing. He’s like a skilled craftsman threading a needle, connecting all the characters in a scene and ensuring no one goes off track.

Global Times: Many people say they see a determination in you to step out of your “comfort zone”. What is your take on that?

Xiao Zhan: To be honest, I have never really known where my comfort zone is. I have never thought about defining a comfort zone or where to go from there. What I care about most is whether the role, the script, and the team can move me and give me the motivation to do it, to be determined to do it. My thinking during filming and work is very simple, I just want to do my best. Whether I can do it is a matter of ability, but whether I want to do it well is a matter of my attitude.

Global Times: 2025 is coming to an end. How would you summarize this year?

Xiao Zhan: Oh dear, I dread year-end summaries and new year-end wishes (laughs). I’ll just use one word — “To be continued”.

Global Times: What would you like to say to those who have always supported you?

Xiao Zhan: I just want to say thank you. Looking back on this journey, nothing can compare to this simple thank you.

(The images in this article are stills from the movie “Gezhi Town”)