Gaoye Golden Rooster Queen Xin Xilei, Zhang Songwen, Zhang Xiaofei and Lei Jiayin also spent 10 years sharpening their swords

In recent years, there has been a trend of “counterattack by powerful actors” in the mainland’s entertainment industry, and many “golden green leaves” who have been working quietly for more than ten years have emerged one after another. Recently, at the 39th Golden Rooster Awards ceremony, 39-year-old actress Gao Ye won the Best Actress Award for her role in the anti-war historical film “Nanjing Photo Studio”. She became emotional on stage and lamented that after spending 20 years in the industry, she finally had the moment when “dreams became reality.” In fact, in the entertainment industry, there is also Xin Zilei,zhang songwen Zhang Xiaofei, Lei Jiayin and others have also gone through a long period of ups and downs, relying on each role to accumulate strength, and ultimately ushered in a turning point in their careers.

Gao Ye was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 2006, but for more than ten years, he fell into the dilemma of having no films to film and playing supporting roles. It was difficult to even see his name on campaign posters. By 2023, she became famous overnight as the domineering and beautiful “sister-in-law” Chen Shuting in the event-level anti-gang drama “Kung Fu”; In order to get rid of the single label, she played the role of Lin Yuxiu in “Nanjing Photo Studio”.

Zhang Songwen, who, like Gao Ye, made her comeback in “Hurry Up”, had an equally ups and downs acting career. He has been a bit player for almost 20 years. He was rejected hundreds of times for auditions and had to live in poverty. He has been working as a performance coach in the crew for a long time to earn a living. After becoming a god with the role of “Gao Qiqiang”, he extended his acting energy to the big screen and won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival in the movie “Mystery in a Cardboard Box”. When he received the award he said calmly, “Every step taken and every night spent matters.” These words have become de facto symbols for countless grassroots actors.

And Xin Zilei, who performed on the same stage with Zhang Songwen in “The Sun Is Up”, is also a representative who has struggled to move forward. In September last year, she won the Best Actress Award at the 82nd Venice Film Festival for this film, becoming the third Chinese Venice Best Actress after Gong Li and Daxian Ye. In her early years, when her family was struggling financially, she was mocked all over the Internet by saying that “she wanted to be an international superstar.” However, she did not despair. Instead, she gradually earned reputation through roles such as Concubine Jia in “Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Royal Palace” and Li Li in “Flowers”, and eventually fulfilled her promise by becoming famous in the international film industry.

Zhang Xiaofei and Lei Jiayin also experienced hardships and joys. Zhang Xiaofei, who graduated from Nortel, went to the sketch comedy circle for more than ten years in his early years. It was not until the age of 35 that she won the Golden Rooster Best Actress Award for “Hello, Li Huaying”. In recent years, he has broken away from the “national mother” framework and successively challenged the suspense movies “Rescue the Suspect” and “Malicious”. The cumulative box office of films starring him has passed the 10 billion yuan mark.

As for Lei Jiayin, known as “Drama Face”, she has been immersed in drama stages and film and television dramas for many years after graduation. It was not until “The First Half of My Life”, “Chang’an Twelve Hours” and “Human World” became hits one after another that he was promoted to the front row. At the end of 2024, he also won the 37th Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor for “Article 20” directed by Zhang Yimou, and completed the “Grand Slam” achievement of Feitian, Magnolia, Golden Eagle and Golden Rooster Awards. These five actors have used decades of perseverance to prove that in the hustle and bustle of the entertainment industry, time and strength will never fail those who truly love acting.