TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang
電影劃下黑幕，《孤味》片尾曲緩緩響起，全場依然靜坐於位置上，遲遲無法從情節裡的觸動走出，轉頭一望同事們偷偷地拿出紙巾，擦拭臉上滑過的淚水，不同的年齡層，投射到自身內心柔軟的記憶點，道出了陳淑芳六十逾載的演藝生涯。
The closing credits continued to roll while the ending theme of “Little Big Women” started to play, and yet everyone remained in their seats, silent and unable to detach from the heartfelt emotions evoked by the film. I remembered turning to my side only to find my colleagues all grabbing napkins to wipe away the tears trickling down their faces. Regardless of the age, the audience was able to reflect upon the scenes by reimagining the deepest, most touching memories—that, is the meaning to Shu-Fang Chen’s sixty years of pursuing an acting career.
挑戰時尚大片
在金馬尚未公布得獎名單之前，公司早已敲定陳淑芳作為一月份封面人物，前期工作籌備之餘，全球銀髮時尚正在流行，美的穿搭不再屬於年輕人的標誌，同事們一度討論該如何將台灣「國民阿嬤」陳淑芳打造出時尚女王風範，顛覆台灣社會對女性阿嬤樸實無華的形象，只要心態不老，就能駕馭任何事情。拍攝當天，初見淑芳阿姨，眼睛炯炯有神，親切地與團隊打招呼，早晨工作結束後匆匆吃個便飯，搭乘公車來到拍攝場地，近距離與她相處能明顯感覺到她年輕、鮮活的靈魂，很難讓人相信她已經82歲。隨行同事更是點頭表示，「在BELLAVITA各個樓層來回奔走拍攝，她如同自家阿嬤一般親切地走著、走著直接扶著我的手，不會有演藝人員高冷的距離感。」首次拍攝時尚大片，淑芳阿姨坦言，「很害怕自己無法詮釋得好，個兒不高、穿不起衣服的氣勢。2020年我比較幸運，很多第一次嘗試，拍雜誌封面、走金馬紅毯。」剛開拍之際，或許是第一次駕馭，她神情很豐富如同演戲一般，遲遲無法找出合適的角度與感覺，站在一旁的小媽(陳淑芳經紀人)如軍師一般，及時地指導與調整她的狀態，給予足夠的信心與支持。
奪下金馬美譽
從綠葉走到紅花的這段旅程，她走了很久，談及今年獲得金馬雙料影后，她眼睛睜大緊握雙手，「聽到姓名那一刻有一點緊張，不曉得上台要講什麼。沒有想過金馬獎項這麼重，抱著很辛苦。本來是一隻手，後來變成兩隻手抱著，抱了、抱了就抱回家。」在近耄耋之年她終於和金馬相遇，一路上感謝的人很多，從學校出來感謝老師、出來拍戲感謝導演，「金馬結束當天回家，我看了拍第一部戲的海報，算一算現在已經沒有幾個人還在，包括今天現在，各位我都感謝你們。」語畢，我匆匆地在採訪板上速記，空間安靜了片刻，抬頭說道我有點想哭，淑芳阿姨看著我眼神從容與柔和地說，「為甚麼想哭人生就是如此，我是演員我不是明星，一路下來也許這就是我的使命，我必須把戲演好。」或許所有的快樂與幸福是相對的，「觀眾能記住我，我覺得很幸運。」第一部戲拍完，父親過世後媽媽在家，家中有兩個弟弟，此時的她扛起了家中經濟支柱，眼神流露一股堅毅強調除了養家活口，既然選擇這一行，就應該熱愛它，全身心地投入。
“人生就是如此，我是演員 我不是明星，一路下來也許這就是我的使命，我必須把戲演好。”
回首演藝之路
喜歡和堅持是人生最美格言，努力耕耘其他的事情就交給時間。敬業的態度將角色演活，三年前拍攝了《野雀之詩》，從小生長在九份的她緩緩地道出，礦坑的女人到礦坑坑口撿煤屑，長期撿煤屑會產生駝背、彎腰的現象，導演沒有要求，但敬業的她認為詮釋老嫗角色彎腰身形是必備，「只要我還能演，我就會繼續演下去。」故拍攝結束至今腰傷還沒有完全康復。談及《孤味》電影，淑芳阿姨笑說，「每一場戲都還在我腦海中浮現，拍起來很開心。如果破三億，準備開嗓唱《孤味》。」如今演戲之於她，如老人家的運動；背台詞則是促進腦海記憶力之法則。有一次她和導演開玩笑，「哪一天我不能走路了，就給我一個坐在輪椅上的角色。」這一句話看似風雲淡輕，詮釋生命的厚度，觸動內心之弦，我彷彿看到一位資深前輩她正在用人生閱歷訴說她對表演的熱愛。
活到老 學到老
經歷時光磨礪後的淡定與從容，狀態仍然如二八年華，她說自己是吃了多年的三得利固力伸才能保養得宜，我笑道，「淑芳阿姨妳這置入，代言很敬業呀。」此時她眼球睜大，歲月帶來的睿智感還有幾分童真，淘氣地答，「是真的，我真的吃了很有效。」想起余華《活著》本身就是活著的意義，天生就是戲子，活到老、學到老的陳淑芳，採訪近末她透露，「只要大家看了我演的戲滿意、開心就可以，到了這把年齡沒有說一定要演什麼戲，只要製作公司知道還有一個陳淑芳還能演找我演，我都會去。2020年走了很多人，我很慶幸自己很健康也很幸福。」散發生命張力，人在老去，思想永遠年輕，從姿勢不太自信，無法從容地展現適合的狀態，到拍攝最後一套服裝，她逐漸抓住了時尚阿嬤韻味，將霸氣堅毅的氣場與從容優雅的神情展露無遺，或許真正豐盈的美，不應該被爬上眉梢的皺紋掩蓋，反而因由年齡漸長，氣質越發高雅內斂，雋永流長。
“觀眾能記住我我覺得很幸運。”
Taking on a Fashion Photo Shoot
Before the results of the Golden Horse Awards even came out, we had already decided on inviting Shu-Fang Chen to be the cover star for our January issue. Understanding that fashion for the elderly is gradually becoming a global trend, we realized that beauty and style are no longer symbols for the younger generation. During the early stages of preparation, we wondered—how can we turn “Taiwan’s favorite grandma,” Shu-Fang Chen, into a queen of fashion who breaks the stereotype of the eldery being perceived as plain and unadorned? It seemed like as long as one upheld a youthful heart, anything could be achieved. On the day of our cover shoot, her eyes beamed with energy as she greeted our team with an amicable smile—it was my first time meeting Auntie Shu-Fang (as everyone likes to call her). After her morning work, she grabbed a quick bite and took the bus to come meet us for the shoot. Standing next to her, it wasn’t hard to feel her exuberance and energetic spirit, but it was hard to believe that she is already 82 years old. Nodding, my colleague who was present couldn’t agree more, “She was just like my grandma, linking her arm with mine as we walked around Bellavita, preparing for different cuts. She had none of the cold, aloofness you’d expect to get from other celebrities.” First time doing a fashion cover shoot, Auntie Shu-Fang admitted that she was pretty anxious. “I was afraid that I couldn’t do a good job. I’m the tallest so I was worried that I won’t be able to pull it off. But I think I’m one of the lucky ones in 2020 to have a lot of firsts. First time doing a magazine cover shoot. First time walking the red carpet.” In the beginning of our shoot, she used a wide range of expressions as if she was acting out a scene. Perhaps because it was her first time, at first she was unable to find the best angle that felt right. But thanks to the encouragement and support from her agent (who is basically a second mom and personal advisor to her) on the side, Auntie Shu-Fang was able to adjust and find her most confident state to finish the rest of the shoot.
Receiving the Golden Awards
It took her awhile to complete the journey from playing a supporting role to becoming the leading actress. Speaking of winning both best actress and best supporting actress for the Golden Horse Awards this year, her eyes widened and clasped her hands. “Honestly, when I heard my name I was so nervous because I didn’t know what to say on stage. I’ve never realized the trophy is so heavy, it was kind of hard to handle. I held it with one hand, and then with both. Eventually, I brought both trophies home with my arms around them.” Finally “encountering” the Golden Horse at such a venerable age, she wanted to say her thanks to a lot of people—her teachers, directors she’d worked with, and so much more. “That night, after I got home from the ceremony, I took out the poster of the very first film I was in. I realized a lot of the people I’d worked with, then and now, are no longer with us anymore. So to the ones who left early, I want to send my gratitude to them too.” The dressing room fell silent as I continued to jot down my notes on my notepad; I realized my eyes were filled with tears. Seeing that I’d teared up, Auntie Shu-Fang looked at me, eyes radiating this warming tenderness and said, “Don’t be sad. Isn’t this the way life is? I’m an actress, not a celebrity. All these years, I saw this as my calling. I have to bring the best performance.” Perhaps all the happiness and wellbeing were relative, “To me, it’s a fortune that the audience remembers me.” After her first film, her father passed away, leaving her with her mom and her two younger brothers. Becoming the family’s main financial pillar, Auntie Shu-Fang emphasized as her eyes flickered with determination that supporting her family was not the only reason. Since it was her decision to choose this occupation, she should devote all her passion and effort to live up to her own choice and to do her best.
Reflecting Upon a Life of Performing
Passion and dedication are life’s best motto, so leave the rest of the hard work to time. Always devoted to bringing her characters to life with her acting, she took part in “Wild Sparrow” three years ago. Having grown up in Jiufen, she unraveled the sad reality of women working in quarries—with the long work hours of constantly bending over and collecting cinders at the quarry entrance, their backs were all aching and hunched. Although the director didn’t explicitly ask for a hunchbacked physical performance, she believed that in order to portray an elderly woman, a slouching posture was necessary. “As long as I can act, I will continue performing.” Even though “Wild Sparrow” had wrapped its production already, her back injuries were still not completely recovered. Speaking of “Little Big Women,” Auntie Shu-Fang smiled and said, “Every single scene still plays clearly in my head. It was a delightful experience. If we reach 300 million at the box office, then I’ll sing the theme song for everyone.” To her, acting is like an exercise, while memorizing lines is the best way to keep her mind sharp. Once, she even jokingly told the director that, “If one day, my legs give out on me, be sure to give me a character who sits in a wheelchair.” A joke that seemed light-hearted actually carried so much weight by expressing the true essence of life and touching the deepest of the heart—it felt like I had just witnessed a senior actress use her life story to manifest her enthusiasm for performance.
Live and Learn
Still able to maintain an inner peace and a healthy posture even after time’s tempering, she told us that it’s mostly because she had been taking the Suntory Glucosamine active supplements. I couldn’t help and teased her, “That was such a smooth product placement, Auntie Shu-Fang.” Radiating with a wise and yet childish temperament, she smiled broadly and replied, “I’m telling the truth! It works really well on me.” Recalling Hua Yu’s novel, “To Live,” and its true meaning of being alive, I looked at the actress sitting in front of me and realized she’s the best example of someone who never stopped learning. A naturally born performer, Shu-Fang Chen revealed at the end of our interview, “As long as the audience is happy with my work, that’s all I’m asking for. At this age, I’m not picky about what kind of role I want to play. As long as production companies know that there is still a Shu-Fang Chen who can act, I’ll take any opportunity. We’ve lost a lot of people in 2020, I’m just grateful that I’m healthy and happy.” The beauty of life manifested itself through the way Auntie Shu-Fang maintained a youthful heart despite her age. She went from being unsure about her poses and how to confidently present herself in front of camera, to successfully capturing the charm of a fashion icon through her determined dominance and elegant temperament. Perhaps a true, ravishing beauty should not be covered by the creases on the face, but defined by this graceful longevity that only becomes more captivating as time goes on.
採訪後記
坐在梳妝台，給化妝師換上最後一套妝髮，我站在她的對面，淑芳阿姨緩緩地和我說，「如果我有哪裡做不好，表現得不好一定要和我說。我是在工作，所以要全力以赴，達到大家的滿意。」我沈默了一下，笑說：「阿姨您真的表現很好，很敬業！」淑芳阿姨答:「我現在可能詮釋的不好，但是如果你們90歲要找我拍，我也可以。」一位成功的演員，或許就是如此不斷出發、不斷學習，她已經在尋覓下一個舞台，再一次奮力演出。