TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang

Career wise, 2020 was a big breakthrough for Joanne Missingham. Stepping out of the field of Go, an abstract strategy board game, she entered the world of fashion and entertainment and became the center of media attention wherever she went. Despite all the changes, she had never given up playing Go. Committing to the spirit of the game, Joanne had gone from a professional Go player with a 7 dan ranking in Taiwan to becoming a dedicated promoter of Go culture.

棋魂的精神
近幾年因為AI的原因，職業棋士的黃金年齡逐漸縮短，棋士與運動員一樣需要面臨到退役轉型的部分，2016年年底種子音樂老闆吳鋒找上黑嘉嘉，詢問是否有興趣進軍演藝圈，時間點剛好落在了在棋藝上正值瓶頸的她，考慮到棋士境界無法突破，常年生活太過於單調，是不是可以嘗試不一樣的可能，於是就這樣她一腳踏進了演藝圈。當然她的重心依然是圍棋，在許多演員想要撕去過往的標籤，黑嘉嘉反而逆向而行，「很感謝因為圍棋而認識我粉絲朋友，圍棋陪伴我20年，是我人生無法分隔的一部分。」

想起幾年前專注於圍棋世界里的自己，她感謝曾經的過往，成就如今的她。如今在演藝、時尚領域多有不一樣的詮釋，成長與升級之於她而言有一個共通點：「一條更加清晰認識自己的道路。」關於成長的定義，圍棋是她的信仰，從小到大圍棋賦予了她勇氣和力量，也在人生的不同階段給她以引導，或許直到現在，她的喜、怒、哀、樂都與棋子同在，在探究歲月時光里程中，她從裡面看到了自己的影子，對圍棋的執著，和對表演的一些韌性是有相似之處。

無邊界人生
時間拉回到2019年拍攝《消失的情人節》，是嘉嘉出演的第一部電影作品，娓娓講起進劇組時的緊張的狀態，有一場戲忘詞的那瞬間，她當下腦袋一片空白，「沒有人罵我，大霈姐（李霈瑜）很溫暖，說沒事再來一條。」經紀人安妮在一旁立馬補充道，因為台詞只有10個字，還忘詞了，所以讓她至今無法忘懷。

對於現在的嘉嘉而言，讀劇本是開拍前最為關鍵的一步，通過這個過程，必須要把角色理解到位。在過往面對棋盤上的博弈講求的是心如止水，而演戲則是把豐沛的情感釋放出來，一旦開拍，就要立刻進入角色，沒有太多時間給你去適應，因為你就是那個人，這是她現階段需要克服與磨練的，也透過觀賞播出後的影視作品，去揣摩如何讓表演呈現地更加自然。作為一個女孩，她想做的還有很多，可能還有個拯救世界的夢，從小喜歡看一些武俠片、崇拜黑寡婦、神力女超人這種女力角色的她，希望有機會能夠出演武打片女主型人物。

談起「做自己」，自帶著一種古典美的強大氣場的黑嘉嘉不畏言，刷到社群動態上的負面評論，要學習接受不同聲音的反饋，從小便不會在意他人眼光，她說清楚知道自己在做什麼就好，或許內心強大的信仰，來自於閱讀。近期讀了知名心理作家周慕姿老師的《過度努力》，讓她拾得一個領悟：當你相信自己夠好，你就不用總是必須向這個世界證明什麼，努力不是為了滿足別人的目光，應該要為了自己而努力。

棋士的浪漫
長年當一名空中飛人的黑嘉嘉，笑稱一年基本上要飛出去20次趟，把家裡當成飯店來住，從疫情開始，她有自己的思考，學會「慢」下來生活，經歷了過往棋藝上的豐收，2020年的沈澱，到今年得價值回歸，接下來的路要怎麼走，她說想做圍棋推廣、教育這件事情。開發一年多的圍棋線上教學的APP軟件準備在9月份上線，「我想做的就是讓大家認識到圍棋是一項有趣的運動，並且喜歡上它。」透過這個平台能夠讓更多認識圍棋，圍棋與其他類運動不一樣，會下棋才會理解圍棋賽事的魅力。

從黑嘉嘉的身上看到了她對於理想的堅持，「時光」如同她身上的一面鏡子，在多次談話之中，她不斷提起對於圍棋的熱愛。單身至今27年的黑嘉嘉，她透露自己很喜歡小孩，目前最大的願望是能夠在三十而立的年齡結婚生子，於她的想像中未來另一半是個脾氣好、幽默體貼的成熟男性，並在未來組建的家中享受著一起做飯的浪漫樂趣。

The Spirit of the Game
With the recent rise of artificial intelligence, the golden age for professional Go players is gradually decreasing. Like athletes, they are now facing the challenge of transformation and adaptation after retirement. In 2016, the CEO of Seed Music, Feng Wu contacted Joanne and asked if she would be interested in entering the entertainment industry. It was the perfect timing: she was feeling like it was impossible to move forward with her Go playing career and that her life had been too simple for too long. Perhaps it was time to explore the different opportunities life has to offer. And just like that, Joanne entered the entertainment industry. However, unlike most celebrities trying to remove their labels, she is still focused on Go playing. “I’m grateful for the fans and friends who knew me because of Go. It has accompanied me for 20 years and become an inseparable part of my life.” Reflecting on her past self who was fully engrossed in the world of Go, Joanne is thankful of her past that made her who she is in the present. Now, she is able to express a different side of her in the field of fashion and entertainment. And in the face of growth and improvement, Joanne had one rule: “Take the path where you can understand yourself more clearly.” Speaking of what it meant to grow up, she said Go is like her religion. Growing up, it had given her strength and power and offered her guidance through the different stages of life. Even till now, her emotions are intertwined with the black and white stones. Through this journey of exploration, Joanne had seen her own shadow as her dedication towards the game resembles her tenacity when it comes to performing.

Life with No Limits
Back to 2019, Joanne was shooting My Missing Valentine, the first film she starred in. She vividly remembers how nerve-wracking it was. There was a scene where she had forgotten her line and her mind just went completely blank. “No one was mad; Patty was so kind and simply told me to go again.” Joanne’s agent, Annie, chimes in saying it was only ten words to memorize, and yet she still forgot it, which is why Joanne still remembers the incident so clearly. Now, for Joanne, she sees reading the script as the most important step before shooting starts. It is the process in which she has to understand the character thoroughly. In contrast to Go playing that is all about maintaining a calm state, acting requires the release of emotions. Once the camera is rolling, you have to get in character immediately without much time to spare. This is what Joanne is working on at the moment. She also reviews her own work to practice ways in which she can improve and give a more natural performance. As a girl, there is still so much Joanne wants to do, not to mention a dream of saving the world. A big fan of Wuxia films and female superheroes like Black Widow and Wonder Woman, she hopes that she will get a chance in the future to play the protagonist in an action movie. Speaking of “being yourself,” Joanne is never afraid. Whenever she encounters any negative feedback on social media, she chooses to learn to accept them. Never someone who is bothered by other people’s opinion, she says it’s important to have faith in yourself and understand what you’re doing. Perhaps this strong conviction stemmed from reading. Having recently just finished Dr. Muer Chou’s book on overextending oneself, Joanne realizes one thing: when you truly believe that you are good enough, there is nothing you need to prove to the world because your hard work is not done for other people, it is for yourself, and yourself only.

A Romantic Kishi
A frequent traveler, Joanne says she usually takes around 20 trips per year and teases how her house is more like a hotel for her. Ever since the pandemic happened, she had a lot of time to think and learn how to “slow down.” From her glorious Go achievement to a pause-and-reset in 2020, she now wants to turn her focus to Go playing education and spreading awareness. With over a year of preparation and development, an App offering online Go courses will be ready to launch in September. “I want to introduce everyone to Go and let them understand how it’s actually a really fun sport.” Through this platform, people will get the chance to understand what is Go and its charm by actually playing online. From our interview, I see Joanne’s persistence when it comes to her dreams and ideals. Single at the moment, she reveals that she loves kids and her biggest wish is to start her own family by the age of thirty. In her ideal, her significant other is someone who is understanding, humorous and mature. Together, they would enjoy the simple, romantic joy of cooking together in their future home.

照片來源/ 種子音樂提供