Actor Song Yining: The Story of Grandmother Becoming a "Sister" | Doubt | Song Yining

Every night before the performance, Song Yining asked the makeup artist to draw her facial lines more sharply. "Everyone calls me Song Mama, maybe I'm a bit kind. I told the makeup artist to raise her eyebrows slightly, more like a nun."

From now until June 25th, "Doubt" starring Song Yining will be performed at the Shanghai Drama Art Center. Leaving the theater and returning home, she earnestly treated her 7-year-old granddaughter as a good grandmother, completing each task according to the schedule, just as she was meticulous in her work.

Being chased and beaten in a dream

64 year old Song Yining spent 40 years on stage and treated every time she appeared on stage like a newcomer. "She didn't eat food with too much carbon and water content, and her mouth would loosen and her tongue wouldn't work properly. She didn't add salt or monosodium glutamate to her three meals, otherwise her mouth would dry and her tongue wouldn't be smooth." Cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocados made up Song Yining's meals for the past half month of her performance in "Doubt".

"The lines cannot be interrupted, coherent like music, with a flowing sense of script English lines." Song Yining pursues perfection, "today's performance was perfect without any flaws, and I feel comfortable in my heart. Recently, I have been chased and beaten in my dreams while sleeping at night."

The story of "Doubt" takes place in 1964, where Song Yining plays Sister Alosis. Due to her suspicion that Father Flynn has exceeded the expectations of male church students, the two engage in a battle of will and faith. "Sister Alosis is not a perfect character, with weaknesses and unlovable aspects. She appears cold and rigid on the surface, full of vigilance and dogmatism, but in reality, she has a heart full of love and wants to protect the children around her. It is not easy to encounter characters with contrasting feelings."

More than a decade ago, when she starred in "Doubt," Song Yining worked hard to get closer to Sister Aloisis. "I need to think about how to act, but now I'm more mature and have a better understanding of many plot points. This time, I feel like I'm in a brand new play, with a significant change in the character's appearance and a more subdued voice." On June 8th, "Doubt" premiered, and after a week of acting, Song Yining found composure. "As I acted, I improvised a lot of feelings. The hot, soft, and gentle side of the nun's heart was revealed, which was not pre designed."

It's like a fable

"We live in a culture of trial, only interested in those celebrities who are pushed to the bench. Communication has become a competition of different wills, and public discussions have become insincere and uncomfortable. Why? Perhaps it's because deep down in these incessant chatter, we already know we... know nothing. But no one wants to admit this." This is one of the motivations behind screenwriter John P. Shanley's creation of "Doubt".

Doubt won three major heavyweight drama awards in 2005: the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Drama, and the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Drama. It was also adapted to the screen and starred Meryl Streep. This time, director He Ji will reprise "Doubt", starring Song Yining, He Ping, Liu Yichen, and Song Ruhui.

"Suspicion is like a fable, and the good script is to drive the audience's will to slide east and west at times, without giving a particularly clear and definite answer to whether Father Flynn is guilty." In 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023, Song Yining welcomed the fourth Father Flynn actor He Ping. "New opponents bring new excitement. He Ping's eyes are very sharp, and when he looks at me, I don't move. Our confrontation has a very full and determined long pause. I like He Ping's inner fulfillment, and he's not afraid of revealing himself on stage, including long periods of time." Without saying a word. "

The script for Doubt mentions Father Flynn having long nails. He Ping, who dislikes keeping nails the most, not only keeps long nails but also manicures and polishes them. "He Ping has a textured sensibility that gives people room for thinking. He plays a priest with many small movements, such as playing ball, reaching out and holding a cup, wanting three candies, etc., which makes people wonder if he has committed any crimes."

Must read audience comments every night

After finishing the performance of "Doubt" and returning home, every night before going to bed, Song Yining would flip through the comments posted by the audience online, saying, "Some people think that Teacher Song acted well, while others think that Teacher Song's lines today were twisted, letting me know where the problem lies and what needs to be improved. Some people say that I was exhausted from watching this play, and the nun has no evidence. How can I casually doubt someone and jump up and down? Some people say that the priest is guilty, and then list the evidence one, two, three, four. Everyone has their own thoughts."

A few days ago, Song Yining's daughter came to watch "Doubt" and said, "She told me that after the audience left, there was a heated discussion about whether the priest had ever done it."

After scrolling through audience reviews on her phone, it was almost late at night, and Song Yining always couldn't sleep soundly while thinking about performing. The next day, she still woke up at 6:30, and her 7-year-old granddaughter would poke her in the face to wake her up. Song Yining's unchanging habit is to first send her granddaughter to kindergarten, then hand wash her clothes, and then read the script.

Husband Lv Liang joked about her, "Are you under pressure in this scene?" Song Yining admitted, "Many scenes are familiar to me, and the characters are all in my mind. This time, the lines in" Doubt "have been adjusted, and the rhythm has become different. I am too familiar with the story and lines, and often blurt out the lines from previous versions, thinking not to be wrong, but the more I think, the more wrong I become."

As a colleague, Lv Liang would give advice to Song Yining, "Sister Alosis should not have too many external movements, which makes people feel that she is too neurotic."

What impressed Song Yining the most was their early collaboration on "The Salty Taste of Cappuccino". "If we didn't have the same idea, I would say why I had to compromise, how could you not compromise, and maybe we would have a small argument. When playing with other opposing actors, I wouldn't speak so straightforwardly." In recent years, the two of them have appeared on the same stage in "The Death of a Salesman". "The characters in the drama are the way we live, leaning, hugging, pinching, and tidying up our hair, including when he gets angry and I'm helpless on the side. The expression of 'coming back' is also a common occurrence in life. Some people say that you two acted really well." Like a couple, I thought to myself, isn't this nonsense? "

As a young couple, they stay together until old age. Song Yining likes to sit in the yard with Lv Liang, basking in the sun in winter and enjoying the cool breeze in summer. "This is great, we both have this feeling." Last year, Lv Liang was away from Shanghai for four months and filmed the movie "Dunhuang Heroes". "We chat on video every day, sometimes more than once or twice. Actually, it's just a small matter. For example, when I wake up in the morning, are you up? What do I eat? What are you eating?"

After finishing "Doubt" on June 25th, Song Yining will resume her daily routine and stay at home with her granddaughter, becoming a good grandmother. "When I was young, I was like this. I didn't love traveling, hiking, or shopping. Even if I went out to play, I would find a good restaurant and sit down to drink tea and chat."

64 year old actress Song Yining has worked on stage for 40 years, balancing her life between acting and family, from a celebrity, wife, mother to grandmother.