{"id":1254108,"date":"2022-01-29T13:37:49","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T18:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1254108"},"modified":"2022-01-29T13:37:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-29T18:37:54","slug":"exclusive-british-actor-defends-roles-in-chinese-propaganda-blockbusters-lake-changjin-has-beautiful-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-british-actor-defends-roles-in-chinese-propaganda-blockbusters-lake-changjin-has-beautiful-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive \u2014 British Actor Defends Roles in Chinese Propaganda Blockbusters: &#039;Lake Changjin&#039; Has &#039;Beautiful Message&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-british-actor-defends-roles-in-chinese-propaganda-blockbusters-lake-changjin-has-beautiful-message%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1254108&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/actorkevinlee1-640x335-1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">China provides open-minded Western actors a refreshing career alternative to sluggish Hollywood and does not \u201cget enough credit\u201d for vast improvements in film production, Kevin Lee, a British actor working in China for a decade, told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview from Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>Lee encouraged Americans, and Westerners generally, to give Chinese films a chance, arguing that they present much more nuance than the publicity they get overseas may suggest.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Lee has worked as British, American, and other Western characters necessary to tell Chinese stories during his time in the country, receiving airtime in increasingly high-profile blockbusters as the Chinese film industry has become a bigger player in global filmmaking. Lee most recently starred in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/10\/19\/chinese-film-about-defeating-america-korean-war-tops-global-box-office\/\"><em>The Battle at Lake Changjin<\/em><\/a>, the highest-grossing Chinese film of <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2021\/11\/china-the-battle-at-lake-changjin-highest-grossing-film-all-time-1234880119\/\">all time<\/a> and the number two highest grossing film of 2021 anywhere in the world, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-numbers.com\/box-office-records\/worldwide\/all-movies\/cumulative\/released-in-2021\">second<\/a> only to the latest&nbsp;<em>Spider-man<\/em> movie.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch below:&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Lee will also feature in the upcoming film&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/film\/news\/zhang-yimou-zhang-mo-korean-war-film-1234926718\/\">Sharpshooter<\/a>&nbsp;<\/em>(sometimes translated as&nbsp;<em>Snipers<\/em>), directed by legendary Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. Zhang \u2013 once a pariah over his brutal anti-communist film&nbsp;<em>To Live<\/em>&nbsp;(now <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.dal.ca\/cinema\/2019\/08\/30\/to-live-zhang-yimou-1994-%E5%BC%A0%E8%89%BA%E8%B0%8B-1994\/#:~:text=The%20film%20was%20banned%20in,upon%20Zhang%20for%20two%20years.\">banned<\/a> in the country) and violations of the now-defunct \u201cone child policy\u201d \u2013 has become one of the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s favorite directors, set to return to directing the Olympics Opening Ceremonies next month after receiving the honor in 2008.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sharpshooter<\/em> and&nbsp;<em>Lake Changjin<\/em> are both war films told from a Chinese perspective. As they are set in the Korean War, the enemies are the U.S. government; the heroes are the Chinese soldiers whose sacrifices make the existence of North Korea, arguably the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2017\/05\/04\/7-north-korean-realities-highlight-kim-regime-madness\/\">repressive<\/a> regime in the world, possible today. The film depicts Mao Zedong, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/books\/news\/mao-s-great-leap-forward-killed-45-million-in-four-years-2081630.html\">responsible<\/a> for at least 45 million deaths, as a fatherly, thoughtful leader pained by the sacrifices of his soldiers.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch below:&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><em>Lake Changjin<\/em> received significant international attention due to its box office success, which led to Westerners on both sides of the political aisle \u2013 and, notable, <a href=\"https:\/\/thewire.in\/film\/battle-at-lake-changjin-chinese-war-blockbuster-south-korea\">South Koreans<\/a> \u2013 watching it and declaring it an obvious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/10\/04\/business\/battle-lake-changjin-china-box-office-intl-hnk\/index.html\">communist<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2021\/nov\/19\/the-battle-at-lake-changjin-review\">propaganda<\/a>&nbsp;setpiece.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Also contributing to the perception that <em>Lake Changjin<\/em> \u2013 whose salt-of-the-earth heroes square off and defeat nefarious American \u201cimperialism\u201d against all odds \u2013 is government propaganda: the fact that the Chinese government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/saramerican\/2021\/11\/29\/battle-at-lake-changjin-is-chinas-all-time-highest-grossing-film\/?sh=497f89733bf7\">funded<\/a> it and enthusiastically promoted the film, even suggesting schools have a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202110\/1236817.shtml\">duty<\/a>\u201d to host viewings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>The Battle at Lake Changjin<\/em>, whose box office is expected to be the largest in Chinese film history, has pushed the patriotic sentiment of people across the country to a peak,\u201d the state-run&nbsp;<em>Global Times<\/em> newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202110\/1235751.shtml\">declared<\/a> in October,&nbsp;\u201camid the tense China-US competition and China\u2019s effective control of the epidemic, Chinese film observers said.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Those who have criticized the movie have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/08\/world\/asia\/luo-changping-china-battle-at-lake-changjin.html\">arrested<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Lee rejected the premise that his film is any more propaganda than any Hollywood movie in an extensive and candid conversation \u2013 that, to his credit, he initiated with Breitbart News \u2013 last week. On the contrary, he contended, the interactions between Chinese and American soldiers in the movie show mutual respect and a desire for peace that Western viewers should consider.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think people have just looked at the movie, you know, the movie itself in its entirety and just judged that movie just because it makes Chinese look more superior. How often do we watch \u2013 with all due respect \u2013 American movies \u2026 how often do we watch American movies that shows how superior America is?\u201d Lee asked. \u201cWe see American flags in every single movie, is that not propaganda?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>Lee plays&nbsp;Colonel Allan MacLean, a real American soldier who is presumed to have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil\/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt00000001VHiEAM\">died<\/a> in the Chinese surprise attack on Lake Changjin, known more commonly in the West as the Chosin Reservoir. Colonel MacLean\u2019s remains were never found, his real-life demise remaining an unknown to family and the American public. In&nbsp;<em>Lake Changjin<\/em>, MacLean dies at the hand of Wu Qianli, a humble Chinese volunteer soldier who raced to the front lines of the Korean War (the \u201cWar to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea\u201d) after having just returned from the front lines of the war against Japan. Wu is played by Wu Jing, one of China\u2019s top action movie stars. Lee described his character\u2019s death in the film to Breitbart News as a \u201creally integral\u201d part of the film because Wu shows humanity to MacLean, granting him a \u201cgraceful\u201d death rather than executing him like a faceless action movie bad guy.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch below:&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s actually a really integral part of the film \u2026 where I play Colonel Allan MacLean of the Polar Bears and I\u2019m the last man standing, I try to run back into my headquarters and as I run in I get shot in the shoulder by the main star,\u201d Lee narrated, \u201cAnd I\u2019m propped up against the table kind of bleeding out somewhat. And the star runs into the building, I think the side man \u2026 comes in and wants to kill me because he\u2019s angry, I probably killed some of his friends in the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Wu Jing, the star, he grabs the gun and he kind of tosses it away somewhat and says \u2018No, it\u2019s unnecessary, you don\u2019t need to finish him off. This is not what war is about,&#8217;\u201d Lee explained. \u201cAnd I think there was a very important message there and that message should hopefully resonate \u2013 that war is war, and we can\u2019t stop war, but it\u2019s not about just necessarily killing your enemy, it\u2019s about respecting your enemy, as well, and I think that\u2019s the message that Wu Jing wanted to convey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t about Chinese beating the Americans. This is about, you know, unfortunately, we\u2019re in a war here, and this is how it is,\u201d Lee contended, describing it as a \u201cbeautiful message.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the film, Lee told Breitbart News, \u201cthe American characters in this war movie, actually, they were made to look very good,\u201d despite the movie\u2019s reputation \u2013 fueled by Chinese regime media coverage \u2013 that it is an uncomplicated glorification of communism soldiers. In a separate scene, he noted, an American general salutes dead Chinese soldiers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a scene where they are frozen in the snow \u2026 they froze to death, and he [the actor playing the general] wanted to salute those soldiers to show somewhat respect to the fallen, and that\u2019s an American wanting to do that, and thats a great message to send,\u201d Lee said. He rejected the contention that the salute was a sign of submission to a superior China and claimed the actor added the flourish to the film \u2013 the screenplay did not call for a salute.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch below:&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p>\u201cThat was an American soldier, an actual American playing an American general, who wanted wanted to salute the soldiers as a form of respect,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe same thing with my dying scene, there\u2019s no need to shoot this person in the head, what kind of message would that send to the West if a Chinese soldier were to shoot \u2013 it doesn\u2019t send a very good message.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the message that they are trying to send is we want peace, of course \u2013 of course thats what the whole world wants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee also offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Chinese film projects actively make use of American consultants to ensure the authenticity of the portrayal of Westerners.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the big productions they want to get it more historically correct,\u201d Lee explained. For <em>Sharpshooter<\/em>, he noted, \u201cwe had two weeks of sniper training. \u2026 a former Marine [was] brought over to give a consultation. It was quite&nbsp;informative, quite professional, and he gave us a quite honest account of the history of the Korean War.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee noted that on the set of another film,&nbsp;<em>Wolf Warrior<\/em> \u2013 whose sequel,&nbsp;<em>Wolf Warrior 2<\/em>, was the highest grossing Chinese movie of all time before&nbsp;<em>Lake Changjin<\/em> \u2013 another former Marine trained the actors.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<em>Wolf Warrior<\/em> films are action movies in which the villains are American mercenaries, not a historical account.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, we\u2019re playing mercenaries, they wanted more of a Western style so they brought in \u2026 a former Marine to help us with the training,\u201d Lee explained. \u201cChina is really trying to improve the film market and they want more authenticity and I think they don\u2019t get enough credit for that, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee insisted, despite his defense of the political message of his movies, that he was personally not a political person and did not take a position either for or against China regarding any of the wide array of human rights atrocities attributed to the Xi Jinping regime, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/12\/09\/tribunal-olympics-host-china-beyond-a-reasonable-doubt-guilty-of-genocide\/\">genocide<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2020\/04\/22\/vietnam-beijing-seriously-violating-sovereignty-in-south-china-sea\/\">colonization<\/a> to live <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/06\/14\/china-claims-miracle-surge-organ-donors\/\">organ harvesting<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 or, more germane to his recent body of work, the respective sides in the Korean War.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me it\u2019s just acting honestly, it\u2019s just acting. I don\u2019t get involved in that, it\u2019s not my business, I\u2019m not in the right country to give my opinion on that, anyway,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt\u2019s just for me \u2013 it\u2019s just work, I\u2019m trying to build up a career for myself, I\u2019m very fortunate to be working in this country as an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked if working on a Korean War film from China\u2019s perspective made him rethink his stance on North Korea, Lee replied, \u201chonestly, never gave that any consideration. I like to think I\u2019m quite a simple guy. I\u2019m in this country, I respect \u2013 I try my best to respect the culture and history here, you know. At the end of the day I am a guest in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust like if I went to the States, even though we speak the same language, I\u2019m still a guest in that country \u2026 I never get involved in politics, I never really share my opinion too much. As an actor, I just get on with my job,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n<p>Lee was more forthcoming on what he deemed the \u201cpositives\u201d of life in China.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m obligated to defend China, I mean, I am really a quite honest person, but at the end of the day, you know, being in this country for ten years has given me absolutely everything,\u201d Lee explained, \u201cso you have to try to appreciate everything regardless of the history or politics right now \u2013 that\u2019s not my business, I\u2019m not involved with that \u2013 I can only look at what I\u2019ve achieved and what this country has given me, and it\u2019s given me a hell of a lot. A lot more than what I would have gotten back in my home country, I\u2019m pretty sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s unfair that fingers are pointed at China,\u201d Lee contended, \u201cbecause those fingers pointing at China have never even stepped foot in China, they have never embraced the culture, they have never seen how hospitable Chinese people are, how friendly they are, how they embrace Western culture, how they want to learn more from the Western culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee credited a \u201cleap of faith\u201d with China for his growing career success and suggested the more \u201crelaxed\u201d film industry in China was a good fit for him, though he hopes to make the leap to Hollywood someday. While the Chinese film industry is yet to overtake Hollywood \u2013 or even Bollywood, the towering Indian film industry \u2013 Lee said he receives messages \u201cevery day\u201d from aspiring actors asking about working in China.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can probably see more actors coming to China because obviously a lot of these movies \u2026 grossing near a billion dollars so of course this is going to have a lot of Westerners with open eyes thinking maybe there is potential in China,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not easy. It\u2019s not as simple as booking a flight to China, landing \u2026 but its definitely a lot more relaxed than it is back in the West,\u201d he explained, \u201cYou don\u2019t necessarily have to have an agent and all that stuff so the route to working as an actor here is a lot easier than in the West.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lee also suggested that there is a \u201cmisconception&nbsp;that foreigners are over here working on propaganda movies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just think it\u2019s as simple as \u2026 there\u2019s so much opportunity over here, we don\u2019t really think about the type of movie we are working on. I haven\u2019t really worked on any \u2018propaganda movies\u2019 so to speak,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lee said he reached out to Breitbart News \u201choping to send a more positive message out to the West.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this day and age with, you know, Covid [Chinese coronavirus] and whatnot, I think, yeah, why not have something a little bit more positive,\u201d he asked. \u201cBecause every[thing] we read now is all negativity, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Sharpshooter<\/em>, Lee\u2019s latest film,&nbsp;was initially set to arrive in Chinese movie theaters in July, but has since been <a href=\"https:\/\/theplaylist.net\/sharpshooter-trailer-zhang-yimou-20220103\/\">moved<\/a> to February 1.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch below:&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643201124120000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Rt3QI3YjoGaj1hJavmhCh\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1643201124120000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1uvNIwPbEEBNNnQgZURykW\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China provides open-minded Western actors a refreshing career alternative to sluggish Hollywood and does not \u201cget enough credit\u201d for vast improvements in film production, Kevin Lee, a British actor working &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1254108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1254108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1254108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1254108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1254108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}