Ariel Lin (Lin Yi Chen) was born 29 October 1982. She is an actress and singer from Asia, who won Best Leading Actress in a Television Series at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards. She majored in Korean and Literature at National Chengchi University, Taiwan.
Lin was first discovered in a Taiwanese variety show “Guess Guess Guess” and was the champion of the pretty subway girl contest in the show. She was paired with Mike He in the television drama series Love Contract. After starring in several television roles in Taiwanese dramas and two films during the early 2000s, she rose to fame in 2005 for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in “It Started With a Kiss”. Lin was also praised for her work in “Tokyo Juliet” (2004) as Lin Laisui with Wu Chun and Simon Yam. Her performances in “The Little Fairy” (2005) as The Seventh Fairy Maiden and “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” (2008) as Huang Rong brought her increased popularity in Mainland China. In October 2008, Lin won Best Leading Actress in a Television Series for “They Kiss Again” at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards. In 2008, she reunited with Joe Cheng, her co-star for It Started With a Kiss and They Kiss Again, in Love or Bread.
On the occasion of her winning Best Lead Actress for “Imperfect Us” in Busan’s Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards, we speak with her about playing the role of Chien Ching-fen, her relationship with her husband and Rebecca, the most difficult scenes she had to shoot and other topics.
What drew you in the role of Chien Ching-fen? In general, how do you pick the roles you play?
I actually don’t mind whether she’s likable or not. Instead, I’m glad that a rather tenebrous and dark character finally came to me. At the same time, I also feel Ching-Fen is very real and sincere, with her little scheming or jealousy covering up her reason at times, or when she’s in the state of being in a kind of bliss without realizing it, and also her subtle psychological changes.
My own principle in selecting scripts is trying to reflect the true pulse of the times we are living in and interpreting the real struggles, challenges and expectations of different people in our time. The most important step in choosing to enter a character is to repeatedly do what the character does every day until you enter into a state of “habit”, and then you will have some time day by day dedicated to her/his daydreaming.
Do you like the character? Would you be friends with her if you met her in real life?
I think Ching-Fen worked very hard to get what she wanted, and she got everything she wanted within a reasonable range. She didn’t force anyone, and she also made a lot of effort. Even though some people think she’s very narrow minded or scheming, I still think she gets everything on her own. She is very brave, very persistent, and has sacrificed a lot. I would say she could be a great friend! More importantly, she’s honest about her own desires and takes initiative!
How would you describe Ching-Fen’s relationship with her husband and with Rebecca?
The relationship between Cing-Fen and her husband is more like life partners, while her relationship with Rebecca is a mix of rivalry and friendship, like observing and envying each other from a distance.
She seems to be quite bored in her marriage. Do you think this is something that happens in all long-term relationships?
It is indeed very likely that you will face it, so we must cultivate the ability of self-awareness, not only to be aware of our own status, but also to be aware of the changes in the relationship between the two parties, and not getting passive or lazy to manage it. All healthy relationships require hard work with time.
Was it difficult for you that your character both narrates the series and acts, with each aspect giving its stead to the other quite frequently?
There is no conflict between the two roles. I have had a narrator-like character before, but actually, after all the scenes were filmed and finalized, I went into the dubbing studio and looked back at the clips that these characters had experienced, and then told the story as I was recalling and recollecting the memory.
What was the hardest scene to shoot in the series and what is your favorite?
There are two scenes which I found quite challenging. The first scene is related to the “chocolate whipped cream cake” that often appears in the play. It is a very important and interesting symbol in the series.
When Rui-Zhi (Ching-Fen’s husband) was still with Rebecca, he helped Ching-Fen to buy a birthday cake for all the colleagues in the company to eat together. It was more like Rui-Zhi taking the opportunity to show his affection for Rebecca, who had the same birthday, because he knew that Rebecca liked to eat that chocolate whipped cream cake. (Ching-Fen also found out later). After Ching-Fen and Rui-Zhi got married, Rui-Zhi helped Ching-Fen to buy the same chocolate whipped cream cake every year. This was a painful reminder for her that Rebecca’s still in her husband’s heart.
After experiencing the ups and downs in her marriage, Ching-Fen learned from her family that Rui-Zhi had heard them say that she loved eating that fresh cream chocolate cake when she was a child and promised that he would remember to help her buy the cake every year in the future. Therefore, the most difficult part to express was when Ching-Fen and Rui-Zhi were separated and the two were about to divorce; while her family was celebrating her birthday, she learned about the truth about the cake.
The second scene is the scene where Ching-Fen meets Rebecca after a long time after experiencing so many things in between: feeling like a spare tire and suddenly getting a chance to replace the marriage, the short-term happiness after having a son, or life gradually turning into a pool of nothingness day by day. Then her mother-in-law became paralyzed so she needed to quit her job to take care of her full-time, and then she couldn’t stand her husband who seemed unable to let go of his past love so ended up cheating on her and giving her only gratitude but not love…. And then 12 years later, Ching-Fen met Rebecca again, who’s in a bad condition and situation. I think it is a very complicated mentality, longing for closeness, understanding, and companionship, but also Ching-Fen has to admit her scheming, jealousy, vulnerability, and even failure. To me it was a very challenging scene with all these emotions.
My favorite scene is in the last episode, when Ching-Fen went to Taitung to be with Rebecca, who was terminally ill with cancer. One night, Ching-Fen sat on the sofa with her, watching Korean dramas while crying, and not forgetting to tease each other every now and then with a great sense of humor and care.
How was your collaboration with Tiffany Hsu and Mike He?
Working with Mike He again after almost 20 years, I feel that he is much more mature and stable. Although he still has the appearance of a pretty boy (only a few more gray hairs on the sideburns, otherwise he is still very handsome), I also sensed his grasp of the role is more delicate and clear, with more layers too. It feels very comfortable and smooth when acting together.
With Tiffany Hsu, I also worked with her 20 years ago.This time I still play the love rival, but I feel that the overt intrigues between teenage girls have transformed into the silent and secret competition of women… Tiffany Hsu has become so powerful in her acting in recent years, very confident and dazzling, and I can feel that energy while working with her, which is very helpful and exciting to me. I believe the sparks that we collide on the screen must be quite different.
How was your collaboration with Mag Hsu?
The most important inspiration she gave me is that I must choose a good script written by a good screenwriter, hahaha!
Another important thing is that Director Hsu is a great caretaker and can instantly read the thoughts and emotions of everyone around her. Therefore, all the actors and even the staff behind the scenes receive a lot of care from her, it makes the working atmosphere very harmonious, so the schedule of shooting rarely falls behind, and everyone has a strong faith in making a good series together. And this energy has, more or less, positively affected the presentation of the finished product. This is also one of the important lessons that I have learned working with Mag Hsu.
