
If One Day I Will Leave You is Niu Chao’s first big-screen work.
Niu Chao, a new generation of artists, participated in Creation Camp 2019, attracted many fans with her first-class dance skills, cool personality and extensive literary hobbies, and finally won the 16th place. Later, he appeared as a new actor, playing the pony police officer in Silent Truth, and his first big-screen work was the latest movie "If One Day I Will Leave You".
In this film, Niu Chao plays a Chinese-Japanese hybrid, which requires him to quickly master fluent Japanese lines in a short time and naturally integrate into the daily performance.
In the dialogue with Sina movies, Niu Chao recalled his open-minded attitude in the face of the ups and downs of popularity after participating in the draft, and said that he had never been burdened with idols and hoped to be a recognized good actor in the future.

Screenshot of Qiu Tian and Niu Chao’s "If One Day I Will Leave You"
Sina movie dialogue Niu Chao:
[1]
Sina Movie: In If I Leave You One Day, you play a Chinese-Japanese mixed-race, which requires you to be proficient in Japanese and show that you have lived in the local area for many years. Why did the director ask you to play this role in the first place? Will these requirements be a challenge for you?
Niu Chao: I was very nervous from the beginning. There was also a lot of pressure when I really started to perform. During the performance, I learned little by little, and I also had to learn Japanese and perform. It was such a process slowly.
The director probably thinks I look more like Aoki in his mind. He asked the three of us (with Xie Chengze and Qiu Tian) to stand together and have a look, and these people came out.
Sina Movie: Does your role also have a prototype?
Niu Chao: Yes, he said so, but I haven’t seen him. It seems that he hasn’t been in that place since.
Sina Movie: You didn’t know Japanese before, did you? How can you quickly become proficient in speaking Japanese lines? You have quite a few Japanese lines in the film.
Niu Chao: At the beginning, I asked a teacher to teach me two months in advance. At first, I memorized the basic 50-tone pictures, but it was a little slow to find out. The movie didn’t have much time for you, so you could learn from scratch. I was still filming in those two months. Later, a teacher taught me line by line and helped me dig, so I practiced.
Sina Movie: This movie was shot in Japan all the time. How do you feel?
Niu Chao: To tell you the truth, I thought it should be very pleasant at first, but it’s not that pleasant. Because I think that place in Japan, I was not very good at taking the initiative to find someone else, so I was actually more …
For a long time, I stayed alone in the house every day, and the people on the street gave me a cold feeling. When language communication was not so convenient, it was actually quite uncomfortable. One of my most frequent visits is the convenience store downstairs. I go to buy instant noodles and eat instant noodles every day. There is also a Chinese restaurant, where I always go to eat alone.

Niu Chao plays a Chinese-Japanese mixed-race in If I Leave You One Day.
Sina Movie: You are a very experienced restaurant clerk in the film. Did you do a lot of homework to experience life in advance?
Niu Chao: Yes, we worked there one week in advance, making drinks, making wine and picking out those things.
Sina Movie: What’s the atmosphere of the crew? What’s your impression of director Li Gen?
Niu Chao: At that time, I felt quite serious, relatively serious. Because maybe it’s our first time to play a movie, the director is filming for the first time, and it’s his debut, so everyone may be in a relatively serious state. It is also divided into occasions and what plays to watch.
I think the director must have been under great pressure at that time, and he was still very strict with us at that time. But when we wait in the back, we will become like friends after filming, and we can say anything.
Sina Movie: I heard that when you finished the movie, you directly told the director, "I think you don’t trust me sometimes", but later you embraced happily.
Niu Chao: Yes, because at first, when we were experiencing life and working there, he wanted me to be well prepared. Maybe I always showed a state of indifference to others on the surface, and many people would mistakenly think that I was the kind of person who didn’t play around seriously. I told him you have to trust me.
Sina movie: The characters in the film get along like a family. Did you actors get used to it outside the play?
Niu Chao: I didn’t play that role, because my role is relatively distant from them. At that time, the director also asked us not to play too closely in our lives, which might affect the performance in the play.

Stills of Niu Chao’s "If One Day I Will Leave You"
[2]
Sina Movie: Did you go smoothly from idol to actor?
Niu Chao: I really have never regarded myself as an idol for a moment.
You’ve seen the draft, and I’m just doing something about dancing and singing on the stage, so I don’t think there’s anything to switch. I show myself more on the stage, but if I act, you have to be someone else.
Sina Movie: Many people say that there are not enough stages and opportunities for making love in China, so the final track is full of actors. Do you agree with this view?
Niu Chao: I’m not that kind of person. When I went to Creative Camp, there was actually a good opportunity for everyone to see me. Because I was a newcomer and just knew how to dance, I thought it was good to go there. Here’s the thing. But in fact, I wanted to be an actor when I first went to the company.
Before I went to Creation Camp, I just thought that I could dance, but I didn’t think that I could sing and dance at the same time, and there were combinations. I hadn’t thought about those things before.

Niu Chao and Chen Yongzhong.
Sina Movie: Will your hobbies, such as dancing and painting, continue to be shared with you in the future?
Niu Chao: I’m going on now, because it’s just a hobby. A hobby is something you can do without much difficulty.
Sina Movie: Is the stage experience of previous years helpful to your present performance?
Niu Chao: A little bit. If you go on stage, you can be a little more relaxed, maybe at the beginning. But it’s not quite the same. You have to be handsome on the stage. It doesn’t matter whether you are handsome or not, that is, you are playing a person, that’s all. I enjoy performing a different person every time.
Sina Movie: The company gave you concentrated acting classes, didn’t it? What’s the difference between studying and practicing on the spot in the crew?
Niu Chao: Yes, more than a year. It’s so different. When we studied, we all learned the basics. You think I didn’t even speak Mandarin at that time, I didn’t know what the performance was at all, and you didn’t know what to do when I got the script. Of course, learning was very useful. The difference is that when you study, you get the script, and when you see a role you want to play, you can play it. In reality, you may not play the role you want to play so much, or your role is not so suitable for you, and no one will teach you every day. Like a teacher, you have to rely more on yourself.
Sina Movie: The silent truth and Hello, sharpshooter that you participated in all broadcast well. As a new actor, will you have the momentum to accumulate more good works?
Niu Chao: Of course, you must want to be recognized by others, so that you can have other opportunities. Otherwise, it is equal to zero. When you go to the audition, people will generally ask you what you have filmed. If you have something good to show them, people will say, "Oh, I know this person, and the performance is ok", which is of course relatively easier.
Sina Movie: What do you think of your face value advantage? Will it be difficult for handsome guys to take the strength route?
Niu Chao: I don’t think I’m handsome. I just think I have some characteristics. Because people always say that my eyebrows are interesting, maybe I am not that ordinary, but I should not be handsome. I think it may be more difficult to act if you just think about being handsome, because what you think is not the most important point. I think those handsome people in the plays I saw were attracted by their characters because of their great charm. I think that’s better.

Stills of Niu Chao’s "If One Day I Will Leave You"
Sina Movie: So you won’t have any idol burden as an actor?
Niu Chao: I haven’t. Sometimes they let me sit up straight, make my hair better, dress better and pay attention to all aspects of my body, but I still think it’s good to be like myself.
I think it’s good to be alone, and it’s strange to have to deify this thing. It’s not good to have to make him look like this.
Sina Movie: Being an artist, do you care about whether you are red or not?
Niu Chao: I never thought about it. I never thought that I could be popular. I feel that my personality is not the kind of personality that can be popular.
Sina movie: Every time there is a work, there may be a group of fans coming, and when there is no work, the fans disappear again.
Niu Chao: Yes, it’s normal. I’ve been there.
Sina Movie: Will there be gains and losses?
Niu Chao: Maybe. I think this one will. I remember when I came out of Creation Camp, a bunch of people filmed you at the airport, and a bunch of people who cared about you appeared. I remember that when Creative Camp came out for its first birthday, a bunch of people gave me gifts. I am very grateful to these unknown people who paid attention to me. I am very grateful to everyone. Later, filming slowly, and these people seem to be gone, I thought, huh? Where have these people gone?

Personal photos on Niu Chao Weibo
Sina Movie: Maybe many fans have a lot of walls now. They like this one today and that one tomorrow.
Niu Chao: Yes, it’s normal. I think it’s normal. It’s normal to like who is everyone’s freedom.
I think it’s good now, because it can make me less nervous, so that I can feel more comfortable when I go to the airport, otherwise it may affect others.
I think I’m in an awkward stage now, especially when I’m being photographed. If you are a superstar and you walk in the airport, no matter your fans or passers-by, they all know you, and it’s quite normal when others take pictures of you. But my normal state now is that there are one or two people filming you, and people around me will say, "Hey? Who is this? Who is this shot? " Moreover, in the process of filming, people who shoot you are walking backwards, often bumping into others, affecting others, and I am embarrassed myself. I thought it would be better not to shoot. You can chat with me, you can ask me what to do, and I will ask you if you have eaten.
Sina Movie: What kind of artist or actor do you want to be in the future?
Niu Chao: I want to be a good actor.
Sina movie: the kind that can win the prize?
Niu Chao: Hmm. I still want to get some recognition.
(He Xiaoqin/Wen)