(Compiled reports) Tien Niu, 68, is back in the spotlight for her role as Lady Shou'an in the period drama The Golden Hairpin Marriage (《嫁金钗》). Cheerful and outgoing, she is equally frank about her love life: “I'm this happy precisely because I don't have a partner.”
Her daughter Tong Tong once hoped she would find someone to spend her later years with, but has gradually come to understand her choice. Tien Niu said her daughter did not want anyone to become a “stumbling block” for her mother, bringing trouble and pain. “There's so much freedom in being on your own.”
The “Wan Zai” Tien Niu refers to is her second husband, Golden Horse Best Actor winner Alex Man. They divorced in 1996, about 30 years ago. Tien Niu joked that she had been single for as long as “Wan Zai” had been gone. Despite not having a partner, she does not feel lonely and keeps her days full. While filming in mainland China, she is used to living simply and processing her feelings on her own, whether happy or sad.
Tien Niu is just as relaxed about ageing. She made her debut at 19 and once performed in Singapore. When someone asked her age, she replied “27”, nearly making her mother faint. Now, as she approaches 70, she said with a laugh: “I wish I were already 80. I just love being old!” On set, however, she also shows a side that refuses to act her age. In a scene where she had to squat down to care for her young grandson, she deliberately made her movements look awkward on camera. Once filming was over, she promptly stood up and strode away.
A first hug with Tian Xiwei made them feel like grandmother and granddaughter
In The Golden Hairpin Marriage, Tien Niu plays Lady Shou'an, the maternal grandmother of the female lead played by Tian Xiwei. Recalling their first meeting, she said she took the initiative to greet Tian, who immediately stood up to shake her hand and hug her. “After that hug, there was no need to act. She was my granddaughter.” Both were born in the Year of the Ox, and Tien Niu said they felt particularly close despite their decades-long age gap.
Tien Niu greatly admires Tian's ability to play multiple roles, which requires her to memorise large amounts of dialogue while distinguishing the characters through her expressions and emotions. Tian exudes menace as a villain, yet can also move viewers in scenes that call for sympathy. Joking about Tian's large eyes, Tien Niu said: “Three tears from anyone else wouldn't match one of hers.” She also encouraged Tian when the younger actress worried that she would not be able to play a villain well.
Tien Niu admitted, however, that dialogue in period dramas posed a major challenge for her. More accustomed to contemporary dramas, she struggled with the literary, tongue-twisting lines and at one point blamed herself for falling short of her own expectations. The producer reassured her several times, affirming that she had captured the essence of Lady Shou'an.
