创作力源自关注社会的能力******
电影不是一个人能完成的工作，但又是极具个人风格的艺术——获得中国电影金鸡奖最佳女主角奖时我曾这样说。获奖对我来说具有双重意义，既是来自业内的专业认可，也是对近年来电影工作者初心不改、始终坚守在这方艺术天地里的尊重与肯定。
《妈妈！》这部电影很特别，我在影片中饰演一名60多岁、患了阿尔茨海默病的“女儿”。这个角色，是我从业数十年最丰富、最复杂的一次表演艺术实践。“女儿”早、中、晚期病情演变过程的“接口”是什么？在清醒和失忆之间被动游走的状态如何呈现？作为演员，我必须去靠近，也有强烈愿望去探索这个特殊的领域。《妈妈！》开拍之前，我看了一些相关题材的电影作品，阅读了医学书籍、资料，一步步触碰到这个角色有形或无形的轮廓。小半年的时间里，人物与我如影随形。
直面生活，是塑造人物的关键。艺术不是简单地复制生活，艺术家要不断地把自己对生活的认知和理解，潜移默化地演绎到角色身上去。作为一名演员，要在日常生活中做一个有心人，而不是等有了一个具体拍摄项目才去寻找生活中的例子。不断回望、反思，这是我经常告诫和提醒自己的。
近年来，我参演了许多现实题材影视剧，包括《妈妈！》《功勋》《在一起》《突围》等。现实主义题材的优势在于当下，社会发生的事件借由文艺的载体，让人们得以快速感知和触摸。创作难度在于，现实主义题材里更容不得沙子，因为演员饰演的人物、剧中讲述的故事，可能就发生在每个人身边，作品的好与差、人物塑造得像与不像，观众一目了然。
没有一个角色是雷同的，塑造好角色，演员也在这个过程中得到更多滋养。我参演的黄河治理主题历史传奇剧《天下长河》前不久在芒果TV播出，在剧中我饰演孝庄太后。有时候，你必须从正反两面去揣摩角色，这样塑造出来的角色就更丰富、饱满，有血有肉，观众就不会认为演员是在简单地表达人物。
党的二十大报告提出，坚持以人民为中心的创作导向，推出更多增强人民精神力量的优秀作品。近年来，主旋律影视作品将大量镜头对准了普通人，无论《妈妈！》中的冯济真、《在一起》中的张敏华，还是《突围》中的程端阳，我饰演了许多小人物，但她们都是最接地气的人民群众的一部分。大时代中的小人物很平凡，但传递的内涵与价值并不微小。关切普通人的共情，传递积极的人生态度，也是坚持以人民为中心的创作导向的重要方面。
对于工作在艺术创作一线的文艺工作者来说，无论编剧、导演，还是演员，饱满鲜活的创作力，就是源源不断的生命力。创作力来自何处？艺术创作不以年龄为分界，而是源自对日常生活的敏锐感知，对所处社会始终关注的能力，以及扎实的专业基本功。我想，创作的原动力应该就来自于此。
（作者奚美娟为上海话剧艺术中心一级演员，记者陈圆圆采访整理）
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
