The Golden Horse Awards will take the stage on Saturday, and there''s a dark horse up for the Best New Performer whose name may surprise you. The star of "Raydio" is 62-year-old Lin Ju, who is better known as an artist. The movie is his first foray into acting, but it''s earned high praise from the Golden Horse committee. Let''s take a look at his breakthrough role.

A late-middle-aged divorcee has lost his job. The loneliness of this single father is portrayed perfectly by Lin Ju, once known as an artist, now making his acting debut. The 62-year-old stars in “Raydio” and has picked up a nomination for Best New Performer. Being offered the role was a complete shock, as he revealed.

Lin Ju
Actor
I was afraid to mess up such an expensive project. A movie costs a lot of money. Then I collected myself and thought, “I’ve got to get a grip on this acting thing, I’ve got to get it clear. I think I can paint pretty well, after all, so why not take a risk on acting too?” I told myself, “OK, I’ll accept the challenge.”

Zhan Kai-di
Director and scriptwriter
It almost felt like that episode in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, having to repeatedly implore the master to take on the role. The first time I asked him, he didn’t say yes. It was only on the third time I asked him that he was convinced.

It took most of a year for the film’s director to get his leading man to say yes to the project. Lin is a painter by profession, but has also made cameos in multiple Hou Hsiao-hsien films. His fellow nominees for Golden Horse Best New Performer. are all younger than him, but Lin knows he’s their match.

Lin Ju
Actor
I would quite like to go up on the stage to say a few words about “Raydio.”

The film has relatively little dialogue, relying on gestures and gaze to reveal the inner life of the characters. Lin is a newbie to the art of acting, but Golden Horse committee chair praised his performance as top quality. For movie buffs, this could be one dark horse to watch.