sovbooks Chapter 25 The Person Recommended by Director Yu Min
Chapter 25 The Person Recommended by Director Yu Min
In Beijing's Chaoyang District, there is a villa with an understated style but an excellent location.
The coffee table in the living room was piled high with scripts, lists of names, and several boxes of lunch that had gone cold.
The air conditioner was on, but the atmosphere inside the room wasn't relaxed.
Huang Weiming leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples. Wang Shaojie sat opposite him, flipping through the audition list. Liang Shengquan stood by the window, making a phone call, his expression not very pleasant.
The three of them got together for the same thing—"The Flying Fairy from Heaven".
This drama is an adaptation of the story of the Fairy Couple, a period fantasy drama that has been in preparation for some time.
The script is almost finished, and the investors have been basically confirmed. The most important thing now is to finalize the cast.
It was precisely at this critical juncture that all sorts of people with connections swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.
Huang Weiming spoke first: "Old Liang, how many have you managed to shove in over there?"
Liang Shengquan hung up the phone, walked back and sat down, holding up three fingers.
"There are three: one is the producer's niece, one is the son of an investor friend, and the other was pushed in by the agency."
Wang Shaojie sighed: "It's about the same on my end. Both are supporting roles, with little screen time, so I guess I'll just have to accept them."
"The key is to avoid putting it on the main character." Huang Weiming picked up his teacup, took a sip, and found that the tea had gone completely cold, so he put it back. "As for supporting roles, having a few more or fewer won't make much of a difference. But if the main character is also tied to personal relationships, then the show can't be filmed."
The three were remarkably in agreement on this point.
Directors, especially those who have been directors for so many years, all understand one principle.
The success or failure of a play depends 80% on the lead actor.
Supporting characters can be made up, but the main characters must be right.
What does "correct" mean?
Not only must one have the acting skills to be good enough, but one must also fit the role.
Temperament, image, comprehension, and adaptability—you can't lack any of them.
Human relationships are human relationships, and drama is drama.
This line must not be broken.
"Speaking of the lead role," Huang Weiming looked at Wang Shaojie, "how are the audition preparations going? Anything worth mentioning?"
Wang Shaojie flipped through the list in his hand.
Several pages of paper were filled with names and resumes, and some names even had references.
"There were quite a few people who came, and a few of them were decent, but I always felt they were lacking something. Either their appearance was good but their acting skills were lacking, or their acting skills were okay but their appearance wasn't a good fit. However..." He paused, his tone changing, "there is something worth mentioning."
"What is it?"
"Director Yu Min recommended someone over."
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Huang Weiming and Liang Shengquan raised their heads almost simultaneously.
Yu Min.
The significance of this name within the industry needs no further explanation.
The three people present were all a level below Yu Min in terms of seniority and rank.
For directors of this caliber, the most important thing is reputation.
He rarely makes guarantees for others, because if the person he recommends turns out to be unreliable, he himself will lose face.
For Yu Min to recommend someone, they must either be truly capable or Yu Min owes them a huge favor.
However, given Yu Min's personality, the latter possibility is basically zero.
This person has spent his entire life acting, and what he hates most is all about interpersonal relationships and social niceties.
"Recommended by Director Yu?" Liang Shengquan frowned. "What's his background?"
"I heard he just finished filming a movie directed by Yu," Wang Shaojie said. "I haven't asked about the specific role yet, but Director Yu's exact words were, 'This kid is interesting, you guys should meet him.'"
The phrase "interesting" carries immense weight when uttered by Yu Min.
Yu Min is known for her sharp tongue and is always harsh in her evaluations of actors.
There are very few things that he finds "okay," and the number of things he praises as "interesting" over the years can be counted on one hand.
Huang Weiming and Liang Shengquan exchanged a glance, both seeing the curiosity in each other's eyes.
"Then let's arrange a meeting," Huang Weiming said. "We trust Director Yu's judgment."
Liang Shengquan nodded as well.
He had already started making plans in his mind.
If this person is really as "interesting" as Yu Min said, then the casting strategy for "The Little Fairy" might need to be adjusted.
After all, they had always been choosing from young actors who already had a certain degree of fame, and had never considered using a completely unknown newcomer.
But then again, how important is fame to a film or television production?
Having been a director for so many years, Liang Shengquan knows very well that fame can help you sell more DVDs, but what truly determines whether a film will be a hit is always the content and the performances.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Liang Shengquan's phone rang again.
He glanced at the caller ID and answered.
"Feed? Hmm? A match made in heaven? Okay, I got it."
After hanging up the phone, Liang Shengquan's expression became somewhat subtle.
Huang Weiming and Wang Shaojie's eyes immediately focused on it.
"Whose call was that?"
"A friend from the Beijing Film Academy." Liang Shengquan sat back down on the sofa, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the armrest. "You guys wanted to know what happened to the person Yu Min recommended, right? Coincidentally, I just got some news."
"What news?"
"That kid, in order to understand the role of Dong Yong, specifically went to the Beijing Film Academy to find Li Hao from the opera department."
"Li Hao?" Huang Weiming raised an eyebrow.
He knew the name; it belonged to a senior figure in the opera department of Beijing Film Academy, who had taught for decades and had a very good reputation in the industry.
"Yes, that's him. That kid went to learn the Huangmei Opera version of 'The Fairy Couple.' Li Hao even arranged a special program for him; he'll be performing with students from the Beijing Film Academy at the Capital Theatre in ten days."
The room fell silent again.
This time the silence was different from before.
What started as curiosity has now become an unexpected surprise.
An actor went to learn Huangmei Opera in preparation for an audition.
At first glance, it doesn't seem like much, but upon closer inspection, it becomes quite unusual.
How many young actors today are willing to put in this much effort for a role?
Most people's preparation methods are nothing more than reading the original work, memorizing the lines, and finding a teacher to give a two-day crash course in acting, which is considered "doing their homework".
This kid went straight to learn Huangmei Opera.
They learned the most authentic style, with singing, movements, and performance methods all coming from the source.
This shows that his understanding of the role has gone beyond simply "playing a person named Dong Yong".
He wanted to understand Dong Yong from a deeper perspective.
"Interesting," Huang Weiming repeated Yu Min's assessment.
This time, he spoke very seriously.
"The Capital Theatre in ten days?" Wang Shaojie asked.
"right."
The three looked at each other again.
"Shall we go take a look?"
"Let's go take a look."
This decision was made without hesitation.
Instead of guessing from the list, why not go see it for yourself?
Is an auditioning actor who dares to sing Huangmei Opera at the Capital Theatre truly skilled, or is he just a fearless newcomer?
You'll see when you watch it.