Chapter 41 (041): Joining the cast of "The Powerful Minister"

Chapter 41

"The Powerful Minister" is also not a bright and cheerful script.

However, in Lin Yuan's view, this was one of the few scripts that came into his hands that had some depth, without being made up or altered haphazardly, and with a good pacing.

Historical dramas often leave a profound impression, but even the most profound plots require viewers to have the patience to watch them. If viewers are unwilling to watch, then there must be a problem with the pacing.

Lin Yuan was actually quite surprised that no actor was willing to take on the role in "The Powerful Minister"—after Lin Yuan was cast, he was the only male lead candidate during the production team's preparation period. In general, the lead actors for each production team would change frequently and could not be finalized until the very last moment.

He's finally gained some recognition recently thanks to "Thousand Mountains." Given his previous obscurity, the agency that's eyeing this script should have tried to replace him.

But there really wasn't.

Lin Yuan was thus able to join the crew at the agreed time.

Before joining the cast, Lin Yuan had a certain understanding of the cast of "The Powerful Minister". Apart from him, there were not many young actors in the cast, and none of them were particularly famous. He Xun, who had the most scenes with Lin Yuan and played the role of the emperor, was one of the more well-known actors.

He Xun has the face of a leading man in a serious drama. In the past, his looks would have been very popular, but now... he can only guarantee that he will get roles.

The script for "The Powerful Minister" spans a long period of time, and the filming period is also slightly longer than that of a typical TV series. However, the production team plans to film around 50 episodes—in an era where TV series generally have long episode counts, "The Powerful Minister" is not particularly outstanding.

Long-running dramas often have more than 40 episodes.

After signing the contract with the production team, Lin Yuan kept analyzing the script.

The early version of "The Powerful Minister" was a refreshing read. The young emperor appointed him as the third-ranked scholar, who fiercely protected the emperor during a palace coup, rendered meritorious service to the emperor's rule, and helped the emperor get rid of his puppet status. With his fearless courage and wisdom, he sheltered the emperor under his wing, even though he was a subject and the emperor was the emperor.

Later, the third-ranking scholar became a powerful minister, shrewd and calculating, and the emperor firmly grasped the country in his own hands.

Conflict is inevitable.

Powerful ministers are so immersed in their power that they cannot extricate themselves, and the emperor cannot tolerate anyone challenging his imperial authority.

Thus, the former third-place scholar returned to his hometown and never set foot in the capital again for the rest of his life. Only on his deathbed did his gaze still turn towards the imperial city.

For a powerful minister, this outcome wasn't so bad.

When he was young, when he risked his life to protect the emperor, he probably never imagined that this day would come.

This is probably the fate of all ministers, but Lin Yuan felt that the protagonist Shao Jing in his script was different—Shao ​​Jing's ending was not so tragic, at least he did not die.

He remained loyal to his emperor until his death, and he had no intention of rebelling, but they could never see each other again, and the emperor would never trust him again.

Shao Jing is a very contradictory character. He eliminated dissidents and was once arrogant, but he was always loyal to the emperor. To some extent, Shao Jing left the court not because the emperor could not tolerate him, but because the country no longer needed him.

Lin Yuan accepted the script because he was drawn to the contradictions within Shao Jing.

Shao Jing was a powerful minister, but he was far from being a treacherous minister. Even in history books, there are many criticisms of Shao Jing – some people think he was a villain, but it depends on who he was targeting.

Are the characters targeted by Shao Jing necessarily good people?

Even a good person, when in the imperial court, cannot guarantee that every decision they make is correct.

In short—this role is very challenging.

Lin Yuan made a thick stack of notes, much thicker than when he was filming "Thousand Mountains".

There are many books about Shao Jing, and quite a few TV series about him have been made. Lin Yuan has seen one or two of them, but since Shao Jing doesn't appear in many shows, how the actors portray him in the series doesn't have much of an impact on Lin Yuan.

He has his own ideas.

He was also somewhat tempted.

...

Upon arriving at the film set, Lin Yuan first met with director Cheng Yiyuan, who was around 50 years old and had a kind face, appearing even more amiable than director Qin Panyun.

Lin Yuan had previously heard Qin Panyun say that Cheng Yiyuan's project had not started smoothly, and the reason it was able to start filming was because of funding support.

Although historical dramas have gradually faded in popularity, they have always been necessary.

Cheng Yiyuan was also very kind to Lin Yuan. After Lin Yuan came over, he pinched Lin Yuan's shoulders and looked him up and down: "You haven't gained weight, and you haven't lost weight either."

The two had met once before, and Lin Yuan had briefly rehearsed a scene.

The drama "The Powerful Minister" was planned by Cheng Yiyuan. He was interested in the character Shao Jing when he was young and wanted to film it back then, but unfortunately, he was unable to do so due to various obstacles. Now, if he wants to film it again, the obstacles are even greater than before.

The main problem is the loss of viewers for historical dramas.

But if he doesn't start filming now, Cheng Yiyuan feels he can't wait any longer. In a few years he'll be 60. Will he still be able to assemble the crew and find suitable actors then?

Cheng Yiyuan doesn't think the TV drama industry will get better and better—maybe it will someday in the future, but by then, he will probably have already left the front line of directing.

At least "The Powerful Minister" has some funding support, but who knows what the future holds?

Cheng Yiyuan didn't expect that while he had set up his production team and written a good script, he encountered obstacles in finding actors.

A suitable actor... is indeed hard to find.

The actors who were good-looking couldn't act well, and the actors who were good-looking couldn't schedule their projects. The production team had previously approached a famous actor, but the actor refused without hesitation. After going around in circles, it was Qin Panyun who introduced Lin Yuan to the production team, which solved their urgent problem.

Cheng Yiyuan wasn't only looking for famous actors; it was just that the other person's acting skills and appearance happened to match. After being rejected, Cheng Yiyuan learned that the other person had received an offer for a well-known period drama.

That show has far more potential than "The Minister".

When Qin Panyun first introduced Lin Yuan, Cheng Yiyuan didn't think too much about it. But after Lin Yuan auditioned for a scene, he couldn't wait to finalize the deal with him.

It's true that Lin Yuan isn't as famous as his opponent, but Lin Yuan is a good actor!

Cheng Yiyuan readily approved the decision, but after Lin Yuan's name was announced by the production team, both the producer and the screenwriter had objections.

Lin Yuan's profile is too low.

Low profile means you can't carry a show; audiences trust familiar faces more.

As a result, Lin Yuan's fame skyrocketed in just a few months. His acting skills in "Thousand Mountains" were recognized, his stage performances went viral, and his career took another step forward.

If the production team were to sign a contract with Lin Yuan now, his salary would at least double.

Cheng Yiyuan was not sure whether Lin Yuan had no choice but to accept "The Powerful Minister". Perhaps Lin Yuan had no other production teams at the time, so he decided to take on "The Powerful Minister". If that was the case, Lin Yuan would probably have refused "The Powerful Minister" after "Thousand Mountains" became a hit.

Now, Lin Yuan has no chance to regret it.

...

The director's attitude was so nice that Lin Yuan was a little confused, but he didn't think much of it and just felt that the director treated everyone the same.

In the film crew, he met the actors he had been working with during this period. In the drama "The Powerful Minister", he and He Xun, who played the emperor, were the only two actors who filmed from beginning to end. Other actors joined the crew one after another as their roles changed.

Lin Yuan first added He Xun on WeChat, as He Xun was more experienced than him in acting.

The drama is titled "The Powerful Minister," so Lin Yuan is the male lead, but He Xun's screen time is no less than Lin Yuan's. However, neither of them likes to compete for the lead role; whoever is supposed to be the lead is the lead. If they act well, they can shine no matter what role they are in.

He Xun was a man of few words, probably the quietest person Lin Yuan knew. During Lin Yuan's first scene shoot, from the moment he began preparing until the actual filming started, He Xun did not utter a single word.

Lin Yuan: "..."

Talking too much is certainly noisy, but talking too little...

They seem difficult to communicate with.

Although Lin Yuan later realized that he shouldn't judge people by appearances alone, for example, if he only looked at Li Mobei's aloof image, who would guess that he was actually a super gossipy man.

Li Mobei even boasted that he was very resilient to pressure. Until one day, when Lin Yuan met him, he told him about a filming experience where he worked with an actor in the industry who was known for his zero acting skills. The two ate for an hour and a half, and Li Mobei said the words "I want to die" a full 50 times.

He seemed to be in even more pain than Qin Zhong, who had learned the truth.

In short, Lin Yuan encouraged him to "live" throughout the entire process.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe for the actor who had worked with Li Mobei.

...

While Lin Yuan was preparing, He Xun silently memorized his lines while glancing at Lin Yuan.

He had never worked with Lin Yuan before, but he knew that Lin Yuan's performance in "Thousand Mountains" was highly regarded in the industry.

As an actor, He Xun is not particularly resilient to pressure. He has a rather shy personality, and on days when he is not filming, he doesn't like to go out and socialize, preferring to stay at home.

He Xun didn't have much ambition. He knew himself well—if he had too much ambition, with his mental fortitude, he would be crushed sooner or later.

Considering that he would be working with Lin Yuan for a long time to come, He Xun asked someone who knew Lin Yuan—Ye Liuchuan, a former member of Wink.

He had read Lin Yuan's Baidu Baike page and knew that Lin Yuan had participated in the variety show "Tomorrow's Star".

Ye Liuchuan's reply to him was: "Lin Yuan isn't exactly an easy person to get along with. I haven't seen him act before, but if the director thinks highly of him, his acting skills should be pretty good, right?"

"Sorry, I don't know much about it either."

Ye Liuchuan also reminded He Xun to be careful of Lin Yuan's fans, because Lin Yuan's fans were very aggressive.

He Xun: "..."

I just hope that my future collaboration with Lin Yuan will be pleasant, and that I won't offend his fans, as he has learned this the hard way.

With these feelings in mind, Lin Yuan and He Xun began their first scene together.

This was a debate held in the palace.

The young scholar, fearless and undaunted, even resigned from his post and went into seclusion, insisting that the Grand Secretary return the government to the Emperor.

The two debated from the previous dynasty to the current one, from the severe drought in the Central Plains to the war in Liaodong, clashing several times, with the third-place scholar's sharp edge never diminishing.

He was not only good at debating, but also adept at getting involved in the situation, moving among the court officials to garner more support for the emperor.

Lin Yuan was already dressed in his costume. He Xun was in the hall, and Lin Yuan was below. Although their eyes did not meet often, everything was understood without words.

"Action!" Cheng Yiyuan gave the order, and filming officially began.

In that instant, Lin Yuan automatically transformed into a handsome and refined young scholar, standing tall and exuding the vigor of a young official.

He exchanged a glance with the emperor in the palace, and the curtain rose—

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Author's Note: Update! [Let me see][Let me see][Let me see]