Chapter 598 Pressing the Blade

Regarding whether Lu Yanhe should take on independent films in the future, his overseas agent, Darren Wilson, earnestly advised Lu Yanhe to try to avoid it.

Don't act in a script unless it's good enough to win an award.

“Acting in movies isn’t charity. It’s not like someone comes to you with a decent script and you think, ‘Just act in it, do a favor,’ and that’s it,” Darren Wilson said. “There are many independent film actors in the world, but what you’ve achieved so far is something no one can replicate. Protect your current achievements and don’t let any obviously failed works appear on your resume.”

Chen Ziyan and Darren Wilson share the same attitude.

"I'll say it again: we can consider famous directors and good scripts. It's not that we can't act in low-budget independent films, but the requirements must be strict," Chen Ziyan said. "If you think these independent film scripts are good and want to help them, there are many other ways to help."

Lu Yanhe quickly raised his hands to signal them to stop.

"Wait a minute, I'm confused. I never said I would help these independent films in this way, so why do you and Darren both assume I would act in these films? Of course, my standards for accepting roles are very high. I don't take just any role, and it's not like I'll definitely act in a slightly better script."

“There’s no way around it. At a certain point, wanting to act in art films with artistic merit and profound meaning is a common problem for all actors,” Chen Ziyan said. “There are very few actors like you who can understand commercialism and the meaning of success so clearly. The hardest thing for a person to balance is their actual pursuit of interests and their spiritual pursuits.”

Lu Yanhe: "Okay, I won't act in that many independent films. You've already made that very clear to me before. Look at me these past few years, I've won several major film awards. Just as you said, the box office success of 'The Mist' actually helped my career much more than 'Road to Glory,' which helped me win Best Actor."

“That’s mainly because when you win Best Actor in China, you’ve already reached the top in the domestic entertainment industry, and there’s not much room for you to rise further,” Chen Ziyan said. “If you win Best Actor at the Jose Film Festival, that’s a different story.”

“Well, especially in the past year, with 'The Birth of an Actor,' 'Love Letter,' and the Jumping Theater, I’m very clear that I need real-world success to convince people to believe in me and work with me on these projects,” Lu Yanhe said. “They didn’t come to try these new things with me because I won Best Actor or Best Screenplay awards.”

The box office success of "The Mist" meant something very important to Lu Yanhe in the eyes of overseas filmmakers: Lu Yanhe was not only successful in China and Asia, but also in Europe and America and the world.

Believing that someone can achieve such an accomplishment is different from actually achieving it.

Especially—

Although Lu Yanhe was not the main male lead at the beginning of the "Misty" project, and the main characters were actually three other people, Lu Yanhe became the biggest star of the movie "Misty" in the subsequent publicity and after the movie's release.

This concept is roughly similar to Daniel Radcliffe's role in Harry Potter, or Meryl Streep's role in The Devil Wears Prada—the true superstar of a film, the person who was once called the "pillar of the show."

Therefore, Lu Yanhe was able to become a movie star who truly excelled in both awards and box office success.

This makes Lu Yanhe the intersection of the list of actors that all parties want to collaborate with.

We have everything you need; there won't be situations where the director wants something that the film company isn't satisfied with, or vice versa.

-

Because of Lu Yanhe's current situation, many people don't quite understand his next choice.

This includes Muken Sorge.

“I heard you’re going to be filming a Malaysian movie and a Chinese TV series, and neither of them will be the lead role.” Murken Sorge expressed great doubt on the phone. “The Mist has just been released and has achieved great box office results. Shouldn’t you be capitalizing on this success and either take on an art film that can compete for awards or take on the lead role in a blockbuster?”

Lu Yanhe smiled and explained to Mu Ken.

“These two projects were already discussed and agreed upon a long time ago. Besides, I’m also waiting to film the second part of ‘The Mist’,” Lu Yanhe said. “With the success of the first part, the box office performance of the second part should not be bad either, right? I have great faith in you.”

Muken: "I've heard from Hollywood that you've recently turned down a lot of scripts, and some people have even asked me if you'd be willing to act in movies in Hollywood. Some people are already wondering if you agreed to act in 'The Mist' because my wife is Chinese—many great actors are indeed unwilling to act in movies in Hollywood, and people are starting to wonder if you're one of them."

“Of course I’d like to act, but I need to get a good script and a good role first,” Lu Yanhe said. “The roles and scripts that are coming to me now are too ordinary. They’re either similar to the roles in ‘The Mist’ or typical stereotypical Asian roles. I have no interest in playing a stereotypical Asian character in a Hollywood movie. They can find any Asian face to play that kind of role, so why would they ask me to do it?”

Muken: "I'll help you talk to those people in Hollywood about your stance. In any case, you need to let everyone know that you're not opposed to making movies in Hollywood. Don't give them the wrong impression."

“Okay, I understand. Actually, no, I already have an agent who handles my overseas affairs, Darren Wilson from Williams Company. He’s connecting me with various companies and directors. If I’m not interested in acting in Hollywood, why would I need an overseas agent?”

“That’s fine then.” Muken nodded.

"Mukken, how's the script for the sequel to The Mist coming along?"

“We’re still thinking about it,” Muken said. “I’ve found two other screenwriters in Hollywood to help me think about the direction of the sequel. Do you have any ideas?”

“I have no plans for a sequel to ‘The Mist,’ but I do have a script, an English script that I wrote a long time ago, called ‘Buried.’ I wanted to work with D19 before, but we couldn’t reach an agreement,” Lu Yanhe said. “I was thinking, maybe you could recommend someone to me who might be a suitable producer or director to run this project.”

“Oh, you’ve written a script and are looking for a director? Why didn’t you consider me?” Muken asked directly.

“This script is quite unique. The entire story takes place inside a narrow coffin, and there is only one actor appearing on screen throughout,” Lu Yanhe said. “The budget was very small. I wrote this before I even started filming ‘The Mist.’ At the time, I wanted to use this script to open the door to Hollywood. It’s experimental, so it’s not really suitable for you to direct now.”

As soon as Lu Yanhe finished speaking, Muken understood.

A film made entirely by one person and one coffin, no matter how brilliant the script, is destined to be a small-budget film.

For a director who has already made films that gross over $100 million at the box office, it's not appropriate for him to make low-budget films like this again.

His salary alone is not enough to cover this low-cost budget.

Currently, Murken Sorge's directorial fee for a single film, excluding post-production bonuses and royalties, starts at least at five million.

Muken said, "Send me the script, and I'll take a look at it for you."

Lu Yanhe agreed.

He added, "I talked to D19 at the time, and they wanted to keep the film rights in their hands, but I was not willing, so we couldn't reach an agreement. Now I've thought about it, and I want to make this film myself and then find a distribution company."

“Okay,” Muken said. “It seems the production cost of this film was really low?”

"Well, I estimate it will be between two and three million US dollars," Lu Yanhe said. "If we use an actor who is completely unknown, the cost will be lower, but I still hope to find an actor with a certain level of fame to star in the lead role, and the acting skills must be good."

“Of course, it’s too demanding for an actor to act in a role from beginning to end,” Muken said. “You’d have to hold auditions, wouldn’t you?”

“Hmm,” Lu Yanhe said, “but before that, I need to register a film company in Hollywood first.”

After talking with Muken, Lu Yanhe hung up the phone.

The original intention behind writing the script for "Buried" was because it was easy to film, had a low budget, and could serve as a stepping stone to Hollywood.

Unexpectedly, the Mist's unexpected box office success allowed him to skip this step.

But Lu Yanhe felt that since he had already written it, it would be a pity not to film it.

However, this script is no longer suitable as a major project.

Therefore, it's better to treat it as a practice project for Linghe.

After hearing about Lu Yanhe's plan, Chen Ziyan nodded and said, "That's good. However, if you want to register a film production company in the United States, one person from Wan Qingqing's side will definitely not be enough. She has a small office there and employs a few people, but the contract is not signed with Linghe, so they are not considered to be from Linghe. Moreover, to register a film production company, you definitely need more professional staff, not just a small office."

Lu Yanhe said, "Sister Ziyan, we're just using 'Buried Alive' as practice right now. There's no need to get the company's staff all organized so quickly. If we finish 'Buried Alive' and then there are no follow-up projects, that would be a huge burden."

Chen Ziyan: "So what do you mean?"

"Let's see if Director Mu Ken can recommend a reliable producer or director. If we can find someone like that, it will be easier to handle the copyright of 'Buried Alive' and sign a cooperation agreement with them after we register a film company," Lu Yanhe said. "We'll leave the actual filming to them, and Wan Qingqing or Song Jiang can handle the finances. If they lack experience, we might have to find someone from China to help oversee things. Hollywood has much more experience in filmmaking than we do. Too many production teams take the money, but only a third of it ends up being used for filming; the rest gets swallowed up by others."

Chen Ziyan nodded: "Yes, we are indeed unfamiliar with the place in the United States, and it is easy for us to be scammed."

"Well, so we're using this small project to practice. First, it gives Wan Qingqing and Song Jiang a chance to get familiar with how film crews operate. Second, it gives us a chance to get acquainted with Hollywood. We can handle the losses and detours we take on this project; it's better than making bigger mistakes later," Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Ziyan nodded.

Lu Yanhe: "In addition, I will also ask around in Yuming's alumni circle to see if there are any people working in the film and television industry in Hollywood. At times like this, we should stick together and support each other. There are some who can offer guidance and help us avoid some detours."

Chen Ziyan: "You really need to make good use of this resource. Your alumni network is basically made up of elite talents from all walks of life. If you can make good use of it, it will be a great help."

-

That evening, Lu Yanhe held a live stream for the first time in a long time, broadcasting his reaction to watching the second play of Jump Up Theater, "Vortex".

This is also to promote the Jump Up Theater.

"The Vortex" is adapted from a short story by Liu Jiazhen and stars Huai Qian, who has excellent acting skills but has never been very famous.

He had previously met Lu Yanhe because Yongshanhe San had deliberately caused trouble.

As a young actor with excellent acting skills but who remained relatively unknown to the public due to his roles in low-budget art films, that incident marked the first time Huaiqian gained widespread recognition. It was also through that incident that he met Lu Yanhe, leading to this collaboration.

Two plays were adapted from short stories by Liu Jiazhen. One was "The Silent Staircase," starring Lu Yanhe. The other was "The Vortex." At the time, it was discussed that the male lead needed to be young, have excellent acting skills, and have a reasonable salary to avoid exceeding the budget. After much deliberation, a shortlist of actors was drawn up. Among the few names, everyone recognized Huai Qian's name. After checking, they extended an invitation to him.

Huaiqian responded to the invitation in less than a day, saying he was willing to perform.

Suspenseful crime stories have always been a popular genre in film and television.

However, truly good stories are actually quite rare. Such stories are often held by a very small number of top-tier mystery and suspense novelists. Authors like Liu Jiazhen, currently very popular, are highly sought after by major film and television companies. Huaiqian has very little access to them—

He was neither a breakout actor backed by a major company, nor did he work with his own agent. Without a powerful company to help him secure resources, he mostly worked in art-house films, where he was well-known in small circles but not to the general public.

In this situation, he can't get the lead role in a mainstream project, and there's no need for him to play a supporting role—after all, in any mainstream project, important roles within the top six are basically exchanged between different companies for resources.

Huaiqian's agency didn't get involved, so they couldn't help him find new resources. Even though he was known as the go-to leading man for art films, he could only play minor supporting roles, not even the sixth billing.

He wants to play this kind of role, but his agent won't let him take it.

Moreover, if he actually acts in it, he'll lose the reputation he's built up in the art-house film circle.

This opportunity to star in "Vortex" is the best resource Huaiqian has received in recent years in terms of all aspects.

With the current attention garnered by the Jumping Theater, Huaiqian has also suddenly come into the public eye.

Just like the two girls who starred in "The Adventures of a Young Girl" last week, they were immediately included in the reserve actor lists of major film and television companies.

During the two hours Lu Yanhe watched "Vortex," he only went to the bathroom and checked his phone a few times during commercial breaks. Otherwise, he was completely focused on watching TV.

He exclaimed no less than three times, "Huaiqian acted so well in this part."

Jump Up Theater naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity, and immediately bought trending topics related to the play.

In fact, Lu Yanhe was not exaggerating; Huaiqian did indeed demonstrate good acting skills in "The Vortex".

The two emotionally charged scenes are very captivating.

One of the clips showing him changing his expression in five seconds has also gone viral online.

"Vortex" had a viewership rating of 0.78%.

Compared to "The Adventures of a Young Girl", it increased by as much as 0.1%.

-

Huaiqian gained 110,000 followers on Weibo overnight.

Someone tagged the official Weibo account of "The Birth of an Actor," saying that Huaiqian deserves to be on the show next season.

The official Weibo account of "The Birth of an Actor" immediately responded: Huaiqian is already a very famous young actor in the domestic art film circle. If he is willing to come and have some fun on our show, we would certainly welcome him.

The next day, Huaiqian's agent told him that since the broadcast of "Vortex", he had received two scripts, both for major roles within the top six, and both projects were rated A by the platform.

The agent was very excited.

Having taken care of Huaiqian for so long, I've never encountered a situation like this before.

Huaiqian also breathed a sigh of relief.

As an actor whose acting skills have always been highly praised, Huaiqian has actually always been a bit arrogant.

Despite having such good acting skills and a decent appearance, she always seems to lack a certain something, resulting in her being relatively unknown.

Is he really just not destined to become famous?

Sometimes, he had such thoughts.

Fortunately, at such a time, a work like "Uzumaki" appeared.

The agent added, "Jump Up Theatre has sent us another script."

"Um?"

"But this time it's not a crime thriller, it's a romance," the agent said. "Would you like to take a look?"

Huaiqian nodded and said, "Of course."

"But compared to the salaries offered for those two films, the salary offered to us by Jumping Theater has hardly increased at all; the difference is quite significant," the agent said.

Huaiqian said, "I've become a little famous thanks to 'Vortex,' so I have to repay the people who helped me."

"That's true." The agent nodded.

-

I recommend the older book, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight".

(End of this chapter)