Chapter 656 One Agrees, One Refuses

But Chen Ziyan did not expect that she would receive a call from Lu Qingzhen on her way to Ziyuan Bridge.

"Minglan?" Chen Ziyan was taken aback.

Lu Qingzhen said on the phone that she had just received an email from Parameter inviting Wen Minglan to audition for "Destruction Day".

This news was completely beyond Chen Ziyan's expectations.

Wen Minglan?

Wen Minglan is the only actress she is currently managing.

As an actress of similar age to Lu Yanhe, if it weren't for the comparison with Lu Yanhe, her current fame, popularity, and status would be worthy of Chen Ziyan's reputation as a "golden hand" agent.

However, to say that she would be noticed by mainstream Hollywood commercial films and invited to audition for the lead role is something that Chen Ziyan, who is familiar with Hollywood rules, knows very well is illogical.

Of course, if we have to find a reason, it's because the show "Friends" is indeed quite popular on Maxine, and Wen Minglan, as one of the six main characters, has gained some fame because of this role.

However, the problem is that if she didn't appear in this role, not many foreigners would actually know her.

It's like Game of Thrones. If you mention Emilia Clarke to many Chinese people, few may have heard of her. But if you say "Mother of Dragons," the image will immediately come to mind for many.

However, the more a role is overshadowed by the actor's own fame, the more limited their choices of other roles become.

Chen Ziyan felt something was off.

The fact that Wen Minglan received the audition invitation—

After meeting Lu Yanhe, Chen Ziyan said to him, "I feel like something's not right about this."

Something's not right.

“It’s normal for many actors to audition for mainstream Hollywood commercial films, but the number of audition invitations sent out by the film production company is not very large. They usually accept audition videos through some public channels in the industry. At first, they often just send the relevant materials by email, or go through the casting director or company to complete this step.”

Chen Ziyan said, "However, Minglan's invitation came from Parameter Company. This kind of treatment usually only happens to actors that the film company is particularly optimistic about. If Minglan is really particularly optimistic, then that's one thing, but as it stands, not only Minglan, but also Jiang Yuqian and Cai Na received audition invitations directly from Parameter."

What's wrong with doing it this way?

"The problem... the biggest problem is that this movie will lose its value, and it will give the actors the feeling that this movie is not a big-budget production," Chen Ziyan said. "Of course, this is just my opinion. For Hollywood film companies, strictly controlling the number of officially invited auditionees is mainly to give them a sense of respect for the actors who actively invite them to audition. After all, they are already famous actors, not the kind of unknown actors who go to the audition site and wait in a long line to enter the audition room."

Lu Yanhe: "Perhaps they wanted to do marketing from the audition stage, so they sent audition invitations to so many famous actors, which will also be a marketing point in the end."

Chen Ziyan: "Maybe, that's possible. But it seems the female lead in this movie is going to have to go through a bloody battle."

"Isn't Sister Yuqian the most competitive?" Lu Yanhe said.

"That's how it seems for now, but judging from Parameter's wide-ranging approach, they're not entirely satisfied with Jiang Yuqian either, and they're definitely still hesitant." Chen Ziyan shook her head. "However, that's not the point right now. The point is, I want to ask you, do you mind if the actors from 'Fire' act with Chen Pinhe?"

“Forget about bad movies, why not take this opportunity that can greatly boost an actor’s career?” Lu Yanhe said. “This is just a private matter between Chen Pinhe and me, and I can’t let Sister Yuqian and Minglan give up such an opportunity because of my relationship with him.”

“Yes,” Chen Ziyan said. “If you have such thoughts, I really have to advise you to give them up. It’s not good for you or your friends. This kind of opportunity is too important for 95% of actors. If you can successfully get this role, it can be said that Minglan will take a leap forward. For Jiang Yuqian, it can further consolidate her current international popularity and fame. Not to mention Cai Na, her Thai market is too small. If she wants to become a superstar, she can only take the international route.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“I get annoyed when I think about how the director originally wanted you to star in this movie,” Chen Ziyan said. “Chen Pinhe actually snatched the movie away, and I didn’t receive any news about it, whether it was a director who wanted you to be the lead or Chen Pinhe who took the project that originally belonged to you.”

“Chen Pinhe must have other connections and channels behind him. There’s no way to know this in advance,” Lu Yanhe said. “Unless the director contacts me first, how would anyone know that he wants me to act in his film?”

Chen Ziyan: "Our presence in Europe and America is still lacking."

"Take it slow, it hasn't been that long," Lu Yanhe said. "I think it's already quite an achievement to have things as they are now."

Chen Ziyan: "Time waits for no one. If Chen Pinhe can make a move once, he can make a move twice. He has acting skills, experience, and works. If he really returns to his prime and goes head-to-head with you, you may not be able to beat him. He has accumulated too many connections in the past."

Lu Yanhe: "It's alright, let's just wait it out. Anyway, I'm young, he'll definitely die before me."

"If you can have that kind of mindset, that's fine too."

Lu Yanhe: "But, Sister Ziyan, you're right. Time waits for no one. I can wait, but I don't want to sit idly by and wait. He wants to return to his prime, and I don't want to see him return to that. He took away the role that was originally going to be offered to me, so I'll just use the barbarians' superior techniques to defeat them."

"What do you want? Do you want to steal this movie and star in it yourself?"

“I won’t fight for it myself, since I don’t have the time to act in it. But I can help others fight for it.” Lu Yanhe smiled slightly. “For example, Teacher Jiang Jun, the male lead in ‘The Squid Game,’ who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He’s very popular, with millions of followers on his overseas social media accounts.”

Chen Ziyan suddenly realized and smiled.

"Are you trying to assassinate Chen Pinhe?"

"Let's try sniping him. Even if we miss, it won't hurt us," Lu Yanhe said. "Even if we miss, we can still cause him some trouble."

“Jiang Jun is indeed a potential threat to Chen Pinhe,” Chen Ziyan said. “In terms of influence among Chinese male actors, Jiang Jun has really made a name for himself in the last two years.”

"Moreover, if it's Jiang Jun and Jiang Yuqian, a pair from 'The Squid Game,' collaborating again, wouldn't Parameter be tempted?" Lu Yanhe said. "'Destruction Day' is a commercial film; it's made to make money. No matter how famous or high-ranking Chen Pinhe is, in terms of commercial value over the past two or three years, Teacher Jiang Jun is definitely more valuable."

“But it’s a pity about Jiang Jun. At the height of the popularity of ‘The Squid Game,’ he didn’t consolidate his international popularity and fame like Jiang Yuqian did, and he had less exposure.” Chen Ziyan thought for a moment and said, “If we want to help Jiang Jun get this movie, he might not be a big enough name to play on his own.”

Lu Yanhe asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Chen Ziyan said, "We need to make Parameter interested in Jiang Jun and make their executives realize that using Jiang Jun would have a greater positive impact on the box office performance of 'Destruction Day'."

Her eyes lit up, and she said, "I've got it! I've got it!"

"What?" Lu Yanhe asked.

"We've released the news that we're developing a movie based on 'The Squid Game,'" Chen Ziyan said. "This lets Hollywood film companies know that you want to collaborate with them. Given the show's influence on streaming platforms, all the film companies will definitely be interested, but the terms they offer will vary. We're not really going to develop the movie; we're just using this to draw attention back to Jiang Jun. The core message of this movie version will be that Jiang Jun is returning to star in it."

A disguised form of creating momentum.

Lu Yanhe said, "Could this make Parameter consider Jiang Jun as the male lead?"

“No, but it can remind Parameter of the actor Jiang Jun. Through this news, we can let the film company see that Jiang Jun still has a place in the market and is still attracting attention and anticipation. There are too many actors, so we must first give them a positive impression that they are willing to work with,” Chen Ziyan said. “Next is the public relations matter, and it depends on how we do it.”

Lu Yanhe understood Chen Ziyan's thoughts.

"There's just one thing: Mr. Jiang Jun might not be willing to take the role."

“Jiang Jun will definitely be willing to act in it,” Chen Ziyan said. “He just doesn’t like social niceties, but he’s not stupid. He knows how much a mainstream Hollywood commercial film like this will help his career. His situation in the industry after that surgery, and his long period of obscurity, all make him cherish everything he has now. Don’t think that Jiang Jun doesn’t care about these things. The more he cares, the more cautious he is.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Moreover, Jiang Jun's contract is finally expiring, and he's coming to Shihuo," Chen Ziyan said. "We'll help him get this movie approved, so it's perfectly legitimate."

Lu Yanhe: "Okay, that's great."

"Of course, there's another point: if they're willing to switch to Jiang Jun, we can help the film find investors," Chen Ziyan said. "Bringing investment into the production, even if it's just Parameter, they won't complain about having too much money."

"What if we lose money?"

“Investment always involves gains and losses; no one can guarantee a profit from an investment. In a sense, the ‘Doomsday’ project already has a very promising future. The core audience for visual effects films like this is always there,” Chen Ziyan said. “On my way here, I was thinking of persuading you to temporarily put aside your dislike and resistance towards Chen Pinhe and try not to let your personal relationship affect other people’s opportunities. I didn’t expect your idea to be even bolder, but I like it. You’re right, from now on, as long as it’s a project by Chen Pinhe, we’ll go for it.”

Lu Yanhe nodded: "Although I can't flip the table, I still have to fire a few shots to get my kicks. If I can snipe Chen Pinhe's character this time, I'll definitely have a big celebration. I'll throw a big party and invite all my friends to come and have fun."

"Do you want everyone to know that you're celebrating your successful revenge against Chen Pinhe?"

Lu Yanhe's eyes widened.

"Of course, it's to celebrate Teacher Jiang Jun's success!"

-

Just as Chen Ziyan said, Jiang Jun immediately expressed his desire after learning about such an opportunity.

However, Jiang Jun has another problem.

After hearing that Parameter had already cast Chen Pinhe for the role, he didn't really want to compete with Chen Pinhe for the part.

Chen Ziyan stated frankly, "Before signing the contract, everything was uncertain."

Jiang Jun said, "But that's not the right thing to do. How can I steal someone else's performance?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Jiang Jun, he's not as noble as you think. The director originally intended to cast Yan He in this role, but he used some underhanded means to snatch it. Even if Yan He were to be cast in this movie in the end, he wouldn't have time and would have turned it down, but that's a different matter."

Jiang Jun was taken aback.

“When Chen Pinhe was vying for this role, he didn’t give up just because the director’s first choice was Yan He,” Chen Ziyan said. “The entertainment industry is a dog-eat-dog world. We don’t break the law or commit crimes. Fighting for roles is commonplace for actors and nothing shameful.”

Jiang Jun fell silent.

Chen Ziyan waited for him to think it through.

Like Lu Yanhe, she was unwilling to keep it a secret from Jiang Jun and use him as a pawn, letting him rashly snatch the role without knowing about Chen Pinhe's affair.

Chen Pinhe taking Lu Yanhe's role is a matter between Chen Pinhe and Lu Yanhe. If Jiang Jun really tries to take Chen Pinhe's role, then it will be related to Jiang Jun.

Chen Ziyan doesn't feel any moral pressure about this kind of thing.

She genuinely believes that a good project, a good role, is something an unambitious actor wouldn't compete for.

As an agent, she understands very well that in the entertainment industry, being unassuming and indifferent to fame and fortune can be a persona, but it can never be your true nature. An artist who truly embodies this kind of persona must have an agent who can protect it very well, like herself.

Lu Yanhe's current purity and kindness are undoubtedly partly due to her efforts, without her boasting or self-promotion.

Without her, Lu Yanhe would either have been devoured and eliminated, or he would have struggled and fought his way up, developing an iron body and bones long ago, and would never be in his current state.

Jiang Jun didn't hesitate for long. After thinking for a few minutes, he said, "Okay, if there's anything you need me to do, just tell me. This opportunity is very precious to me, and I can't give it up easily."

“Okay, we will do our best to help you compete for this project, and try to make it a welcome gift for your arrival,” Chen Ziyan said with a smile.

Jiang Jun shook his head: "Let's not be polite. It's only natural for me to come to Shi Huo. You guys have been managing my overseas affairs for me. Even though I didn't sign a full contract, you basically took care of everything for me. I'm actually a contracted actor with Shi Huo for a long time."

Chen Ziyan smiled and said, "Thank you."

At this moment, Lu Yanhe also received a call from Liu Teli.

“I’m sorry, Yan He, I’ve thought about this for a long time, and this movie is still too risky for me. It’s not a screen image that I’m good at,” Liu Teli said. “I won’t mince words with you. I’m just afraid to take the risk. It’s not that your script is bad, it’s just too good. I struggled for a long time before I could resist the temptation to act in it. I hope we can work together again next time.”

-

I recommend a new fantasy novel, "The Demon-Slaying Sword," which is already 60,000 words long! Start reading!

recommend! ! ! ! ! ! !

(End of this chapter)