Chapter 28 It's a Failure [VIP]

Chapter Summary: A good pancake, but a hot potato.

The next second, Wu Ce immediately understood the meaning behind his old friend's words.

Recently, director Xu Tao has run into a very unfortunate and troublesome situation.

The lead actress of a big-budget ancient fantasy drama that had already finished filming was embroiled in a scandal, and post-production was immediately halted. Xu Tao was so worried that he almost went bald and was depressed for almost half a month without leaving the house.

Wu Ce tidied up his old friend to come and accompany him to the audition, and casually mentioned, "Since this actress is going to be listed as a disgraced artist, then we can only raise new investment, replace her, and reshoot."

Could you help me with my audition today? If you find any actresses you think are suitable, I'll let you choose first, okay?

Hey, this old bastard, is he really planning to poach his own employees?

"Hey, Lao Xu, don't you always use newcomers who have never acted before?"

"Her acting skills are much better than some actors who have been acting for many years."

That's a very high compliment.

The female screenwriter chimed in, "Director Wu, this artist named Mu Zhi is an idol, but her acting just now was really superb. She played the 'Ya Deng' I had in mind."

The producer interrupted, saying, "There are still artists who haven't auditioned yet. After all the auditions are over, we need to consider various factors before we can decide on the candidates."

The production team is facing financial pressure for this project.

Wu Ce nodded in agreement with the producer, "Yes, let's take another look."

The next person to audition is Lin Xuan from Xinghe Culture.

Lin Xuan is from the same company as Mu Zhi, who just finished her audition, and she also debuted as an idol. However, after three years in the industry, Lin Xuan has made a name for herself as a third or fourth-tier artist with a group of loyal fans, and she is much more famous than Mu Zhi.

The "Works Resume" section is also empty.

I've never acted before.

I wonder if her acting skills are as amazing as Mu Zhi's?

The assistant director led the group in.

Wu Ce looked towards the door, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Although the makeup and styling in Mu Zhi's audition video were of poor quality, the atmosphere of the character came through. It was Mu Zhi's looks, figure, and performance that carried the performance. The makeup artist and costumes provided by the audition team of "The Legend of the Flying Immortal" were naturally better than the setup Mu Zhi had in the photo studio.

After Lin Xuan "donned" the costume, she lacked any semblance of the character's spirit or form.

She is too thin.

Director Wu Ce had Lin Xuan repeat the scene that Mu Zhi had just performed.

Lin Xuan studied acting for two months in order to transition into film and television.

Today was her first audition, and she was a little nervous under the scrutinizing gaze of many people. After receiving the "test questions," she stood there for 5 minutes to prepare, took a few deep breaths, and then indicated that she could begin.

Wu Ce looked at the paper in Lin Xuan's hand. Was she going to start writing without even looking at the script?

Lin Xuan read the lines haltingly, without any emotion, and it was just a recitation.

As for acting, Lin Xuan knew nothing about acting. She simply cobbled together the descriptions of the characters' expressions from the dialogue in a stiff, disjointed, and pieced-together manner. Her crying scenes consisted of two forced tears...

The performance has ended.

Seeing the director's complicated expression, Lin Xuan knew that she hadn't performed well, so she explained, "Director Wu, I'm sorry, I was just too nervous."

I hope to give myself another chance.

Wu Ce politely declined with an awkward smile, "Lin Xuan, you've never acted before, so it's understandable that you're nervous during your first audition. It's okay. The audition results will be announced in three days. You can go back and wait for the notification."

Lin Xuan walked out of the audition room, looking dejected.

A hushed voice came from the half-open door behind him: "The difference between these two newcomers from the same company is just too great."

"The person just now was a complete newcomer, and he knew absolutely nothing about acting."

Hearing the director and others praising Mu Zhi while belittling him, he felt a surge of emotion.

Lin Xuan stood frozen in place, clenching her fists in a mixture of anger and shame.

"Xiaoxuan, how did the audition go?" Shang Jian asked as he saw her come out.

"Wait for further notice." Lin Xuan shoved her manager's shoulder in annoyance and walked out.

What lingered in her mind was not the disappointed looks on the faces of director Wu Ce and others regarding her audition performance, but the comparison between herself and Mu Zhi, who actually said that she was worse than Mu Zhi.

I will never allow new employees to step on my head.

In the interview room.

"So? Have you got any results?" Xu Tao asked.

Director Wu Ce said that if he had to choose between Mu Zhi and Lin Xuan, he would know the answer even if he used his toes. He likes to use newcomers because he thinks they have talent and are always very cooperative during filming.

But unexpectedly, they found a clueless newcomer, and had to teach him how to act out every single scene step by step.

Just as he was about to reply, the producer spoke up again: "Director Xu, our auditions are not over yet. Another artist will be auditioning this afternoon. He is an actor under Shengyu Media."

"Lü E".

When Wu Ce looked at the information, he saw that the member of the girl group #Five Flowers was a member of an idol group. Wow, another idol.

Am I just unlucky to have an idol this year?

The second day of the audition.

Mu Zhi went online and caught up on a recent sensational event that has been making waves in the entertainment industry.

Last year, a very popular Republican-era romance web drama sparked a frenzy of shipping the #ChengQiuCP# (a popular Chinese CP pairing), instantly catapulting the actors who played the male and female leads, Lan Cheng and Tu Qingqing, to stardom. After the drama's finale, Lan Cheng and Tu Qingqing were found to have worn many matching clothes, and were even spotted by passersby traveling together, fueling speculation that they were dating.

Following that, the two openly announced their relationship, and the hashtag #FakeOnFilmTurnedToReal# drove netizens crazy for this couple.

The two actors capitalized on their popularity by appearing together on magazine covers, doing live-streaming sales, appearing on multiple variety shows, endorsing products as a couple, and walking the red carpet together at events. The #MarriedCouple# pairing attracted a huge number of fans, and the two previously unknown celebrities rose to second or third-tier status solely based on their relationship, making a fortune over the past six months.

Two weeks ago, Tu Qingqing was photographed having a late-night rendezvous with a mysterious man. The two were seen passionately kissing and touching each other behind a large tree on the street.

The mysterious man was identified as Tu Qingqing's ex-boyfriend, a rapper currently participating in a hip-hop variety show.

Once the paparazzi exposed the affair, Tu Qingqing and her ex-boyfriend's Weibo accounts were flooded with messages from fans who wanted to ship them as a couple. They demanded an explanation from Tu Qingqing and condemned the rapper as a homewrecker who interfered in other people's relationships.

The worst off is Lan Cheng, who has turned into #GreenCheng#, with the comment section being turned into a green meadow.

Some netizens, based on their years of experience following celebrity gossip, speculate that this relationship crisis might lead Lan Cheng and Tu Qingqing to issue a statement if they reach an agreement: they've already broken up, but haven't announced it yet to avoid hurting public opinion...

Then the woman doesn't have any moral issues; it's just a normal relationship.

However, what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations.

It has been revealed that Lan Cheng and Tu Qingqing secretly registered their marriage last year.

Tu Qingqing's relationship with her ex-boyfriend constitutes marital infidelity.

Finally, after the dust settled, Tu Qingqing stood up and apologized to everyone, announcing her retirement from the entertainment industry...

The last project Tu Qingqing filmed after becoming famous was the large-scale ancient costume fantasy drama "The Bell Ringer" which she starred in with Ning Yao and finished filming half a month ago.

What caught Mu Zhi's attention was that the director of "The Bell Ringer" was named Xu Tao. After searching for pictures, she recognized him as the mysterious director who sat next to director Wu Ce during the audition for "The Legend of the Flying Immortal" yesterday.

The entertainment industry can be quite small sometimes.

The third day of the audition.

Instead of receiving notification of the audition results for "The Legend of the Flying Immortal," Mu Zhi received a call from director Xu Tao, who asked her to meet him.

Did the gossip I was following yesterday come back to haunt me?

Assistant Minmin accompanied Muzhi to the appointment, her expression extremely conflicted the whole way.

"Sister Zhizhi, you said Director Xu Tao asked to meet with you. If he really wants to invite you to take over... no, he wants to invite you to remake 'The Bell Ringer' and play the female lead, will you accept?"

Before this scandal, to be honest, this was a great opportunity that they couldn't possibly have gotten.

But now... the good pancake has become a hot potato.

In today's internet age, celebrities' lives, both in front of the camera and in private, are under intense scrutiny.

In recent years, various negative scandals such as drug use, infidelity, and being listed as a defaulter have emerged one after another. Several films that were being filmed or had already finished filming have had their entire roles deleted due to irreparable negative issues involving a certain lead actor. Production companies usually use AI face-swapping or reshoots to remedy the situation.

These shows didn't perform well after they were released.

Some dramas were completely buried due to actor issues during reshoots.

Therefore, other actors are generally unwilling to take on the role, as it's considered unlucky.

Mu Zhi: "Let's meet first."

She didn't believe in that kind of thing. If they really wanted to invite her to reshoot, they would be concerned about the production team's funding...

The meeting place was a coffee shop.

Mu Zhi and her assistant Minmin entered and quickly spotted the man sitting by the window wearing a black baseball cap.

He walked straight over and there was Xu Tao himself.

"sit."

After the three ordered coffee, Xu Tao readily explained the purpose of their meeting: "I watched your performance the other day, and I think you're very suited to be an actor."

"As you probably guessed, I want to invite you to reshoot the female lead's scenes in 'The Bell Ringer'."

Tu Qingqing plays the female lead in "The Bell Ringer," a role with significant screen time. Cutting all of her scenes to make the show air unrealistic. AI head-swapping and background removal technology is still immature, and the resulting effect would be very off-putting.

The female lead is the soul of this drama; he cannot sacrifice the quality of the drama for a mere "broadcast".

There's only one way: reshoot with the actors.

After Xu Tao finished speaking, he didn't see a trace of surprise on Mu Zhi's face.

Mu Zhi's next question almost stumped the director.

"Director Xu, I have two questions."

"First, 'The Bell Ringer' is an original script, and I'd like to see it."

The production team and cast of "The Bell Ringer" were better than those of "The Legend of the Flying Immortal." Xu Tao never expected that a newcomer would ask to see the script first.

Nodding, "Okay, second question?"

Mu Zhi didn't mince words and asked directly, "It may be a bit presumptuous, but if 'The Bell Ringer' is to be remade, additional investment will be necessary. I wonder if the investment has been secured? What is the expected start date for filming? And can the schedules of the other actors be accommodated?"

I've looked at the production company's filing, leaked photos from previous shoots, and fan descriptions of "The Bell Ringer." It's a fantasy drama, and post-production special effects will require a significant investment...

They were just short of typing "#Do you have enough money?" in the chat.

Xu Tao was taken aback by the question, thinking to himself: The young girl not only asked the question directly, but also hit the nail on the head every time.

"This drama was completed half a month ago. As soon as filming wrapped, the Tu Qingqing incident severely impacted the production, and the initial post-production was halted. I couldn't think of or find anyone to play the female lead in 'The Bell Ringer' for a while. I saw your audition the day before yesterday, and in you, I saw an actor's passion and energy for acting, which gave me renewed confidence in this drama."

To be honest, "The Bell Ringer is a commissioned drama series that Green Apple platform will launch next summer. It's August now, and my plan is to start reshoots in September. The other actors are all willing to make time for the reshoots, but the funding hasn't been secured yet..."

Mu Zhi nodded knowingly: "Director Xu, after I finish reading the script, if there are no problems, I look forward to working with you."

This means that as long as she is satisfied with the script, she will accept the role even if the funding is not yet available.

Xu Tao realized he hadn't misjudged Mu Zhi; she was both cautious and decisive.

He immediately found the electronic version of the script of "The Bell Ringer" that he had backed up on his phone and sent it to Mu Zhi.

"I'll let you know as soon as I have any news about the funding." She sighed slightly. "We've decided to reshoot. Hopefully, we can start filming as soon as possible, before some of the sets are completely dismantled..."

However, the investors we've contacted are all taking a wait-and-see approach, and the situation isn't very optimistic.

When we finished our coffee and were about to leave...

After thinking for a moment, Mu Zhi asked the question she already knew the answer to.

"Director Xu, has my audition for 'The Legend of the Flying Immortal' fallen through?"

Director Xu Tao and Director Wu Ce are university alumni and friends in the industry. It is unlikely that the former would poach actors behind the latter's back. It is highly probable that Director Wu Ce knew about Director Xu Tao's visit and tacitly approved of it.

There's only one reason: he failed the audition for "The Legend of the Flying Immortal".

So director Xu Tao didn't hesitate to ask her out for a meeting.

Xu Tao admired Mu Zhi's intelligence and did not deny it: "Someone will call you later to explain."

No sooner had Mu Zhi stepped out of the coffee shop than her phone rang.

The call came from an unfamiliar number. When the call was connected, director Wu Ce's voice came from the other end.

I personally called her to express my regret and looked forward to the opportunity to work together again next time.

Mu Zhi asked curiously, "Director Wu, if it's convenient, could you tell us who was finally cast as the female lead?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before director Wu Ce gave a name.