Luo Wei and Chen Gangsheng watched as Lin Huowang and the two women got into the dazzling Rolls-Royce, their eyes filled with envy and longing. They wondered when they could ride in such a top-of-the-line luxury car!
Now, they could only get into the black Mercedes-Benz bodyguard vehicle behind them, guided by Lin Huowang's bodyguard.
After getting into the car, the two of them breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Then they looked at each other again, and they both saw complex and indescribable emotions in each other's eyes.
There was a feeling of exhaustion from surviving a disaster...
There's also a huge sense of unreality in being valued by Kobayashi...
And a hint of uncertainty and anticipation about the future.
Often, a person's life is like this, with one or two key turning points.
These turning points come without any warning, suddenly appearing and pulling you out of the mire, putting you on the fast track to the pinnacle of life.
Without a doubt, for Lo Wei and Chan Kong-sang, meeting Kobayashi Tenno today was the most crucial turning point in their lives.
Inside the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Lin Huowang casually asked Liu Rumeng and Lü Ruirong:
"Mengmeng, Arong, what do you think of that Chen Gangsheng from earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Rumeng frowned slightly, clearly having overheard the gossip from the neighbors.
After thinking for a moment, she said quite directly, "Ah Wang, Chen Gangsheng... just now I saw him protecting Luo Wei and daring to confront those thugs, so his character should be good, and he's loyal."
However… his appearance… is a real disadvantage. He's not tall, his nose… is rather large, and his eyes aren't big or bright enough. He's not the kind of handsome young man you'd like at first glance.
Even if he's skilled in martial arts, playing the lead role in a movie? Being the central figure in a film? I think...it's difficult. The audience might not be receptive.
Lu Ruirong nodded in agreement and said earnestly, "Sister Rumeng is right. Xiao Lin, there are many martial arts masters with good skills. But to become a leading actor and a box office success, besides real skills, image, temperament, and audience appeal are indispensable. Bruce Lee's domineering presence and unique charm are not something everyone has."
This Chan Kong-sang... he looks too ordinary, even a bit...rustic? Casting him as the lead is too risky. The audience might not remember his face.
It can be said that the two women held almost identical views.
Everyone thinks that Chan Kong-sang is a decent person and a good fighter, but his image is a major flaw; he lacks star quality and market appeal.
In Hong Kong's entertainment industry, where looks matter, he's at best just a background figure.
If it weren't for the fact that it was Lam Fau-wong who said he could become an international superstar, the two women wouldn't have even bothered to give Chan Kong-sang a serious look.
If someone with this kind of appearance can become an international superstar, then wouldn't they be a dime a dozen on the street?
After listening to the two women's ideas, Lin Huowang smiled and gently shook his head, saying:
"What you see is only the surface. This Chan Kong-sang is not a stubborn rock, but a piece of gold in the wrong place. Lo Wei's promotion of him as the second Bruce Lee is like a blind man lighting a lamp—a complete waste of time and energy, the direction is completely wrong."
This guy joined Shaw Brothers Studio in 1971. Back then, he was called Chen Yuanlou and was just a background extra.
There was no script, no lines; all I did every day was get knocked to the ground and pretend to be dead, or be human background in gang fight scenes.
However, this kid had a ruthless and clever streak. While others finished work, he would squat aside and secretly learn how to make movies, studying action design. He managed to rise from a background extra who was often the one who "died the most," to a stuntman who could participate in action design. Unfortunately, just as he was starting to make a name for himself, the film company went bankrupt, and he was back to square one.
Upon hearing this, Liu Rumeng and Lü Ruirong also became aroused.
After all, these experiences of struggling at the bottom of the film and television industry are quite novel for them.
And they didn't expect that Chan Kong-sang had been working in the film industry since 1971, which is quite a long time.
However, after all this time, he still hasn't made it big. In Liu Rumeng's view, this is a manifestation of Chen Gangsheng's lack of talent and potential.
"Later, his luck turned around, and he was spotted by the great director Li Hanxiang, who cast him as Yun Ge in 'The Golden Lotus'."
Although he was only a supporting actor, he brought to life the cunning and wit of an ordinary person, revealing for the first time his innate comedic talent and playfulness.
This film gave him exposure and made him somewhat famous in the industry.
Unfortunately, the young man was too eager for quick success, or perhaps he had no other choice, and immediately took on the role in "Flowers Bloom All Over the City." This film... his sex scene with the erotic actress Milan became an indelible stain on his reputation. The film didn't become a hit; instead, it brought him a lot of trouble.
To make matters worse, Bruce Lee died in 1973. The entire Hong Kong kung fu film market fell into a deep freeze overnight. A large number of stuntmen lost their jobs, and Chan Kong-sang faced rejection everywhere with his resume. In the end, he could only slink away to Australia to find his parents and work as a construction worker and a dishwasher in a restaurant.
Until last year, Chan Chi-keung from Lo Wei's company sent him a telegram, asking him to come back and star in "New Fist of Fury" as the male lead, with a salary of three thousand yuan. The guy came back without hesitation, signed with Lo Wei, and even asked Lo Wei to help him change his name to what it is now—Jackie Chan.
Lo Wei wanted to replicate Bruce Lee's success, determined to mold him into "Bruce Lee 2.0". And the result? "New Fist of Fury", "Shaolin Wooden Men", "Sword Flower and Misty Rain in Jiangnan"... several films in a row, all following the same formula of revenge, cold-bloodedness, and deep-seated bitterness!
His box office performance was disastrous with each film! He was labeled a 'box office poison.' Lo Wei wasn't giving up, so he swallowed his pride and begged Gu Long to buy the rights. But at a dinner party, Gu Long told him to his face that his leading men were all great heroes like Yueh Hua and Lo Lieh; Jackie Chan? No way!
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