Chapter 136 Shooting Daily Life
Chapter 136
On the set of "Bloody Past", Lin Yuan felt extremely haggard. Outside of filming, he would wrap himself in an incredibly thick down jacket, stick on heat packs, and curl up inside.
Every time Lin Yuan looked in the mirror, he felt he had aged more than ten years. And that was without makeup; with makeup, he would look another ten years older.
Lin Yuan is the kind of person who complains bitterly in private. If he could, he would rather buy a megaphone and yell in the director's ear. But once he arrives on set and filming begins, Lin Yuan doesn't have much extra emotion.
He was just Wei Liang.
The winter in the north was colder than Lin Yuan had imagined. There were many outdoor scenes in "Bloody Past". Lin Yuan always carried a hot water bottle while reading the script. His daily way of keeping warm was to drink water, but if he drank too much water, he would have to go to the toilet. In the cold weather, he had to go to the toilet more often. Lin Yuan felt like he was fighting against himself every day.
I'm really torn.
Because of a disagreement with the director about the script at the beginning, Lin Yuan spent a lot of time on the script every day. Regarding the character Wei Liang, Lin Yuan's notes were already as thick as a notebook, filled to the brim, because he was afraid he would forget them.
Wei Liang and Lin Yuan had played different roles before. Those roles were all very delicate, but Wei Liang was rough and hard, like a solid icicle or a block of iron.
Lin Yuan was once an idol, and the word "rough and tough" doesn't even come close to him.
But the longer the filming of "Bloody Past" went on, the more Lin Yuan felt he was getting closer and closer to Wei Liang, and his whole body became stiff.
These days were tough, but Lin Yuan got used to it after filming for a while.
...
"Bloody Past" revolves almost entirely around Wei Liang, with other characters having relatively little screen time. This differs from "The Art of Ghosts," where Wei Liang and Yu Ying had roughly equal screen time. "Bloody Past" is essentially a one-man show for Wei Liang, telling the story of how he exacts revenge and carries out a bloodbath after experiencing dark events.
Although both are about revenge, "Bloody Past" is not a suspense story. There is no element of reasoning in it. Wei Liang is not like Han Shen in "Mandala", who plans and schemes step by step to get close to his opponent. Even when it comes to revenge, Wei Liang's revenge is cold and hard.
This is Ren Maoxing's style.
He simply wanted to depict Wei Liang, a man on the verge of death, and unfold a part of his life story.
It doesn't need a happy ending or very sophisticated logic; it's just a narrative.
This is also a type of film.
When Lin Yuan first read the script, he was certain that "Bloody Past" probably wouldn't make a lot of money; the kind of plot wouldn't appeal to the audience that would go to the cinema.
Chinese-language films have been market-oriented for over 20 years, so the industry is naturally quite clear about what kind of films audiences like.
However, even if filmmakers know what the audience likes, they may not be able to make the film.
It's difficult to judge whether a movie will make money, but at the same time, it's very easy to judge whether a movie will make money.
"Bloody Memories" is a typical example of a movie that doesn't make money.
But Lin Yuan really liked the feeling that Wei Liang's character brought to life. He appeared in a special region, experienced special encounters, and had a strong personal style.
Like hunters gradually disappearing into the forest, they become out of place in the tides of the times.
Wei Liang gradually recovered from his emaciated state. His physical condition had always been good; otherwise, he would not have been able to climb out of the mine—everyone thought he was dead, but he was not.
In contrast, Wei Liang became increasingly silent, often going for long periods without uttering a single word, his features growing more and more defined.
He also began to be suspicious of the people around him and became more accustomed to being alone.
And so, he slowly made his way home.
Lin Yuan's weight is constantly increasing, and he is extremely grateful for this in order to meet the requirements of the plot, because he can finally eat human food.
Are supplements for human consumption?
"So-called nutritious meals are just pig feed!" Lin Yuan gave a precise definition.
“Agreed!” He Xun echoed in the group chat.
“Agreed!” Yu Ying chimed in. “I attended an event the other day, and there was a dress I couldn’t even fit into. Is that even fit a human? I’m so thin, but I still couldn’t get into it. I was so angry that I wanted to tear the dress off right there and then.”
"Don't act impulsively."
"I didn't tear it up, I was just expressing my feelings," Yu Ying sighed. "I want to eat fried chicken and spicy hot pot."
"I want to eat it too," Lin Yuan sent a sighing emoji, "but my stomach can't handle such greasy food."
He Xun said he has been eating boiled vegetables lately, with radishes, broccoli, and cabbage becoming his daily staple: "I play a model in my new drama."
"A model???" Lin Yuan and Yu Ying replied almost simultaneously, "You're a model?"
"Unimaginable." — This is Yu Ying's statement.
“You’re not even as tall as me, are you?” — This was Lin Yuan.
He Xun immediately threw out a few eye-rolling emojis: "Do you guys have any objections to this? I can't play a model? In that script, I'm a superstar."
The group immediately fell silent.
"Give me some face, okay?" He Xun's speech had become increasingly fluent lately.
According to his fans, He Xun, who used to be quiet, gave them a dull feeling. But now, whether it's because he's become familiar with Lin Yuan or for some other reason, He Xun is still quiet, but he gives them a kind of brooding, quirky feeling.
"You become like those you associate with. You should learn more from us and keep up with our pace."
He Xun: "..."
Many times, he wanted to share the group chat with the public—these two people had nothing to do with the word "serious"!
Fans, please don't be fooled!
At He Xun and Yu Ying's insistence, Lin Yuan posted a recent photo of himself in the group chat. The two first mocked Lin Yuan's photography skills, saying, "He's hopelessly ugly."
"You happened to be wearing a brown mink coat, and I thought you were some kind of brown bear."
Lin Yuan: "...Keep warm, thank you."
"The original kangaroo skin. For every Lin Yuan in the world, a kangaroo is tragically killed. What a cruel reality this is. Let's start by refusing to let kangaroos become humans."
"Hey, this is getting more and more outrageous."
He Xun and Yu Ying mainly wanted to find out about Lin Yuan's physical condition.
In the first two days after joining the crew to film "Bloody Past", Lin Yuan lost a lot of weight, almost just skin and bones. Now that he looks much better and has become a bit plumper, the two of them are finally relieved.
"You were so thin at the beginning that with a little beauty filter you would have looked like a snake spirit. If you went into one of those internet celebrity live streams, your head would be edited into a stick."
As an actor, Lin Yuan's head circumference is indeed not large.
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Lin Yuan said speechlessly.
"That's way more exaggerated than that."
"Don't rush, just take your time filming," Yu Ying said. "A film directed by Ren Maoxing will definitely be rewarding."
During the filming of "Bloody Past", Lin Yuan almost disappeared. He didn't update his Weibo and rarely spoke in group chats. He Xun and Yu Ying video chatted with him once before and found that he was not only thinner, but his mental state was also too close to the character he played.
It's good for actors to be dedicated to their roles, but if they get too involved... it can be harmful to their health.
Yu Ying was especially worried about Lin Yuan.
To some extent, she is also the kind of actress who doesn't care about anything when filming, letting herself and the character become one.
Investing is easy, but going global is difficult.
Yu Ying went through that phase early in her career, but she gradually adapted to her identity as an actress and regained her normal state.
In the past few days, Lin Yuan has gradually started participating in group chats and has also started sending emojis. Yu Ying and He Xun roughly understand that his condition has improved.
“Not eating can indeed make people irritable,” Lin Yuan said. “I don’t get angry, but I just feel unhappy all day, don’t want to exercise, and don’t feel well.”
Lin Yuan himself realized that one or two roles like Wei Liang would be enough for his acting career; he couldn't play too many, or his body would suffer.
However, the filming of "Bloody Past" is far from over, and for Lin Yuan, the hard work continues.
In the script, Wei Liang's "wandering" part is quite long. In a TV series, this is the process of the protagonist making friends and exploring life. In other movies, this is the process of the protagonist reflecting. However, "Bloody Past" only arranges for Wei Liang to wander alone.
Lin Yuan felt that this was Ren Maoxing showing off his skills, a characteristic of Ren Maoxing's films.
In this part of the story, Lin Yuan's talent for exploring inner worlds is blocked, and Wei Liang's presence becomes one with the environment.
The director didn't have high expectations for Lin Yuan's performance; he just wanted him to be closer to Wei Liang.
Wei Liang looked at the distant mountains and houses, feeling both cold and lonely.
This emotion wasn't conveyed through Wei Liang's inner feelings, but rather through his actions in this environment, his blank expression, and his hopeless pupils.
This is definitely the most difficult role Lin Yuan has ever played since becoming an actor, spanning two lifetimes combined.
Wei Liang calmed down and kept his emotions in check, but the problem was that he couldn't be completely without emotions or thoughts. He was a living person, and as such, he would inevitably have thoughts.
Lin Yuan also had to do several takes for this part of the film. During the filming of a scene, Lin Yuan's personality sometimes outweighed Wei Liang's personality.
Because it's so empty and boring, so empty it's maddening.
There was no one else around; he was the only one on set all day. He could talk to the director, but apart from "bitter, bitter," Lin Yuan had no other human language to express himself.
He still prefers filming scenes with other actors, at least that way he feels more alive.
So when Wei Liang's scenes started after he returned home, Lin Yuan was a little happy—he was finally able to film with the other actors!
"Is it that bitter?" Feng Zeng asked.
"Suffering you can't even imagine."
The agent had only gone out for a short while, but had already received several resentful looks from Lin Yuan. The agent touched his nose and said, "I'll stay a few more days next time."
Feng brought Lin Yuan a message: "You probably have no chance of winning the Golden Wing Award this year."
"Didn't we already know that?" Lin Yuan said.
"Xu Lijia and Cao Yan are locked in a fierce battle."
Lin Yuan frowned, and Feng Zeng began to explain to him: "Cao Yan is also a member of the jury for this year's Golden Wing Awards."
"I have some gossip to share." Lin Yuan poked his head out. "Tell me about it."
Feng Zeng: "..."
"What's with that expression?" Lin Yuan nudged his manager.
"I just feel... you look completely different."
Lin Yuan looked a bit dejected just now, but as soon as he heard the gossip, his eyes immediately lit up, which made his manager find it a little funny.
“Xu Lijia is the chairman of the jury, so he’s pretty domineering. He decides everything and doesn’t consider other people’s opinions.” Feng Zeng took a sip of water slowly. “It’s said that the Best Supporting Actor award will be decided in the end between you and Tang Yonglei through an internal vote.”
Lin Yuan: "...How do you know everything?"
“That’s not the point,” Feng Zeng said. “Everyone knows that Xu Lijia won’t consider you, so it should be Tang Yonglei.”
"Xu Lijia pushed Pan Jun out."
"But as far as I know, in the internal vote among the judges, Pan Jun received the fewest votes, so the judges naturally had differing opinions."
"As for Best Supporting Actor, Xu Lijia insisted on competing for it. Out of consideration for him, the other judges wouldn't necessarily refuse, but he went too far." Feng Zeng said speechlessly, "He disagreed with other people's ideas and insisted on doing things his way. What's the point of them coming here? Just to be decorations?"
Lin Yuan asked curiously, "Does Tang Yonglei have a grudge against him?"
"It's said to exist."
"So I'm not alone after all." Lin Yuan leaned closer to his agent. "Any other juicy gossip? Tell me about it."
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Author's Note: Update! [shy][shy][shy]
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