Chapter 4 004 The Roles Are Cast and Casting Is Confirmed
Chapter Four
In "Love", "Tears" is the dividing line of the story, symbolizing the beginning of the protagonist Meyer's fall into depravity.
Before this song, Mair was optimistic and cheerful, and most of the songs she sang were lively and cheerful. However, "Tears" changed the style, with a more somber and slow rhythm, carrying a deep sense of struggle. Therefore, this song is a great test of the performer's acting skills - the further you go, the more melancholic the style of the song becomes.
Lin Yuan has a sunny appearance, and today he wore a light-colored shirt, which made him look even more sunny. In addition, the light from the window was just right, so it was hard for him to exude a gloomy atmosphere. Before he started the audition, Zou He was quite doubtful whether Lin Yuan could really show the feeling he wanted.
However, at this moment, Zou He found it difficult to take his eyes off Lin Yuan.
The style of the song "Tears" is that, in the later part, the deep atmosphere of the character's depravity becomes more intense, the character's emotions erupt fiercely, the protagonist struggles at first, but in the end, he actively embraces depravity and exiles himself.
Lin Yuan's initial few sentences had already exceeded Zou He's expectations.
At this moment, Lin Yuan was completely immersed in the performance. He did not make any eye contact with Zou He and just sang with great focus. However, as a listener, Zou He felt that with each line of the song, his heart was colliding with the character of Mai Er.
In terms of singing ability alone, Lin Yuan is naturally no match for those masters who have performed "Love".
But Lin Yuan is very good at using emotions and character resonance.
He was portraying Meyer's eyes, breathing, and struggling posture—from the initial struggle to the later ease.
"Forget these hypocritical tears."
"Engraved in my heart is the poison of betrayal."
"I erect a tombstone for love."
"No more prayers, love."
In the final scene, Zou He didn't even dare to blink. The distance between him and Lin Yuan wasn't very close; they couldn't touch each other at all. Even when Lin Yuan used some movements to portray the character of Mai'er, he was still quite far away from Zou He.
However, Zou He felt that Lin Yuan's singing had brought the two of them closer.
That deep voice wasn't just low without layers; it brought out the emotional fluctuations in Mair, making the song's performance even richer.
Zou He blinked and silently looked at Lu Xiang, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Lu Xiang looked up, only turning his face to Zou He, a sign of his smugness.
At this moment, Zou He had completely abandoned Jiang Xiao in his mind.
Jiang Xiao also sang "Tears" when he auditioned. Zou He thought he sang it quite well at first, but compared to Lin Yuan's version... it was unimaginable.
Lin Yuan is very good at expressing emotions, and he has the charm to move the audience's emotions.
That's what you call acting skills.
Zou He's only question was, if Lin Yuan had such strength, how could he be so unsuccessful that he became a laughing stock?
When Lu Xiang recommended Lin Yuan, Zou He also had some concerns. It wasn't that he disliked Lin Yuan because he was unknown or because his work was too dramatic. After all, "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" wasn't a big production, so he had no right to mock Lin Yuan.
Zou's only concern was whether Lin Yuan had too many scandals.
While "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" was being performed, Lin Yuan suddenly disappeared from the entertainment industry due to some incident.
However, Zou He and Lu Xiang mobilized their connections to conduct a thorough investigation and discovered that the only things that could be considered dirt on Lin Yuan were the allegations made by Xie Yu's fans that he was trying to extort money from Xie Yu and falsely accusing Xie Yu of being a ticket scalper.
Whether Lin Yuan actually said Xie Yu was a vote rigger or not remains to be seen. Xie Yu's fans have been cursing her for three years, searching the entire internet, but all they found was that Lin Yuan had once liked a dance cover video by a certain blogger. That same blogger had posted a video questioning the unfairness of the rankings on the night of the "Tomorrow's Star" finale.
This is the evidence that the blogger received money from Lin Yuan to smear Xie Yu.
Zou He & Lu Xiang: "..."
Wouldn't a normal person think that way?
After searching around, the two realized that although Lin Yuan was not well-known, he didn't have any particularly obvious scandals. It was just that the company's positioning of him and his personal aesthetic sense were problematic.
The effeminate, pretty-boy style really doesn't suit him.
Their personalities are completely mismatched.
After the performance of "Tears" ended, Lin Yuan sang the second song, "The Dark Web" from "Tomorrow's Tomorrow".
This piece is a monologue from the monsoon.
A normal person's life is broad and smooth, but Ji Feng's life was destined to be narrow. However, he lived in a warm home, and his family gave him enough love.
However, overnight, the sky collapsed and the earth caved in.
From that moment on, Ji Feng's life was nothing but falling.
"The Dark Web" is a solo, while in "Tomorrow's Tomorrow," Ji Feng also has a duet with his mother. He is the decision-maker and planner, always hiding in the darkness, and is his mother's shadow.
Before this song, "Dark Web," Zou He had already decided that, no matter what, the role of Ji Feng belonged to Lin Yuan.
But Lin Yuan's presentation of "The Dark Web" still exceeded his expectations.
If we compare Jifeng and Mair, objectively speaking, Jifeng's emotional fluctuations are not as strong as Mair's. Due to physical limitations, he does not show overly intense emotions. He is like the sea, which appears calm and undisturbed at first glance, but only by diving into its depths can one perceive the endless darkness hidden within.
When performing this piece, Lin Yuan's emotions were not exaggerated.
To describe it specifically, it's as if he's on an empty stage, with a beam of light shining on his head, soft music playing, and he's murmuring his thoughts.
Under his influence, the audience has already plunged into the abyss.
...
Zou He could find no reason to abandon Lin Yuan.
It was just an audition, yet Lin Yuan was able to analyze the character of Ji Feng to such an extent, which truly surprised Zou He.
He signed the contract with Lin Yuan as quickly as possible, fearing that Lin Yuan might change his mind.
To be honest, when the script for "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" came out, the hardest thing for Zou He to find was the actor for Ji Feng.
There are few talented young actors to begin with, and top students from various colleges may not be interested in their small production team. Ji Feng's role is not particularly important, so Zou He can only focus more on cost-effectiveness when recruiting actors.
In contrast, the actress for the mother role was cast quickly, as the middle-aged actress had already honed her acting skills, so Zou He didn't have to worry at all.
"It will be great to cooperate with you from now on." Zou He extended his hand and shook hands firmly with Lin Yuan.
"Tomorrow's Tomorrow" has gone through many twists and turns since its preparation. The script is not well-known, but Zou He really liked it, so he managed to get the adaptation rights. Lu Xiang is a longtime friend of his and was willing to support him. He helped him get sponsorships and hire composers. After many ups and downs, the project has finally taken shape today.
He wanted to tell this story well and find the most suitable actors.
Jiang Xiao's departure halfway through the project was a huge blow to him, but he couldn't find an actor to replace Jiang Xiao in the short term.
Zou He wasn't a good-tempered person. When Jiang Xiao suddenly decided to come back, he didn't want to cling to him desperately. But circumstances were beyond his control. With Jiang Xiao back, the crew was complete. After some more rehearsals, they could at least make it in time for the premiere.
Lin Yuan solved his immediate problem.
Considering Lin Yuan's status as an idol, Zou He specifically asked Lin Yuan about his schedule for the next period of time.
Lin Yuan could only manage a wry smile: "I have no schedule."
“That’s great.” Zou patted his arm. “Why don’t you try musicals? I think you have a lot of talent.”
Although Lin Yuan is not a professionally trained singer, he is not the kind of singing machine who only shows off his singing skills. Singing skills can be honed, but the talent to resonate with the audience is something that not everyone can have.
Lin Yuan was soon introduced to the crew of "Tomorrow's Tomorrow".
The crew wasn't surprised that a newcomer would be playing Ji Feng, but... the actors looked at Lin Yuan from all angles and felt that he looked very familiar.
"Isn't this Lin Yuan?"
"Why did the director bring him here?"
"Is it to attract some casual viewers?"
However, after thinking about it, the actors felt that such a guess was not reasonable. Given Lin Yuan's current appeal, it was hard to say whether he could sell tickets.
"Can he act well?"
This was everyone's first reaction before rehearsals began.
...
Jiang Xiao waited and waited, but still didn't receive a reply from Zou He.
He couldn't help but scroll through his WeChat, wanting to ask other members of the "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" crew for information, but then he remembered that since he decided to join iStar and debut, he had deleted all the contact information of the actors in the "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" crew.
iStar is an idol group that Zhongxing Entertainment plans to promote with great effort. Their debut variety show even involved collaborations with big names in the film and television industry. Jiang Xiao naturally has no need to associate himself with a group of unknown musical actors.
His decision to return to the "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" production team was mainly to create a persona for himself.
Among the four members of iStar, his persona is the only one that is unremarkable and lacks any selling points. Some members have become popular through BL pairings, some are rap geniuses, and some are the chosen younger brother. Only he, despite having the identity of a musical actor, has no works listed.
He was destined to become a genius actor and carry the torch for musicals, but because of his love for his idol career and his fans, he resolutely gave up the crown he had already won. Isn't this kind of persona appealing?
"Tomorrow's Tomorrow" would have been better off with a low-budget production team. Even after becoming a member of the star-studded iStar, he still stayed true to his original intention and did not abandon this small, poor production team.
Because he is kind.
This is simply the perfect idol.
Jiang Xiao felt that as long as he decided to go back, Zou He would definitely agree. When he first contacted Zou He, although Zou He's tone was ambiguous, he did not express any intention to refuse.
Jiang Xiao was well aware that it was difficult to find a replacement for the role of Ji Feng.
If it were easy to find, Jiang Xiao wouldn't have asked Zou He.
"Director Zou probably just wants to put on airs," Jiang Xiao reassured his agent. "Art directors are more concerned about their image than most people."
"Could they have already found a suitable actor over there?" the agent asked. "Otherwise, there would be more activity than we've heard."
"rest assured."
Jiang Xiao remained confident: "He won't choose anyone but me."
Jiang Xiao is confident in his abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen by the company to become a member of iStar.
But he waited all day, and Zou and the other side didn't give him a reply.
There was none the next day either.
Jiang Xiao had some doubts in his heart.
He has already hinted to his fans that he will be starring in a musical next.
On the third day, Jiang Xiao finally couldn't help but contact Zou He, who then seemed to suddenly remember: "Sorry, I forgot to tell you, we've already decided on the role of Ji Feng."
"Impossible," was Jiang Xiao's first reaction.
"Let me recommend our future musical actor to everyone, handsome and kind-hearted Xiao Jiang, the most handsome musical actor in the idol circle and the most handsome idol in the musical circle. Don't miss him."
"If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Jiang will be starring in a low-budget musical, which he took the initiative to participate in by giving up an opportunity to participate in iStar."
"Xiao Jiang is a kind and lovely child."
Marketing phrases have been gradually gaining traction under the hashtag #JiangXiao#, but he has fallen silent.
A note from the author:
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Update~~~ [Pity][Pity]
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