Chapter 128 New work: "Bloody Past"
Chapter 128
"Just Right You" is still being filmed, and according to his agent, Lin Yuan has been receiving a constant stream of offers.
Of these, television drama projects are the majority, while film projects are far fewer.
Aside from his memorable supporting roles in the films "Thousand Mountains" and "Killing," Lin Yuan has yet to take on a leading role.
The TV series feature main characters and cover a wide range of projects, from modern times to ancient times, including rural life, science fiction, and magic.
It was only then that Lin Yuan realized that the TV drama industry was not lacking in inspiration, but rather in suckers who were easily fooled. He had become an important link in attracting these suckers.
"Someone will actually answer?" Lin Yuan asked in surprise.
"99.9% of them will be turned into online movies or short dramas, and they'll fool as many people as they can."
The agent naturally didn't intend to promote these dramas to Lin Yuan; he simply wanted to demonstrate the diversity of television drama themes—that they weren't all about revenge and bloodshed.
Mainly, after the release of "Killing", the number of revenge and perverse dramas handed to Lin Yuan increased exponentially, and Lin Yuan's ability to challenge himself was fully recognized by the industry.
"Is this a compliment or an insult?" Lin Yuan wondered.
"It depends on what you think."
Lin Yuan naturally declined them all without hesitation.
Feng Zeng didn't say much, but his expression showed some hesitation, which Lin Yuan immediately noticed: "What's wrong?"
“There’s a script that Director Ge Peng recommended,” Feng Zeng said. “It’s also a revenge story.”
Lin Yuan himself felt that repeating the same theme was not challenging enough, but Feng Zeng felt that among the films Lin Yuan had made, the one that was truly related to revenge was "Mandala".
Although the character designs in works such as "Thousand Mountains", "Killing", and "Mandala" seem similar, they are actually different.
Lin Yuan guessed that the script handed over this time must be quite good, given that Feng had been his agent for so long.
"What's the script like? Let me see it."
The moment Lin Yuan heard the name Ge Peng, he knew that the script must be of high quality, otherwise Ge Peng wouldn't have chosen it.
It's true that Lin Yuan filled in for "Killing," but according to general practice, Ge Peng should have let Lin Yuan act in his own script, unless... he felt that the script was very suitable for Lin Yuan, and... he himself also believed that it was a rare script.
The first page of the script is titled "Bloody Past".
Upon seeing the title, Lin Yuan had a general idea of what was going on; it certainly looked like a script that would be handed to him.
Looking at the cast and crew, the director is Ren Maoxing, and the screenwriter is Zhao Ping…
Lin Yuan closed the script: "There must be a lot of people vying for it, right?"
“That’s right,” Feng Zeng said. “The production team prefers to use you, but as far as I know, Xu Lijia has been working on this script for a while.”
Lin Yuan could tell at a glance that this lineup was a huge pie in the sky that everyone in the industry was eager to own.
Who is Ren Maoxing? He is a director with an excellent reputation both domestically and internationally. In recent years, Ren Maoxing has focused his career on overseas projects, and his films have all won good awards. Although he has not produced many films, any actor who has participated in Ren Maoxing's works has seen a boost in their career.
"Xu Lijia?" Lin Yuan asked.
"Um."
Lin Yuan sighed softly, "I know him."
Lin Yuan's tone wasn't that he thought Xu Lijia was anything special, but rather that even someone like him, who lacked knowledge of the entertainment industry, had heard of Xu Lijia.
In Lin Yuan's mind, Li Mobei was already very powerful, and Xu Lijia was the max version of Li Mobei.
The other party has won Best Actor awards both domestically and internationally, and has also achieved good commercial success. He is the kind of actor who is recognized as someone who will leave his mark on film history.
There is indeed a severe shortage of actors in China right now, and Xu Lijia is one of those actors whose talent is so exceptional that it's almost unparalleled.
"Why didn't the production team use him?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.
"I don't know either," Feng Zeng admitted frankly.
I know, Director Ren Maoxing also has his own ideas.
Famous directors often have some quirks.
"Does taking this film mean I'll offend Xu Lijia?"
Feng glanced at him, making a gesture that suggested he didn't know what to say: "Most likely."
Xu Lijia is not very magnanimous; this is a well-known fact in the industry.
Geng Yue's decision to kick He Xun out of the variety show was criticized as petty, and his popularity plummeted as a result.
If the same thing happened to Xu Lijia, although he would be criticized for being stingy, it would not affect his career at all. He might even gain more tolerance from netizens because that's how Xu Lijia has always been.
He is petty, argumentative, and will not let go of any resource he fights for.
But he is also very capable.
This is a fact that is universally acknowledged in the film and television industry.
The most famous example of Xu Lijia's narrow-mindedness is that when he served as a judge at a certain A-class film festival, he did not fight for an award for an actor who was once his competitor.
That actor was a hot favorite that year, but he failed miserably and went home empty-handed.
Generally speaking, it is customary for domestic filmmakers to help each other win awards at overseas film festivals. Sometimes Asian filmmakers also help each other because they share similarities in culture, which can be conveyed to other judges.
Xu Lijia remained completely unmoved, putting his personal grudges aside.
After returning to China, the actor reciprocated by doing the same to Xu Lijia.
Xu Lijia then adopted a tone that suggested, "I'm not wrong to not help him, am I?", further confirming his character.
To some extent, Xu Lijia's move did drive away many competitors, but Lin Yuan didn't care too much. Whether Xu Lijia was interested or not, even if the other party was only one step away from signing the contract, if Lin Yuan thought the script was good, he would still make a move.
Good scripts are not monopolized by any one person, and besides, the production team did indeed extend an invitation to Lin Yuan.
After reading the script, Lin Yuan was certain that "Bloody Past" was indeed a captivating script.
When the mine collapsed, miner Wei Liang went back to rescue people, but was pushed down into the mine by his friend.
Everyone thought Wei Liang was dead, but Wei Liang endured excruciating pain and torment and slowly crawled out.
Wei Liang thought the nightmare was over, but little did he know that this was just the beginning.
The ugliness of human nature slowly unfolded before his eyes.
The bloodshed is both on the surface and in the heart.
Lin Yuan quickly agreed.
The production team therefore attached the filming requirements for "Bloody Past". If Lin Yuan accepted the role, he would have to learn how to work in a well, lose weight drastically, and then gain weight.
For the scenes where Wei Liang climbs up, including the scenes after he returns, Lin Yuan has to be very thin. It's easy to gain weight after losing weight, but it's much more difficult to lose weight after filming begins.
These are just the most basic requirements; there are other requirements as well, but these two are the most important.
The filming was scheduled for the second half of the year, which happens to be the coldest time of year. Places with mineral deposits are generally very cold in winter. In the north, sub-zero temperatures are the norm. Ren Maoxing chose this time because he is very good at using snow scenes to create atmosphere.
The long, endless expanse of snow-white has almost become Ren Maoxing's trademark.
Lin Yuan: "…………"
Snow scenes are often used to enhance the atmosphere of romance.
"Isn't there bloodshed too? Didn't you direct 'Major Crime'?"
Lin Yuan had just indulged his romantic imagination in a dreamlike snowy scene when his manager killed that romantic notion.
"Why can't we use the green of spring to create a nice atmosphere?" Lin Yuan continued to sigh. "I feel like I'm getting cold."
"The greenery of spring creates an atmosphere?" The agent touched his nose. "All I can think of is grass on graves."
Lin Yuan: "…………Think of something positive."
Why are all the people around him so completely devoid of romance?!
So much so that Lin Yuan's mind suddenly went blank, and spring no longer seemed so romantic to him; all he could think of was grass growing X feet tall on a grave.
I must say, it really does fit the atmosphere of revenge.
...
After confirming the cooperation intention with the "Bloody Past" production team, Lin Yuan also met with Ren Maoxing.
The director was short and slightly overweight, with a kind face and a seemingly mild temper. However, when Lin Yuan met his gaze, he could sense the sharpness in the director's eyes.
He was observing, probably trying to see through himself.
In short, after observing Lin Yuan for a while, the cooperation was successfully finalized.
Lin Yuan guessed that, besides director Ge Peng's recommendation, the director's selection of him was probably also influenced by the films "Thousand Mountains" or "Killing".
When he was signing the contract and chatting with the director, Ren Maoxing told him that the reason he was ultimately chosen was because the director was impressed by his performance in "The Powerful Minister".
Ren Maoxing noticed him back then, but didn't pay much attention to who the actor was. Later, when casting for "Bloody Past", Ge Peng knew Ren Maoxing's general idea and recommended Lin Yuan.
Ren Maoxing took a look and recognized Lin Yuan as a familiar face.
He read "The Powerful Minister" from beginning to end. As for the script of "Bloody Past", Shao Jing's murderous aura was a little lacking, but with the addition of the parts of "Thousand Mountains" and "Killing", it would be just right.
"You're going to have to put in some hard work now," the director said. "Can you lose weight?"
"It should be... possible."
Even if you can't lose weight, you still have to. This requirement is written in the contract, and even the specific number is specified.
Lin Yuan sighed; he was indeed in for some hardship.
Say goodbye to barbecue, popcorn, and hot pot.
He can eat a little more while filming "Just Right," and as for the meat... he can lose it later.
Lin Yuan's schedule this year does not include filming, but the script for "Bloody Past" is indeed good, and Lin Yuan is unwilling to miss it.
Time is like water in a sponge; you can squeeze some out.
Lin Yuan needs to finish filming "Just Right" first, and the second half of the year is for promoting "Mandala" and "Ghost Art". He also has to film movies, write songs, do business, and celebrate the New Year. Lin Yuan also received an invitation to go abroad to attend a fashion show, but the dates conflict with the filming of "Bloody Past".
Lin Yuan naturally prioritized making movies.
If he were to lose weight as planned, he would probably be skin and bones by then, and going to Fashion Week in that state... Lin Yuan didn't want to see that image.
"So busy!" Lin Yuan yelled.
Despite being busy, everyone on the "Just Right You" crew could tell that Lin Yuan was in a good mood.
"What good thing happened?" Qi Lian asked him.
"That's definitely a good thing."
Lin Yuan didn't say what good news it was, but Qi Lian understood even without him saying it. For actors, good news is usually limited to a few things, and Qi Lian had been through similar periods before.
The filming of "Just Right" is gradually coming to an end, and the story ends abruptly with Chu Hua and Miao Lan graduating from university.
The script could be longer, but then it wouldn't be idol-like anymore.
Idol dramas are a form of dream creation; reality is too bitter, so people come to idol dramas to find a little sweetness.
Just like the title suggests, the story ends here.
Lin Yuan and Qi Lian's styles have become more mature. During their crush period, they expressed their feelings more outgoingly and exaggeratedly. After going to university, their feelings became more introverted, but they were integrated into their daily lives.
Both of them have changed their personalities and become more like each other. Miao Lan smiles more, and Chu Hua is more composed.
Only at certain moments can a glimpse of their youthful selves be seen in either of them.
They still feel shy when making eye contact, but there is more joy than shyness—pure joy. Under director Qian Hao's lens, there are fewer romantic scenes, but the warm atmosphere is stronger.
From dating to knowing that the other person is the one to support each other for life, Lin Yuan and Qi Lian are both slowly expressing this transformation.
They are also growing along with their characters.
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Author's Note: Update! [doge][doge][doge]
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