Chapter 549 Live Interview (4,000 words update!)
It was still dark.
Lu Yanhe, wearing a coat and still looking sleepy, came out of the hotel and got into his car.
Compared to Yuming, winter in Los Angeles is practically like springtime.
With an average temperature of 10-20℃, it's not too cold here.
However, even at this hour, the short distance from when Lu Yanhe left the hotel to when he got into the car still made him feel a chill, and he didn't know if it was because he got up too early.
Wang Biao handed him a thermos and said, "Brother Lu, have some soup. Wan Qingqing made it herself."
"You've taken such good care of me," Lu Yanhe said.
"You are our provider, so we would feel bad if we didn't treat you well," Wang Biao said with a grin. "To be precise, if we didn't treat you well, how could we ask you for a year-end bonus?"
"Sigh, tsk tsk, I was just thinking that human relationships are so pure and kind, but it turns out they're still scheming." Chen Ziyan laughed as well.
Lu Yanhe yawned, unscrewed the bottle cap, took two sips of the steaming soup, and immediately let out a comfortable sigh.
"What kind of soup is this? It's so delicious."
"I don't know, I'll have to ask Wan Qingqing."
Wan Qingqing wasn't in the car; she drove her own car and followed behind.
Chen Ziyan: "The interview later will be live. Since it's not a program that focuses on interviewing people, it's essentially a news program. There's no need to go into too much detail about some things. This is actually a promotion for 'Friends.' Of course, we can also mention 'The Mist' if we're in the meantime, but don't say too much, or Maxine will be unhappy. Maxine helped me get this program."
"Understood." Lu Yanhe nodded. "We can't be holding onto one family's rice while selling rice to another."
"After recording the show at eight o'clock, we have to leave to try on clothes, then go back to the hotel to take departure photos. Before heading to the premiere, there are two live interviews and one video interview." Chen Ziyan quickly told Lu Yanhe about today's schedule. "After the premiere in the afternoon, there are two more interviews and a media reception."
"It sounds like today is going to be a day that spins like a top."
“That’s right.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “But it’s okay. After we finish shooting the magazine tomorrow, we can head back to China. You can get a good night’s sleep on the plane.”
"That sounds terrible. He'll have to sleep on the plane to catch up on his rest," Lu Yanhe laughed.
Chen Ziyan: "I am content."
Lu Yanhe: "The really busy part is coming up, especially at the end of January and the beginning of February."
"By the way, we got news from the Spring Festival Gala last night. They selected the song 'Chinese Language,' but they also have their eye on the song 'Love.' They asked if it could be sung by someone else."
“No, this song was written for the three of us.” Lu Yanhe refused without hesitation. “This song won’t be used for the Spring Festival Gala this time, but we can sing it on other occasions.”
"OK, I'll reply to them."
Lu Yanhe sent the message to the three-person group chat.
Li Zhibai posted a "beating drums and gongs" emoji.
Yan Liang asked: What time is it where you are?
Lu Yanhe: Around 5 a.m.
Yan Liang: So early.
Lu Yanhe took a picture of the sky: it was still dark, and it wasn't even dawn yet.
Yan Liang: Keep it up!
CBN's morning news program is hosted by Cather Murray, who is very well-known in the United States, but virtually no one outside of the US recognizes her.
However, Kaiser Murray is clearly different from movie stars; he doesn't need markets outside the United States, and he reports on American news.
While the morning news program may include some serious political news, it primarily targets families as its main audience, featuring a lot of content related to daily life and entertainment.
After arriving at CBN, Lu Yanhe was led into the guest lounge.
The host's lounge is right next door.
The name Kather Murray was written on it, and the door was closed.
After a while, a program director came over to talk to him about the questions that would be asked on the show later.
They won't write down the specific questions for you directly, but will tell you in advance what topics will be discussed so you can prepare accordingly.
Lu Yanhe had already looked at it yesterday, and looked at it again today; there were basically no changes.
Before he came, he made it very clear that he would not discuss any sensitive topics.
These were all under signed contracts.
Five minutes later, a makeup artist came to do his hair and makeup.
Aside from stage makeup, Lu Yanhe never wears heavy makeup, and he finished quickly.
He yawned, stood up, and did some high knees to perk himself up.
At 7:35, the director knocked on the door and asked him to come over.
He followed everyone to the studio.
There were quite a few people in the studio.
After he appeared, many curious eyes turned to him.
Lu Yanhe could tell that many people didn't actually know him.
Only a minority of people have watched Friends, and he is not a particularly famous foreign star among Americans.
At that moment, Kaiser Murray also arrived.
The two exchanged a glance, and Kaiser Murray nodded to him, smiled slightly, and then went to the chat area first.
Lily Williams said he discriminated against Asians. Lu Yanhe didn't know if it was true or not, but during their first meeting, Kaiser Murray's attitude was indeed not very friendly; it was just politeness on the surface.
Lu Yanhe smiled, handed his water glass to Wang Biao, and, guided by the director, walked to the chat area and sat down on the sofa.
Test the sound and adjust your posture.
People at the scene were already shouting a countdown.
Lu Yanhe silently took a breath.
Live interview...
Damn, I suddenly feel a little nervous again.
He caught a glimpse of Chen Ziyan out of the corner of his eye. She stood with her arms crossed in the dim light behind the camera and nodded to him.
The countdown has ended, and the live stream has officially begun.
Kaiser Murray, with a standard anchor's smile on his face, began his opening remarks.
"...Recently, a Chinese TV series called 'Friends' has been broadcast on Maxine and has been loved by many people all over the world. Today, we have invited Lu Yanhe, one of the writers and stars of 'Friends,' to the show."
Kaiser Murray turned to Lu Yanhe with a warm smile, "Welcome to our show."
"Thank you, Catherine." Lu Yanhe's smile also brightened.
“Your English is very good.” Kaiser Murray looked surprised. “I rarely hear Asians pronounce like you, unless they grew up in the United States.”
Lu Yanhe: "Thank you. I guess it's because I often work overseas and speak it a lot, so I'm quite fluent. Cather, can you speak Chinese?"
“Me? I don’t know.” Kaiser Murray was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Lu Yanhe to suddenly ask him a question.
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "Then you should come to China more often. I believe you can definitely speak Chinese very well."
Kaiser Murray chuckled. "Okay, thanks for the invitation. I'll definitely go if I have the chance. Actually, after watching Friends, I've become quite curious about China now, because the show is about a group of young people and what happens in a Chinese city, right?"
"Yes."
Why did you want to write such a story?
"Because this is the life of me and my friends over the past few years. It has some dramatic adaptations, but at its core, it is actually our understanding of life, work, love and friendship."
"You are an actor who has achieved a lot in the film industry, with films such as 'Three Mountains,' 'Late Spring,' 'The Silent River,' and 'Rouge' winning awards at international film festivals. Why did you choose to film a sitcom after achieving all these successes?"
"Why? Well, actually, I just wanted to shoot, there's no particular reason," Lu Yanhe said. "I like to shoot different subjects and different forms, and most importantly, the content can move me."
Kaiser Murray nodded. "I've seen many Chinese media outlets say that you are the most representative young actor in China right now. What do you think of this title?"
“I don’t really care what other people think of me, whether it’s good or bad,” Lu Yanhe said. “But I have to say, I would be very happy to see compliments like these, and I can’t deny that.”
Kaiser Murray: "So do you consider yourself the best young actor in China?"
"Me? Of course I think so, but I don't know if it's true or not." Lu Yanhe nodded with a smile. "From the first day I became an actor, everyone told me that an actor must be confident. A confident actor is always better than an insecure actor. So, from the very first scene I acted, I told myself that I am not only the best young actor in China, but I am the best actor."
If it weren't for the live broadcast, Lu Yanhe really wouldn't have dared to answer like that, for fear of being taken out of context.
But because it's a live broadcast, he can speak in a more lively way.
What may seem like arrogant words will not be perceived that way once you listen to what he is saying in its entirety.
Moreover, this was an answer that Chen Ziyan and he had carefully considered together.
At his stage, it's important to subtly convey an attitude and signal that "I am doing very well."
In this era, people generally prefer those who present themselves positively and confidently.
As Kaiser Murray interviewed Lu Yanhe, he became increasingly surprised. Lu Yanhe seemed different from the other Asians he had encountered before. In his understanding, Asians are a group that doesn't like to "retaliate." As long as you don't cross their bottom line, they often choose to endure or "laugh it off."
Lu Yanhe, however, responded calmly from the very first question, or rather, he made sure not to give himself any ammunition for criticism.
His quick wit and his extremely generous yet meticulous answers have left Kaiser Murray without a point of leverage.
Viewers will never like to see a guest complete an interview so easily; there has to be some genuine emotion, or a feeling of "he was stung," for the interview to be interesting.
As the interview progressed, Kaiser Murray heard a notification from the director in his earpiece that about half of the fifteen-minute interview had already passed.
As he followed the prompts and asked the corresponding questions, he pondered the materials he had just looked at in the lounge.
Finally, as the interview was about to end and commercials were about to begin, he had an idea.
He raised one last question: "Actually, I don't know if I should ask this question, since there is no evidence and it's just a guess. Yesterday, there was a very popular post on Chinese social media saying that you won Best Actor in an award, and that the award was suspected of being unfair. Lu, regarding this matter, did you engage in any unfair competition?"
Lu Yanhe slightly raised the corners of his eyebrows.
He said, "Kaiser, you must not have watched any of my movies or TV shows seriously."
"Hmm?" Kaiser Murray maintained her smile with some confusion.
Lu Yanhe smiled at him, “My TV series ‘Friends’ is airing on Maxine, and my movie ‘The Mist’ is about to be released in the United States. If you watch these two shows, you won’t ask me this question.”
"Why?" Kaiser Murray thought to himself, "They're still advertising at a time like this?"
"Because you'll see when you see it, my performance is good enough, there's no need for any unfair competition." Lu Yanhe raised the corners of his mouth, his smile becoming even more open.
There was no time to press Cather Murray further.
The director was already frantically urging him to move on to the commercials.
Kaiser Murray could only subconsciously reply, "Looks like I'll have to watch these two shows properly. Thank you, Lu Yanhe, for coming to our program. Although I've heard of you before, seeing you in person today still surprises me. Welcome back!"
Finally, it's time for an ad.
The director called the end of the show, and said it would continue in five minutes.
Lu Yanhe stood up and shook hands with Kaiser Murray.
“You did a great job,” Kaiser Murray said.
Lu Yanhe said thank you.
Once the show is over, Lu Yanhe can leave.
Their morning news had to continue, so he waved goodbye to the film crew and left.
As soon as he got in the car, Wang Biao said excitedly, "That was so cool, Brother Lu. You probably didn't even notice, but your response on the show shocked everyone there. Especially when you answered the question about unfair competition, the two women in front of me exchanged a very surprised look. They never expected you to say that."
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"Your performance is also well-received on Twitter, with mostly positive comments," Chen Ziyan said. "CBN's morning news has a significant influence, and there's a lot of real-time discussion about you on Twitter, with many people recommending the show 'Friends'."
Lu Yanhe: "Is it effective?"
"We'll have to wait for feedback from Maxine to see how Friends is performing in the US today," Chen Ziyan said. "Alright, now it's time to start promoting The Mist."
(End of this chapter)
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