Chapter 729 Su Xiao's Pressure (4000 words)
Without saying a word, Lu Yanhe pulled Yan Liang, Wan Qingqing, and Chen Ziyan into a group chat and made a video call.
Yes, he stopped participating in "Flypaper" before finishing filming "Dingfeng No. 1".
Anyway, the movie "Flypaper" is now in its initial stages of development.
Lu Yanhe has a very clear concept of the film's vision, style, and even the criteria for casting actors.
For the next month or so, Wan Qingqing was in charge of advancing the film's preparations, while Yan Liang took charge of controlling the film's content.
Yan Liangren was completely bewildered.
Lu Yanhe said, "Although this is an ensemble film, you are still the male lead. You are the hidden highlight of this movie—a kind of coolness after the plot twist. You can also go with Mu Ken to meet the director candidate first. I would like to hear your opinion."
Yan Liang: "I have no idea how to view the director."
"Don't go in with the mindset of watching a movie about a director. You can't judge a director by their abilities. Instead, judge a person by their reliability, their ideas, and whether their ideas align with or are similar to your understanding of the script."
After Lu Yanhe finished explaining everything, he said to Chen Ziyan, "Sister Ziyan, please keep an eye on these matters. I'm going into seclusion to film, so please don't disturb me."
Chen Ziyan smiled and said okay.
She added, "Your digital album will be released in September. We'll have Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and Liu Zhiyin attend the press conference on your behalf. Will you still come?"
“I’m not coming,” Lu Yanhe said. “I need to focus on filming ‘Dingfeng No. 1’.”
“Okay, anyway, you’ve already recorded all the other promotional materials in advance,” Chen Ziyan said. “This is also a public service project.”
Lu Yanhe: "Sigh, when filming Liu Bige's movies in the future, I really need to cut off all contact with the outside world. He really... can hit me right in the heart with just one sentence."
"What did he say?"
Lu Yanhe then repeated what Liu Bige had said.
“Look at the way he insulted me, how sophisticated! You can’t tell I’m not invested in my performance on set, but the editors can see it. My performance quality is completely worse than before.” Lu Yanhe said angrily, “He simply said I’m particularly good at acting, no, I’m particularly good at being perfunctory.”
Some actors with good acting skills will often give performances that make them feel "I know very well that I acted well".
It can certainly fool some people with its convincing appearance and make them feel "shocked".
However, in the eyes of professionals, that is actually just "routine work," a kind of "routine work" that looks more sophisticated, such as replicating famous paintings, which is essentially still "perfunctory performance."
Lu Yanhe usually behaves too well in every aspect, so much so that he rarely has the opportunity to be discovered. In fact, he is also a person with a strong sense of self-esteem.
After Liu Bige said those words, he was jolted awake as if from a dream—no, it should be said that he was struck by a thunderbolt, and suddenly he was jolted awake.
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Lu Yanhe said he would "turn a deaf ear to what's going on outside the window," and he really did it.
He didn't even take his phone out of the hotel.
For any urgent matters, contact Wang Biao or Yu Xiaoyan.
The other actors in the crew were initially a bit confused.
When they heard that this was because Liu Bige thought Lu Yanhe's performance over the past few days was not good enough and the quality had declined, so Lu Yanhe had decided to focus 100% on his performance, they were all dumbfounded.
From their perspective, what shocked them was—
Lu Yanhe's performance these days hasn't been good enough?
Just as Liu Bige said.
Yes, you can't tell from being there.
Lu Yanhe has reached a level where he can casually act and still produce a cinematic quality.
Liu Bige's high standards, once again through his attitude towards Lu Yanhe, caused everyone else to silently begin to "involve."
To some extent, Liu Bige's authority in the production team, whether in "Late Spring" or "Dingfeng No. 1", was established based on Lu Yanhe's "obedience" to him.
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However, after truly settling down and focusing on the filming of "Dingfeng No. 1," Lu Yanhe felt that this feeling was even better—this feeling of being completely immersed in a character without any distractions.
Especially after fully entering a certain state, Lu Yanhe couldn't wait to go to the film set every day and film every scene. Even Lu Yanhe himself found this state incredible.
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While he was focused on filming, the outside world was still in turmoil.
The Maxine series "Death Stranding," starring Chen Pinhe and Wang Jiaqi, has been officially announced, marking another instance of top Chinese actors starring in an overseas project.
Death Stranding is set in ancient Chinese waters and tells the thrilling story of a merchant ship that runs aground and is subsequently attacked by terrorists on an island. It consists of only eight episodes.
According to Maxine's announcement, the show has a high budget, reaching a production standard of three million dollars per episode.
Chen Pinhe's side also issued a lot of announcements to promote this top actor.
The King Returns—
Chen Ziyan directly brought forward the promotion timeline for Lu Yanhe's digital album "25", officially announcing that it will be released on major music platforms on Lu Yanhe's birthday. At the same time, she also announced that all proceeds from this album will be donated to Project Hope.
Pressure.
Meanwhile, "Flypaper" has announced a new cast member: Arne Bogut, a rising star in the American film industry who previously worked with Lu Yanhe on "The Mist," has joined the cast of "Flypaper."
Taking advantage of the situation, Chen Ziyan created a Chinese entry for Lu Yanhe: Lu Yanhe's appeal in the international film industry.
Clicking in reveals that the cast of "Flypaper" demonstrates Lu Yanhe's connections and influence in the international film industry.
To be fair, the cast of "Flypaper" might not be considered A-list in Hollywood, but in the Chinese entertainment industry, they would definitely be a top-tier international cast.
Yan Liang is a top-tier, currently very popular figure in China.
Cai Na is a top-tier, currently popular actress in Thailand.
Tania Bailey is a top-tier German actress, a film queen, and a leading actress in European art-house films. She is a talented and high-profile actress.
Skadi Taft, once a top star in Hollywood, is still an undeniably famous actress, even now that she is "infamous".
Arne Bogut is a rising star in Hollywood, USA.
In the Chinese media's evaluation system, such a cast would be considered a star-studded lineup.
With several news items piled up, the "eye-catching index" of Chen Pinhe's "Death Stranding" was overshadowed.
Chen Ziyan did this for a very simple reason—
In terms of international influence, Chen Pinhe is not as good as Lu Yanhe.
She wanted everyone to be able to clearly see this difference.
Chen Pinhe is only starring in a streaming series with a Chinese cultural and historical background, while Lu Yanhe is already managing a mainstream film with an all-star cast in Hollywood.
As it turns out, Chen Ziyan played her card perfectly.
Judging from all subsequent media reports and descriptions, almost all of them placed Lu Yanhe in a higher position.
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At this time, a small incident also occurred.
Thai media have also reported extensively on Lu Yanhe's case.
Their articles all focused on Cai Na's career.
Since connecting with Lu Yanhe, Cai Na's career has finally truly expanded beyond Thailand.
First, he joined the second season of the hit series "The Squid Game," and then he joined the Hollywood film "Flypaper."
Cai Na not only started a new career journey in China after signing with Shi Huo, but also stepped into a wider world.
Originally, Cai Na's status in the Thai entertainment industry was similar to Jiang Yuqian's status in the Chinese entertainment industry. She was popular, somewhat mainstream, but not in an artistic way.
Those who follow this idol route inevitably experience anxiety about their careers being limited to their youth.
Especially in a relatively small market, the pace of product updates and replacements is even faster.
Now, she has suddenly escaped the competitive circle in Thailand, how can it not make people envious?
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Cai Na never expected that a huge pie would suddenly fall from the sky for her.
Although she wasn't the female lead, she was just a supporting actress.
However, she was a supporting actress with a very significant role.
She had worked with Hollywood movies before, not to mention big-name productions like "Flypaper," but even in smaller films, the roles she was given were basically fleeting, purely decorative.
Moreover, the pay they offer is very low, generally not exceeding $100,000.
To put it bluntly, they're just bullying Asian actors.
People know that the Thai market is small. Even if you are a popular star in Thailand, you won't get much pay. If you want to come to Hollywood to gain experience and develop your career, you can only suffer in silence.
Although "Flypaper" was a low-budget film, the salary offered to her was not cheap at all; she was still paid $250,000, which is on par with Tania Bailey.
In recent years, Cai Na has only starred in one TV series in Thailand; almost all of her other work has been overseas.
She had cameo roles in several productions in China, including television dramas and movies, and was also recommended by Chen Ziyan to play important supporting roles in a Japanese drama and a Korean drama.
She already has a representative and well-known role in Asia, and with the addition of an international flair, her status skyrockets.
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A press conference was held before the premiere of "The Days of Youth".
Yan Liang attended.
Because Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai were both on set and unable to attend, the media's focus was on the few celebrities who were present.
Yan Liang was the focus of the discussion, and his questions included the matter of "Flypaper".
Yan Liang only mentioned what he could say.
Then, at this moment, a media outlet suddenly asked Su Xiao rather unethically: "Now everyone seems to have a consensus that as long as you are Lu Yanhe's friend, he will give you a lot of scripts and roles. Why didn't you receive any?"
Su Xiao's cheeks flushed instantly.
Yan Liang looked at the questioner with an unfriendly expression.
"Which media outlet are you from?" Yan Liang raised the microphone directly and asked seriously, "Can't you ask some decent questions? Are you trying to sow discord?"
The reporter, however, said, "That's a fact, isn't it?"
Yan Liang: "If Yan He needed to maintain his image, would it be difficult for him to find Su Xiao a role in any drama? Yan He has always emphasized that any actor must play a role that suits them. Even for me, if you're talking about something like 'Flypaper,' I wouldn't dare to make such a bold statement, but whether it's 'Dragon Inn' or any other drama, even for me and Li Zhibai, we only received Yan He's invitations because the roles were suitable. Why don't you ask why 'Buried Alive' didn't cast me but instead cast Li Zhibai? Why didn't 'Source Code' cast me and Li Zhibai?"
The reporter asked, "But with so many dramas, isn't there a suitable role for Su Xiao?"
"Otherwise what?" Yan Liang said. "If there were such a thing, how could Yan He not have approached Su Xiao? You guys are underestimating the friendship among us from 'The Days of Youth'. Besides, does Su Xiao need Yan He's help? Isn't she famous now? She's much more famous than me. You're really funny, asking such a famous actress why others don't ask her to act. How many people dare to say they don't want to ask her? It's hard to find a role for her, okay?"
Yan Liang fired back like a cannon, directly rebuking him.
Su Xiao gave him a grateful smile.
Su Xiao is currently the only actress from "The Days of Youth" who is following the idol and popularity route. A veteran of historical romance dramas, she has a huge and devoted fanbase and enjoys considerable popularity. However, correspondingly, she also faces a lot of controversy and has many haters.
This is something that actors who rely on popularity to gain attention are bound to experience.
After the press conference for "The Days of Youth" ended, the video from the event indeed went viral.
Yan Liang's rebuttal is one thing, but on the other hand, Su Xiao is indeed the person who has collaborated with Lu Yanhe the least in "The Days of Youth." Even Qin Zhibai and Song Linxin have collaborated with Lu Yanhe on promotional songs and OSTs for his films and TV series several times.
Many people say that Yan Liang's denial, while reasonable, cannot change the facts.
Su Xiao seems to be disliked by Lu Yanhe.
Xiao Yundu is still filming the movie "You Are the Apple of My Eye".
Su Xiao, however, has hardly ever participated in Lu Yanhe's film and television dramas.
In fact, on the one hand, Lu Yanhe really hadn't thought of Su Xiao, and on the other hand, it was because Su Xiao had never left the idol drama genre, and she had always played the female lead.
As for Lu Yanhe, Su Xiao couldn't handle the leading roles in his films and TV series. She hadn't even gotten Xiao Yun's role. And Su Xiao's team wouldn't be willing to let her play supporting roles either.
Su Xiao has far less autonomy over her acting career than Xiao Yun.
This also reveals the difference in how an actor who focuses on developing their skills and an actor who focuses on popularity are constrained by their management company.
However, because of this digression, Su Xiao's career planning suddenly became a hot topic.
Many people are analyzing the dramas Su Xiao has acted in over the years, as well as her future career prospects.
Almost everyone is saying that if Su Xiao continues like this, she will soon be left behind by the other regular guests on "The Days of Youth".
Su Xiao's pressure suddenly increased dramatically.
In fact, she is only in her early twenties, and she is not in a hurry to face the issue of career transition.
At that moment, someone found her.
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That's all for today. See you tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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