Chapter 885
However, Lu Yanhe is usually quite normal when he is on site.
He did not enter a state of self-absorption where he was unable to communicate with those around him, nor did he undergo a drastic change in temperament.
The crew members were full of doubts about him, even a little curious, but no one dared to actually ask him anything.
However, one day while waiting for his scene on set, Huang Tianlin suddenly approached him and asked if he was under a lot of pressure during filming.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said no, and asked Huang Tianlin why he asked that.
Huang Tianlin told him about how many people in the crew saw him talking to himself in front of the mirror.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe immediately showed an embarrassed and shy expression.
"This is really a bit awkward." He scratched his head.
Huang Tianlin asked, "So, what happened?"
Lu Yanhe's shyness deepened.
"I developed a strange habit, for no apparent reason, that I liked to say lines from the movie in front of the mirror."
Huang Tianlin: "What kind of quirk is this? You're exaggerating a bit."
"Don't other people find it strange? Some even think I'm mentally unstable." Lu Yanhe said, both amused and exasperated.
Huang Tianlin: "If you look at this behavior alone, it is indeed a bit strange, but you are an actor. When you do this, it is simply your way of getting to know and build the inner world of a character."
Lu Yanhe: "Being an actor is good; some strange behaviors can be reasonably explained."
Huang Tianlin: "Isn't that how it is?"
I don't think so—
Lu Yanhe hesitated, wondering if his words were a self-sabotage.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before when I was filming.”
Huang Tianlin frowned slightly, looking at him with some surprise.
Lu Yanhe shrugged and said, "Maybe it's because I've developed a new habit?"
Huang Tianlin hesitated before asking, "Is it because you feel a strong connection with this character?"
Lu Yanhe: "Why do you say that?"
"A person who likes to look in the mirror is, to a large extent, a narcissistic person. And you suddenly start to habitually get into character in front of the mirror, looking at yourself and saying certain lines. From a subconscious perspective, isn't this what you want to say to someone deep down? When you look at yourself in the mirror and say these things, is it possible that you are pretending to see your own reflection clearly, in order to imagine what someone would look like looking at you and saying these things?"
Huang Tianlin's words struck him like a hammer blow, hitting his wavering heart.
ha?
Yeah?
It seems...yes.
Every time he says those lines to his reflection in the mirror, there's actually a third person beside him.
He looked at himself and said those words to his reflection in the mirror.
Lu Yanhe suddenly... panicked.
He was horrified, wondering if this was a sign of impending schizophrenia.
Lu Yanhe began to be very careful not to do that again.
However, every time he passed by a mirror again, a strong impulse would surge up from the depths of his heart.
In fact, Lu Yanhe had an almost obsessive, almost spell-like fascination with every scene, wanting to act it out again after it was over, as if he were under a spell.
He realized that Huang Tianlin was right.
He has an inescapable empathy, even resonance, with this play and this character, a feeling that far exceeds that of the other roles he has played.
-
On the set of "The Original Father", Lu Yanhe's performance on set every day was refreshing everyone's understanding of this actor.
Many people in the crew knew Lu Yanhe during the filming of "Tropical Rainy Season".
They had also witnessed Lu Yanhe's acting skills firsthand, and followed "Tropical Rainy Season" all the way to Lu Yanhe's glory from Best Actor in the main competition of the Situ International Film Festival to Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.
However, everyone clearly recognizes that Lu Yanhe's performances in these two films are not at the same level at all.
In this film, Lu Yanhe seems to embody the madness and obsession of those actors in film history.
Once in front of Huang Tianlin's camera, Lu Yanhe's transformation couldn't be described simply as a complete metamorphosis; that was merely a superficial change. His transformation possessed an extreme power to move the viewer. It wasn't a change in form, but rather an explosion of spirit and intent.
It is often said that a good performance is understated, yet powerful and unstoppable.
Lu Yanhe also gave a similar performance.
But in the drama "The Original Father," he seemed to unleash his full potential; in one scene, filmed for the first time, his performance was absolutely explosive.
At first, everyone found it strange, but later they learned that it was Lu Yanhe's own request. He told Huang Tianlin that he was allowed to vent his emotions during the first take of each scene. Then, in subsequent takes, he would gradually find the balance. But it was still a powerful acting style that steadily overshadowed all the actors, including his parents, with whom he had the most scenes.
But this is not abrupt.
Because in the script, within the originally established character relationships, Ah Lang was "forced" to return. His anger and hatred towards this family did not diminish, nor did his rejection and disgust towards his father disappear. His bewilderment and pain, like that of a wounded lone wolf, only appeared when he was alone. In ordinary times, especially in front of his parents, he was irritable, easily angered, and even deliberately defiant—a kind of revenge born from growing up and becoming self-reliant, driven by a desire for self-affirmation.
Many people visited the set during that time.
This includes film selectors and artistic directors for several international film festivals.
Both the filming situation they witnessed on set and the footage they saw in the editing room intensified their efforts to win the film.
Judging from the waves that the Chinese film "Calm Wind No. 1" has created around the world this year, it is clear that the global market and audiences' fervent love for Lu Yanhe is far from declining.
Needless to say, this is Huang Tianlin's first film after winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and it's another collaboration with Lu Yanhe.
For them, the only thing missing from this film was that the screenplay was written by Lu Yanhe.
A top-tier art film: a top-notch director, a top-notch script, and top-notch actors.
That's not to say that Huang Tianlin's scripts weren't good enough.
But in terms of legendary works, Lu Yanhe's achievements as a screenwriter are more outstanding.
In recent years, "Get Out" won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the "Home Alone" series became one of the most profitable film series in history, "Friends" became a huge hit all over the world, "Raise the Red Lantern", "Rouge", "Red Eye", "Flypaper", "Love Letter"... artistic, commercial, genre, all kinds of themes and styles, he can handle them with ease.
Everyone says that the only talent Lu Yanhe hasn't fully realized is directing. But that's only in comparison to his other roles; as a director, he also made "Love Letter." If Lu Yanhe had continued directing, his achievements might not have been any less.
-
"Don't you have any plans to continue directing?"
During a break in filming, the actors sat together chatting, and Qin Shulan asked curiously.
Her question drew everyone's attention.
Everyone was very curious.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "After directing once, I realized that it was not a profession I was passionate about at all."
“This is really a bit strange. Generally speaking, someone who can write and act should be the best choice for director.” Yuan Zhihua, who plays his father, looked puzzled and said, “As an actor myself, I often feel passive, especially when I have some different ideas from the director.”
Lu Yanhe said, "I think this is a problem with my personality. I'm not a person who likes absolutes. Directors are often people who have aesthetic biases or even a single form in their creations. Very good directors are often like this. You can see this when you look at the scripts I write. I write this one moment and that the next. Moreover, I pay special attention to the story and the characters, which is different from what film directors usually focus on the most."
Qin Shulan immediately complained: "That's true. I've worked with director Huang Tianlin on several films. It feels like no matter what script he gives me, it's all about his life, very personal stuff. He told me that he always asks me to play his mother because I look a bit like his mother."
Lu Yanhe chuckled to himself.
Is this even possible?
Wasn't Qin Shulan supposed to be a national treasure-level actress in Malaysia? So, Huang Tianlin cast her in a film because of this?
Qin Shulan: "When he first came to me, he even brought a photo of his mother to convince me that he was not lying and to get me to agree to act in his movie."
When Lu Yanhe heard Qin Shulan say this, he could imagine Huang Tianlin's arrogant and haughty demeanor in the past, and he could really imagine how awkward Huang Tianlin must have felt when he did that.
He smiled.
However, looking at Qin Shulan, a movie suddenly popped into his mind, a movie that he hadn't thought of when he made the list.
That was a movie he watched when he was very young, called *The Lady in the Van*. It starred Maggie Smith, the actress who played Professor McGonagall in *Harry Potter*. It was a very heartwarming movie. Lu Yanhe quite liked it.
Of course, he didn't intend to write this script for Qin Shulan.
He was just a little dazed—
He hadn't had such a flash of inspiration in a long time, thinking of a particular movie.
As he spent more and more time in this world, he found it increasingly difficult to recall certain people, events, and movies and TV shows from his past.
As Lu Yanhe looked at Qin Shulan, who was so close to him, he recalled the face of Maggie Smith, a face that was probably familiar to people all over the world. But the image of her was gradually becoming blurry and incomplete, and he could hardly remember it anymore.
Time is a long river, destined to wash away many things; no matter how hard the stone, it cannot withstand the power of time.
-
The end of the year is drawing near.
Domestically, as expected, public attention to the entertainment industry has focused on the Spring Festival Gala.
Today, photos of Yoo Ji-eun and others appearing at the rehearsal site went viral.
The news that Zhang Lan and three other actresses will appear on the same program tomorrow has been spreading like wildfire.
In the past, all the news about the Spring Festival Gala revolved around the show itself. But now, before the gala, there are all sorts of supporting programs that allow some officially announced performers to make an early appearance and play some games, thus starting the atmosphere for the Spring Festival Gala well in advance.
In addition, films released during the Spring Festival season are also making concerted efforts to compete for promotional resources.
Home Alone 4, the final installment in the Home Alone series, began its global premiere.
Everyone was puzzled as to why the box office of such a profitable film series had not declined. Lu Yanhe directly announced that the fourth installment would be the last.
Lu Yanhe certainly couldn't say, because he had only seen four Home Alone movies. Of course, most importantly, Huang Feng was no longer the child he used to be. It wasn't impossible for him to continue starring in the series, but he wouldn't be the "little devil" anymore.
Taking several factors into account, Lu Yanhe felt it was time to stop while he was ahead.
Lu Yanhe didn't want to make this movie a poor sequel—he didn't have that ability to turn something rotten into something magical.
The "Home Alone" series helped Linghe establish itself in the Spring Festival film market. What kind of film Linghe will release next Spring Festival is highly anticipated.
Apart from "Home Alone 4", the other films released during the Spring Festival season all boasted star-studded casts and had promotional budgets starting at 100 million yuan.
However, in terms of pre-sales, Home Alone 4 is far ahead.
The major film companies have felt envious and resentful for who knows how many times.
Their respective film series have yet to achieve significant success.
Why is Home Alone able to achieve this?
Of course, Shijin didn't have such concerns. They were very confident that "Ten Miles of Fragrance" would achieve excellent box office results during this year's Spring Festival season.
This epic film, starring Lang Xia and Yan Lingyu, has been rumored for a long time, but no one expected it to be scheduled for release during the Spring Festival.
In fact, Shi Jin is already planning to create a grand fantasy universe called "Ten Miles of Fragrance".
In fact, Lang Xia and Yan Lingyu's fans are indeed quite powerful. The pre-sales of this movie are second only to "Home Alone 4".
However, the two actors' fans suddenly started fighting before the movie was even released.
The main reason is the issue of billing order between the two actors.
The two signed equal billing contracts, but both sides' fans believe that their idol is much better than the other.
Lang Xia's fans feel that Yan Lingyu, apart from his debut work "Late Spring" which achieved great success, has completely become a TV drama actor. Although he became very popular, it is generally acknowledged that TV drama actors are not as good as movie actors. On the other hand, the movies starring Lang Xia have consistently grossed over 100 million yuan at the box office.
Yan Lingyu's fans directly stated that Lang Xia has never had a movie with outstanding box office performance, and his popularity and fame are not as good as Yan Lingyu's.
The two sides were arguing fiercely, even demanding that the film studio open different pre-sale channels for movie tickets, not wanting to boost the other's sales figures.
The film's box office revenue should be calculated separately for each lead actor.
This is unprecedented.
Fortunately, neither Lang Xia nor Yan Lingyu personally got involved in the matter, otherwise the scene would have been too ugly.
However, what is strange is that Shi Jin did not try to control the dispute between the two fan groups over the order of billing, allowing the public opinion to boil over and ferment.
Generally speaking, film producers are very wary of such negative public opinion, especially during the promotional period, because it can greatly affect the general public's impression of the film.
No one wants to watch a movie that has huge controversies surrounding such trivial matters.
Industry insiders often try to find out the reasons behind such unconventional phenomena.
Chen Yin also looked into it, but the information he learned left him speechless.
The reason why Shijin's publicity team doesn't control public opinion and even allows the fans on both sides to argue is because their data analysis shows that this is beneficial to the promotion of "Eternal Love" and also to the pre-sales of the box office. The growth data of pre-sales in the past two days is significantly higher than the initial model predictions.
Fans from both sides are posting statistics on how much box office revenue they generated online, engaging in a battle.
That's a bit unbelievable.
(End of this chapter)
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