Chapter 898 Personal Charisma
After Lu Yanhe joined the crew, he did not start filming on the first day. Instead, he went to see the footage that had already been shot for "Men in Black".
Filming has been underway for about ten days.
The filming mainly focused on scenes featuring Sean Griffith.
This legendary American film actor possesses superb acting skills and handles complex situations with ease. Moreover, he has indeed come from the mature commercial entertainment film environment of Hollywood, and there is no trace of affectation or pretension in his performance.
Tommy Lee Jones, the original actor in "Men in Black," has won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In addition, he has received three Academy Award nominations for acting, making him a true veteran actor.
Sidney Griffiths not only surpasses Tommy Lee Jones in acting skills and performance awards, but also rivals Robert De Niro in terms of fame and past popularity.
However, Sean Griffith didn't enjoy the same level of fame as Robert De Niro. His career began to decline after he turned fifty. Initially, he could no longer play the lead role in A-list films, and subsequently, his presence in media reports, award ceremonies, and public events became increasingly rare. While everyone knows his name, in many people's minds, he is no longer the A-list star he once was.
He's still acting, but no longer the leading man in A-list films, nor an actor favored by awards. To be precise, Sean Griffith is now an actor with a high status and great respect in Hollywood, but whose commercial value has declined significantly.
This time, Lu Yanhe's "Men in Black," as an A-list production, invited Sean Griffith as one of the two male leads, marking Griffith's return to starring in an A-list production after four years. An actor of Sean's stature would certainly not say that this is a rare opportunity, a project that brings him back to the heart of Hollywood, nor would anyone around him say that to him—no one would so bluntly expose the fact that a highly acclaimed actor is being gradually marginalized by the market, just as no one would tell a highly respected star, "You're outdated."
However, it's clear that Sean Griffith isn't an arrogant actor who needs reminders. On set, he was very cooperative and showed no disrespect for director Kai Fu, who was directing a film in Hollywood for the first time. Aside from the contractual terms like leaving work on time and not having to wait more than thirty minutes in line, compared to the rumors surrounding those Hollywood A-list actors, Sean Griffith was an exceptionally cooperative actor.
This can be seen from the footage that has already been shot.
Lu Yanhe was initially worried that Xike would not be able to adapt to the style of "Men in Black" immediately.
As it turned out, he underestimated the professionalism of a professional actor.
Sik clearly understood exactly what kind of film he wanted to make.
This actor, who is over fifty years old and still very charming, must have been controlling his sugar intake and working out for a period of time before joining the crew. Wearing a black suit and black sunglasses, he is still a very stylish man.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but wonder how an actor who didn't show much signs of aging could no longer play the lead role in A-list productions four or five years ago? Even though the movies he starred in didn't flop.
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The next day, Lu Yanhe went directly to the film set.
His character in this movie doesn't require much makeup; there's nothing to modify his face shape or create a specific look.
Basically, as long as he arrives on set, the makeup artist can create some effects like sweating or getting covered in dust based on the scenes to be filmed that day.
He also met Seak Griffiths on set for the first time.
"Hi, Xike!" Lu Yanhe opened his arms enthusiastically and hugged him. "Sorry I'm only getting here now, the filming of the last movie was postponed."
Sidney Griffith patted him on the back, indicating his understanding, and said, "This kind of situation is very common when filming, but you're filming this movie so seamlessly without any breaks. Can you handle it? Do you need to rest for a few more days?"
"Thank you, Sik, I'm feeling pretty good."
Sik said with a rather envious tone, "It's good to be young."
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Most of the outdoor scenes in "Men in Black" were actually nighttime scenes.
There are only a few scenes during the day.
The scene we're filming today is a conversation between James, a young Chinese-American police officer played by Lu Yanhe, and Agent K, played by Xi Ke, in a public setting.
Agent K tells James about the movie's world setting: "1,500 aliens live among us, and the Interstellar Immigration Bureau deals with alien-related matters," and invites James to join the Interstellar Immigration Bureau.
This scene is a dialogue scene, but in the movie it actually only serves as a "background introduction", and it was not difficult for the two actors at all.
However, today was a bit tough for Lu Yanhe.
Because that's how he wrote his own script—
Agent K told James to think about the next day's dawn, and then James sat in the chair from sunset to nightfall.
This was the moment when James was about to make a life-changing decision.
The original film was actually filmed in a somewhat "poetic" way, using several silhouettes of movement combined together to show his inner torment and hesitation as time passed while he remained still.
Lu Yanhe thought the shots were beautiful, so he wanted to replicate them.
Fu Kai also agreed with this idea.
Therefore, after Lu Yanhe finished filming his dialogue scenes with Xike during the day, he still had to stay behind to film several scenes of sunset and nightfall.
The performance wasn't difficult; it was just a matter of passing the time.
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Fu Kai hoped to finish filming this scene in one day.
Given the abilities of the two actors, they could easily finish filming in one day.
However, things don't always go as planned. If the weather is bad and there isn't enough light for outdoor shots, you won't be able to capture that kind of twilight silhouette. In that case, you'll have to wait and find another time.
In fact, Lu Yanhe's first scene after joining the crew went smoothly during filming.
Lu Yanhe has a deep impression of this scene in the original movie.
The contrast between James and Agent K's behavior was striking. On one hand, James, sitting opposite Agent K, frequently turned to observe his surroundings during the conversation. Will Smith's portrayal of James's disorientation at being overwhelmed by a shock to his worldview, coupled with his subconscious vigilance, was incredibly accurate and natural. On the other hand, Agent K's relaxed, calm, and composed demeanor was a different story—he showed no concern whatsoever about being overheard, especially when he got up to say goodbye to James, even walking backwards while talking to him for a few steps.
In movies that involve the protagonist's growth, there must be a few extraordinary moments that touch the heart.
In Men in Black, this is that moment.
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When filming "Men in Black," Lu Yanhe constantly reminded himself not to overcomplicate the role.
People come to see this movie not to see the subtleties of your humanity.
It can only be a few moments when you play this role, not a long passage.
It's different from films like "Burning Fire," which still wraps itself in a traditional, serious epic framework, only with a fantasy theme.
However, Men in Black is a traditional comic book style.
It uses a comic book style and pacing, employing 100% serious and meticulous details to construct its worldview, making it more believable.
Apart from that, it has absolutely nothing to do with seriousness or rigor.
However, perhaps because he had just come from the set of "The Original Father", Lu Yanhe couldn't help but portray James's confusion, contradiction and hesitation at this moment when he was making a major decision, and even the emotions in his eyes were very intense, once he started to act seriously in this very simple dialogue scene.
When Lu Yanhe checked the monitor himself, he knew that his rhythm was off.
After filming twice, Lu Yanhe still couldn't find the right state, that state of mind that belonged to a young man, like in a comic book, before he was about to join a secret organization.
He scratched his head.
Even the best actor, if they don't find the right state of mind, can only fool ordinary people with their performances, not themselves or their peers.
Sik patted him on the shoulder: "There's no use in rushing. You just finished your last film, and it's hard to switch gears, I know, so—"
He shrugged and gave him a slight smile.
"We can always film it tomorrow."
Xi Ke's words suddenly gave Lu Yanhe a sense of purpose.
He said, "I'm sorry."
His hands involuntarily opened out.
She even pursed her lips slightly.
This state... is like entering LeBron James's state.
Using physical movements to disperse the intensity of emotional expression.
Suddenly everything was right.
This wasn't the first time Fu Kai and Lu Yanhe had worked together, and he immediately understood what was going on when he saw Lu Yanhe's state.
For an actor like Lu Yanhe, there's certainly no need to capitalize on his so-called peak performance and strike while the iron is hot.
Now that he has found this anchor point and the right state of mind has been established, Lu Yanhe will not let it slip away easily.
Sure enough, Lu Yanhe immediately said to Fu Kai, "How about we take a ten-minute break? I'm starting to get a feel for it, let me think about it."
Fu Kai nodded.
Lu Yanhe then went to the side to rehearse the play.
Sik also came over.
“I’ll give you some lines,” Sik said.
Lu Yanhe was pleasantly surprised. He smiled, did not refuse, and nodded, "Thank you."
Sik's eyebrows twitched. "This is my job."
Sure enough, the next take was filmed very smoothly.
As soon as the scene of the two sitting in chairs ended, they were about to film a shot of Xike getting up and turning around to talk to Lu Yanhe.
These are a few close-up shots.
Because we need to wait for the light; the lighting conditions won't reach that soft, evening-like quality until around four or five in the afternoon.
Fu Kai insisted on shooting these shots under these lighting conditions because the dialogue here needed a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
Because at this moment, James needs to ask Agent K: "Is it worth it?"
Agent K will also contribute his personal charm as a guide at this moment.
(End of this chapter)
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