Chapter 82 Acting Together [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Is this role a done deal?
It's a road movie called "Countdown".
These types of movies mostly tell the story of a protagonist who embarks on a road trip for some reason, revealing the protagonist's backstory and various dramatic conflicts that occur along the way, ultimately leading to new insights into life.
Mu Zhi has never directed a road movie.
I opened the script with curiosity and was immediately drawn into the world of the story.
Synopsis of Countdown:
A fiery and optimistic young woman named Asang is on a road trip to Namtso Lake in Tibet when she encounters a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, dispirited, and often brooding) and 默契 (迷契 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, dispirited, and often brooding) young man named Youqu. The two unexpectedly become companions on their journey, and a series of events unfold along the way...
I've finished reading the script.
The first thought that popped into Mu Zhi's mind:
This is it.
It's actually a very simple story.
However, the natural scenery and local customs depicted in the script along the way by the male and female protagonists are captivating. The various people they encounter along the way, and the ensuing events—whether hilarious "romantic encounters," thrilling accidents, or heartbreaking regrets—reflect the myriad aspects of real life.
The choice of scripts sometimes reflects the actor's personal preferences for accepting roles.
Mu Zhi really likes the story of "Countdown," and it's the only script she's been interested in among the ones she's received in recent months.
I love the female lead, Asang, a girl who is like fire. She is shrouded in darkness, but chooses to burn the rest of her life to light up the night and move forward with an optimistic attitude.
The films directed by the renowned director Wan Zhou feature top-notch production teams and crews.
This is a great film resource; there's no reason not to audition.
Mu Zhi called her agent to tell her her decision to go for the audition.
Two days later, I had just finished shooting an advertisement for a mobile phone brand.
When Mu Zhi's team left.
Ji Binghe received a call from Wan Zhou's assistant director, informing her of the audition time and location.
The audition is scheduled for three days from now.
The audition was held at a hotel, and a private room was booked.
It was similar to the audition for "The Edge of the Blade".
Speaking of which, Mu Zhi has acted in 3 dramas, all of which were roles she won through auditions.
This time, an audition was inevitable.
However, Mu Zhi is now a celebrity with a certain level of fame, and the female celebrities competing for roles with her are no less famous than Mu Zhi.
Audition competitions like these usually don't follow the formal process of newcomers, where "judges" sit in a row and artists take turns going in for auditions.
Only a few artists will be given audition slots.
The director and producer met privately with each actor to discuss the script and conduct auditions.
Then they decide who will play the role.
Ji Binghe: "I found out that an actress who has worked with Director Wan, and Xi Qianwen, are both in talks for the movie 'Countdown'..."
Wan Zhou is a renowned director; he wields absolute power in choosing the actress for the lead role. "As long as your audition performance is better than others, our chances of getting the role are very high."
Having gone through numerous auditions, Ji Binghe had confidence in Mu Zhi.
"By the way, the audition dinner is arranged. The producer and Tai Feng will also be there, probably to help you with your acting."
It is currently unknown which scene in the script the audition was for.
It seems the director is going to "give out" questions on the spot.
Last time at Green Apple's celebration party.
Ji Binghe had this purpose in asking Mu Zhi to greet Tai Feng. If the two had formally greeted each other, they would be more familiar with each other when they acted together during the audition.
At this moment, Mu Zhi and Tai Feng are just strangers who have met once.
Mu Zhi wasn't worried about this at all.
She has three days to prepare.
No matter which part of the script the director wants to audition for, I am confident that I can prepare in advance.
She was determined to get the role.
Three days later, at a large hotel.
Tai Feng, along with director Wan Zhou, producer Yang, and several staff members—a total of seven people—arrived at the door of the private room.
As soon as I pushed open the door and walked in, I saw that the private room was already occupied.
I spotted Mu Zhi at first glance.
The image of the glamorous female star he saw on the stage of Green Apple's Boiling Night and at the celebration banquet was quite different from the image of the female star he had seen there.
I almost didn't recognize her.
Standing in the private room, Mu Zhi was not wearing makeup, had her hair styled in fishtail pigtails, and was wearing a thin rainbow striped sweater.
It's immediately obvious that this outfit is designed to resemble the character.
This is Tai Feng's third dinner party.
The first two actresses probably wore heavy makeup because the characters they were portrayed as having. So they both had elaborate makeup looks and dressed in a cool girl style.
But Tai Feng felt that Mu Zhi's portrayal was closest to the character of Asang in the script.
I turned to look at the director's reaction.
That's exactly what I caught in the way Director Wan Zhou looked at Mu Zhi, his eyes revealing surprise and appreciation.
In the script, Asang is straightforward, passionate, and has a social butterfly ability that allows her to quickly become acquainted with unfamiliar travelers. In the last few months of her life, she travels alone to Tibet by car, spending each day with a cheerful and optimistic attitude.
So it's cool.
It's not that the character's appearance is particularly cool.
The rainbow-colored dress that Mu Zhi wears will remind those who have read the script of Asang's optimism. The optimism she displays in front of others, just like this dress, is a self-suggestion to convey her attitude towards the last few months of her life.
Once filming begins, the shooting conditions will be very tough, and the actors will have to be able to withstand the pressure of the cameras.
Ah-Sang wore heavy makeup to hide her complexion, but the weather was hot during the shoot, so she might only be able to wear lipstick.
Mu Zhi dares to go without makeup, which is a way of showcasing her strengths.
Of course, an actor's private image doesn't mean anything and won't directly affect the audition results. An actor's performance in the audition should be the standard for judgment.
Director Wan Zhou's first impression of Mu Zhi was that the young girl was quiet and composed, with a somewhat aloof temperament. He had some doubts about whether Mu Zhi could portray Asang's outgoing, cheerful, straightforward, and even fiery personality.
But Mu Zhi possesses a tenacious resilience, which is the core of the character.
The original plan was for Mu Zhi and Tai Feng to audition for the scene where Asang and Youqu confessed their love for each other after arriving at Namtso Lake.
I'd like to see if there's any chemistry between the two actors in their romantic scenes.
Compare Tai Feng's scenes with the other two actresses.
Which pair looks best together?
Because of Mu Zhi's outfit, director Wan Zhou changed his mind at the last minute.
After everyone sat down and exchanged a few polite greetings, and ordered their food, he instructed the waiter to serve the dishes slowly.
"While we wait for the food to be served, let's rehearse the show."
After director Wan Zhou finished speaking, he asked his assistant to hand him the script. He opened it, found the "test questions," and circled the content of the audition with a pen.
He handed the script to Mu Zhi and asked Tai Feng to help him rehearse the scene.
Mu Zhi was given the same 10 minutes to prepare as the previous two actresses.
Mu Zhi took the script and glanced at the audition content. She then invited Tai Feng to rehearse with her, and the two walked to the side together.
When Tai Feng first entered the private room, the two greeted each other, which was considered their formal introduction.
For actors, it's not uncommon to film passionate bed scenes on the first day of shooting.
They're not new actors anymore.
Therefore, Mu Zhi didn't feel shy, embarrassed, or awkward when facing Tai Feng; in her eyes, he was just a tool for acting.
The plot to be performed:
Because they entered the wrong navigation location, Asang and Youqu's car took the wrong route and did not reach the next supply station on time as planned. The car ran out of gas and it seemed that they had driven into a no-man's land. They waited for several hours without seeing any passing vehicles and there was no signal.
When Asang was eating bread, she accidentally sprayed a clump of ketchup onto her hair. After wiping it with a tissue, it smelled bad and felt a bit sticky.
She then took her hair down, unscrewed a bottle of water, and planned to wet her hands and wash that small clump of hair.
There were still 10 bottles of water in the car, and Youqu thought that Asang planned to squander most of them on washing her hair.
They don't know if their distress signal was successful; they need to conserve their water.
After Youqu gave Asang a ride, the two had been having conflicts due to differences in personality and behavior. The wrong navigation location and the water issue became the fuse, and their emotions suddenly exploded.
After the argument started, he said some hurtful things in the heat of the moment.
The word "burden" in particular saddened Asang, who immediately took down her suitcase and prepared to leave.
At this stage, the male and female protagonists have actually spent some time together and developed feelings for each other, but they are unaware of it.
When Mu Zhi and Tai Feng acted together, their communication was very smooth.
Tai Feng gives off a very aloof and distant vibe, but during the scene rehearsals, he was very serious, patient, and cooperative, following Mu Zhi's rhythm perfectly.
He did not show any arrogance despite his higher status than Mu Zhi.
It must have stemmed from actors' empathy for each other.
"Okay, thank you, Professor Tai."
"In the last minute, I need to gather my emotions."
Tai Feng nodded: "Okay."
To be honest, before meeting Mu Zhi today, he didn't think Mu Zhi would be able to get the role.
Tai Feng did not go to the cinema to see the movie "Back to 17" starring Mu Zhi.
He received a call from director Wan Zhou, who said that Mu Zhi also wanted to audition for the role. Out of respect for the director, he did not inquire about the reason.
Like the previous two actors, he agreed to help out in the film.
I only watched two movie clips of Mu Zhi's performance online, and perhaps due to a lack of understanding of the character and the plot, I didn't see that her acting was very good.
After meeting Mu Zhi today, I was first impressed by her portrayal of Asang, and then I immediately felt that Mu Zhi's acting skills were very strong during the scene.
At one point, Mu Zhi also won against the first two actresses.
Mu Zhi is completely unfazed and doesn't need time to adjust. She can quickly adjust her state and focus intently on the role, seemingly creating a barrier between herself and the outside world. Her eyes are only on the character, her fellow actors, and the drama.
Ten minutes later, Mu Zhi, who had been closing her eyes to prepare herself emotionally, opened them and gave the director an "OK" sign.
The audition has begun.
Mu Zhi took off one of her fishtail braids, her hair becoming frizzy and unruly. She didn't care about her appearance at all; her face only showed her disgust for the tomato smell in her hair. Tomatoes are similar in color to blood, which she didn't like.
I unscrewed the mineral water bottle, poured some water onto my hands, and wet my hair.
No real props were used; it was a pantomime.
They unscrewed the "bottle" and placed it on the "car hood," as if afraid of spilling water, their movements were so careful that it was as if they were actually holding a bottle of water...
During the argument between the male and female protagonists, Tai Feng blurted out, "Carrying you around feels like carrying a burden."
The word "burden" stung Mu Zhi instantly, and tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to open the car door and retrieve her luggage.
In the limited 9 minutes, the two rehearsed their lines many times, paying close attention to the dialogue, the rhythm of the argument, and the blocking, treating it as if they were filming on a movie set.
The performance successfully drew the "audience" into the play.
Finally, heartbroken Mu Zhi pulled her "suitcase" and left. The performance without any props should have looked a bit comical, but no one laughed; everyone watched attentively.
It wasn't until the director yelled "Cut!" that everyone came to their senses.
After the audition.
Director Wan Zhou applauded and said to Mu Zhi and Tai Feng, "The two of you worked together quite well..."
He then offered a couple of pointers, pointing out areas where the performance could have been improved.
He smiled and asked someone to tell the waiter that the food was ready to be served.
During the meal, the producer, who hadn't said much since entering the private room, took the initiative to praise Mu Zhi's movie that was currently showing.
Director Wan Zhou asked Tai Feng how it felt to act alongside Mu Zhi.
In fact, everyone present could see how well Mu Zhi performed.
Director Wan Zhou is using Tai Feng's words to express his approval of Mu Zhi.
Finally, Wan Zhou asked Mu Zhi one more question.
"This movie will be filmed on location and is scheduled to start filming in June. Playing this role will be very challenging for actresses, so you should be prepared to endure hardship."
When Mu Zhi read the script, she anticipated the harsh filming environment and answered without hesitation, "I'm fine with it."
She didn't experience altitude sickness, and the original owner's body should be fine too.
Wan Zhou looked at Mu Zhi with approval and nodded thoughtfully.
Mu Zhi: Is this role a done deal?
The dinner party ended.
Tai Feng and his staff left first.
Ji Binghe pulled Mu Zhi along to see Director Wan Zhou off.
Before getting into the car, Wan Zhou said to Mu Zhi, "If I said that it was because of Xiao Yue, that is, your boss, that I decided to let you play this role..."
"Xiao Yue?" This nickname, when applied to He Zhiyue, has an inexplicable comedic quality.
Mu Zhi responded with an "Oh".
Wan Zhou: "Is this all you're going to do?"
Mu Zhi looked at him with an expression that said, "What else?"
“I read the script, and I really like the story and the character. I am also confident that I can play ‘Ah Sang’ well. Your decision to let me play the role is the perfect result I wanted.”
Previously, Mu Zhi might have been a little bothered by it.
That won't happen anymore.
I've been waiting since August of last year until now, a full seven months, and I haven't received a single satisfactory script that I'd like to act in.
If we wait any longer, we might not be able to finish filming a single project this year.
"Countdown" is a great film resource for Mu Zhi. As long as she can seize the opportunity, she can put aside her "aloofness" for now.
Director Wan Zhou quite liked Mu Zhi's straightforward and outspoken nature, and was about to explain.
Then Mu Zhi said, "Besides..."
Mu Zhi blinked, like a cunning little fox: "I can tell you're very satisfied with my audition results. You chose me because you think I'm suitable for the role."
"Director Wan, I will film it well and will definitely live up to your trust."
[Author's Note]
Good night, have a great weekend!
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