Chapter 424: No Big or Small Role
"Five years ago, the 'Mekong River Massacre' shocked the nation. After careful selection, Bona Film Group finally acquired the film rights to this subject.
After that, the screenwriter team reviewed a large amount of information and rushed to Yunnan Province to record the entire process of Nuokang's trial in the form of a documentary, and captured many character traits from the front-line police officers.
"I don't want to turn such a tragic case into an entertainment movie. I am really doing this for the dignity of the 13 lives and the dignity of the Chinese people."
All the scenes in the film were shot on location, in order to reproduce the real scene of solving the "Mekong River Massacre" that day.
“The main storyline of [Operation Mekong] revolves around the drug enforcement police’s process of solving the case.
Gu Wei plays an undercover police officer lurking in the Golden Triangle, while Zhang Hanyu plays a drug enforcement officer who is both intelligent and brave.
The press conference began with Yu Dong, the CEO of Bona Film Group and the producer of the film, giving the opening remarks. Director Lin Chaoxian then answered reporters' questions about the film's location and filming.
When asked what it was like to work with Gu Wei for the first time, Director Lin turned around and looked at Gu Wei beside him, then smiled and replied:
“The film Operation Mekong was not only difficult to shoot, but the actors also worked extremely hard.
Our crew filmed the entire show in real Southeast Asian environments, including slums, swamps, and rainforests.
As the leading actor, Gu Wei not only had to learn fighting firearms, but also had to be proficient in Thai and Burmese. Finally, he had to endure various extreme environments during filming. It was really not easy.
To be honest, when the crew was setting up the project, Director Yu told me that he wanted to invite Gu Wei to be the leading actor, and I was quite hesitant.
I have seen some excellent films directed by Gu Wei before, such as "The Blade of the Assassin" and "Detective Chinatown 3", and I really recognize his acting skills. I really want to work with him, but I am worried that our crew is too hard and he will not come.
But unexpectedly, after I sent him the script, he agreed not long after.
After the filming started, Gu Wei's performance amazed me again and again.
He learns various types of gun fighting very quickly and is also a language genius. He never complains about being tired while filming. The shots are completed with a very high degree of completion and he is extremely strict with himself.
Don’t think I’m praising Gu Wei. Once the movie is released and you’ve actually watched it, you’ll know what I’m saying is absolutely true.”
Lin Chaoxian praised Gu Wei a lot, and after that, Gu Wei took the microphone.
"I feel a little embarrassed by what the director said. I was just doing what an actor should do. When it comes to acting, you have to try your best to go in the direction that the role requires you to go.
In fact, it’s not just me, all the other actors in the crew are like this.
Like Brother Hanyu, I remember that when we were shooting the gunfight scene, we were the only two people in the entire crew whose bulletproof vests were real, very heavy, and the guns were real, with grenades hanging on them, everything was real.
After picking up these things, we had to keep running because the drug detection dog in front was running very fast and we had to chase the dog.
I felt a little overwhelmed after filming several times, not to mention that Hanyu is already over 50, but he still didn't say a word, what a man!
As he said this, he gave Zhang Han a thumbs up.
"Well, is it possible that I was too tired to speak?"
After hearing what Gu Wei said, Zhang Hanyu smiled bitterly and added something, which caused everyone to laugh.
"But what the director said to Gu Wei was right. Filming is indeed difficult, and because of the filming environment, accidents and dangers can happen from time to time.
I remember when we were filming in a swamp in Malaysia, Director Lin was accidentally bitten on the ankle by a six-inch poisonous centipede and even went into shock.
Afterwards, I rested for two days and then insisted on continuing to film."
Yu Dong continued, "I wasn't with the crew at the time. I was in Thailand when the crew called me and told me that Director Lin had been bitten by a poisonous insect and was in a coma. I was terrified and flew to Malaysia that night."
After the two of them finished speaking, everyone's attention turned to Lin Chaoxian again.
He waved his hand.
"It wasn't as serious as they said. The local hospital has antidotes for various venomous insects. It was just a little scary when I was first bitten, but after getting an injection at the hospital, I recovered quickly. Later, my ankle was just a little swollen, which made it a little more difficult to move."
Lin Chaoxian downplayed it, but everyone can still imagine the difficulty of filming in a rainforest swamp environment.
At the end of the press conference, a reporter asked the creators what their expectations were for the movie's box office.
Yu Dong made a bold statement.
"Our film has the best cast and crew, and it has such a great story. I think breaking the 1 billion box office shouldn't be a problem!"
After the press conference, at Yu Dong's invitation, Gu Wei had a meal with Lin Chaoxian, Zhang Han and several other main creators of the film.
We had a pleasant time working together on the film and we had a good relationship with each other.
Gu Wei is so popular and "Detective Chinatown 2" has just broken the box office record. Yu Dong really wants to have a good relationship with him.
At the press conference, Yu Dong boasted that the movie box office would exceed 1 billion yuan, and more than half of his confidence came from Gu Wei.
Everyone was eating and drinking, and the atmosphere at the dinner table was very good.
After dinner, Gu Wei declined the next program that Yu Dong was going to arrange and got into the nanny car with a slight smell of alcohol.
At Zeng Li's home, she had already washed up, was wearing a light pink pajamas, had a facial mask on her face, and was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Her last drama had just finished filming, and she could finally go back to Beijing to rest for a few days.
Since the hit of "Ode to Joy", she has been approached for more and more TV dramas, as well as other jobs such as endorsements and commercial performances.
Zeng Li never thought that she would become famous when she was young, but when she reached middle age, she would meet the older boy Gu Wei by chance. After starring in several dramas, her career would soar.
Especially after playing the role of "Andy", many elite female roles in their 30s in TV dramas came to her.
There are too many scripts to handle.
I became famous and made money, but it was also very tiring. It was a happy worry.
When she was changing the channel, she heard the doorbell ring and knew that Gu Wei had arrived.
He stood up, took off the mask and threw it away, then walked over to open the door.
"Sister Li, have you missed me during this time?"
Gu Wei stood outside the door with a smile on his face, happily watching Zeng Li open the door. He came back and learned from WeChat that Sister Li had just returned to Beijing, so he came to find her after he finished his work.
As he spoke, he walked in and gave Zeng Li a big hug, buried his head in her neck and took a deep breath.
"Alright~ You're such a grown-up, but you're still acting like a kid."
Zeng Li was very happy about Gu Wei's arrival, but there was no big expression on her face.
She let Gu Wei hug her for a while, patted his back gently, sniffed him, and frowned slightly.
"You smell of alcohol. Did you drink a lot last night?"
Gu Wei reached out and scratched his head.
"I took a leave from the crew to attend the press conference for my new film Operation Mekong. Afterwards, I had dinner with Bona Film Group's Yu Dong, Director Lin Chaoxian, and Zhang Hanyu.
Not too much to drink.”
"Go sit in the living room first, I'll get you a glass of water~"
Zeng Li spoke like coaxing a child, and Gu Wei was very obedient.
After a while, Zeng Li brought a cup of steaming water and placed it in front of him.
Gu Wei picked it up and took a sip.
“So sweet~”
Honey lemon water can promote alcohol metabolism.
I know you have to drink when you socialize outside, but alcohol is not a good thing after all. Even if you have to drink, try to drink less.
You may feel good now that you are young, but when you are older you will understand the importance of maintenance."
Zeng Li muttered to Gu Wei the importance of health.
"I know, Sister Li, I don't usually drink much~"
"Okay, drink some water first. I'll get some hot water. You can take a bath later to relax and get rid of the alcohol."
After saying that, he walked towards the bathroom.
Gu Wei picked up the cup and took a sip of honey water. He put his hands behind his head and leaned against the back of the sofa. He stretched his thighs and placed them on the coffee table in front of him, watching the TV playing a variety show.
When he comes to Sister Li's place, he always feels cared for. He feels relaxed and at home.
After a while, Gu Wei took a shower, changed into comfortable pajamas, and watched TV with Zeng Li.
"How many days can you stay after this trip?"
Zeng Li took a plate of grapes, ate one herself and gave one to Gu Wei.
"We have to leave tomorrow morning. Once we're done here, we have to rush back to the set to film."
"Oh~"
Zeng Li felt a little disappointed, but she also knew that this was normal.
After she became famous, she was busy with all kinds of things. As the most popular star in the entertainment industry, Gu Wei must have much more work to do than her.
"Last month, when Detective Chinatown 2 was first released, I stayed in Beijing for a while. Unfortunately, you were filming on the set at that time."
Zeng Li nodded.
"That previous TV series took a few months to shoot, and it was only wrapped up a few days ago~"
"I remember you told me on WeChat that it was a TV series you were working on with Jin Dong, right?"
Gu Wei asked with some curiosity.
"Yes, it's produced by New Classics Media. Besides Jin Dong, there are also Ma Yili, Wu Yue, and Lei Jiayin, who we worked with before on [Detective Chinatown 1]."
"What's the name of the TV series?"
After hearing what Zeng Li said, Gu Wei became more interested. These people are all powerful actors.
"The drama is called 'My First Half of Life'. My role is considered the second female lead, and Ma Yili is the female lead."
Gu Wei suddenly realized that he still had an impression of this drama. It should have been broadcast in 2017 and was considered a very popular TV series at that time.
Moreover, Lei Datou became famous for playing the supporting male role. After the TV series was broadcast, he became well-known as the "Ex-husband Brother". He also came into the audience's attention because of his wonderful interpretation of this role.
He remembered that the original second female lead seemed to be played by Yuan Quan, but now it has been replaced by Zeng Li.
But it's normal. Sister Li and Yuan Quan are college classmates and they are the same age. At this stage, due to the popularity of "Ode to Joy", she is much more popular than Yuan Quan. She has also worked with the male lead Jin Dong before. No matter how you look at it, she is more suitable for this role than Yuan Quan.
"Sister Li, you're so popular now, why are you playing the second female lead?"
"Why should I be so popular? There is no such thing as a big or small role in acting. When they approached me, I felt that the role was quite good and the production team was also very good, so I accepted it.
Besides, although I have some fame now, I am still old after all. Maybe I will have to play the mother of the male and female protagonists in the future. "
Zeng Li is not a traffic star. She thinks she is a real actor, so she has no habit of only playing the female lead.
For her, being more famous now means she has more choices, but as long as the role is good, it doesn’t matter whether she plays the leading or second female role.
(End of this chapter)
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