Chapter 177
If you want to play a role well, simply reading the script or the original work is far from enough. After all, a person's life cannot be summarized in just a few lines. Normally, when a screenwriter writes a character, he must have a background that reflects the character's personality and other characteristics, but this may not be reflected in the script. But no matter what the screenwriter writes, as an actor, the most basic professional quality is to write a biography for the character. Only by pondering more deeply and understanding more thoroughly can you perform fluently and naturally.
Li Yu is not a professional screenwriter, and this script was probably written on a whim. Apart from a story outline, there is nothing else. If Jing Ling wants to play this role well, a brief biography of the character is essential.
Director Gu said Jing Ling was born to do this job, but that's not true. He has just been through a lot and has rich experience. He has worked in both common and uncommon professions in life for quite a long time. Most of the roles in film and television dramas can be considered true to him. In this case, the demand for so-called acting skills is not that high.
Just like the role of the Ninth Man in the previous movie “The Island”, there are actually very few shots that require acting skills. It is more about showing the audience how powerful and terrifying he is, which can be done with excellent skills. The only difficulty is the dismemberment part. Ordinary people would never have such an experience, so it would be difficult to act. But Jing Ling was different. With some past memories, he was able to act 70% similar to the character. With the guidance of Director Gu, the final product was about 80% similar to the character, which was far beyond the passing score.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that he relies solely on his rich experience to act. Perhaps there is indeed an element of talent involved, but it is definitely not as exaggerated as Director Gu said.
At least for Zhou Xiao, this role is not as easy to play as the two roles he had taken before, because there is no ready-made example to draw on. Zhou Xiao's character is very complicated and cannot be judged by simple right or wrong. Leaving aside the part that is not directly shown in the script, as far as what he did to the heroine is concerned, imprisonment, abuse, and beatings are obviously violations of the law, but you can't say that he is completely wrong, because he is also very pitiful. His sister, who depended on him for life, suffered a sudden disaster at such a young age and died so tragically, while those who killed her, from the school to the students to her biological father, are still alive and well. They spent a little money to buy a life and then lived with peace of mind.
In order to take revenge on the heroine, Zhou Xiao approached her, pretending to be a couple, and then tricked her out of school and imprisoned her in the place where her sister died. Although he succeeded in doing so, he made a mistake and fell in love with his enemy. He had been living in pain and self-blame over the years, and was tormented in his heart. Now this happened again, and the complex emotions intertwined together almost drove him crazy.
He ultimately couldn't get over the psychological difficulties and chose to commit suicide. The fact that he did not turn himself in shows that he is convinced in his heart that he is not wrong. If it weren't for the accident with the heroine, after the revenge, he might still be able to live as if nothing had happened.
The heroine had a mixture of love and hate for him, especially after she forced her parents to reveal the truth about her transfer and learned that she was indeed one of the people who killed Zhou Xiaomei, her heart finally collapsed. She followed the same path as the male protagonist and ended her life in the same way where he died.
Stockholm Lovers, on the surface, seems to be a sad love story, but hidden behind it are school violence, domestic violence and questions about the law to protect minors. If it weren't for the tragedy, these two people might not have met and fallen in love, but at least they would have lived well and would not have ended their lives at the prime age of youth.
Jing Ling suddenly remembered the news he had seen recently. Although he had only glanced at it and had not intentionally looked for any news, he had seen several news items about domestic violence and school violence. Li Yu just said that the inspiration came from his heart, perhaps it was from seeing the recent frequent similar events.
But now is not the time to think about these things, the audition is the most important thing.
Li Yu insisted on finding a satisfactory candidate, otherwise he would rather not shoot the movie, which was probably influenced by the original work. Jing Ling still remembers the actor who played Zhou Xiao. Both his acting skills and appearance were perfect for the character. It was said that the film won him the Best Actor award at an international film festival, which also proved that he acted very well.
With such great examples before us, it’s hard to accept poor acting.
After reading the script, he auditioned immediately. The preparation time was very tight and Jing Ling could only do so little. Fortunately, he had examples to refer to. But it is just a reference. Blind imitation can never surpass the original work, and he has never been willing to be someone else's shadow.
The show has begun.
Li Yu stared at Jing Ling not far away, feeling both expectant and nervous.
It has been a long, long time since she came to this world and became Li Yu. It has been so long that most of her memories of her previous life are vague and untraceable. She even occasionally doubts whether the world she once lived in is really real. Could it be just a dream?
Just like when a lie is repeated countless times, people will believe it to be true, after doubting for so long, she herself accepted it. The wonderful family atmosphere and favorable family conditions allow her to immerse herself in what she likes without being disturbed by the outside world. I lived a carefree life for so many years and had almost forgotten about my past life until I saw the recent news.
School violence, domestic violence, the Minor Protection Act was ridiculed as a get-out-of-jail-free card, and she suddenly remembered this movie.
In a person's life, there are always a few things that are deeply remembered. The reason why Li Yu remembers it so clearly is that the movie was indeed very well made, but more importantly, it is because this incident happened to her. The two protagonists of the story, Huang Qingqing, were her very good roommate. Through Huang Qingqing, she met Zhou Xiao, such a gentle, handsome and talented boy. If she did not have a boyfriend with whom she had a good relationship, she might have fallen in love with him.
Just like in the movies, Zhou Xiao and Huang Qingqing were once a couple envied by countless people on campus, but unexpectedly the ending was so tragic.
At the time, the news was all over the place and everyone knew about it, and everyone had a different opinion. As a friend of the two, Li Yu has a better relationship with Huang Qingqing, but he also feels bad for Zhou Xiao because he is also a poor man. From the information dug out by the news media, it can be seen that his sister is a very beautiful girl with good personality and academic performance. If it had not been for the accident, she would probably have already started college life and have an outstanding boy who likes her, and her future life would have unlimited possibilities.
Unfortunately, there is no if.
The incident later became more and more serious, and the news media unearthed more similar incidents. For a while, school violence and domestic violence became the focus of public attention, and some people began to question the Law on the Protection of Minors. Unfortunately, the incident was eventually treated coldly and the news media did not follow up on it. Humans are forgetful animals, and when new hot events emerge, their attention is diverted. The matter was eventually left unresolved.
After several years, when people had almost forgotten about the incident, a famous director in China suddenly approached Li Yu to get information about the two parties involved in order to collect material for filming a movie...
When the movie came out, it coincided with a sensitive period. Although it was not released publicly in China, the actor Zhou Boyan who played the male lead won the Best Actor award at an international film festival.
Inspired by this, Li Yu wrote this story. In addition, the Li family and the Gu family are old friends, and she had access to Director Gu, so she thought about making the story into a movie. But because of the previous excellent film and the special nature of the story, she would rather not act if she is not satisfied with the casting.
The appearance of Jing Ling was an unexpected surprise for her. His appearance and personal conditions perfectly matched Zhou Xiao's personality, and Director Gu said that he had good acting skills. However, given that he was only eighteen years old, he was too young for this industry. Li Yu did not require him to surpass Zhou Boyan or be on par with him, as long as he could reach seven or eight points.
There was no female lead candidate, so they had to imagine such a person out of thin air, which was already difficult. Director Gu then asked Jing Ling to perform in front of him, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty. Li Yu asked himself that he could not imagine that uncle's face as a gentle and beautiful woman with waist-length hair, so he couldn't help but worry about Jing Ling.
But it soon proved that her worries were unnecessary.
Temperament is something that has no substance and cannot be touched, but it can be clearly felt. Li Yu saw with his own eyes that after a short period of adjustment, Jing Ling's temperament changed instantly and he became the gentle, handsome and talented Zhou Xiao in the story.
The long passage of time has blurred the faces of old friends, but their outlines are still clear. The person in front of him really looked like the person in Li Yu’s memory. At the same time, she also had a strange feeling, because she had only seen Zhou Xiao's gentle and elegant side. She had not witnessed what happened during the time when he and Huang Qingqing were traveling, so she naturally felt unfamiliar with his hidden madness.
He stood there quietly, apparently doing nothing, but from the subtle expressions on his face and the small movements of his hands, one could clearly feel his pain and entanglement. On one side was the hatred that had persisted for many years, and on the other side was the unexpected love, and the balance in his heart was swaying. It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like only a moment. His expression suddenly changed, as if he had made a decision. He reached out and pushed open the non-existent door, almost ran to the heroine, opened his arms and embraced her in his arms.
"Qingqing..."
After a loving whisper, his eyes changed instantly, revealing deep hatred. The arms that were originally embracing withdrew, and the ferocious face almost used up all its strength to push the person away...
Li Yu was watching very seriously, but when his eyes fell on Director Gu, he was instantly distracted. She is not a professional actor, so there is no way she can see Director Gu as the female lead.
She covered her face in pain. From the corner of my eye, I saw that the agent next to me was also holding back his anger and his expression was distorted.
"Okay!" Director Gu suddenly called for a stop.
Jing Ling was stunned for a moment, and then broke away from the role.
"What do you think, Xiaoyu? I think Jing Ling's acting is very good! Although there are still some flaws, don't forget that the time left for him is very short. When the real shooting comes and there is enough time, it will definitely be better than it is now!"
After the short audition, Director Gu and Jing Ling returned to their seats. While talking to Li Yu, he took the notebook on the table, took out a pen from his pocket, opened the notebook, found the corresponding passage, and started writing.
Li Yu glanced at Jing Ling after hearing this, and then nodded, "It's really good, exactly as I imagined, it's him. Now that the male lead has been decided, we can start looking for the female lead. Uncle Gu, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"
At first, she was a little skeptical about Director Gu's vision, but with Jing Ling's example, she was completely convinced.
Director Gu casually recorded his inspiration and finished writing it quickly. He put away the pen and put it back in his pocket. Then he replied, "There are a few candidates." He looked up at Jing Ling and pointed at his face. "I have a rough idea, but I'm not completely satisfied with it. I'll take a look at it when the time comes. If it doesn't work, I'll try my luck in colleges. Maybe I can find someone who really fits the heroine perfectly."
He is always very picky and strives for perfection. The acting skills of the several female candidates he had in mind were impeccable, but their age was a problem. Although people in the entertainment industry take good care of themselves and their faces look much younger than their actual age, the feeling is still different. There is an essential difference between a person in his thirties and a young girl in her twenties, not to mention the contrast of the male protagonist Jing Ling, who is actually a college student under the age of twenty. The contrast will only be more obvious.
But if we select people based on their age, acting skills become a difficulty. There are very few things in this world that truly have the best of both worlds.
"That's fine. There's no rush anyway." Li Yu nodded. She doesn't make movies for the sake of making money, and Director Gu has everything he needs, including plenty of time.
When Jing Ling and Chen Ze arrived at Shanshui Manor, it was almost noon, and by the time things were settled and temporarily came to an end, it was already afternoon. Li Yu prepared a meal, and after they ate, it was already late, so the two of them stayed overnight at Shanshui Villa.
The Shanshui Villa is very large. The place Li Yu arranged for Jing Ling and Chen Ze is a separate small courtyard, surrounded by green trees and antique-style buildings. The interior space has an antique flavor.
As the sky gradually darkened, the lanterns under the eaves lit up, emitting a yellowish light and illuminating the surrounding darkness.
Jing Ling and Chen Ze sat in the yard and chatted.
In fact, it would be more appropriate to say that Shen Ze forcibly dragged Jing Ling out.
He looked Jing Ling up and down as if he was looking at some rare species he had never seen before, "It's really settled!" Even though he saw it with his own eyes, it still felt a little unreal to him until now.
Jing Ling poured himself a cup of tea. The curling tea smoke rose from the blue and white porcelain cup. He squinted his eyes for a moment before he took the cup to his lips and took a sip. Then his eyes swept across Shen Ze's face and said, "You are useless."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ze was like a cat that was stimulated. His fur instantly stood up, and he jumped up from his seat, pointing his finger at Jing Ling, "What do you know! This is Director Gu's play! It's an art film! And the male lead! There are so many popular young actors in the circle who are more popular than you. Let alone the male lead, as long as you get a supporting role, you can brag about it for a long time! If this news is leaked, I guarantee that you will be on the headlines in seconds, and then you will be pinched by other fans until you doubt your life!"
"Wake up, no one can make me doubt my life."
“…Is this the point, huh?!” Chen Ze roared.
Jing Ling nodded and was about to reply when he felt his phone suddenly vibrate. He took out his cell phone and checked. It was Yunshu's number.
Chen Ze next to him also saw it. Although Jing Ling never saved any contacts, he had seen Yun Shu's number so many times that he memorized it. The expression on Jing Ling's face at this moment was no different from before, but Shen Ze could sense the changes in him. Somehow, Shen Ze suddenly remembered Jing Ling's ridicule of him being a single dog not long ago, and he immediately became angry.
Jing Ling on the other side had already answered the phone and was still sitting there, not avoiding him.
Shen Ze suddenly stood up and moved closer. Jing Ling just glanced at him sideways, not caring, and chatted with him. After a few words, Yun Shu asked on the phone, "Which hotel are you in Tongcheng?"
Before Jing Ling could answer, Shen Ze suddenly interrupted, "He's not in the hotel, he's staying at a beautiful woman's house!"
Jing Ling rolled his eyes helplessly and pushed him away, "Go away, single guy."
Chen Ze had a smug look on his face and raised his chin, "Please explain slowly!"
Jing Ling wasn't angry. Although he didn't think there was anything wrong, he still explained to Yun Shu, "I told you before that I came to audition for Director Gu's new play today. After the audition, I had a meal. It was a little late, so I stayed at the villa."
On the other end of the phone, Yunshu's tone seemed a little disappointed, "Not in the hotel..."
Jing Ling was about to speak when he suddenly heard a background sound over there. Although it was a little blurry, it sounded very much like the word "Tongcheng". He was stunned and suddenly had a guess, "Yunshu, you came to Tongcheng?"
"What's wrong with you..." Yun Shu's voice on the other end of the phone could not hide his surprise. Although he stopped talking halfway, it was enough to prove that Jing Ling's guess was true.
"Where are you? I'll come find you!"
Jing Ling knew Yun Shu's location and was about to tell Li Yu to borrow someone to take him there to find him. When I was leaving, I happened to run into Director Gu, who looked very excited. "I just thought of a plot and was about to tell you about it."
If it were any other time, Jing Ling would definitely agree, but now he had to go find Yun Shu, so he could only refuse, "Sorry, Director Gu, I have to go out for something."
"Oh... okay." Director Gu asked casually, "What's the matter?"
Jing Ling did not hide it, "I'm going to see my girlfriend."
Director Gu looked at him with a little surprise when he heard this, "You are honest, aren't you afraid that I will tell others?"
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