"Cut!"
The scene became chaotic.
Shang Yechu immediately went to Xu Hanwen to check on her performance.
One scene was a group scene, and the other was a two-person scene with Lu Huaizhang. To Shang Yechu's surprise, the pressure during the scene was less than she had imagined.
Shang Yechu thought she would find it difficult to get into character and would be completely overwhelmed during the performance. After all, many of the artists present were veterans of spy dramas or veteran supporting actors in film and television.
However, when it came to the actual acting, Shang Yechu felt a complete immersion.
On one hand, there's the high level of vigilance and tension that Tianguang-1 displays when facing the enemy and roaming enemy camps; on the other hand, there's the carefree attitude of a thief who lives wherever he goes... "I am a barbarian."
This kind of deliberate, step-by-step indulgence was something Shang Yechu was experiencing for the first time.
Zhang Chen naturally had to be there on the first day of filming. The producer finally looked a little more relaxed.
"Your performance has surprised me greatly." Zhang Chenchong nodded to Shang Yechu. "Now I'm even more convinced that choosing you was the right decision."
Xu Hanwen completely ignored Shang Yechu, and Zhang Chen's intervention conveniently came to Shang Yechu's rescue. Shang Yechu gave a grateful smile: "I haven't thanked you yet..."
"No need," Zhang Chen interrupted Shang Yechu. "I'm not doing this for you."
Zheng Bohan gazed at Shang Yechu from afar, sighed, and stubbed out his cigarette.
"Teacher Zheng?"
Zheng Bohan turned his head, looked at Shi Shan in front of him, and nodded indifferently: "You've come."
Shi Shan has also worked with Zheng Bohan. Moreover, he is one of the few people who can maintain good relationships with both Zheng Bohan and Xu Hanwen at the same time.
"Teacher Zheng, is something on your mind?" Shi Shan asked with a smile, arms crossed.
Zheng Bohan threw his cigarette butt into the trash can: "What do you think of Ye Chu's performance?"
Shi Shan replied without hesitation, "Excellent."
Zheng Bohan fell silent again.
Shi Shan scrutinized Zheng Bohan's expression: "Do you have a different opinion?"
“No,” Zheng Bohan said. “On the contrary, I think ‘excellent’ is not enough to describe it; ‘exceptionally gifted’ is more appropriate.”
"Exceptionally talented?" Shi Shan looked at Shang Yechu, who was talking with Xu Hanwen. "These two scenes were indeed not easy, but it doesn't seem to have reached the point where talent is required?"
“An amateur.” Zheng Bohan nodded at Shi Shan.
Shi Shan's expression darkened slightly, but Zheng Bohan seemed oblivious and continued, "When I was writing this play, I fully considered one element: the comedic element."
Zheng Bohan took out another cigarette, but didn't light it; he just held it in his hand and played with it.
"Of course, it's not a lighthearted comedy, but rather dry humor," Zheng Bohan said calmly. "Deliberately piling up jokes would be too frivolous here."
Shi Shan's face showed a look of recollection: "Ye Chu's performance just now—"
“That’s right,” Zheng Bohan said. “Her comedic effect is very good, very good. She has no idol baggage at all, she’s very uninhibited—even you used to have idol baggage when you acted. But Ye Chu has none of that, which is very rare.”
Shi Shan pursed his lips, about to speak, when Zheng Bohan added, "What's even more remarkable is that she managed to control herself. Letting go is difficult, but controlling yourself is ten times harder!"
Many comedians, when filming comedies, have a feeling of "I'm making a comedy," "I'm determined to make you laugh," and "This punchline is about to land." They interpret comedy as mere sensationalism, treating their work like a back scratcher, only meant to tickle the audience's armpits.
Although Zheng Bohan doesn't write comedies often, he has been dissatisfied with this phenomenon for a long time.
The most important thing about comedy is that the characters in a comedy must never feel like they are acting in a comedy. Just like a beautiful, strong, and tragic character can't lament their misery every day—otherwise, they'd just be like Xianglin's wife (a character known for her tragic love story).
To perform comedy as comedy is to be a clown. To perform comedy as a serious drama is to be a master.
Shang Yechu did a great job. Her character, Li Yiming, didn't think what she did was funny; on the contrary, she firmly believed she was right!
Shang Yechu completed all the actions and lines with ease, naturally becoming one with the script. The two scenes, when viewed in isolation, contained only a subtle, dry humor. But through Shang Yechu's interpretation, they inexplicably became hilarious.
Effortless mastery, profound depth. There is no hint of pretension.
Comedy is one of the most difficult genres. A good comedian can easily outperform other types of films. As far as Zheng Bohan knows, among young artists, none can perform comedy so smoothly and seamlessly.
Shang Yechu seemed to possess a talent, a comedic talent that Zheng Bohan had never seen before. If she wanted to, she could make the audience laugh out loud with a straight face, and all eyes would naturally be on her!
Zheng Bohan was filled with worries and doubts. He couldn't figure out where Shang Yechu's skillful and superb comedic acting came from, and could only attribute it to talent.
“I underestimated her,” Zheng Bohan said with emotion. “If Wei Xuan had played the role, the effect would not have been any better than hers. Wei Xuan is too reserved and elegant, so she would have been more restrained. Take that action of jumping onto the windowsill, for example. If Wei Xuan had played it, it would have been completely different from if Ye Chu had played it.”
Shi Shan turned his head: "You worked with Ye Chu a long time ago, don't you know her acting style?"
"I've known Ye Chu for a long time. I've seen all her roles, Ping Zhao, Xiao Feng Que, and Xiao Yue. To put it bluntly, they're all characters with deep-seated suffering and hatred. She acted them all quite well."
Shi Shan chuckled and replied, "So you think she might not have comedic talent, which is why you didn't choose her in the first place?"
“That’s not entirely the reason.” Zheng Bohan lit a cigarette, and wisps of smoke rose. “This child… she’s always unhappy.”
Zheng Bohan seemed somewhat surprised that he would say such a thing.
After taking a drag of his cigarette, Zheng Bohan repeated, "This kid is always unhappy. She's always carrying a heavy heart. Don't be fooled by her smiles; she's actually expressionless inside—I thought, how can someone like that be comedic? So I didn't choose her."
Zheng Bohan shook his head: "I underestimated her."
Upon hearing this, Shi Shan looked in the direction of Shang Yechu. The latter was talking to Xu Hanwen, smiling gently and politely, like a humble and well-behaved student.
Shi Shan narrowed his eyes.
Zheng Bohan said, "Alright, don't tell anyone what you said today, and don't let it reach Ye Chu's ears."
Ye Chu's talent is precious, perhaps even unconscious. If she were to realize she was acting in a comedy, the effect might not be as good.
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