Zhuang Sheng's breathing paused, then suddenly became more rapid.
Shang Yechu scoffed: "Your character, President Ji should have told you about him, right? He's a physically strong unemployed bum."
Under Zhuang Sheng's unwavering gaze, Shang Yechu said, word by word, "Your physique is that of an unemployed bum?"
"I—" Zhuang Sheng opened his mouth to speak, but Shang Yechu interrupted him.
"A hoodlum who grew up on the commercial street, raised on the charity of many families, unemployed, and occasionally doing temporary manual labor."
"This is the setting in the novel and screenplay."
Shang Yechu circled around Zhuang Sheng slowly.
"Growing up in a commercial district and eating at various households means that his diet mainly consists of junk food from the commercial district. His diet is poor, high in calories, and the sources of those calories are not high-quality."
"With this kind of diet, the body fat percentage won't be low. But since they do physical labor and exercise regularly, they won't have a big belly."
"What body type is this type of character most likely to maintain?"
Shang Yechu stood behind Zhuang Sheng and asked.
Zhuang Sheng froze: "Sister Ye..."
After calling out "Sister Ye" for a long time, Zhuang Sheng still couldn't get the rest out.
Shang Yechu sighed: "Let me tell you. The most common and realistic physique for this kind of character is a combination of fat and muscle – that is, a lot of muscle, but also a lot of fat. Broad shoulders, thick legs, and a belly that makes a loud thud when you slap it. The muscle lines are not clear, but they are very explosive."
"In addition, due to a rough diet and a lot of physical labor and sun exposure, the skin should be relatively rough and have obvious color differences."
Shang Yechu walked around to Zhuang Sheng's side and gently tapped Zhuang Sheng's abdomen three times with the side of her hand. With each tap, Zhuang Sheng's body trembled. By the time she finished tapping, Zhuang Sheng's face was flushed red.
“Now,” Shang Yechu said in a tone devoid of any emotion, “you’re here with this beautifully sculpted physique from the gym, this meticulously maintained fair skin, this six-pack abs and toned abs from a weight-loss diet, and you’re telling me that you’re an actor, that you want to act, and that this is your achievement, isn’t it?”
Zhuang Sheng's body trembled slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Shang Yechu shouted sternly, "Answer me!"
The volume was even louder than Zhuang Sheng's questioning voice just now.
Zhuang Sheng clenched his fists, lowered his head, and bit his cheeks so hard they trembled slightly.
Shang Yechu sneered, took a few steps to where Zhuang Sheng had just thrown down his clothes, bent down and picked them up.
Shang Yechu held the coat between two fingers, walked up to Zhuang Sheng, raised her hand, and threw the coat into Zhuang Sheng's arms.
"Your actions and emotions are very well designed. But filming also requires logic." Shang Yechu curled her lips sarcastically. "Wearing a coat in this heat only makes you look like you've gone crazy from the heat."
Zhuang Sheng gripped his coat tightly, and in stark contrast to his flushed face, his knuckles had turned somewhat white.
Shang Yechu leaned against the window, feeling the gentle breeze blowing in from outside. Getting angry was indeed a good way to relieve stress; Shang Yechu felt much better. She even became a little more patient with Zhuang Sheng's clumsy little tricks.
Zhuang Sheng's problem is actually a common issue among many artists in the entertainment industry. They are unwilling to sacrifice their appearance for a role.
In period dramas, modern makeup is used to compensate for facial imperfections; in rural dramas, people are unwilling to darken their skin for the sake of beauty, creating a jarring contrast between the character's hardworking nature and their delicate, fair skin; in military dramas, despite the battlefields filled with gunfire, people wear black eyebrows, foundation, and lipstick...
However, this situation is not unique to idol artists; many talented actors also face the same problem.
Talented actors are often willing to toughen up or make themselves look ugly for a role, but they may not be willing to ruin their physique for it. Making oneself look ugly is simply a matter of makeup; once filming is finished and the face is washed, one can be radiant again. However, building a good physique requires years of disciplined living and exercise, and once it's completely ruined, regaining it requires arduous and persistent effort.
The latter comes at a much higher cost than the former, naturally reducing the number of people who can achieve it proportionally. Therefore, we often see bizarre scenes in movies and TV shows: a character portrayed as an office worker possesses an incredibly muscular physique; a character portrayed as an assassin has a delicate, almost boneless figure; a reserved student bullied at school, upon removing his clothes, reveals a bulging physique with perfectly defined six-pack abs, making one wonder if he actually enjoys being beaten up…
This is an irrational phenomenon, defying common sense. Zhuang Sheng, being too young, naturally couldn't escape this.
Unfortunately, he encountered Shang Yechu, a theoretical expert. In terms of the emotional aspect of acting, Shang Yechu might be slightly inferior… perhaps far inferior; but in terms of detail and theory, Shang Yechu has reached a level surpassing most people. After all, his numerous minor roles weren't for nothing, and his more than ten years in comedy weren't wasted.
"If you want to be an actor, first learn how to simplify. Piling up a bunch of useless things, unwilling to change this or discard that, will only result in a terrible performance like yours today." Shang Yechu turned her head to look out the window. "Get out. I won't tell President Ji about today's events. But don't even think about a next time."
The top star of Qingping Entertainment was actually allowed to have someone barge into her office and talk loudly. If it weren't for the fact that filming for "Rules Street" was about to begin and she couldn't afford to cause trouble, Shang Yechu would have loved to give Zhuang Sheng a good beating.
Zhuang Sheng looked up at Shang Yechu. A gentle breeze blew, causing the curtains to sway gracefully. The off-white curtains clustered behind Shang Yechu, sometimes enveloping her body, sometimes brushing past her and scattering elsewhere.
To fit the character of the frail, asthmatic protagonist in "Rules Street," Shang Yechu underwent cosmetic procedures after the script was revised, transforming Li Yiming's healthy tan skin into a completely pale complexion. Standing by the window now, Shang Yechu's skin was even whiter than the off-white curtains. She looked like a silver-white enchantress.
An ordinary, sweltering afternoon.
Zhuang Sheng's throat tightened, and he suddenly turned and ran towards the door. Muttering, "I'm sorry, Sister Ye!", he staggered away.
Shang Yechu sighed softly as she watched Zhuang Sheng's disheveled figure disappear into the distance.
Replacing Zhuang Sheng with another actor, no matter what, is indeed unfair to him.
Shang Yechu actually had some affection for Zhuang Sheng. His ambitious and impatient demeanor reminded her of herself back then. Even his self-righteous and foolish behavior reminded her of herself.
Zhuang Sheng used the wrong approach. If he had come to Shang Yechu to play the victim and appeal to her emotions, constantly mentioning his drinking and socializing, Shang Yechu wouldn't have had a reason to refuse him. Unfortunately, this kid was too confident, insisting on proving to Shang Yechu that he was a hardworking and good actor. Rejecting him was a mistake…
Silly child, in the entertainment industry, it's all about money, there's no such thing as fairness or right and wrong.
Zhuang Sheng jogged away awkwardly. Looking at his embarrassed and anxious back, Shang Yechu suddenly felt that he looked like a dog that had been kicked and was running away with its tail between its legs.
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