Lucas and Sean often incorporated exaggerated expressions like pouting and glaring from American and European films and television shows into their performances. Nina Meyer's performance had a musical film feel to it. These were their deeply ingrained acting habits, but they didn't fit the tone of "The King of Pop."
There was only one Shao Guangji, and he couldn't be split into eight parts for use. Shang Yechu was afraid that if he worked himself to death, the movie "The Heavenly Emperor" would become his last work, which wouldn't sound good to others—so he took the lead and, after several discussions, spontaneously formed a mutual help group to help these foreigners correct their acting style.
Initially, Shang Yechu was mentoring Nina Mel. But she quickly gave up. The reason was simple: the two had a good relationship, and when Shang Yechu was instructing Nina, she couldn't hit her or scold her. If she got angry with her, Nina wouldn't understand what Shang Yechu was upset about, and would even pat Shang Yechu's face and praise her acting as very realistic, which made Shang Yechu so angry that she kept hitting her forehead with an ice pack.
After three days of coaching, Nina Mel made no progress, while Shang Yechu was so exhausted that she had a nosebleed.
Upon learning of this, Shao Guangji ordered Shang Yechu to cease his instruction and forbade Nina Meier from visiting Shang Yechu's room. Shang Yechu's educational career thus came to an abrupt end.
Zhao Qian also encountered a bottleneck. In the movie, he plays Old Zhao, the last Taoist priest among humans, a joking and carefree Taoist master. In real life, Zhao Qian is also a humorous and optimistic person, always greeting people with a smile before even speaking. He seems like a cheerful and easygoing old man.
Zhao Qian's student was Maxim, a Russian. Whether it was a cultural difference or something else, Maxim really disliked Zhao Qian's perpetually smiling face. Once, in class, the two clashed. Zhao Qian muttered that Maxim was a blockhead, and Maxim retorted in Russian. Seeing that Zhao Qian didn't understand, Maxim kindly translated it into English: "idiot."
Old Zhao kindly offered guidance to someone with facial paralysis, only to be called an idiot! Their fragile and short-lived teacher-student relationship completely broke down, making them the second broken teacher-student pair after Ye Mei.
The other groups of teachers and students got along quite well. Sean, in particular, of African descent, had made remarkable progress in his acting, almost completely shedding his stereotypical hippie-comedian persona. As for Lucas, he could already read parts of the Bible in both Chinese and English.
Shang Yechu was a highly competitive person. She was the one who spearheaded the teacher-student alliance, yet she was the first teacher to fall from grace. What's the difference between this and buying two lottery tickets, giving one to a friend and keeping the other, only to have your friend win five million while you only won a consolation prize?
Nina has been forbidden from studying with Shang Yechu. The naturally restless Shang Yechu, after some discussion, secretly approached Zhao Qian. The two of them went through various steps, and then invited Maxim and Nina in. Finally, the four of them made a decision:
Zhao Qian and Shang Yechu exchanged students, taking away each other's hot potatoes.
Zhao Qian and Nina were directly matched. Zhao Qian was a married man, and partly to demonstrate his determination to uphold his chastity and avoid suspicion, and partly because he was still traumatized by being called a fool, he was very strict and unforgiving with Nina Meier. He even had their assistants observe during each instruction session. Nina Meier, facing a serious old man with a face full of wrinkles, had no interest in acting cute or lazy like she did with Shang Yechu; she just wanted to finish her lessons as quickly as possible.
After a while, the habits that Shang Yechu couldn't correct even when she was so angry that she had a nosebleed were easily corrected by Zhao Qian.
While instructing Maxim, Shang Yechu recalled the Sino-Russian co-production project that Ji Juntao had mentioned.
Although I'm not sure about the film's subject matter, speaking Russian is definitely a plus for a Sino-foreign co-production. The entertainment industry is rife with illiteracy; let alone Russian, even English is becoming a niche skill.
Shang Yechu recalled a Sino-Russian co-production film from 2014. The female lead was an unknown actress with rather immature acting skills. She was chosen because she was born in a border region, spoke fluent Russian, and was considered irreplaceable.
One should always think three steps ahead before taking another. In the world of business, having many skills is never a bad thing.
Putting aside this Sino-Russian co-production project, Russia also has a significant role in Ai Xiaodong's representative work, "129,600". Shang Yechu is extremely interested in "129,600", and if he wants to get his hands on that film, learning Russian is of paramount importance.
Russian is notoriously difficult to learn, a fact well-known worldwide. Even when Shang Yechu trained with Coach Kang, a Russian instructor, and was constantly exposed to his language, he only managed to pick up a few Russian swear words. It's simply not a language that can be mastered through self-study!
Shang Yechu is currently on the set of "The Heavenly Emperor," and it's impossible to hire two full-time Russian language teachers to give lessons on set. So, she has to put the matter on hold for now.
Now that Maxim has stumbled into his acting class, Shang Yechu feels it's time to put this matter back on the agenda.
Maxim has a strong sense of pride. What was supposed to be mutual help among actors somehow became, in his eyes, a one-sided act of charity and instruction from the Chinese actors towards the foreign actors. While the other actors seemed to enjoy learning, he harbored considerable resistance towards the mutual help group.
According to Ji Juntao, the only thing to do when dealing with this kind of person is to make him feel that he is your equal.
I teach you acting, you teach me language. I help you shed your over-the-top, screaming, and expressionless acting style, you help me master basic Russian. Mutual benefit—isn't that equality?
As expected, Maxim, who had been glaring at Zhao Qian, softened considerably after hearing Shang Yechu's suggestion. The two began their lesson, albeit somewhat awkwardly. This time, Maxim didn't lose his temper.
What Shang Yechu did with the lead actors, especially the systematic and comprehensive transformation of their acting style, was already part of the director's work. Shao Guangji recognized this but did not interfere.
The atmosphere on set, Shao Guangji's hands-on guidance, the crew members' united efforts and adherence to regulations, and the operational model of a crew of over a thousand people...
Shang Yechu is like a plant, greedily and insatiably absorbing nutrients from its surroundings and turning those nutrients into the driving force for its own growth. This attitude even inspires those around her.
Shang Yechu would never know that her influence on those around her was no less than the influence of Shao Guangji's rigorous and dedicated work ethic.
For example, actors like Lu Hongyi never considered taking the initiative to mentor others on previous film sets. Not meddling in other people's business is a virtue in the entertainment industry. Throughout their long careers, they never imagined that one day they would be acting as teachers under the guidance of a young person.
There's an old story about jackals kept in a zoo. Having no natural predators and plenty of food and water, they were listless and lethargic. Their skin was flabby, their bones weak, and their spirits low. Then, the zoo placed a wolf opposite the jackals. From then on, the jackals and wolves faced each other, both becoming energetic and howling at each other constantly.
Perhaps Ye Chu is the wolf in the pack. Wherever she goes, she is destined to stir up a storm.
What Shang Yechu learned on the set of "The Heavenly Emperor" far exceeded what she could see with her own eyes. It's just that she wasn't aware of it at the time.
She hasn't yet achieved her dream of changing the world, but she has already begun to change the people around her.
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