When faced with actors who have a good appearance but are completely clueless about acting, strict directors will simply replace them.
If it's a school teacher, they would tell him/her that he/she doesn't have to put all his/her eggs in one basket, and that he/she could try other related jobs; there are many paths to Rome.
A more tactful director or teacher might say, "You need to put in more effort than others," which sounds encouraging but also full of concern.
However, this third female lead was directly inserted by the investor, and the producer had no choice but to tell Director Xu to bear with it and just give her some screen time.
Although Director Tsui is a renowned Hong Kong director, he didn't dare to adhere too strictly to his principles when filming in the north. Who knew if you could afford to offend such a seemingly unknown person who might be backed by a powerful figure? So, initially, he gave Wang Yilan a small role.
However, she had read the script and knew that with her own abilities, even if she coveted the lead and second lead roles, she couldn't win those two roles, so she settled for the third lead role.
Although Wang Yilan is not a good actress, she is not stupid. The third female lead is a female spy who sacrifices herself for love in the end. Beneath her charming and passionate appearance lies a pure heart.
Such characters with stark contrasts and tragic endings are actually quite endearing, easily evoking pity from the audience and leaving a lasting impression.
Choosing a good role doesn't guarantee you can play it well.
Director Xu tried his best to be patient, but he still couldn't help but get angry whenever the third female lead was in a scene.
The actress he previously chose for the third female lead was a professionally trained actress with solid acting skills. Although her appearance was not as glamorous as the current actress, with the help of makeup, hair styling, and acting skills, she would definitely be portrayed very well.
This old lady, who infuriated the director and nearly made the cameraman give up, is practically a plague on set.
To be honest, Wang Yilan wasn't arrogant or domineering on set. She was seriously trying to act well, but unfortunately, she just couldn't pull it off.
She seemed to lose her composure as soon as the camera was on, and her every move was extremely affected.
Director Xu tried shooting with multiple cameras in an attempt to capture her most natural state, but it still didn't work.
So, after losing her temper several times on set, Wang Yilan felt both embarrassed and aggrieved, and couldn't help but cry.
After crying, the performance became even more unnatural, so the scene kept getting stuck.
Today, Du Shuang was in a rather agitated mood because the filming of the previous gunfight scenes hadn't gone smoothly. She looked at the third female lead opposite her, who was acting like a wooden statue, with absolutely no friendly expression.
With the scenes for the female lead and the third female lead still not finished, Wei Changfeng would have to wait indefinitely for his next scene.
He was chatting with Zhao Hui in the RV, but after waiting for a long time without any progress outside, he got out of the RV to watch Director Xu filming.
Wang Yilan was even more at a loss under the watchful eyes of everyone, and looked rather pitiful.
This industry is a glamorous and dazzling world, but you need to have some real skills to succeed, otherwise you'll have a hard time making it.
Seeing the third female lead's nervous expression, Wei Changfeng suddenly seemed to remember something and walked up to Director Xu, whispering a few words to him.
Director Xu looked up at him, nodded, and then used a loudspeaker and walkie-talkie to tell the crew to stop filming. He then called Du Shuang and Wang Yilan over and told them to rehearse this scene twice on set before filming it live.
The two went back to their positions for rehearsal, and Director Xu told the cameramen to start filming.
Having no prior experience on set, Wang Yilan thought they were still in rehearsals, and her nerves relaxed considerably.
The experienced Du Shuang quickly noticed that the photographer was actually shooting, but didn't say anything and continued to act out the scene with her co-star.
After two or three takes, Director Xu achieved the most natural performance from the third female lead so far.
As soon as she shouts "action," her whole body and nerves tense up. Since she doesn't have much acting skill to begin with, the effect is naturally even worse in this state.
Using this almost candid filming method, her performance became much more relaxed and natural. She spoke without any affected tone, and her behavior became more authentic.
This is the method Wei Changfeng just whispered in Director Xu's ear. Because during her time as a struggling artist in Beijing, He Xiaomei encountered the same problem as today's third female lead, Wang Yilan:
He freezes up whenever he faces a camera, and his speech and movements become very strange.
He Xiaomei was introverted and young at the time, while Wang Yilan was very outgoing and cheerful. Unexpectedly, she also turned into a wooden person as soon as filming started.
It seems that acting experience is still very important; naturally gifted actors are too rare.
Wei Changfeng recalled that everyone had lied to He Xiaomei, saying it was just a rehearsal, and then secretly recorded her performance for her to see. That's when she realized she could also deliver her lines naturally and fluently, and gradually regained her confidence for the art exam.
As evening fell, the third female lead finished filming her scenes, and it was Wei Changfeng and Du Shuang's turn to act opposite each other again.
What was supposed to be a relatively simple scene turned out to be unexpected.
The scene mainly consisted of dialogue between the two parties, with only one jumping action. Du Shuang thought it was simple and wanted to do it herself without using a stunt double.
Just as she flipped over the table, she accidentally hit her ribs and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
Wei Changfeng immediately rushed over to support her, only to see her gritting her teeth in pain.
Director Xu and the others rushed over, surrounded Du Shuang, and anxiously asked, "How are you? Can you move?"
Du Shuang's forehead was already covered in sweat, but she still nodded and said softly, "It's nothing serious, I just bumped into something."
Despite hearing this, no one dared to delay and they hurriedly took her to a nearby hospital for a thorough examination.
Zhao Hui and Xiao Hao watched from the sidelines, their eyes practically spinning. Was this show destined for a terrible fate?
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