Just before Youqing joined the cast, the drama she was filming actually made a splash, though not a good one, as the male and female leads were criticized and trended on social media.
The marketing account criticized the female lead relentlessly, but in the end, it actually praised the supporting character, You Qing.
The actress who played Consort Youqing was so convincing, it was as if she had actually lived in the palace. Plus, with her "vengeful goddess" persona and the fact that she wasn't love-struck, she was quite captivating.
In addition, the recent announcement that director Zhang An would be casting her as the second female lead, alongside international film star Gu Ye, and that she would have romantic scenes with him, made You Qing a little bit of a hit.
Youqing didn't feel anything about it; she was about to join the film crew.
Anna took her there, but left shortly after, and Cui Jia ended up staying with her.
Once I joined the film crew, I first had to do a group reading, followed by a lot of training.
It's a traditional opera, and it also features cheongsams. It's said that cheongsams are quite selective in terms of who can wear them, so you need to train your demeanor.
Youqing had excellent posture, and the teachers who trained her all felt that she looked every bit the part of a wealthy young lady, so they focused on training Youqing in "charm" as a dancer.
This was somewhat challenging for Youqing, but she found it quite interesting.
The female lead joined the crew a week after You Qing; she was the award-winning actress Shen Rong.
No wonder he dared to be late for Director Zhang An's film crew.
Shen Rong is thirty-five years old this year. Her debut role was the third female lead in Zhang An's film, which made her an instant hit. After that, her career went smoothly, and she has some impressive acting skills.
It is said that he had a good relationship with Zhang An and treated him as a friend.
What puzzled Youqing was that she remembered the female lead was a little younger than Han Ling.
Director Zhang An's film is called "White and Red," a classic film about the choice between red and white roses.
You Qing plays Han Ling, who is the Red Rose. She was once engaged to the male lead, but her family fell into poverty and she became a dancer. The male lead felt pity for her and protected her in every way. The two experienced a heart-wrenching relationship, but they could not overcome reality, and Han Ling died.
The female lead is also the younger sister who is deeply in love with the male lead. She tries every means to marry him. After Han Ling's death, she warms the male lead's remaining years with her thoughtfulness and gentleness.
As for who the male lead loves, it's not explained in the script, so it's hard to say.
If the female lead and the second female lead act well, they are likely to shine. But if the male lead is not acted well, he will just be a scumbag. After reading the script, Youqing wondered how Director Zhang An persuaded Gu Ye to take on the male lead role, since there were quite a few things to criticize.
Although Shen Rong is thirty-five years old, she takes really good care of herself and her face doesn't show much age.
Filming officially started half a month after joining the crew. During those two weeks, Youqing spent most of her time learning from her teacher how to be a good dancer.
I must say, the training was quite effective; at least the director was extremely satisfied with it. She was indeed very charming.
You Qing was beautiful, but not in a gaunt way. She had the air of nobility that comes from being raised in a wealthy family, as well as an elegance. In addition, she had a good figure, and when she wore a bright red cheongsam, she exuded charm and elegance without being vulgar at all.
It's estimated that You Qing had several outfits shot separately for the promotional photos, and then she also had a photoshoot with Gu Ye. The photos of the two of them together have a slightly dark tone, and under the director's direction, an ambiguous feeling emerged.
It took a whole afternoon to finish filming.
Youqing also saw the female lead's official photos. Compared to the photos of her and Gu Ye, the photos of the female lead and Gu Ye together are more heartwarming.
One is the unbridled, wild, and unrestrained romance before marriage; the other is the gentle, tender, and enduring love after marriage.
Gu Ye handled both feelings very well.
When filming with Youqing, he seemed like a frivolous nobleman who would spend lavishly to win a beauty's smile in the world of fame and fortune; when filming with Shenrong, he seemed like a good husband who had washed away the glamour and returned to reality.
He's a very charming man.
This is Youqing's evaluation of Gu Ye, and that's all.
Gu Ye was alone in the lounge, so no one could see the restraint in his eyes.
From his teenage years, he would dream of a woman at midnight. The woman was always dressed in Qing Dynasty attire, with few hair ornaments, and would smile at him gently and joke with him.
So much so that the image of that woman was always in the boy's lingering dreams.
He had been looking for that person for a long time, but he still couldn't find him.
He finally found a role after his last audition.
He had only glimpsed that feeling in his dreams, but now he had experienced it in reality. No one knew how much effort he had put into restraining himself from pulling the person into his arms.
He tried his best to restrain himself during the photoshoot, intending to take it slow and steady.
"Brother Ye, we're all packed up, we can go now."
Gu Ye suppressed his emotions, hummed in agreement, and got up to leave.
The entire crew stayed at the same hotel, with the main actors all staying on the same floor, and the director and producer were also there, supposedly for convenience when discussing the plot later.
Compared to the TV series he filmed before, Zhang An's movies are indeed more meticulous. Sometimes a single take would be filmed dozens of times until the director felt it was right.
The director's meticulous requirements meant the pace couldn't be accelerated. Perhaps because it was a crew of a famous director, no one caused trouble. A month after joining the crew, the variety show that Youqing filmed was broadcast.
It wasn't a huge hit, but it did have a minor success. Viewers found the variety show entertaining, and it generated quite a bit of buzz. Reportedly, plans for a second season are already underway.
Youqing has been trending on social media several times recently. Although she can't compare to the celebrities who are regulars on the trending list, she is slowly gaining recognition among the general public.
Halfway through filming, the director felt that the actors had gotten along well enough, so he prepared to start filming the more ambiguous scenes between her and Gu Ye.
To put it simply, ambiguity is ambiguity. It uses the effects of light and shadow to create a certain atmosphere, making the audience feel that there is something there even though there is nothing there.
It's also quite troublesome to film.
The script included a kissing scene.
Youqing was somewhat resistant, but she had heard that Gu Ye never filmed real kissing scenes. It was rumored in the industry that Gu Ye's kissing scenes were either done by a body double or by camera tricks, so this kissing scene was probably done by camera tricks.
She was very reassured, so when Gu Ye suddenly kissed her, Youqing's eyes widened in surprise, but it was exactly the expression the director wanted.
This kissing scene was filmed seven or eight times. By the end, Youqing didn't feel anything anymore; it was no different from kissing a pig's head.
Gu Ye had no idea that he was already comparable to a pig's head in terms of skill. After filming several kissing scenes, Gu Ye felt a little lightheaded. How should I put it, it was quite addictive.
"Sister Shu, this is milk tea that Teacher Gu asked someone to buy."
Youqing said, "Teacher Gu has been treating the crew to milk tea every day these past few days. He's really generous."
As she spoke, Youqing stuck the straw in and started drinking. To be honest, she didn't know how Gu Yingdi bought the milk tea, but it was quite delicious.
Cui Jia thought for a moment, then said with a conflicted expression, "Sister, I feel like Teacher Gu treats you a little differently?"
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