Today was the audition day for several main actors. Besides the crew and actors, their agents and assistants were also present. Shen Huai didn't get too close, and Song Yimian stood obediently behind him, his eyes fixed on the set.
The first scene was between Chu Meibo and Fu Cheng, and it was the same scene they had during their first audition.
Both actors had excellent delivery of lines, and they got it right on the first take.
Chu Meibo's performance was as amazing as ever, and Fu Cheng was also flawless. However, Director Xie smacked his lips, feeling that it wasn't as exhilarating as the last time he watched Chu Meibo and Guo Wenyuan's performance.
The two rehearsed three scenes, and the results were all very good, so Director Xie put his little bit of confusion aside.
Chu Meibo and Fu Cheng went to the side to rest. The next scene was between Guo Wenyuan and Fu Cheng, while Chu Meibo went to touch up her makeup first.
Guo Wenyuan slowly stood up from his chair, reached out and dusted off the hem of his clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles with a quick movement. With just this simple action, his aura seemed to change abruptly.
Fu Cheng took a sip of water, and happened to catch a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and was immediately stunned.
After a while, he heard the assistant director calling him. He quickly put down his water glass, calmed himself down, and then walked up to the other person.
But when you see the other person face to face, that sense of familiarity becomes even stronger.
Fu Cheng was puzzled. Where exactly had he seen this person before?
As soon as the assistant director called "Action," Fu Cheng immediately composed himself and immersed himself in the role.
In this scene, Cheng Yanxin's identity is exposed, and she is imprisoned in the Japanese headquarters. Zhou Hanchen infiltrates the club that Yokota frequents, intending to threaten Yokota with a gun to release Cheng Yanxin. After a heated exchange with Yokota, Zhou Hanchen finally forces Yokota to release Cheng Yanxin.
Zhou Hanchen held his gun firmly at Yokota's head and said coldly, "Release Yanxin, or I'll kill you with one shot."
Yokota calmly picked up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks, ate it with satisfaction, chewed and swallowed it, and then chuckled: "Even if you kill me, you won't escape."
Filming hasn't officially started yet, so it's impossible to prepare sushi for this scene. Therefore, it's Guo Wenyuan's performance without any props.
Fu Cheng, who was still pointing a gun at him, felt a chill. As everyone knows, eating scenes are a very important part of judging whether an actor is good or not. Whether it is real eating, fake eating, eating naturally, and eating with emotion, is not a simple matter.
But Guo Wenyuan did it.
Yokota was cunning and shrewd. He picked up the sushi not because he was fearless, but because he used this action to cover up his inner fear and at the same time think about a solution.
His movements were slow but steady because he was afraid that being too hasty would alert Zhou Hanchen. Although he was eating sushi, he kept observing Zhou Hanchen out of the corner of his eye.
This short performance, lasting only a few seconds, revealed a multitude of details, so delicate it was breathtaking.
This is what outsiders see, but in Fu Cheng's heart, he felt a familiar despair.
The Guo Wenyuan standing before him looked completely different, yet he reminded him of his former teacher, Du Yuping.
Before joining Guanrui, Fu Cheng was an artist under Yixing Film Company. Like Du Yuping, he was an actor discovered and cultivated by Yixing Film Company.
Perhaps because of their similar experiences, coupled with Fu Cheng's good talent, Du Yuping had always spared no effort in teaching him. Fu Cheng was once grateful to Du Yuping, but at some point, that gratitude gradually turned into jealousy and despair.
As he climbed higher and higher on the mountain of performance, he realized that Du Yuping was simply a monster. He was like this mountain, and the higher he climbed, the more he realized how terrifying he was.
The actor in front of him, however, gave him the same feeling, just like Du Yuping.
In that instant, their positions seemed to suddenly reverse. Although Zhou Hanchen was standing and holding a gun, his aura was far inferior to that of Yokota, who was kneeling on the ground with a calm expression.
In other words, Zhou Hanchen was completely suppressed by Yokota.
Director Xie seemed to realize something, and his expression gradually became serious as he looked at the two performers more intently.
The assistant director also noticed the problem and asked in a low voice, "Director Xie, isn't there something off about the two of them?"
Unexpectedly, Director Xie ignored him, and his furrowed brows gradually relaxed: "Interesting! Interesting!"
Chapter 96
Director Xie didn't call a stop, so Fu Cheng had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.
He took a step forward, and the distance between the two closed. Fu Cheng tried to use his height advantage to increase the sense of oppression and regain control of the rhythm of the whole scene.
He said coldly, "I never thought of leaving here alive. As long as Yanxin can be saved, I don't care what happens to me!"
At that moment, Yokota slowly raised his head, looking at him mockingly: "Aren't you afraid of death?"
Fu Cheng frowned slightly, because this line was not in the script.
His hesitation eased the tense atmosphere slightly, and Yokota took the opportunity to stand up from the mat and slowly walk towards Zhou Hanchen.
He walked up to Zhou Hanchen, his chest just touching the muzzle of the gun, but Yokota's expression seemed indifferent.
He slowly spoke: "You are the eldest son of the Zhou family, with a bright future ahead of you, yet you threaten me with a gun for an actress. Isn't that a bit unwise?"
The assistant director on the sidelines let out a soft "Huh?" He had read the script. This part was indeed in the script, but the order had been changed.
In the script, this scene should be Yokota pretending that he doesn't want to hurt Cheng Yanxin, and then trying to persuade Zhou Hanchen to reveal the revolutionaries that Cheng Yanxin is protecting. After Zhou Hanchen refuses, he gets angry and threatens Zhou Hanchen.
But now, the threat has been brought forward.
Although this segment was brought forward, the overall presentation of the scene didn't fall apart; on the contrary, it intensified the conflict. The assistant director, who had worked with Director Xie on many films, had seen similar examples before. Some very experienced actors would sometimes re-create based on the script, and these "flashes of inspiration" often resulted in memorable scenes in movies and television.
But is it possible for Guo Wenyuan?
Fu Cheng bit his cheek tightly, some unpleasant memories surfacing in his mind.
That was the first time he played a lead role. The director at the time was a friend of Du Yuping, who invited him to make a special appearance.
The two had a scene together, which was the climax of the whole film, but Fu Cheng kept NGing that scene and eventually lost confidence in his performance.