"I think the inner drama of the character Liu Captou is richer and more enjoyable to play!" Li Tang said a little shyly.
As long as an actor is pursuing something, he always likes some challenging roles. For example, the role of Liu Captou in the script of "People in Jianghu" is probably the role he most wanted to play since he started acting.
The director smiled with relief. Li Tang wanted the role of Capt. Liu. In a sense, the character of Capt. Liu was successfully created in the script.
"You have a good eye!"
The director affirmed at first, but then changed the subject and said: "But this role has been decided. It is Liu Dehua, so he is called Capt. Liu. You, Li Tang, are Capt. Li."
"It turns out to be Mr. Liu!"
Downton Lee was disappointed.
Just kidding, that’s Andy Lau! Those are the superstars from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, including East Asia, and parts of South Asia! Even though Li Tang is currently very popular in the mainland and is considered to be the first of the so-called "four big and small students", in front of Liu Tianwang, he can only be regarded as a little Karami. What's more, Andy Lau is still his idol!
But to be honest, when he heard Andy Lau playing Capt. Liu, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Although Andy Lau is a superstar, in terms of his professional ability, he is a little worried about whether Andy Lau can play the role of Captain Liu well.
He has watched the popular movie "Infernal Affairs" last year, and combined with the remake of the movie he watched in his previous life, "The Departed", which was nominated for six Oscars, to be honest, the Hong Kong version of "Infernal Affairs" is obviously better than "The Departed" has several streets.
He is an actor, and he pays more attention to the actor's performance. The performance of Oscar-nominated Leonardo DiCaprio is not on the same level as Tony Leung; even the famous Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson can't compete with the duck-voiced Eric Tsang. A tie.
To be honest, if Tony Leung was a white man and his character Chen Yongren was placed in "The Departed", he would definitely be the best choice for the Oscar winner.
But in comparison, comparing Liu Jianming played by Andy Lau and Matt Damon is almost meaningless. Probably the undercover policeman played by Matt Damon is more convincing than the one played by Andy Lau.
If the horizontal comparison is not accurate, then in the same film, Tony Leung's performance will make people believe that he is Chen Yongren. And Andy Lau is just a look-alike, that is, Andy Lau is still the same Andy Lau. What the audience sees is still the Liu Jianming played by Andy Lau, not Liu Jianming himself.
And so far, including the movie "Mouse Falls in Love with Cat" that he just watched starring Andy Lau and Zhang Baizhi, and in which his ex-girlfriend also starred, Andy Lau's performances seem to be unable to get rid of the traces of being cool.
The audience may think that Andy Lau is very handsome, but in the context of the performance, his deliberate or unconscious handsomeness will inevitably fall into the inferior category.
Of course, these are just the little ones in his belly. If he can't play the role he likes, he will more or less complain.
The director saw the disappointment on his face and said with a smile: "Don't underestimate the role of Capt. Li. This role also has a lot of room for improvement."
In fact, the director didn't say anything, which was that in order for Li Tang to play the role of Capt. Li, he spent a lot of effort to convince the largest investor, Ershao Jiang of Anle Film.
Jiang Ershao initially insisted on using Jin Chengwu. In addition to the factors of grouping, he was more concerned about the markets of Taiwan and Japan. It is obvious that the Japanese idol actor Kim Sung-wu, who was born, raised and famous in Wanwan, has stronger box office appeal than the mainland actor Li Tang in these two places.
However, the director insisted on using Li Tang due to his suitability for the role, coupled with the encouragement of another investor Zhang Weiping, and Li Tang's outstanding performance in "Hero", Jiang Ershao finally reluctantly agreed.
As a result, the starring cast of "People in the River", including Andy Lau and Anita Mui from Hong Kong, and Li Tang and Zhang Ziyi from the mainland, formed a delicate balance of two to two.
Although I am a little disappointed, how dare I underestimate Li Tang? It is not easy to be in the director's film, let alone the male lead!
He quickly said: "I don't dare! Thank you director for trusting me so much. I will definitely work hard."
Then he asked tentatively: "Director, may I ask about this schedule..."
The director's plays always have a long preparation period, and the actors hired are all big-name stars, so the schedule must be confirmed very early.
"The production will start in the autumn, initially around September. The script I just read is still a skeleton for the time being, and may be adjusted during the period, and dialogue needs to be added..."
Before the director finished speaking, Li Tang couldn't help but said: "Director, even in terms of the framework, I think the context is very clear. Especially when the plot progresses layer by layer and is constantly reversed, it is really imaginative!"
This guy was flattering in a subtle way while expressing himself.
The director is indeed very useful, and the smile on that ravaged face is like a Su-style plum blossom. I have to say that he put a lot of effort into this script, and worked with Li Feng and Wang Bing for two years before finalizing it. Moreover, the character of Capt. Liu was his own idea from the beginning. To put it bluntly, without the constant reversal of the character of Capt. Liu, this script would not have been established at all.
The director smiled and said: "Don't worry, Capt. Li's line has basically been finalized and there won't be any major changes. As for the others..."
The director paused for a moment, pondered and said in an uncertain tone: "After all, the movie is a collective creation, so there may be some adjustments."
Li Tang could understand the director's words. After all, a movie is a systematic project. Even if it is successful like Zhang Yimou, it cannot be decided by one person. The opinions of investors, big-name stars, etc. must be listened to. Sometimes we even have to make various compromises, which is a very helpless thing to say.
We have almost finished talking about serious matters. In this harmonious and pleasant atmosphere, there will inevitably be some business exchanges. To be honest, the director really admires Li Tang. He is handsome, has good kung fu, and even more rare, his acting skills are also very good...
Let's put it this way, for a drama actor who is good at kung fu to star in an action movie is, in a sense, a dimensionality reduction attack.
In addition to being excited, the director also briefly talked about the previously hidden investor's recommendation of Jin Chengwu. It didn't matter if he showed off his merits, it was just because of his excitement. Of course, Li Tang was filled with gratitude. Without the director's favor and persistence, he would have no chance of winning when competing with Kim Sung-wu, currently known as the "Little King of Asia", not to mention that there are investors behind him.
Finally, the director smiled and said: "Once the Hong Kong side is confirmed, let your agent come over to negotiate the contract."
After saying that, the director also joked: "This time the budget is not big, so don't be a lion!"
"Director, how dare I do this! Compared to Mr. Liu and Mr. Liu Tianwang, my side is not worth mentioning. It is just a normal quote." Li Tang laughed.
Under such circumstances, he would certainly not be so stupid as to take the initiative to lower his salary. And compared with a king like Andy Lau who often asks for a salary of more than 10 million, with his current salary market of less than 2 million to 3 million, it may just be Liu Dehua. It’s just a fraction of the king’s.
After talking about this, Li Tang basically knew that he would be starring in the male lead in the director's new film "People in the Jianghu", and he would be co-starring with all the famous actors, including Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, and Anita Mui. Then it is initially scheduled to start filming in September, when the filming will go to Ukraine. The director has booked a large area of land there and is preparing to plant sunflowers. In autumn, it is the time when the sunflowers are in full bloom, which fits the scene in the script between Li and Li. The little sister’s intense intercourse among the flowers, and the battle with the Feidaomen in the sea of flowers.
…
"The male lead?"
Zeng Jia's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before that, she only knew that the new film directed by Zhang Yimou was still a costumed martial arts film. Her boss is actively seeking roles in new movies. She originally thought that at most there would be three and four male roles. It is already amazing to go further than "Heroes", and she didn't even dare to think about the second male lead.
Li Tang slightly nodded with satisfaction. He had already been shocked by the director. Seeing Zeng Jia's shock, he felt proud and had a sense of superiority due to poor information.
Then he added: "My role is the final one. The other roles are played by Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi and Anita Mui respectively..."
Facing the bombshells thrown by Li Tang one after another, Zeng Jia was completely sluggish at this time, and the cold and wise image before had been wiped away.
I could only hear Li Tang continuing: "Actually, the Hong Kong investors initially recommended Jin Chengwu for the role of male lead, but the director argued hard and finally cast me."
"So, brother, you squeezed out Jin Chengwu?"
"Uh... I can't say that. Maybe the director thinks I'm more suitable than Kim Sung Wu."
If he looked in the mirror, Li Tang estimated that his current expression would be very unbeatable, and he must be the kind of person who got the advantage and behaved well.
Zeng Jia stood there blankly and murmured: "So it's still a big production..."
"Of course it's a big production. You don't even think that just the salary of these people can match a "Purple Butterfly"."
"Purple Butterfly" invested nearly 30 million, which is definitely a big production in China these days.
Speaking of which, "Purple Butterfly", which was filmed last year, has just completed post-production. In addition to Shanghai Film Studio, the investors include France Television 3. Lou Ye has already received an invitation from the Cannes Film Festival. If nothing unexpected happens, in other words, as long as it can pass the review, "Purple Butterfly" will be able to appear at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and there is a high probability that it will be shortlisted for the main competition unit.
At this point, Li Tang suddenly remembered and said to Zeng Jia: "Oh, by the way, the director also specifically asked not to increase the price temporarily when negotiating the contract, just use the normal quotation..."
Before Li Tang finished speaking, Zeng Jia, who had been standing there blankly just now, suddenly screamed "Ah", startling him. Before he could react, Zeng Jia opened his arms and rushed forward. I gave him a big hug, and at the same time shouted excitedly: "Brother, you are so awesome! Do you know that when this drama is released, you will be a real star!"
Although it was winter and he wore more clothes, Li Tang, who looked confused, could still clearly feel the pressure coming from his chest.
After a little reaction, he could understand Zeng Jia's excitement. After all, Zeng Jia had been by his side most of the time. At this time, he felt particularly like "happiness comes too suddenly."
He had had this kind of excitement from the director before, but it was not as strong as hers. Moreover, after reading the script at that time, he preferred the role of Captain Liu, but the regret of not being able to fulfill his wish somewhat diluted the excitement.
Looking back now, he feels a little incredible. The director has obviously offered the male lead role, but he still dares to pick and choose. It is really a bit ignorant.
Zeng Jia's height of 1.72 meters, coupled with high heels of nearly 5 or 6 centimeters, made the two of them almost the same height, with Zeng Jia only slightly shorter than him. At this time, the pressure coming from the chest is transmitted to the nerve endings of the brain. Although it releases a very wonderful signal, we are in the company after all!
Li Tang quickly patted her back and said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, Jiajia, calm down! Calm down! Don't get too excited."
Zeng Jia finally reacted, quickly let go and took a step back. At the same time, her cheeks turned slightly red, and she didn't know what to say for a moment.
Li Tang also felt a little embarrassed. He was about to speak out to relieve the situation, but he heard the vibration sound of "ZZZZZZ..." coming from the mobile phone placed on his desk.
He turned around and picked up the phone and glanced at the number displayed, and couldn't help but say "Huh".
This sound relieved the awkward atmosphere in the room very well. Zeng Jia took a deep breath and asked curiously: "Who is it?"
"Hou Yong, oh, it's the photographer Hou Yong. We just met at the director's place. I left my phone number and I called now."
Li Tang hurriedly explained and answered the phone.
"Hello, Teacher Hou!"
"Yes, yes, I have already left the director's job and just returned to the company."
"Not busy, you said."
"Oh, no problem... Just tell me a place and I'll come right away."
"It's okay, you're welcome...Okay, okay, okay, then I'll leave now, we'll see you later!"
After hanging up the phone, Li Tang looked surprised.
Seeing this, Zeng Jia asked, "What does this Teacher Hou want from you?"
"He asked me to meet and said he wanted to talk to me."
Li Tang was not familiar with Hou Yong at all, they just knew each other, but they happened to meet at the director's place today. As a result, as soon as the front legs separated, the back legs started talking to themselves, which was weird in itself.
He thought of the strange way Hou Yong looked at him at that time and the information revealed by the director, and couldn't help but wonder: "The director said that Mr. Hou has changed his career to become a director. The new movie will be launched soon. Jiang Wen, Zhang Ziyi, Cheng For the starring role..."
Zeng Jia's heart suddenly moved when she heard this, and she quickly said: "Isn't he looking for you to film a movie?"
Li Tang pondered, shook his head and said, "His new play will start filming soon. The actor should have been found long ago. It will be a guest appearance at most, right?"
His tone was uncertain.
Generally, veterans in the industry like Hou Yong, who switch careers as directors, will often find some big-name friends in the industry to guest star in their first film to build momentum for their new film, attract attention and save a lot of money at the same time. Less publicity expenses.
But the key point is that I have no friendship with Teacher Hou, and today is only the second time we meet in Changchun, so it would be very presumptuous to invite myself to make a guest appearance. But judging from the way Mr. Hou talked with the director, he shouldn't be so reckless.
Thinking of this, he stopped thinking about it, smiled at Zeng Jia and said, "Forget it, you'll know when you get there anyway."
(End of chapter)
