Chapter 121 The casting was criticized and made headlines
The casting of "Thieves" was basically carried out simultaneously by Chiyou Pictures and Rongchen Pictures.
Rong Chen Pictures held the first audition for the male lead (Macau Park) today.
Li Chen put the auditions of the third and fourth male actors at the back and conducted them together.
In this drama, among the Chinese actors, the most important one is actually the male first, and the male second.
As for the first and second female lead, Li Chen left it to Wu Bin to 'select'
There are so many big names coming to audition for the male lead today.
Some of them were retained through resume screening, and some were actively invited by Li Chen to audition.
In the spacious audition room, Li Chen sat in the middle, with Zhou Xun sitting on the left and Wu Bin sitting on the right.
Yang Mi and Tang Yan, two artists from the company, could only stand behind the three of them to observe and learn.
Li Chen specially brought Yang Mi and Tang Yan here. It is a rare opportunity to learn like this today.
While the audition actors are waiting, familiarize yourself with the audition script.
Yang Mi joked: "Senior, can't Tangtang and I have a seat?"
Li Chen didn't even look back and said: "When will you be able to be like Zhou Xun?" , if there is a silver lion or a silver bear next to you, you are qualified to sit down."
Zhou Xun turned around and said with a smile, "Mimi, why don't I give up my seat to you?"
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"To be honest, sister is a little nervous sitting here. I came to the audition today, and I have met several of them on weekdays. Sister, I don't dare to win."
Wu Bin also smiled and said: "Mimi, Li The guide is doing it for your own good. You and Tangtang can stand in the back and study.”
“But if you sit here today, it will only break the rules and make people laugh.”
Yang Mi stuck out her tongue, held Tang Yan's arm and said with a smile: "I know, Director Wu, I just said that and didn't even think about sitting down."
"To have such an opportunity to learn, I’m already very happy. Several girls in our dormitory want to come but haven’t had the chance yet.”
Just as he was talking, the first person to come in for the audition was Zhang Hanyu.
As soon as Zhang Hanyu came in, he nodded to Li Chen and Wu Bin.
"Director Li, Director Wu, I am Zhang Hanyu, here to audition for the role of male lead." Zhang Hanyu didn't have any unnecessary nonsense.
The two have met several times before, the first time was at the premiere of "A World Without Thieves".
At that time, Li Chen left a deep impression on Zhang Hanyu.
Unexpectedly, in just two years, Li Chen turned into a dragon and started such a big battle.
Submit your resume yourself, but Feng Xiaogang disagrees and thinks it is useless.
But Zhang Hanyu insisted on voting, and Feng Xiaogang did not stop him.
He had a hunch in his heart that Li Chen was not as sophisticated as the people in the circle. If he became one, it would not matter even if he was not selected.
He doesn’t have any idol baggage or celebrity status.
Unexpectedly, I actually got an audition opportunity.
Many of the people who came with him to audition for the male lead today are acquaintances.
Liu Dehua, Liang Jiahui, Hu Jun and so on.
But the position is much higher than that of Feng Xiaogang's studio assistant, and everyone can tell from the car.
Li Chen nodded and said: "Mr. Zhang, you have read the audition script. If you are ready, let's start."
This audition script is a dialogue between Poppy and Macau Park in the elevator at the end of the film.
Li Chen’s assistant played the role of Bo Pai played by Li Zhengzai to feed Zhang Hanyu.
"Okay, let's begin."
The camera has been turned on, and Zhang Hanyu and the director's assistant are standing in the middle of the field.
“Start.”
As Li Chen started, the director's assistant and Zhang Hanyu struggled with each other.
The two of them struggled and kept talking. Zhang Hanyu tried his best to subdue each other.
Emotions were brewing at this moment: "Why? Why do you want to cut the rope! Why!"
Yang Mi and Tang Yan were enjoying watching behind Li Chen's back.
The two of them are also ashamed of themselves. It is not difficult to have tears in their eyes, both of them can do it casually.
However, the red eyes can also flash through various emotions such as confusion, resentment, grievance, and humiliation in a short period of time.
They are really out of reach at the moment.
“Stop.”
When Li Chen stopped, Zhang Hanyu immediately let go of the director’s assistant’s collar and was out of the show.
But the eyes are still red.
"Mr. Zhang's emotions are well controlled and his performance is also very tense. The audition is over. You can go back and wait for the news." Li Chen said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll leave first, Director Li."
Zhang Hanyu, Zhou Xun and Wu Bin said hello and left first.
"Director Li, I think Zhang Hanyu is very suitable for this role." Zhou Xun said.
She read the script and found out that Macao Pu is a restrained character, which matched her first impression of Zhang Hanyu.
And Zhang Hanyu’s line skills are very good.
Li Chen also agreed with Zhou Xun's point of view. Originally, he preferred Liu Dehua for this role.
But when he saw Zhang Hanyu’s performance today, his eyes lit up again.
"Well, let's finish all the auditions." Li Chen simply replied.
The assistant came in and reported that the second male lead audition was Liang Jiahui.
Among all Liang Jiahui's films, Li Chen likes his "Lover" the most
This actor with a thousand faces is perfect in everything he plays.
However, Tony Leung Ka-fai is not suitable for the role of Macau Park.
After the audition, Li Chen said bluntly: "Brother Hui, how about you try out as the second male lead?"
Leung Ka Fai is completely qualified for the role of Simon Yam.
They are all team leaders. If Big D plays the role, it won't be a big problem.
Liang Jiahui is a sensible person, and he has known Li Chen for a long time.
He also starred in Li Chen's "New World". When Li Chen said this, he knew clearly that he had no chance of being the first male lead.
"Okay" Liang Jiahui said simply and authentically.
Actually, he doesn’t accept all scripts, but he believed in Li Chen’s script.
Next was Liu Dehua. As soon as Liu Dehua finished his audition, Li Chen had an idea in mind.
Compared to Zhang Hanyu, Liu Dehua's disadvantage is his appearance, which is so distinctive.
As for Macau Park, he is a thief, and mediocre or mediocre appearance is what he should have.
"Brother Hua, since we are so familiar with each other, I will tell you the result directly. Zhang Hanyu is more suitable for this role than you."
"Haha, okay, it would be nice to have something accurate to say. , It makes me worried," Liu Dehua said with a smile.
"There will be another chance next time. Let's sit down in the evening and discuss cooperation."
"Okay, then I'll wait for your call."
Liu Dehua and Zhou Xun waved. , and left first.
After Liu Dehua went out, Yang Mi couldn't help but said: "Senior, you are too direct, but Brother Hua doesn't seem to care."
Zhou Xun smiled: "Mimi, you It’s too naive. Who doesn’t care about this kind of role? It’s just that Brother Hua is good at acting, but you can’t tell.”
Tang Yan also nodded: "Boss and Brother Hua are so familiar with each other, it would be better if we talk directly if we have anything to say."
"That's true." Yang Mi came back to her senses.
For celebrities like Andy Lau and Tony Leung, you invite others to audition.
After the audition, don’t hang on to others. Tell them the result directly. Even if you fail, it doesn’t matter.
The audition lasted for a week, and entertainment reporters inquired about the audition results from all sides every day.
Throughout the week, the entertainment section of the portal was full of audition news for "The Gate".
All kinds of headlines and gossip are flying everywhere.
"The second female lead, Liu Jialing, Guan Zhilin, who will have the last laugh?"
“After Liu Dehua’s audition, he and Li Chen had a great dinner and had a great conversation. Is Liu Dehua locked in as the male lead?”
Shiba Culture Wang Jinghao’s office.
Liang Jiahui, Liu Jialing and Guan Zhilin are all here.
"Is the male lead really targeting Hua Zai?" Wang Jinghao asked curiously.
Liang Jiahui took a sip of tea and smiled: "Probably not. Andy told me the day he came out that the male lead is not him."
"It's not me either, Director Li said My image as Qiao Daxia is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and it's too much to act as a thief." Hu Jun saw Wang Jinghao looking over and said with a smile.
Wang Jinghao has already learned from Yang Siwei that the second male lead must be Liang Jiahui.
The second female lead is indeed as stated on the Internet, she is choosing between Liu and Guan.
Compared with Liu Jialing's calm and relaxed attitude, Guan Zhilin is a little worried about gains and losses.
Last year's "The Head" suffered a collapse in box office and reputation, causing investors to lose all their money.
Now her acting appointments are becoming fewer and fewer, and her acting opportunities are becoming narrower and narrower.
Of course Wang Jinghao knew what Guan Zhilin was thinking, but she couldn't influence Rongchen Pictures' casting.
The casting was aroused, and it was not until Li Min won the Oscar for Best Director that the enthusiasm for the auditions for "The Gate" was suppressed.
When Zhang Hanyu received the call from Rongchen Pictures, he couldn’t believe his ears.
Like other netizens on the Internet, he thought that the male lead was targeting Liu Dehua.
Definitely disappointed, but he had nothing to say when he lost to Liu Dehua.
After all, Andy Lau has been famous for a long time and his acting skills are also online.
I didn’t expect that the first prize would fall on my head.
No wonder Andy didn't seem to be in high spirits that day. It seemed that he knew that he failed the audition that day.
The first movie I starred in was also the first Sino-US co-production. No, it is not considered a Sino-US co-production.
It only involves Chinese investment and actors, and is not filmed in the mainland. Zhang Hanyu felt his heart surge, and his blood rushed to the sky.
He didn’t even know when the people from Rongchen Film Company hung up the phone.
After a brief tidying up, we headed straight to Splendid Diamond.
Arrived at Jinxiu Mingzuan and met Yang Siwei.
Yang Siwei smiled and said: "Mr. Zhang, congratulations, this is a complete script, and it must be kept confidential."
"The boss wants you to thoroughly read the script. The role of the lead actor will be throughout the whole movie. Later he will study the script with you leading actors."
Zhang Hanyu took the document bag with both hands and felt it was heavy.
"Thank you, have the other roles been decided?" Zhang Hanyu asked casually.
"It's settled, the company will announce it to the public soon. Mr. Zhang, you will know just by watching the news." Yang Siwei smiled.
The news that Zhang Hanyu got the role made the expression on Feng Xiaogang's face very exciting.
Did Li Chen really give such an important role to a second-tier actor like Zhang Hanyu?
An actor who has always played a supporting role in his own movies?
How willful!
On the other hand, Feng Xiaogang’s wife Xu Fan was very happy for Zhang Hanyu.
"What's your expression? That young man Li Chen is much more cheerful than you old guys."
"Be strong, Hanyu can be taken seriously by Li Chen, and we will be proud of it!" Xu Fan pushed Feng Xiaogang, who was silent, and said.
It is not surprising that the Oscar was awarded to Li Min.
But as soon as the casting for "Thieves" was announced, people's jaws really dropped.
News from Chiyou Pictures in Hollywood.
"Thieves" has completed all castings recently.
The twelve starring actors are: Charlize Theron (Jun Ji-hyun)
Antonio Banderas (Lee Jung-jae)
Monica Bellucci
Jennifer. Tilly
Dan Stevens (Kim Soo Hyun)
Liang Jiahui
Zhang Hanyu
Wang Qianyuan
Luo Jin
Liu Yifei
Liu Jialing (female liar)
Li Xuejian (Wei Hong)
The news spread back to China, and the circle was in an uproar.
Netizens were furious.
"Who are Zhang Hanyu and Wang Qianyuan? Didn't you say that Hua Tsai has been finalized?"
"Is Li Chen blind or has his brain damaged?"
"Did Li Chen, who is a bitch, take the money?"
"Is his brain sick? Those two are not female celebrities. Who else but a handsome guy would take money to praise them?"
No one expected that Liu Dehua, who was the most vocal, would be defeated by the little-known Zhang Hanyu.
Many people don’t know who Wang Qianyuan is.
After searching, I found out that I had collaborated with Gong Li on Sun Zhou's "Pretty Mom" before, but I didn't remember anything about it.
If it weren’t for the casting of "Thieves", who would know who Wang Qianyuan is.
This is an 85 million US dollar Hollywood production.
Charlize Theron, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Li Xuejian are not the winners of awards.
No matter how you choose, Zhang Hanyu, who has never played a male lead before, won’t get the lead role.
Whoever competes with him for male lead is not a big shot.
The first to stir up trouble were Andy Lau’s fans and netizens in Hong Kong.
They all yelled that Rongchen Pictures had a shady role in casting, otherwise how could Andy Lau lose to Zhang Hanyu?
How could two movie stars from Hong Kong lose to a supporting actor from the Mainland!
Liu Dehua fans from the Mainland also joined in the criticism.
Immediately afterwards, fans of Tony Leung Ka Fai also joined the fray.
Although Tony Leung Ka Fai won the second male lead, fans all know that from the beginning, Tony Leung Ka Fai went for the first lead actor.
Li Chen was scolded on the headlines of the entertainment edition.
In Splendid Diamond Li Chen’s office, Yang Siwei and Wu Bin stood in front of Li Chen’s desk.
Li Chen took a sip of tea contentedly and smiled to himself. If Weibo existed now, he would at least be in the top three.
There can be at least seven or eight items related to oneself.
"Boss, you are too arrogant. You are about to be scolded out of the atmosphere by Brother Hua's fans." Yang Siwei was a little anxious.
"It's okay. Brother Hua just called me and apologized again and again. He will stand up and speak out. Besides, is there any director in the entertainment industry who has been scolded?"
Wu Bindian nodded Head: "That's the truth."
Yang Siwei couldn't help but laugh, thinking about the profound meaning of his boss's words.
Not to mention Zhang Yimou's several blockbusters have received a lot of criticism.
Isn’t that Director Chen who was scolded recently and disappeared?
I heard that he has fled to Yunnan to shoot scenes for "The Promise 2".
My wife Chen Hong was finally blocked by entertainment reporters at the entrance of Beijing Film Studio, but she had something to say first.
He never mentioned "The Promise" and only talked about his life as a producer.
Li Chen took out several prepared document bags from the cabinet and placed them on the table.
"Director Wu, please have these books filed for record."
"You can keep the "Chinese Partner" in it. The drama promised to you every year is this one. , you will direct it."
"However, you should first contact Xu Xiaoping of New Oriental and ask for his support before filing."
"Xu Xiaoping of New Oriental?"
People like Wu Bin know New Oriental very well.
Back then, for college students of his generation, whether they wanted to go abroad to take IELTS or TOEFL or learn English and cook, New Oriental was definitely their first choice.
There is a saying that those who get into college go to New Oriental to learn English, and those who fail to get into college go to the New Oriental Cooking School next to Shandong Lanxiang to learn to be a chef.
Li Chen crossed his arms and looked at Wu Bin with a smile.
In fact, this book does not require the consent of the three people at New Oriental.
But it's better to show off, so as not to be too abrupt.
This is also a win-win situation, and Xu Xiaoping would definitely agree.
"This script is based on the New Oriental Troika. Are they seeking to be listed in the United States? Xu Xiaoping will definitely agree after reading the script."
"There are some movies produced by our company. Huge advertising effect!" Li Chen smiled confidently.
When Chen Kexin was filming this movie, he was looking for Xu Xiaoping.
It was up to Xu Xiaoping to persuade the other two people and wanted to obtain first-hand information from the other two people.
But Lao Yu ignored Chen Kexin and Huang Xiaoming’s requests for contact.
Later, when Cheng Dongqing was photographed, Lao Yu complained that it was the two who deliberately pranked him!
Wu Bin smiled all over his face: "It seems that Director Li is going to release satellites again this time. I have never seen any film and television company file so many scripts at once."
"Okay, I'll go meet you. Meet this big boss in the education industry.”
Yang Siwei glanced at the four notebooks: "Boss, once the registration announcement is released, Director Wu and I will not be able to live in peace again."
Li Chen stood up with a smile, picked up his coat and walked out: "Wait someday If you take my seat, you can choose to turn off your phone!"
Yang Siwei whispered: "I can also choose to leave early!"
Wu Bin laughed.
Zhang Hanyu ignored the doubts about him from the outside world. After receiving the script, he put down all work and concentrated on studying the script.
An American was also specially invited to learn English, and Li Chen called him to give him a few special words.
There are still a few months left, so it’s best to say the English lines so that they don’t sound like Mandarin pronunciation.
Otherwise, he will have no choice but to find a dubbing voice.
Zhang Hanyu has a background in dubbing. Of course he would not allow his first starring movie to be dubbed by someone.
Similarly working behind closed doors is Wang Qianyuan.
Considering that I have acted in so many dramas, I never thought that the reason why I would become famous in the end would be because of my casting in "Thieves".
It really caught him off guard and made him feel funny.
With twelve years of acting experience, no one knows about it, but the casting is famous all over the world!
Not a day later, Andy Lau stood up and spoke out.
“Thank you fans for your love, but Hanyu’s acting skills are also very good. I lost to Hanyu because Hanyu is more suitable for this role than me.”
"To paraphrase Director Li's original words, I lost because of my looks, not my acting skills. With this face, who would be a 'thief'?"
As soon as Liu Dehua posted a comment on his blog, the anger of movie fans was extinguished. half.
"This reason is acceptable. Li Chen finally said something as a human being. It is indeed unjustifiable for Hua Tsai to be a thief because of his good looks."
"What about "A World Without Thieves"? "
"Li Chen is not Feng Xiaogang, he doesn't have any big names in his eyes! So he has to choose your Hua Zai?"
Unlike the indignation of netizens, Rongchen Pictures' casting has allowed artists in the industry, especially those below the second tier without resources and background, to see the light of day.
At least Rongchen Pictures’ casting selection is fair and just.
There are not so many hidden rules and exchanges of interests.
Many veteran artists who have worked with Zhang Hanyu and Wang Qianyuan have come forward to speak out for these two mainland actors.
For a time, the reputation of Rongchen Pictures skyrocketed.
Even Tian Zhuangzhuang called and praised him on behalf of the school.
Although several investors were a little uneasy, after all, real money came in.
Can this kind of casting really support this big production?
However, China Film and Shanghai Film and Television, the leading big brothers, did not raise any questions, and several other private companies could only pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Actually, Han Sanping called, but Li Chen said nothing.
"Director Han, if you regret it, you can withdraw your capital now."
Han Sanping was about to curse, but Li Chen hung up the phone directly, leaving Han Sanping almost exhausted and injured internally.
(End of this chapter)