EFB Chapter 32: The Female Lead
Chapter 32: The Female Lead
The script was approved at the end of March.
Liu Yu received the public screening license less than two months after he finished writing the script.
Next came the matter of money, so Liu Yu took the script to Yu Dong.
After Yu Dong finished reading the script, he remained silent for a long time before placing it on the table and looking at Liu Yu.
"Director Liu, your script is indeed very well written. But..." He paused, "It's an award-winning film, and the box office is hard to predict. Bona Film Group is just starting out and doesn't dare to touch this type of film."
Liu Yu understood him. Yu Dong was a businessman, and businessmen make decisions based on money, not sentiment.
"A Moment to Remember" and "Speed Scandal" are commercial films, while "The Hearing Girl" is an art film, so the data is hard to predict.
Mr. Li, the general manager of Xiaoxiang Film Industry, had a similar reaction.
Mr. Li's tone on the phone was much more polite than with his previous films, but the meaning was the same: "Director Liu, we support your film, but we won't participate in the investment. Contact me when it comes to distribution, and I'll arrange screenings for you."
His last call was to Han Sanping, who answered without hesitation: "Send me the script, I'll take a look."
Liu Yu sent the message, and the next day Han Sanping called back: "One million. No more."
Liu Yu smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Han."
Liu Yu knew he wasn't lying. Han Sanping's focus in the past two years had indeed been on commercial blockbusters. The success of "Hero" had shown the entire industry the potential of commercial films, and Han Sanping wanted to replicate this model and release more blockbusters.
For him, a low-budget art film like "Hearing Girl" was just a token project; he'd invest a million, and if he made a profit, it would be luck, and if he lost, he wouldn't care.
...
The casting process for the female lead lasted a full week.
Wang Jinsong went through all the files for the acting department. The interview was held in the rehearsal hall on the first floor of the teaching building.
When Liu Yu arrived, Wang Jinsong was already inside, talking to Tian Zhuangzhuang.
When Tian Zhuangzhuang heard that Liu Yu was casting for the female lead, he offered to help with the selection.
He said that although he doesn't teach acting, he still has a good eye for actors. "After making movies for so many years, I can tell at a glance who can make it to the big screen and who can only act in TV dramas."
A row of chairs was placed in the rehearsal hall. Liu Yu sat in the middle, Wang Jinsong was on his left, Tian Zhuangzhuang was on his right, and several teachers from the acting department were sitting behind them.
There are more than 20 girls on today's interview list, divided into four groups of six.
Each person has five minutes to introduce themselves, sing a song, or perform an impromptu skit.
Five minutes is not long; it's enough for Liu Yu.
He doesn't need to see how well they act; what he needs to see is whether their faces tell a story when the camera zooms in.
The interviews started at 9:00 AM.
The first group to come in were from the class of 01.
Liu Yu glanced down at the list, and the names on it made him pause for a moment: Huang Shengyi, Wang Luodan, Bian Xiaoxiao.
Huang Shengyi. Liu Yu is very familiar with this name, not because of her works, but because of the scandalous incident involving her contract termination with Stephen Chow.
Liu Yu asked her, "Have you ever acted before?"
"I acted in 'Kung Fu Hustle,' which I just finished filming." Huang Shengyi's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible pride.
Liu Yu didn't press the matter. He turned to look at Wang Jinsong, whose expression remained unchanged.
Wang Luodan was the second one. She was thinner than Liu Yu had imagined, with a small face and features that, while not particularly delicate, were very distinctive.
She sang "Courage," her voice wasn't loud, but it was very steady.
Bian Xiaoxiao is the third one, and Liu Yu, the instigator of the "Backstabbing Cult," doesn't want to use her.
After the first group of interviews ended, Liu Yu leaned back in his chair.
Wang Jinsong asked him how it was going.
"They're both good, but neither is good enough."
Wang Jinsong laughed and said, "Your standards are too high."
"It's not that my standards are too high, it's just that I can't compromise on this role."
...
The second group is from the class of 02.
Wang Jia, Jiang Yan, Zhou Yi, Liu Jing.
Liu Yu had little recollection of these four names in his previous life, except for Architect Jiang; it wasn't that they weren't outstanding, but their later careers weren't very successful.
After reading it, Liu Yu wrote a few words in his notebook: "None of them are suitable."
During the lunch break, Liu Yu was smoking in the corridor. Tian Zhuangzhuang came out, stood next to him, and handed him a cup of coffee.
"Getting impatient?"
"No rush," Liu Yu exhaled a puff of smoke, "but I'm a little panicked."
"What's the panic?"
"I'm afraid we won't be able to find a suitable person." Liu Yu stubbed out his cigarette. "If we can't find a suitable person for this role, the whole project will have to be postponed."
Tian Zhuangzhuang patted him on the shoulder, "There are two more groups this afternoon, don't rush. Good food is worth waiting for."
The first group in the afternoon was from the class of 03.
Huang Lu, Zhou Muyin, Ye Yiqian, Zhang Jiani.
When Huang Lu walked in, Liu Yu noticed her temperament. It wasn't the kind of beauty that was stunning at first glance, but the kind that made you want to look at her more.
She sang a folk song; her voice was clean and simple, without any particular technique, but it was very pleasant to listen to.
The impromptu skit depicted a daughter burning paper money at her father's grave. She didn't cry; she just sat there, burning the paper money one by one. The firelight shone on her face, and her expression was very calm.
This is the first performance that has made his heart flutter so far.
Wang Jinsong whispered from the side, "This is good."
Liu Yu wrote Huang Lu's name down in his notebook and added a question mark after it.
It's not that she's not good enough, it's that he needs to observe her further.
Zhou Muyin is very tall, over 1.7 meters, and looks like a small white poplar tree standing in the rehearsal hall.
Ye Yiqian sang a song, and she sang it better than everyone before her.
However, she was clearly less confident when acting than when singing. She got stuck halfway through an impromptu skit and stood there helplessly.
Wang Jinsong called for a stop, and she blushed, bowed, and ran out.
Zhang Jiani was the last one in this group. She is very beautiful, the kind of beauty that makes you remember her at first glance.
She was so refined, so refined, that she didn't seem like an ordinary high school student.
After the second group finished, Liu Yu had already filled several pages in his notebook.
Wang Jinsong leaned over and took a look, and found that apart from Huang Lu's name which had a question mark after it, all the other names had an X after them.
"Liu Yu, you're being too picky," Wang Jinsong said with a hint of helplessness.
"Teacher Wang, it's not that I'm the one who made the choice. It's just that this person is too important; if we choose the wrong one, we'll lose everything."
Tian Zhuangzhuang chimed in from the side, "No rush, there's another wave."
The last group finished queuing at 4:30 pm.
Liu Yu thought that was the end of the day and was preparing to pack his things and leave.
Wang Jinsong flipped through the list, "There's one more, from the class of 02, who just came back from Hengdian."
Liu Yu glanced at the name on the list: Liu Yifei.
The current Liu Yifei is not the "Fairy Sister" she later became. She just finished filming "Chinese Paladin" as Zhao Ling'er, but the drama has not yet been broadcast.
She had previously acted in "The Story of a Noble Family" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," and was already somewhat famous in the industry, but not yet widely known to the general public.
Liu Yu's impression of her in his previous life was that she was beautiful, but not in an aggressive way. It was a kind of beauty that felt distant, like the moon, hanging in the sky, visible but untouchable.
Her acting skills have always been controversial. Some say she has a blank expression, while others say she has a unique "ethereal" quality that she can't fake; it's innate.
The door to the rehearsal hall was pushed open.
Liu Yifei walked in, followed by a middle-aged woman, her mother.
Liu Yu recognized her mother's face; he had seen photos of her online in his previous life. Her surname was Liu, and she was said to be a dancer with a very elegant demeanor.
Liu Yifei was wearing a black sweatshirt, jeans, a ponytail, and no makeup.
Wang Jinsong stood up and greeted her, "Xiao Li is here? Sit down, there are chairs in the back."
Mrs. Liu smiled and nodded, then walked to the back row and sat down. Her expression was relaxed, unlike some parents who nervously stared at their children; instead, she leaned back in her chair.
Liu Yifei walked to the center of the rehearsal hall, stood still, and bowed slightly.
"Hello teachers, I am Liu Yifei from the 02 class of the Performing Arts Department. I just came back from Hengdian and didn't have time to prepare. Please forgive me."
Wang Jinsong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's okay, sing a song first, anything is fine."
Liu Yifei thought for a moment and then sang "Farewell".
Liu Yu noticed that her eyes were closed when she sang, and her eyelashes were very long and trembling slightly.
After he finished singing, Wang Jinsong turned to look at Liu Yu.
Liu Yu didn't express his opinion, but wrote two words in his notebook: "So-so".
Then came the impromptu skit segment.
The topic Wang Jinsong set was "Write a letter to the boy you have a crush on, then tear it up after you finish writing it."
There wasn't a single line of dialogue throughout the entire process, but Liu Yu understood it.
He understood her shyness, her courage, her hesitation, and her unwillingness to give up.
Wang Jinsong was the first to speak, his tone carrying a hint of surprise and satisfaction: "Not bad, the emotions are spot on."
Tian Zhuangzhuang didn't speak; his expression was more serious than ever before.
Liu Yifei stood up and patted the dust off her pants.
Her expression was calm, showing neither nervousness nor pride, just the composure of someone who had done their best.
Liu Yu glanced at her, then wrote three lines in his notebook; after finishing, he closed the notebook and turned to look at Wang Jingsong and Tian Zhuangzhuang.
"Teacher Wang, Teacher Tian, what do you think?"
Wang Jinsong spoke first: "I've taught her. This child is down-to-earth and not impetuous. In terms of acting, she's not the best right now, but she's improving very quickly. And..."
He lowered his voice, though Liu's mother, sitting in the back row, couldn't hear him, "Her image is perfect for the role. Just think, an eighteen-year-old high school girl who loves to sing, from an average family, but with a sparkle in her eyes. Liu Yifei just stands there and is that person; she doesn't need to act."
Tian Zhuangzhuang put it more directly: "Her acting style matches the mood of your film very well. You don't like that kind of over-the-top acting, but she acts with restraint. And look at that scene she just did, no lines, no dramatic ups and downs in expression, she was just sitting there tearing paper, but you were drawn in by her. That's talent, you can't teach it."
Liu Yu leaned back in his chair, mentally reviewing all the people he had interviewed that day.
Huang Lu is also good, but her temperament leans towards the artsy and artistic. Acting in "Hearing Girl" might steer the film towards a more niche direction.
Liu Yifei has a more "common" temperament; she has a comfortable beauty that makes people feel good when they see her.
This is crucial for a film that needs to resonate with the audience.
He recalled a quote from Mu Deyuan: "When casting actors, it's not about choosing the best actor, but the most suitable one. There are plenty of good actors, but the most suitable one is one in a hundred."
"Okay." Liu Yu closed his notebook, stood up, and walked to Liu Yifei.
"Liu Yifei, this role is yours. The salary is 300,000 yuan, the filming period is two and a half months, and filming starts in mid-May. Can you accept it?"
Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then turned to look at her mother in the back row. Her mother nodded slightly.
"I can accept it. Thank you, Director Liu." Liu Yifei bowed.