Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 328 I don’t understand
Artistic types rarely admire anyone's acting skills.

Jude Law is no exception.

He believes that Johnny Depp's two consecutive Oscar wins were entirely due to luck and public relations, and that his acting skills are at best on par with his own—he himself has also been nominated for Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor.

However, the truth is that Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow felt so lifelike to Jude Law, as if he had stepped right out of the movie, just as director Cao Yang had envisioned for the role.

Regardless of whether such a performance is good or bad, at least Depp, a well-known "oddball," completely met director Cao Yang's requirements and made people believe that he was such a unique pirate.

Acting skills are something you can't see or touch.

Some people overact and can boast about their expressive body language; others remain expressionless and can boast about perfectly portraying the character's cold-bloodedness.

But there is a type of actor whose roles evoke empathy and are deeply moving, making you believe that their characters are real, living people.

Of course, you can use these words, or even more flowery language, to praise an actor's acting skills.

But the audience isn't stupid, and professionals like Jude Law aren't easily fooled.

In Jude Law's opinion, Depp brought an atypical pirate to life.

This is only the first day of filming! Damn it, Depp is such a bastard! How am I supposed to put myself in this situation, someone who has always been proud of my acting skills?
And that kid from China, he seems a bit silent and unsmiling, but what makes you think you can hold your own against me in a scene?
Why?
Do you know how hard I work in private?
This made Jude Law begin to have doubts. Was it because he lacked talent? Or were others more accustomed to director Cao Yang's direction, while he was the only one who was self-righteous and did not fully understand the brilliance of director Cao Yang?

Yes, that must be the case!

Otherwise, why would director Cao Yang be able to produce so many prestigious award-winning actors and actresses?

Fortunately, there was Eva Green, who performed even worse, otherwise Jude Law would have been even more doubtful of his life.

To be honest, Jude Law actually thinks that Eva Green's acting skills are among the best of her generation of actresses.

At least among the young actresses he's worked with who are around Eva Green's age, few have better acting skills than her.

As a British-born actor, Jude Law doesn't look down on Americans; he genuinely believes that for good actors, especially actresses, one should look to Europe, specifically France and Britain.

The environment in America is simply not conducive to producing talented actresses.

With Eva Green, a talented actress born in France, Jude Law felt much more at ease.

This proves that director Cao Yang's directing style may be selective in terms of the actors; at least, even a talented actress like Eva Green did not fully understand Cao Yang's explanations or get into character.

Therefore, we cannot completely mythologize anyone. Although Director Cao Yang is very talented, he is selective in his casting, and his work is not universally applicable.

Filming continued the next day, still taking place on the "Death Island" set.

Jude Law spent the last night studying the role of the blacksmith until the early hours of the morning. He felt that he was a very hardworking person with good talent, and he had no doubt about himself.

He felt he would perform even better today.

First, in his scenes with Depp, Jude Law seemed to be able to handle the role without any problems.

But catching someone and doing it well are two different things. To do well in Depp's films and have a back-and-forth with him, you need to work even harder.

At least for now, in terms of acting skills, well, it's not that my acting skills are worse than Depp's, it's just that Depp got into character earlier and was better able to understand director Cao Yang's explanations.

That's right, that's it.

Then Jude Law felt that perhaps there was something wrong with his own perception, or perhaps Depp wasn't paying attention?
Why did he have an NG (no good) during his scene with Duan Yihong?

My eyes are playing tricks on me; it must be that Duan Yihong, this young Chinese man, has caused the problem.

Huh? Why did the director call Depp over?
Huh?
Depp, what are you doing? What's wrong with you? Why are you apologizing?
Okay, it must be that Depp wasn't trying.

See, as long as you put your heart into it, you'll pass the second and third points.

Hey Depp, what's wrong with you?

Did I not put my heart into it today?

How could he still make mistakes when playing against Eva Green, the weakest opponent?
Please put some effort into it!

See, as long as you put your heart into it, this third take was already approved, wasn't it?
Jude Law muttered to himself, he had a bad feeling that Duan Yihong and Eva Green seemed to be performing better today.
Duan Yihong's scenes with Eva Green were brilliant; they were very comfortable to watch, as if the two movie characters were simply playing themselves.

Jude Law pursed his lips and gently shook his head, feeling that something was off. It must be his imagination.

I hope it's just my imagination.

Next, it was his turn to act opposite Eva Green.

then,

"Crack!"

"Jude, loosen your grip a bit, don't let Eva lead you astray."

"Crack!"

"Jude, don't act too crazy, you've gone a bit too far."

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Jude..."

"Director, I'm sorry, I'm a little... well, a little out of sorts today. Give me ten minutes to adjust."

Jude Law's expression was a little stiff, and somewhat bewildered and at a loss.

He glanced mechanically at Eva Green, then checked again to confirm. Yes, no substitutions had been made; it was still Eva Green.

But are you Eva Green?
Can your current performance be comparable to Eva Green's?

Are you possessed by Isabelle Huppert, the queen of European art and culture? You're both damn French, and I heard you two are even good friends...

Damn it, how could you possibly be Eva Green?
You were clearly the worst performer yesterday.

We really should call an exorcist...

Jude Law lowered his head and silently walked to his resting place, his mind a jumble of chaotic thoughts. He didn't know what to do next.

What good is a ten-minute adjustment?

He became increasingly insecure and lost.

Cao Yang, who was watching from the side, frowned a little. Eva Green was probably so immersed in the role that she didn't hold back at all once filming started.

She was just like the brave and aggressive Elizabeth Swann in the movie, very charismatic and very thoughtful.

You're not a female pirate yet, so how come you're already so "domineering"?

Cao Yang thought about it. A girl who has been independent since childhood and is the daughter of a governor, in this era of clear class distinctions, her most authentic side is that she has an aura and a sense of oppression.
Probably so.

This put Jude Law in a difficult position. Caught off guard, he was completely overwhelmed by Eva Green's presence and had no chance to perform.

"Crack!"

Sure enough, ten minutes was useless; Jude Law simply couldn't recover.

Cao Yang beckoned Jude Law over.

Seeing Jude Law looking dejected, Cao Yang originally wanted to analyze the character for him, but felt it might be useless; Old Jude's confidence had been completely shattered.

If Johnny Depp were to overshadow him, he might be able to accept it, but being overshadowed by Eva Green, whose acting was far inferior to his yesterday, seems to have driven Johnny a bit crazy.

"Jude, I've already told you everything I needed to say. When you get home tonight, carefully read the character analysis of Will Turner that I gave you. Don't think about anything else, just read it several times. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised tomorrow."

Jude Law looked at Cao Yang with a skeptical expression. "Is this even possible?"

I read what you said and combined it with my own analysis, but it didn't work. Just reading what you said is enough.

Did I misunderstand?
(End of this chapter)