Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 413 Ip Man 2's Team (Two chapters combined)

Wu Zhuo did not participate in this year's Spring Festival Gala.

This doesn't mean he's very famous now, but he's not on the Spring Festival Gala anymore.

The main reason is that I'm busy.

First, I'm busy with the new album.

During the Lunar New Year period, his new album is selling very well, and he needs to travel to many places abroad to promote it.

Another thing is that he hasn't spent New Year's Eve with his grandmother for several years.

In previous years, he would only come back for the Spring Festival after participating in the Spring Festival Gala, although he also spent time with his grandmother.

But for Chinese people, Lunar New Year's Eve is a special day.

Wu Zhuo couldn't spend New Year's Eve with his grandmother for several years in a row, which made her nag for a long time.

Therefore, Wu Zhuo plans to spend as much time as possible with his grandmother in the next few years.

"Put the bag at point A, behind the box."

"There are people on the side paths."

"Ah Zhuo, what are you doing? Snipe him!"

"Damn, Ah Zhuo, you're such a noob."

"I'm not playing anymore, you guys are too bad."

Calvin Chen put down his headphones with a frustrated look on his face. "Playing games with you guys is a sin. You're all so bad at it."

This Lunar New Year, Calvin Chen and others all returned to Taipei.

With nothing else to do, the group decided to play video games together.

It just so happened that Wu Zhuo had set up a small internet cafe in his villa, so Calvin Chen, Jiro Wang, Chen Dexiu, and Guo Pinchao came over to play together.

Unfortunately, apart from Calvin Chen, Wu Zhuo and the others are generally not very good at it.

Especially Wu Zhuo, who is bad at the game but loves to play, and he even plays sniper. He walks around with the scope on and gets slashed several times.

"I'm not in good form right now. Once I get into good form, I'll be able to get headshots with every shot."

Wu Zhuo had absolutely no awareness of the dish's importance.

He felt that after playing a couple more rounds, his skills would improve.

"I'm not playing anymore, it's boring, I'd rather play mechs."

Jiro Wang also took off his headphones and his gaze fell on the display case not far away.

There's a humanoid mech up there.

It's the Iron Man suit that's been quite popular in recent years.

He rubbed his hands together and looked at Wu Zhuo with longing.

"Ah Zhuo, can I borrow your Iron Man for a few days?"

"Big brother, this is a collector's edition that Marvel gave me; it's one of a kind in the world."

Wu Zhuo was speechless at the longing look in his eyes.

This guy is unbelievable. As soon as he gets his hands on something even remotely anime-related, he immediately tries to sneak away with it.

Last time, he brought back a rare Doraemon from Japan, but before he could even play with it for two days, someone else snatched it away.

"Ah Zhuo, your brother has always treated you well, so can I borrow you for a couple of days?"

Jiro Wang was already envious of the Iron Man figure, and when he heard Wu Zhuo say that it was the only one of its kind in the world and a gift from Marvel, he became even more drool-worthy.

She clung to Wu Zhuo's shoulder, looking pitiful.

Unlike him, who was focused on whether it was a collector's edition, Guo Pinchao next to him was more interested in why Marvel would give Wu Zhuo this thing, and looked very curious.

"Is Marvel trying to get you to act in a movie?"

Wu Zhuo turned off the computer, stood up, and stretched.

“I was promoting my album in the US before, and I met Robert Downey Jr. at an event. We had a good chat, and this was a gift from him.”

Wu Zhuo's popularity in Europe and America is undeniable.

The record's huge success, coupled with the fact that "Ip Man" grossed over 30 million at the North American box office, allowed him to frequently interact with Hollywood figures when attending events in the United States.

Many of them were on good terms.

"Ah-Chuo, I've always been curious, why don't you just go to Hollywood to develop your career? I've heard that many film companies want to invite you to act in movies!"

Everyone was curious why Wu Zhuo didn't go to Hollywood to make movies.

It's important to understand that at that time, Hollywood was a place that many actors in China could only dream of but never reach.

It's truly baffling that Wu Zhuo had the opportunity but didn't take it.

"It's not that simple. Don't be fooled by my glamorous life. In reality, foreigners are quite xenophobic."

Wu Zhuo shook his head.

Don't be fooled by his international success.

But the main focus is still on records.

In terms of movies, "Ip Man" did well with a box office of 30 million, but this kind of film belongs to the genre.

Hollywood is unlikely to create a movie specifically for Wu Zhuo.

Wu Zhuo is not Jackie Chan.

He has many fans, but they are all there for his songs.

In Europe and America, singers and actors are actually quite separate.

A record selling well does not necessarily mean a movie will sell well.

Another factor is that Wu Zhuo is Chinese.

His Chinese features meant that unless his films were exceptionally amazing, it was unlikely that they would achieve high box office returns.

Globally, Jackie Chan is actually the only Chinese actor who can make audiences willingly go to the cinema.

Even Jackie Chan hasn't been popular there in recent years.

Wu Zhuo has also received many scripts.

But those companies claimed on the surface that they were making movies for him.

In reality, most of the scripts were terrible, including films like Shang-Chi, which contained discriminatory content.

Actually, these companies may not necessarily want to make this kind of movie.

In order to make money, they will definitely write whatever makes money. In order to make money from black people, they are even willing to create a black Snow White.

If Wu Zhuo could make them money, and if they could make him the president of the United States, they probably would do it.

But there is a very important factor here.

That's the subconscious.

Many of these companies have absolutely no idea what Chinese people dislike.

Instead, it is written from their perspective.

Ironically, from their perspective, some images of Chinese people are actually seen as discriminatory by Chinese people themselves.

Take, for example, women's aesthetics.

In China, women are considered beautiful for their gentleness.

But foreigners have a different aesthetic view of women.

For example, women's black eyeliner makeup is considered extremely ugly in China.

But foreigners see it as beautiful.

Their differing aesthetic views resulted in films that were neither fish nor fowl.

Some might ask why Jackie Chan's movies don't do that.

There is a reason for this, of course.

First of all, Jackie Chan has a voice in his movies.

Where does this right to speak come from?
Firstly, there's his box office appeal; secondly, most of his films are actually Sino-foreign co-productions.

Yes, many people don't actually know that Jackie Chan's movies are all Sino-foreign co-productions.

Jackie Chan is very smart. When he was making Hollywood movies, he knew that Hollywood companies were very domineering, so he would bring in domestic capital for every movie he starred in.

His films used to be made by Golden Harvest, and Golden Harvest was on his side.

Following that was Emperor Entertainment Group, and then his own investment. Moreover, most of his films were not produced by Hollywood studios, but rather he organized them himself and then brought in these other companies.

The concept of organizing a game yourself is different from that of organizing a game with others.

I organize the whole thing myself, so I have the power to control it. The movie is mine, and I can let whoever listens to me invest.

If they don't listen, just kick them out and find another company.

But when others organize a gathering, the situation is completely different. It means you are dispensable, and if others don't like you, they can kick you out directly.

Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Chow Yun-fat all ventured into Hollywood, but their achievements were completely different.

The biggest difference between them is that when Jackie Chan ventured into Hollywood, he brought his own capital with him.

Having capital backing you up naturally brings a different kind of support.

Jet Li and Chow Yun-fat went to Hollywood completely naked.

Chow Yun-fat fared slightly better. At that time, his benefactor John Woo had already established himself in Hollywood. John Woo helped him make connections, which enabled him to star in Hollywood movies.

As for Jet Li, he was completely alone when he went there.

Although Jackie Chan's sudden rise to fame at the time brought attention to Chinese kung fu actors to European and American audiences, leading them to discover "Black Mask," the film achieved considerable success in the European and American VCD market.

But ultimately, he wasn't very famous in Hollywood at the time.

You have no fame and no capital, yet you want to film here. If I don't take advantage of you, who else can I take advantage of?
I'll just throw a script at you. Don't worry about whether the script is good or bad, or whether it will have any impact on your countrymen. You can film it if you want, or I'll just find someone else if you don't.

You have no human rights, not even the right to make suggestions. If the director tells you to go west, and you take a step east, then you're out.

At this time, Wu Zhuo was actually quite similar to Jet Li.

If he were to enter Hollywood, there would be plenty of fictional stories.

Given his achievements in the music industry, many companies would be willing to take a gamble on him.

However, if you want a voice, forget about it.

For an actor with ideas, the right to speak is extremely important.

Jackie Chan has made several attempts to break into Hollywood, but he failed in his first few attempts because he lacked a voice. Foreigners simply didn't understand what suited him, and his action scenes were filmed according to foreign standards.

Naturally, the photos taken this way will look terrible.

Because he had a voice, Jackie Chan's success in Hollywood when he made "Rumble in the Bronx" was completely different.

Of course, Wu Zhuo didn't mean that he had any particularly good ideas.

But compared to foreigners, he definitely has more ideas.

After all, he said he understands the preferences of Chinese people, what can be filmed and what cannot.

Therefore, without a voice, it would be impossible for Wu Zhuo to act in Hollywood movies.

Unless it's a classic movie.

But the main characters in those classic European and American movies are all foreigners. How could they possibly risk a Chinese person like him?

"What a pity, we were thinking that if you had a Hollywood movie released, we would go and support it together."

They all felt a little regretful.

Wu Zhuo, however, had no regrets.

Instead of worrying so much, he should focus on running his company well.

Making movies in the country is profitable, and making them abroad is also profitable.

Both are ways to make money, but it's much easier domestically, so why would he choose the distant path?

Of course, given the chance, he would still like to try to become a famous Hollywood movie star.

However, he will not choose to film with Hollywood companies; he will choose to film on his own.

When you're your own boss, whether you make a profit or a loss is entirely up to you, and nobody else can interfere.

……

Wu Zhuo had a relatively long break this year, and he didn't return to work until the end of March.

His first job was "Ip Man 2".

This film achieved remarkable success in the global market last year, and Oriental Films should continue its efforts this year.

Wu Zhuo also participated in the investment this time.

He invested his film salary, accounting for 30% of his investment.

Because of the success of the first one.

The first film also achieved a fairly good result in North America.

This year's "Ip Man 2" not only has a larger investment, but also a larger cast.

In addition to the original cast from the previous film, Sammo Hung was also invited to star in this one.

Meanwhile, in order to continue to open up the European and American markets, the plot of this film changed from fighting the Japanese to fighting white people.

This also specifically involved the white villain.

After discussions with Wu Zhuo, the production team chose American actor Scott Adkins to play the villain who would fight against Sammo Hung and Wu Zhuo.

Many people may not be familiar with the name Scott Adkins.

But if you mention Boyka from Undisputed, many people will probably remember him.

Scott Adkins is a legendary figure in Hollywood.

When he appeared in the first Undisputed, he was just a supporting actor.

But because of his outstanding performance in the movie, the director promoted him to the main villain in the second film.

Then, in the third installment this year, he was promoted directly to the lead role.

This guy is a perfect example of someone who climbs the ladder step by step.

Of course, the reason for choosing him, besides his fighting skills, was that Wu Zhuo knew him.

When Undisputed 2 was released, Wu Zhuo happened to be in North America.

Back then, he wasn't as popular as he is now. To increase his fame, Sony arranged premieres for many of his movies, including Undisputed 20.

It was during that time that Wu Zhuo met Scott Adkins.

Of course, Wu Zhuo usually calls him Boyka.

The two even exchanged contact information. Although they didn't chat much, they were acquainted.

When the production team was looking for foreign actors who were good at fighting but not expensive, Wu Zhuo immediately thought of him.

Using this thing now is actually quite cost-effective.

Because Undisputed 3 is scheduled for release on April 16.

Boyka's current salary isn't high; $70 is enough.

Once his starring role in "Undisputed 3" is released, his price will be different.

Wu Zhuo didn't know the box office figures for "Undisputed 3," but he did know that the series had five or six installments.

The fact that they were able to make so many films, with Boyka always playing the lead role in the later installments, means they must have made a lot of money.

If film companies can make money, then naturally actors' salaries will also rise.

Moreover, the Undisputed series became known to many people in China mainly because of Undisputed 3.

This shows that the film has a certain influence worldwide.

Now, "Ip Man 2" is taking advantage of the situation by signing him before he became famous and casting him as the main villain.

This will only benefit Ip Man 2.

When Wu Zhuo arrived at the "Ip Man 2" set, most of the main cast and crew were already there.

Boyka is here too.

Wu Zhuo first greeted Sammo Hung before walking up to him.

"Boyka, long time no see, your muscles have gotten even bigger."

“Abel, you have no idea what I went through for Undisputed. I hardly ever left the gym to get my muscles in better shape.”

Boyka didn't mind Wu Zhuo calling him by his character name, Ultimate Fighter.

"I haven't congratulated you on the record's great sales yet. When I came to China, I heard that it had already sold 3500 million copies."

This is truly a frightening statistic.

(End of this chapter)