Entertainment 2000: Supporting female stars will bring you a hundredfold return

Chapter 389 An Irresistible Woman, You Must Win Over Tang Wen

Tang Wen sensed something was wrong and quickly flipped through the remaining newspapers.

The smile on his face vanished completely.

The saying "Ten years east of the river, ten years west of the river" has been quoted by many newspapers.

It is already showing signs of becoming a "buzzword".

Tang Wen leaned back and closed his eyes.

He could almost see his own Qidian Chinese website quoting this phrase extensively in the future…

Oh well, so be it, I'll just be a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur).

These days, inspirational quotes aren't as disliked as they are in later generations.

It has some positive significance.

The car slowly drove through the crowd of reporters and directly into the set of "The Outlaws".

Tang Wen will grant interviews, but he won't do it the way reporters expect.

The female bodyguard and assistant got out of the car and had a conversation with the reporter.

The reporters promised to include the title "The Outlaws" in their reports.

Tang Wen faced reporters in the open space in front of the film crew's office.

"Director Tang Wen, do you feel that your market value has surpassed that of Mr. Li Zekai?"

Tang Wen: "The media has announced that my net worth is 50 billion. How much is Li Zekai's? You can compare them and you'll know."

There was no direct answer.

Forbes revealed that Li Zekai's net worth is $7.8 million.

If converted to RMB, it would be more than a billion yuan more than Tang Wen's.

"Li Zekai's value is shrinking, while yours is rising rapidly. How long do you think it will take to completely surpass him?"

Tang Wen shook his head: "If I remember correctly, Li Zekai is Li Jiacheng's second son, right? He has a share in the Li family's business, but I have no family property to inherit."

There seems to be nothing wrong with it; it's just stating objective facts.

But Hong Kong reporters didn't see it that way. They got excited, and some grabbed the phone to call back to their news agency, scrambling for the story: "Quick! I'll tell you, you write this down, big news—Director Tang Wen, disdainful of competing with Li Zekai, is now targeting Li Bancheng!"

Tang Wen: "..."

Alright, alright, when it comes to stirring things up, we still have to rely on you Hong Kong reporters.

The interview was chaotic for two minutes.

He called on the female reporter with long, wavy hair to ask a question.

"Mr. Tang, I'm a fan of yours. How long do you think it will take you to surpass Li Jiacheng?"

Tang Wen: "Asking this kind of question makes me suspect you're not a real fan."

"Please, please, answer this!" the female reporter pleaded in public.

Tang Wen shook his head: "Just do good deeds and don't worry about the future."

It wasn't that he was trying to give a pep talk; it was just that it was really hard to answer.

No matter what you think, you can't just say, "I think he's a worthless scoundrel, you should just keep your wine warm," can you?

The female reporter flattered, "Director Tang is indeed a talented man; his words are so erudite. But could you explain what he meant by that?"

Tang Wen glanced at her swaying upper body: ...You must have been specially recruited into the newspaper, right?

It was noisy and chaotic for more than half an hour.

The interview has finally come to an end.

Zhang Jin, who was familiar with Hong Kong media, came over and reminded Tang Wen: "Director Tang, they have no integrity, they might write something inappropriate tomorrow."

The latter patted the former on the shoulder: "Tomorrow? Believe me, they'll start writing nonsense today!"

"Well..." Young Zhang Jin couldn't hide his worry in his eyes.

The Li family is right across the street.

Hong Kong's richest man and Asia's richest man.

"Come on, show me around and introduce me to the people in our crew."

Tang Wen took over the production crew.

"Sigh, a big director is coming, and we'll have to start working on things all over again. I wonder what his style is."

"I heard it will be very soon."

"Then aren't we doomed?"

"..."

In the lounge, Fei Xiang ignored the noise outside and focused on practicing his Mandarin lines in front of the mirror.

He speaks Mandarin fairly well, but he has an accent.

If I were to play a very important person, there would be no problem.

But playing a gang-fighting captain who climbed up from the bottom wouldn't be quite suitable.

It will break the audience's immersion.

Fei Xiang didn't want to use voice acting, so he put in a lot of effort to practice.

He has a good talent for languages ​​and is also very patient.

"Professor Fei Xiang, this is tomorrow's notice."

"Thank you, Mark."

Tang Wen happened to be looking for Fei Xiang and walked over with a smile, asking, "Fei Xiang, you're really good at remembering names."

"Director Tang, it's been a long time."

During the day, Tang Wen did not immediately take over the filming work.

He toured the film crew extensively, speaking with the heads of various departments, including cinematography, lighting, and production management.

In the evening, they started meeting with the main actors again.

The Outlaws 1 & 2 are purely action-packed films about fighting organized crime.

There aren't many main actors.

Fei Xiang's anti-triad team leader, in certain areas of Hong Kong, officially holds the title of "Anti-Triad Action Team."

In the movie, he was changed to the "leader of the anti-gang task force".

His superior is the head of anti-organized crime investigation.

The actor playing the role is Ding Haifeng, a righteous tiger-fighting hero.

The anti-triad member, Fei Xiang's partner, is played by Lin Jiadong, who was recommended by Andy Lau.

Tang Wen didn't recruit any people from the mainland for the several gang leaders; there were plenty of talented people in Hong Kong.

The production team directly hired several stuntmen with ugly appearances to play the roles.

This includes the local gang leader with the most screen time, whose wife is taken by the gang, played by veteran supporting actor Lin Xue.

It was nominally a cameo role.

In fact, the money Tang Wen gave him far exceeded the number of days he worked.

His beautiful wife is played by an actress recommended by the Korean entertainment company SJ Entertainment.

Super Junior was very cooperative. Since it was just a supporting role anyway, they simply listed all the most famous and suitable actresses under their management, allowing Tang Wen to choose freely.

It's only a few days of filming, so scheduling is no problem.

Bank of America's order to have Samsung, SJ, and Tang Wen cooperate was surprisingly effective.

This also shows that South Korean female celebrities, who appear glamorous on the surface, actually have no autonomy whatsoever when it comes to their companies.

Kim Hee-sun was the first to be eliminated.

Jun Ji-hyun is good-looking, but her face is quite aggressive, making her suitable for the role of a "savage girlfriend".

It's not very convincing for her to play a wife who is raped and dares not resist.

Tang Wen hesitated between Han Chae-young and Lee Hyori, but ultimately chose Lee Hyori.

The latter currently has no notable film or television works.

I had met Tang Wen at an event, so we were acquaintances.

Han Chae-young had already become a huge star because of "Autumn in My Heart," so they pulled her over to play a sexy, powerless, and domineering madam.

That's really a bit bullying.

She has many fans in South Korea, so let's hope there's no fan boycott of the movie.

This is also the reason why Song Hye-kyo was not chosen.

Lee Hyori, who came from a singing and dancing group, is about to switch to film and television, and starring in Tang Wen's movie is a good starting point.

In terms of appearance, her smile is captivating and infectious.

Ivory skin and a sexy figure, quite fitting for the character.

The remaining villains.

The gang leader, a thug from the mainland, was given to Chen Minghao, a classmate recommended by Hu Jing and Zeng Li.

This person works at the National Theatre of China.

Needless to say, his acting skills are more than enough to play a mob boss.

In terms of character fit.

Chen Minghao, who is 183 cm tall, has a strong physique, wears a black trench coat, has medium-length hair, a full beard, and a fierce look in his eyes.

The feeling of oppression came over me.

Standing next to Fei Xiang, who is over 1.9 meters tall, she was in no way inferior in terms of presence.

A gang leader like that, capable of taking on ten times the number of enemies single-handedly, is truly convincing.

Aside from being a bit too stylish, which might lead some female viewers to have their values ​​swayed by his looks, there's nothing wrong with him.

Tang Wen specially changed the ending for him.

They won't let him die, they'll just lock him up.

What if there's a fourth part?

For a gang leader like this, his underlings naturally can't be weak.

The story revolves around two characters: a bald man who is brave and daring, and a shrewd and capable man.

When it comes to bald characters, Tang Wen's first thought is Xu Jinjiang. However, Xu Jinjiang has too strong an aura and a high status, so he is not suitable to be a minor supporting character.

It's unlikely that Zhang Weijian would agree; it would be more likely that the male lead would invite him.

As for others, like Bao Beier, we wouldn't even consider them.

In fact, Tang Wen also worked with another actor who was suitable for a strong, bald look.

Director Shi Zhaoqi in "Conquest".

Shedding that righteous uniform, with a furrowed brow and a stern look, he resembled a gangster boss even more than Sun Honglei.

However, the same problem arises: the presence is too strong, overshadowing the main character.

When casting, Tang Wen thought long and hard and gave the role of the bald man to Wu Tian from "Conquer", who is also the original lead singer of Zero Point Music - Zhou Xiao'ou.

Another actor they hired was Cheung Yiu-yeung, known as "Brother Crow" from Hong Kong.

Putting everything else aside, Tang Wen was very satisfied with this lineup.

It's several levels above the Korean version in terms of cast!

You could say that once the roles are cast and the contracts are signed, the project is already half done!
Moreover, the pay for these actors is cheaper than the other one.

Later that evening, in South Korea, Super Junior's management company.

Upon seeing Tang Wen's email announcing Lee Hyori's selection as the female lead, I was both surprised and relieved.

Tang Wen didn't rely on the power of the Americans and the head office to directly ask for Kim Hee-sun, the company's most popular star, which was somewhat unexpected for them.

Super Junior is at a disadvantage against Tang Wen, but they will likely have to deal with him frequently in the future.

Therefore, a special meeting was held to discuss this matter.

Some people think that Tang Wen acted with discretion.

It is believed that Tang Wen respects Super Junior...

But someone pointed out, "Lee Hyori and Director Tang seem to have attended an event together before, right?"

This statement was quickly proven true.

Not long ago, Lee Hyori performed for Tang Wen during his trip to South Korea.

The people inside nodded, looking as if they had just realized what was happening.

Tang Wen was a romantic figure!

The real reason has been found.

"Lee Hyori is a sexy woman."

"If you ask me, Ms. Song Hye-kyo is more beautiful."

"No, no, no, Chae-young is more beautiful."

"..."

"You bastards, that's enough! Is this a selection of concubines? Go and inform Lee Hyori right now."

Give her a week, no, ten days, and make sure she builds a good relationship with Director Tang Wen.

Tell her that the company won't take a cut of her earnings this time.

And so, that's the decision.

No one asked Lee Hyori for her opinion throughout the entire process.

Lee Hyori: "Huh? Going to Hong Kong? Why? I have a performance coming up!"

“No, there won’t be any now. Another artist will take your place. The company will give you ten days to film Tang Wen’s movie. Including travel time, you can be away for twelve days…”

"Director Tang Wen wants me to act in a movie?" Lee Hyori's red lips parted slightly, looking incredulous. "Are you sure? But how could it be me?" "Think about the specific reason yourself. The company president asked me to pass on a message to you."

"What? The president?" Lee Hyori sensed something was wrong.

The man who came to inform her stared into her eyes and said in an icy tone, "This time, you must do everything in your power, at all costs, to get on good terms with Director Tang Wen!"

Lee Hyori froze.

As a Korean entertainer, he understands the meaning of this statement all too well.

Actually, Super Junior's chairman did not issue such an absolute order.

After all, he is a top figure in the South Korean entertainment industry.

Sending your artists to other directors' beds is easy to do but hard to talk about.

If the outside world finds out, there will definitely be a barrage of criticism.

However, the president himself spoke up.

Everyone in the middle wants to execute orders perfectly and please the chairman.

After being transmitted through two layers, the pressure is increased at each layer!
Finally, the middle manager who came to inform Lee Hyori left her with no way out.

"What if I can't do it?"

The middle-level man glanced coldly at what was behind her: "Why bother? It'll only make things difficult for everyone!"

Lee Hyori closed her eyes. Even without turning around, she knew that the "everyone" he was talking about included Sung Yu-ri behind him.

And the other sisters in the group before.

mean!

But that's just how the Korean entertainment industry is.

"Ernie?"

After the middle-level man left, Sung Yu-ri hugged Lee Hyo-ri from behind.

"It's nothing, it's Director Tang's new movie that contacted me, it's a great opportunity."

The girl behind her didn't say anything.

She heard what was said.

After a while, he said dejectedly, "Why is Director Tang Wen like this too? Why is he this kind of person?"

These words reminded Lee Hyori, who turned around and asked, "Do you think Director Tang Wen knows about this?"

"Huh? Then why do you have to go, sister? The company clearly has other, more famous actresses."

Lee Hyori shook her head; as the person involved, her mind was a bit confused.

We're leaving tomorrow.

Sung Yu-ri helped her pack her luggage with tears in her eyes.

Lee Hyori could only comfort her in return: "No matter what, Director Tang Wen is a handsome man! I'm not at a disadvantage. Besides, it's not certain whether it will work out."

Sung Yu-ri opened her mouth to refute, but no matter what she said, it felt inappropriate.

You can't just say your sister can definitely do it, can you?
What does that mean?

After hesitating for a while, she finally hummed, "Sister is so beautiful, he should have fallen in love with you at first sight and then do everything in his power to protect you!"

Lee Hyori smiled helplessly, pinched her smooth cheek, got into the car and left.

Hong Kong.

That evening, Tang Wen booked a mid-to-high-end hotel to treat everyone to a meal.

Ning Hao announced the news through a megaphone, and the entire crew cheered.

The loudest voices came from the stunt team, who were howling and shouting that Director Tang was so magnanimous, truly worthy of being the man who suppressed Li Zekai!
Drinking in the evening.

As expected, Tang Wen was "besieged".

A group of men, all of whom could drink a lot.

Although Tang Wen was not afraid, he did not want to drink wine like water.

He simply pulled three members of the villain group along to shield him from drinking.

This made things lively.

The heroes and villains are locked in a battle of wits.

Even the martial arts team was split into two groups to compete in drinking.

The lively drinking continued until the early hours of the morning before everyone dispersed.

The cast and crew are on holiday.

Tang Wen, along with Ning Hao and the other two, reviewed the footage they had shot over the past few days.

Ning Hao does have some directing talent; he shoots methodically, reshoots if he's not satisfied, and doesn't prioritize speed.

The completed shot is flawless.

The scenarios are mostly quite simple.

He avoided any scenes involving large groups of people or intense conflicts.

Zhang Jin and Wu Jing also had something on them.

The three villains, under their training, moved with clean and sharp movements.

Look for those that target a person's vital points.

It's terrifying even through the screen!
"Not bad, not bad, all three of you can make a living as directors!" Tang Wen patted Ning Hao on the shoulder.

"With your words, this period of time has been worthwhile!"

I spent half a day figuring out the production schedule.

In the afternoon, Tang Wen had someone buy over a hundred cups of drinks and several hundred pineapple buns, and took them to visit the set of "Kung Fu Hustle".

Time is a bit tight.

It was already past five o'clock when we arrived at Shaw Studios in Hong Kong.

But you can't miss it, because the main filming location for "Kung Fu Hustle" was Shanghai Film Park, not Hong Kong.

In a couple of days, the "Kung Fu" crew will be moving.

Upon arriving at the filming location, as soon as you enter, you see Stephen Chow scolding the leader of the Axe Gang.

I heard a couple of sentences from the past.

It turned out that this guy had taken a break from his busy filming to blow a smoke ring, and Stephen Chow caught him doing it.

Stephen Chow has high standards for his roles, is very decisive on set, and has a temper.

"Producer, Director Tang Wen is here! He brought drinks and snacks for everyone! Take a 20-minute break."

After giving his orders, Stephen Chow approached and forced a not-so-pleasant smile.

"Where is it stuck? Why are you so anxious and upset?"

If everything went smoothly, Stephen Chow wouldn't have cursed people like that.

"The extras aren't dancing in sync. The tap dance of the Axe Gang is the soul of the early scenes in the movie..." Stephen Chow showed Tang Wen around the set.

The Axe Gang members were extras; apart from the people in the front row who had some dance skills and danced quite well, it was perfectly normal for the people in the back to not be in sync.

Tang Wen picked up an axe, and found it surprisingly heavy. After swinging it around, he realized that "the handle was heavy and the axe was light."

He looked at Stephen Chow, who explained:

"We originally used a real axe, but it was too heavy to swing properly. Using a prop made it too light and lacked presence. In the end, we filled the wooden axe handle with lead. This made it easier to generate power."

The break time is over.

The tap dance performance was filmed for the seventeenth time.

Then, NG.

Then came the eighteenth, the nineteenth... and so on, filming for almost an hour straight.

The Axe Gang leader in the front row turned pale and his legs were trembling.

Stephen Chow then called a halt.

But while they called for a halt, it wasn't actually passed.

Stephen Chow's face turned ashen, and everyone around him dared not even breathe.

Tang Wen looked at the ground thoughtfully. After a while, he found Stephen Chow and said, "Retraining the actors is too time-consuming. Let's lay wooden planks on the ground; that will improve the sound recording."

"Won't it get even more chaotic if the noise is louder?"

"Let the post-production team align the frames one by one according to the footage."

Stephen Chow's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered people to prepare.

Before dinner, he declined Stephen Chow's offer to stay.

Before leaving, he asked Stephen Chow to take good care of Chen, saying in a joking tone, "If she doesn't act well, please don't scold her too much for my sake."

Stephen Chow shook his head and chuckled, then personally saw Tang Wen into his car and off.

That's right, the female lead in "Kung Fu Hustle" is not Huang Shengyi, but Chen.

Chen's portrayal of a Dong ethnic minority girl in "Postmen in the Mountains" showcases her pure and innocent side.

In Stephen Chow's mind, Huang Shengyi was better looking, but when it came to acting skills, the difference in their abilities was immediately apparent.

Chen's acting completely overshadowed Huang Shengyi's.

In the current script, the female lead has more screen time.

For example, she and the landlady have a master-apprentice relationship.

He briefly lent a hand when the Axe Gang attacked Pig Cage Alley...

The storyline and character development are more complete.

"Who did Mr. Yang invite tonight?"

Tang Wen declined Stephen Chow's dinner invitation because he had already promised Albert Yeung.

"There are no outsiders, everyone's on our side!"

Huo Wenxi named several people, all of whom were artists under Emperor Entertainment Group.

The place was a private restaurant, and Albert Yeung, along with Twins, Tse Ting-Fung, Joey Yung, and others, were waiting outside.

Tang Wen quickly took two steps to greet him, and the two exchanged pleasantries before entering the private room.

"The opening day box office figures for Infernal Affairs 3 are out. Director Tang probably doesn't know yet, right?"

"Really? How many?"

Albert Yeung thought to himself: He doesn't care about such gains at all; Tang Wen's net worth is truly incomparable to that of ordinary filmmakers.

"In Taiwan, it grossed over 11.4 million on its opening day. In Hong Kong, it broke this year's opening day record, with box office revenue exceeding 4 million. The mainland is even more impressive, breaking 10 million in a single day!"

Tang Wen nodded, understanding that the box office figures for Taiwan that Albert Yeung mentioned were definitely calculated in New Taiwan Dollars.

In retrospect, it's not even as high as the box office in Hong Kong.

This is likely related to the insufficient number of films being released in theaters.

"A good start. The negotiations with Japan and South Korea are almost complete. I hope it sells well and we can all make a fortune together." Tang Wen raised his glass.

Albert Yeung and the others quickly raised their glasses.

Emperor Entertainment's purpose in inviting people to dinner was simple: on the one hand, to build relationships and let Tang Wen get to know Emperor's artists.

On the other hand, with "Infernal Affairs 3" finished, Albert Yeung couldn't wait to start a new collaboration.

However, he is experienced and not in a hurry.

During the meal, Twins stood up frequently to offer toasts, their eyes captivating, their desire to improve evident.

Despite drinking, he politely declined their invitation to go on a sea excursion.

Neither of them is easy to deal with.

She might even have a boyfriend now, and Tang Wen doesn't want to get involved.

"Wow! You don't even like either of them? What kind of person do you like? If you keep going like this, even President Yang will start to doubt whether your reputation for being a womanizer is real." Huo Wenxi drove Tang Wen back to the hotel and got into the car, then started complaining.

Tang Wen opened the front and rear partitions in the car and gave her a look.

Huo Wenxi rolled her eyes, tied her hair into a ponytail, and obediently lowered her head to start working.

I drank quite a bit of alcohol at dinner. I wasn't really drunk, but I did feel a little tipsy and lightheaded.

At this moment, leaning back against the chair is incredibly comfortable; um.

A moment later, the phone rang. It was the crew assistant calling: "Director Tang, we've picked up Ms. Lee Hyori."

"Okay, please make sure you get her settled in."

"Uh," the person on the other end seemed a little embarrassed, and after a few seconds lowered their voice and said, "She said that the company instructed her that in addition to filming, she also needs to be your personal assistant."

Tang Wen's lips twitched: Is the Korean entertainment industry this direct?

"Bring her over. Has she eaten? Have the hotel send her some food."

"Honestly, they're so chivalrous towards foreign women! What's wrong with my artists?"

Tang Wen covered her mouth again.

Huo Wenxi gave him an even bigger eye roll.

Well, this time it might not have been entirely her intention.

It took Tang Wencai an hour to meet Lee Hyori at the hotel.

"With the Hong Kong Disneyland project under construction, the roads to the airport will be even more congested," the crew assistant explained as she saw Lee Hyori, who had her head down, into the room.

"You've worked hard. Go grab some late-night snacks, and give the invoices to the finance department later."

"Thank you, Mr. Tang."

The crew assistant closed the door and left with light steps.

Lee Hyori stood awkwardly at the door, head down, holding her suitcase.

(End of this chapter)