I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 417 The Hunt Begins!
Boom boom boom!
Standing in front of the restroom door in the carriage, Chen Jin, dressed in a suit, knocked on the door with some impatience.

This is Chen Jin's fourth day on set, filming a dialogue scene with Wan Qian.

Wan Qian plays his pregnant wife, who is relieving herself inside.

She also flew to Hong Kong four days ago. Not long ago, she officially terminated her contract with her previous agency and joined the agency department of CETC.

"Honey, are you done?"

Chen Jin knocked again, looking ahead with some apprehension.

Zombies were actually roaming the high-speed train, and Chen Jin had to portray a tense yet calm demeanor.

His chest was full, and he looked very manly in his tight-fitting suit, which was undoubtedly the result of less than a month of hard training.

Unlike the suit-wearing thugs in "The Killer," he has a contrasting, refined, and muscular demeanor that might not be apparent from his face alone.

But looking at his current outfit, anyone can sense that the physique hidden beneath his suit is absolutely explosive.

At a glance, you can tell he's incredibly skilled in combat.

This actor is completely unrecognizable as the third brother in "Under the Hawthorn Tree" two years ago and Chen Xiaozheng in "So Young" last year.

Because the changes are just too great.

It's as if he has transformed from a young actor into an international action superstar, with every move exuding a strong aura.

This is also the role Chen Jin set for herself—a veteran and a combat champion.

It can be said that he has transitioned from a skilled actor to a "practical" actor!
Anyone who sees him now would never think he's just an actor; they would definitely know he's an action actor.

If he was a suit-wearing thug in "The Killer", then in "Hong Kong Trip", he will continue to wear a suit to the end, transforming into the ultimate version of a suit-wearing thug, fighting violence with violence!
……

Squeak!

The bathroom door was finally pushed open from the inside. Wan Qian, who was heavily pregnant, looked a little bloated and said to Chen Jin with some impatience, "Chen Shanghua, I asked you to wait for me outside for a little while and you're already this impatient?"

"I'm carrying your son, you know. Who told your son to be so naughty?"

Wan Qian, annoyed, took the water from the bathroom and splashed it forcefully onto Chen Jin's face.

"Hehe, isn't this an unexpected situation?"

Chen Jin subconsciously bent down and pressed her hand against Wan Qian's pregnant belly, feeling the baby's heartbeat inside.

His gaze was directed towards the other side of the carriage, his expression serious and his brow furrowed.

However, he certainly couldn't show it in front of his wife.

Is my son naughty?

He suddenly looked up and smiled at Wan Qian.

"cut!"

David Leitch shouted in time, and then, according to the script, they suddenly heard a loud banging sound of zombies hitting the subway passage door, which was a separate scene.

Moreover, it was a sudden accident.

"Chan, take a break, we'll film the next scene!"

Chen Jin will be filming this section of the train carriage for several days.

Moreover, the scenes in the train carriages account for 70% of the film in "Hong Kong Trip," and Jackie Chan filmed there for 2-3 days.

Bell clearly has the most.

"So, did you get the pregnant woman's performance right?"

Chen Jin asked Wan Qian, who was still walking around holding her belly, and noticed that Wan Qian's face was fuller. This was a deliberate weight gain for the pregnant woman, to create a sense of realism for the role.

Although it's just a commercial film, Wan Qian still took her role very seriously.

Even after filming is over, they remain immersed in the role.

"It's alright. I went to the hospital for observation during this period, oh dear..."

She pretended that the baby was kicking him, and held onto Chen Jin's arm. Chen Jin was taken aback by her sudden action and laughed a little: "You've gone too far, you're not even in the month to kick your belly yet!"

"Haha, how did you know?"

Wan Qian playfully punched Chen Jin, laughing exaggeratedly.

"Even if you've never eaten pork, you've at least seen a pig run, right? Use your brain for a second, there's no way your baby could kick you at this stage of pregnancy!"

Wan Qian plays a woman in her fourth or fifth month of pregnancy, just past the dangerous third month, who is returning to the mainland to visit relatives with her husband, a retired soldier.

She didn't feel heavily pregnant seven months later, because that would make sense in the film's logical consistency.

Although it's already quite absurd that she survived the entire escape to the finale without miscarriage or bleeding, having a big belly for 7 or 8 months is even more unrealistic; that's what's truly detached from reality.

It's still quite possible at 4 or 5 months, as pregnant women in good physical condition can run and jump.

"I didn't realize you were so knowledgeable!"

Wan Qian was still imitating how pregnant women walk when Chen Jin directly tried to pull off the silicone implant on her stomach.

Unexpectedly, Wan Qian immediately grabbed his hand: "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it awkward? Are you really planning to wear it to the toilet and sleep?"

"if not?"

Wan Qian really wanted to do that.

"It can't be that bad, can it? It's a commercial film. It's more understandable for an art film to sacrifice for a character like that..."

"Then why do you still want to build muscle?"

“I’m different. It’s necessary for the role. Although your character is portrayed as a pregnant woman, the script shows her running and escaping, which actually goes beyond the scope of a pregnant woman!”

Anyway, it's pretty sci-fi; Chen Jin already felt it was a bit outrageous when she was writing the script.

Realistically speaking, the least likely to survive to the end is a pregnant woman.

Of course, the art of film creates a wonderful metaphor for pregnant women—hope!
The baby in a pregnant woman's womb is humanity's hope.

Otherwise, it would be pointless for a pregnant woman to play the lead role; she would simply be a burden.

"And you're the screenwriter who created this character? Don't you know what this character symbolizes?"

"I actually feel that this script cannot be defined entirely as a commercial film. It has some reflections on humanity and society, so I really want to play this role well!"

Wan Qian raised her head, her face unusually serious.

Actually, there was something else she didn't say: although she had collaborated with Chen Jin on so many films and played the lead role in several, there was absolutely no role that made the audience remember her and praise her acting skills.

Although Huang Xiaoxian from "Love is Not Blind" is a character familiar to many viewers, her acting skills are not particularly distinctive.

It's not that she played the role poorly; on the contrary, Huang Xiaoxian became very outstanding because of her. However, the script limited the actor's performance, which is why art films need strong acting skills.

The acting was truly excellent; "Love is Not Blind" should have won an award.

The characters are still a bit too thin.

The roles Wan Qian played afterward, including the female assassin in "The Killer," were also a kind of commercial film.

Until "A Trip to Hong Kong"!
After reading the script, Wan Qian felt the complexity of the female lead, Sun Shengjing, for the first time.

This is a female protagonist who shines with the light of humanity. Even though she is pregnant, she is tolerant, has a strong sense of justice, and is happy to share. Together with the male protagonist's daughter, Xiao Xiu, she shines the brightest in this disaster.

Therefore, she decided to thoroughly understand this role. To this end, she actually went to a maternity and children's hospital to carefully observe the condition of pregnant women, especially their reactions to emergencies.

She has ambitions for this role.

Who says commercial films can't win awards?

A good performance will naturally be noticed by the audience, and a truly outstanding role in a commercial film will only add to the film's appeal, making it more well-known and attracting more votes. The cast of "Hong Kong Trip" is destined to generate buzz even before its release; if it receives positive reviews upon release, this film is sure to be a box office hit.

If you play a role well, it will be a good reference when voting for awards.

The voice of the public has always been one of the criteria for the Golden Rooster Awards.

Wan Qian is already 30 years old. How many 30s does one get in a lifetime? She finally saw the biggest hope in her life: to participate in a commercial blockbuster with Bale, Chen Jin, and Jackie Chan, and even play the female lead. Such an opportunity may only come once in a lifetime.

She definitely has to hold on tight.

Although she hadn't had a proper conversation with Chen Jin or thanked him in person, she felt lucky to have played such a role, but also had a complex feeling towards Chen Jin.

"I will definitely play this role well!"

"Just treat it like an art film!"

Wan Qian walked with difficulty, her steps swaying slightly, and spoke to Chen Jin, word by word.

No one says you can't act well in commercial films, and acting skills don't conflict with commercial films. So after thinking for a moment, Chen Jin smiled at Wan Qian and said, "Okay, wife, I look forward to your performance!"

"Haha, are you crazy?!"

"Who's your wife? Your wife's in mainland China, why don't you go visit her on set!"

Wan Qian said with a very resentful tone.

"If love between two people is meant to last, why should they be together every day and night? Xiao Zhu will understand me!"

Chen Jin had talked to Zhu Yanmanzi on the phone before, but... it had indeed been a long time since she had seen her. Whenever Wan Qian mentioned her, Chen Jin's mind was filled with her image.

"I'm going to complain to Xiao Zhu in a bit, and tell her that you don't miss her at all!"

Wan Qian laughed and giggled, but Chen Jin pulled her back, saying, "Don't try to stir up trouble between us. I'll be going back in a few days!"

"I was just kidding. I was just reminding you not to neglect the people around you, including your family, for the sake of your career!"

Wan Qian spoke from the perspective of someone who had been through it all.

Chen Jin nodded: "Understood!"

When are you going back?

Wan Qian held onto a chair and sat down like a real pregnant woman.

"It'll probably be a few more days. I need to go back and do some promotional work for 'The Killer' and attend the premiere celebration!"

Are you confident?

Wan Qian showed concern like a caring older sister.

Chen Jin raised her head: "What do you mean by 'confident'?"

"Painted Skin 2 has already grossed 13 billion yuan. It feels like it's only a matter of time before it breaks the mainland box office record of Nanjing!"

This is something that people in the industry can actually see.

But if you're asking how good the movie "Painted Skin 2" is?
Not necessarily.

But they still manage to sell tickets at the box office; people still go to the cinema to watch them. The daily box office is still 1000-2000 million yuan, and on weekends it can reach 3-4000 million yuan.

It has absolutely no rivals that can affect it.

Actually... I didn't take it to heart!

Believe it or not!

Chen Jin spoke calmly.

This is indeed his truth, because China's box office market will face an unlimited growth rate in the next few years; even if you break the box office record, a new movie will break your record soon.

It won't even take long.

This is certainly not because your movie is so good, but because it happened to be during a period of rapid growth in China's box office, and you benefited from this increase.

Many directors and actors believe it's all their own achievement, unaware that they don't even know how they became famous.

Take the movie "Painted Skin 2" for example; it's clearly a result of some capital manipulation tactics.

That makes it obvious that it exceeds 18 billion.

No matter how much Chen Jin worries, it's useless. Besides, he really has nothing to worry about. So what if you broke the record of 17.89 billion for "Jinling"? There will be movies that surpass you during next year's Spring Festival.

Who knows, maybe "Hitman" will be a hit?

"You may not take it seriously, but the market and everyone at the company are actually paying attention to this!"

"If you really didn't pay attention, how could you possibly know that 'Painted Skin 2' broke records?"

"This shows that you still care, just not as much as you value it!"

Wan Qian's words were spot on.

Chen Jin thought about it and realized that it made sense. It was true that he didn't take "Painted Skin 2" seriously, but it was still a competitor.

The market has also become more heated because of this movie, and the stock market has already seen several consecutive limit-up days.

The media and film companies are all watching the film's future trajectory, waiting to see when it will break the record set by "Jinling".

"How much is it now? 13.2 billion..."

Chen Jin suddenly picked up her phone, opened the Dida app, and saw the real-time box office estimate for "Painted Skin 2".

The special fund office is currently under development and is expected to be launched in the next year or two. At that time, we will be able to see a real-time and accurate box office figure.

"At the current rate of increase, it should take some time before it surpasses 'Jinling' in popularity, right?"

Chen Jin was talking to himself, and Wan Qian thought he was talking to her, so she said, "Of course, it probably won't be much more than 'Jinling' in the end, but it will definitely be more. Huayi won't let such a record pass them by!"

Everyone knows that Huayi Brothers inflates box office figures, but no one knows how much.

But one thing is certain: even if "Painted Skin 2" breaks the box office record in mainland China, it will only be a few tens of millions more than "The Battle of Nanjing".

Any more is unrealistic.

In that case, "Painted Skin 2" will likely break the box office record of "The Battle of Jinling" around the time the film is taken off the screens.

It's unlikely to be August; Huayi Brothers will definitely extend the key, so it will probably be around September before we witness the birth of a new Chinese box office champion.

In other words, "Painted Skin 2" will break the record in September.

"The Killer will be released in mainland China on August 10th, with previews next week and the global premiere on the 5th!"

"Do you think if it sells well, it could snatch the record from 'Painted Skin 2'?"

Chen Jin suddenly smiled at Wan Qian.

Wan Qian didn't understand Chen Jin's words at first, but after thinking for a moment, she realized: "You mean, 'The Killer' will have another counterattack?"

"Hyakugo!"

Chen Jin snapped her fingers: "Too bad there's no reward!"

"As you said, I didn't consider 'Painted Skin 2' a competitor, but its box office performance is a given. Since everyone thinks that our company, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, is a competitor, let's have a showdown!"

Aren't you going to top the Chinese box office charts in September?

Sorry, but just as you reach the summit, another video might just kill you.

As long as "The Killer" is more explosive at the box office and in terms of popularity than "Painted Skin 2", that's fine.

Chen Jin is actually very confident about this!

"Painted Skin 2" is destined to be nothing more than a spark to ignite the summer box office; the real game-changer is the upcoming "The Killer"!
(End of this chapter)