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

Chapter 463 Good News and Bad News!
"Chan, I have good news and bad news!"

On her way to Los Angeles International Airport, Chen Jin received a call from Aaron Anderson, the team's audition liaison.

In the past few days, Chen Jin has been filming several commercials and waiting for audition notifications.

However, he has to go to the UK to film scenes for "Fast & Furious 6," which will take about two months, and he won't be able to return home until the end of the year.

"So, is it about the audition?"

Chen Jin actually knew what was going on.

"Yes, we've secured the role in 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' and I'll be joining the production on December 20th!"

"This is indeed good news!"

Aaron was genuinely surprised that Chen Jin was able to land a role in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, even though her screen time might only be around 10 minutes. However, the film boasts a very strong cast.

Even Focus Media, the studio behind it, wanted to see if there was a market for such art films in China.

It's basically gambling!
The bet is whether "Wall Street" can pass the censorship of the relevant Chinese authorities. If it can be released in China, then this actor will make a fortune.

It's the same as spending money to buy a character.

However, Chen Jin doesn't spend any money now; the box office revenue in the Chinese market is what pays for it.

The premise is that it can be released.

Any Hollywood movie that's currently making tens of millions of US dollars in the Chinese market can easily earn that much.

This is based on research and forecasts from relevant departments in Hollywood.

Even if China Film Group distributes the films, they can still earn several million more in the end; if China Film Group Corporation can distribute the films, the profit would probably double!
"Where's the bad news?"

Chen Jin speculated that it might be related to "Dallas Buyers Club".

"Unfortunately, they've cast Bernal for the role of Ryan in 'Dallas'!"

Aaron said it very directly.

Chen Jin shrugged: "Okay, I can imagine this outcome!"

Just as the news in the system said, Chen Jin's butterfly effect ultimately failed to get her the role. She can only wait for the Dallas production team to cause trouble before a second audition will be held.

That will be the time for him to truly unleash his full power.

It must be said that having the system's future viewing function will greatly increase his chances of getting auditions.

Public auditions and emergency auditions are two completely different concepts.

The former is an option, while the latter is not an option but a film must be started; otherwise, a day's production halt will be a day's expense.

Hollywood is not like China; its expenses are enormous. For a film with an investment of only $500 million, where investors even withdrew their funding three months before filming began, any problems at this point would be absolutely fatal.

They chose a singer for the original timeline, which seems to be a last resort.

But this singer won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the contrasting nature of this role, which can only be said to be a much greater boost to the actor's career than his own acting skills.

"Okay, we've talked about the audition roles. There are still two important auditions left, which we can only arrange online!"

"I've already spoken to Wes and Damien. Damien's side is just going through the motions. As for Wes, we'll wait for their notification regarding the specific time!"

Wes Anderson is the director and producer of "Budapest," while Damien is the new director of "Whiplash," which he wrote and directed without a budget.

The latter was quite excited about the investment from CETC. He was willing to change the skin color of the script for Chen Jin, even if Chen Jin was black, let alone Chinese.

It's just a matter of the male lead's race, isn't it?
In his script for Whiplash, this wasn't a problem at all!
The success of Chinese Americans is actually even more inspiring.

The movie is about Andre, a freshman at a music academy, who aspires to become a legendary drummer like Charlie Parker and strives to join the highly competitive school jazz band!

The version where Chinese people are discriminated against ultimately gains everyone's approval is more compelling than the version featuring white people.

Aaron didn't know why Chen Jin had taken a liking to the script and even invested money in it, so he wasn't particularly interested in the role; all his attention was still on "Budapest".

If Chen Jin can secure the rights to "Wall Street" and "Budapest," then this year's KPIs will be considered achieved ahead of schedule.

In his view, both of these scripts could make Chen Jin a household name in North America.

Moreover, news came from Lola's side that Marvel will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, give Chen Jin a good series role, the kind with a long-term contract, as well as cameos in several roles from "Pacific Rim" and "Godzilla".

Chen Jin's schedule in Hollywood for the first half of next year is basically full.

Everything after that was profitable.

Just as Chen Jin hung up the phone with Aaron, another guy from her team, Joel Rubin, also sent her a message.

"Chan, you must be busy. Just letting you know that we've secured the full rights to 'The Martian'!"

"Yes!"

In Chen Jin's view, this was the real good news.

Chen Jin didn't really care about passing the audition for "Wall Street," since it wasn't for the male lead.

But The Martian is a globally popular sci-fi film. Acquiring the rights to adapt it and making a movie would be a real money-maker.

"You've worked hard, Joel. We'll celebrate with you when you come to England!"

Chen Jin went to the UK to film "Fast & Furious 6" and also had to shoot several local commercials, such as a Burberry shirt.

Joel is responsible for maintaining the brand, so he also goes to the UK.

"It's done!"

"Next up is Lola's side!"

These are some of the most important business roles, involving global promotion and exposure, and are even more important than Aaron's role in connecting people.

After all, whether an actor wins an award or not is not the key; maintaining global popularity is what constitutes his commercial value.

Hollywood blockbusters are the best testament to an actor's value.

Securing long-term contracts with Marvel, Universal, and other major film studios is like having multiple insurance policies for the team, ensuring that the entire management team won't have to worry about popularity for the next 1-2 years.

That's the allure of blockbuster movies.

……

The plane circled in the sky for more than half an hour before finally landing at London Heathrow Airport.

The Fast & Furious 6 crew has sent people to pick them up at the airport.

Chen Jin took another hour-long drive before arriving at the filming location – Songlin Studio!

A set of artificial structures covering more than 500 square meters, which was originally intended for filming in London, was not approved.

Because director Justin Lin's idea to detonate a tank on the street was banned by the government, they had to build a real set in a studio and use artificial scenery to film the scene.

The entire filming of "Fast & Furious 6" took place in seven different locations.

Originally there were six: the Canary Islands of Spain, a NATO military base, Moscow, Hong Kong, London, and Scotland!

With Chen Jin joining, Shanghai, the mainland of China, has also been added as a destination, which also serves as an opportunity to attract investment.

In fact, Universal Pictures has already recouped Chen Jin's $150 million salary and even generated several million more in revenue.

This is the advantage of Chinese actors.

Many Chinese companies provided very generous sponsorships.

Don't even mention the presence of Chinese actors; in fact, there are no Chen Jin or Fan Bingbing in some Hollywood blockbusters. Companies like Yili, Mengniu, and Hisense also appear in some of them.

Now that there are Chinese faces, the sponsors will only be more supportive.

This is another important reason why Hollywood likes to work with Chinese actors.

Brand value.

It can generate higher revenue.

Boom boom boom——

Before even entering the filming location, Chen Jin could already hear the roar of a sports car.

This is probably the defining characteristic of the Fast & Furious series – the cars.

Wow!

The Fast & Furious crew opened the doors to the filming location, but what first caught Chen Jin's eye wasn't the film set, but a dazzling array of sports cars and muscular SUVs. Chen Jin could even see many vehicles that she couldn't even see in real life.

Pagani, Dodge Daytona, US military armor, and of course... a super-modified, heavily armored monster-type F1 race car!

Among countless Ford, Dodge, and Ferrari sports cars, it stands out as something special and prestigious.

Almost no one can ignore this F1 car.

Anyone who walks in can see it at a glance; even if it looks inconspicuous, it is indeed unique.

"The director is still on set!"

"Chan, why don't you wait here for a while, or... go back to the hotel to rest?"

After asking a question over the walkie-talkie, the staff member spoke to Chen Jin.

"It's okay, I'll wait here for a while!"

While I'm at it, I'll take a look at the car.

"Ok!"

The staff's task is to bring him in; as for what he will do in the next few days, that's what the notice says.

Chen Jin also knew the first thing he did upon joining the crew.

That is, to be familiar with racing.

Although Chen Jin was confirmed to play the role of "Xiao," she still needed to undergo the necessary filming training. Fortunately, Chen Jin had experienced the driving skills of the protagonist Wick in "John Wick," so high-speed driving was not a problem for her.

During the audition, the producer asked him about his driving skills, and Chen Jin was given the role because he was capable of it.

But no one has ever seen his true strength, so he still has to follow the proper procedures.

When Vin Diesel and the other main cast members starred in the first "Fast & Furious" movie, they all underwent corresponding racing skills training. It wasn't until after several movies that they officially reduced their focus on this aspect. As for Chen Jinxin, she definitely needs to be tested.

While watching Vin Diesel and his crew in "Fast & Furious" and seemingly having unparalleled driving skills that surpass those of some race car drivers, in reality, they are only slightly better drivers than the average person.

Don't even mention comparing them to race car drivers; in fact, many racing enthusiasts are more skilled than them.

Their excellent acting skills do not mean they are racing driver level.

At most, they might practice their driving skills in private.

Paul Walker, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will probably die in a car accident next year!

Therefore, Chen Jin doesn't have any bias towards these main actors' driving skills. With his "Killer Wick" abilities, and I'm not bragging, he could easily beat Vin Diesel and the others.

He might not be at the level of a race car driver, but the driving skills honed by an assassin on the run are still incredibly impressive.

"The American film industry is indeed highly industrialized!"

Chen Jin strolled around the photography base for a while before finally arriving at the filming location.

Along the way, many people, both acquaintances and strangers, greeted him. Apart from those who were working, Chen Jin was quite shocked by their words.

He has witnessed the filming of some top Hollywood blockbusters.

For example, when he visited the set of Nolan's film "The Dark Knight Rises" with Guo Fan.

But this was the first time Chen Jin had the opportunity to witness the filming of a major Hollywood blockbuster, with no secrets being kept from her.

This was his first time participating in the filming of a world-class commercial film, and not just being a visitor.

This will definitely be beneficial for him when he films "John Wick 2" later.

"Ok!"

Justin Lin gestured to Vin Diesel, who was filming against a green screen, and that marked the end of filming this scene.

Chen Jin smiled and walked up to Lin Yibin: "Hi, Justin!"

"Well?"

Lin Yibin turned around, and when he saw Chen Jin, he burst into laughter.

"Chan, welcome to the team!"

"Haha, I figured you should be here by now. How about we go to the hotel to rest for a bit?"

Justin Lin was quite enthusiastic towards Chen Jin, partly due to Chen Jin's fame and commercial value, and partly because Lin, as one of the few Chinese directors in Hollywood, was very familiar with the Chinese market.

Another reason is that they are all Chinese, and he doesn't dislike his situation as a Chinese person in North America.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to make "Hot Buddies," also known as "Good Luck Tomorrow," their debut film focusing on the Chinese community in North America.

It was this film that brought him into the spotlight of the Big Six and earned him a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at the world's largest independent film festival, Sundance. This film is quite famous among overseas Chinese communities.

It tells the story of an Asian American high school boy, an extremely intelligent perfectionist who carries the traditional Asian mindset. However, his excessive sense of accomplishment leads to a narrow-minded perspective, directly hindering the normal development of his thinking. In the end, through contact with white people at school, he transforms into an elite.

It may seem cliché, but it resonated strongly with the Chinese community.

Because it's true.

Many Chinese elites live in the United States in order to gain the approval of white people.

But unlike many people of Asian descent, Justin Lin has already achieved success, so he can face his skin color squarely.

Unlike some lower-level workers and newcomers, they urgently need to quickly integrate into an unfamiliar environment.

"chan!"

"Hi, bro~~~"

"..."

Vin Diesel and others, who had just left the film set, came up one by one to hug Chen Jin.

"Is it okay to drink alcohol tonight?"

Paul suddenly asked Justin Lin.

Justin Lin shrugged: "I did want to throw a welcome party for Chan, but he has racing training tomorrow, and alcohol shouldn't be allowed!"

"Haha, poor boy, can you just watch us drink?"

This is Jordana Brewster, the famous Hollywood actress who plays the female lead Mia. Mia is the wife of Paul Walker's character and Vin Diesel's sister. She had quite a lot of screen time in Fast & Furious 1-5, but her role was reduced in this film.

"Of course I have no problem!"

"Tomorrow's racing training is really going to be a headache!"

Chen Jin certainly couldn't boast about her driving skills, or she'd lose all her friends.

Sure enough, as soon as Chen Jin said that, the other main characters were already laughing.

"I'm reminded of the training for 'Fast & Furious 2'. God, that's definitely not something we actors can do!"

Tyrese Gibson, one of the comedic duo in the Fast & Furious Family series.

It's clear that he's quite quirky in real life.

"I have a suggestion!"

The other member of the comedic duo, a short, dark-skinned man named Ludacris, gloated, "How about we team up tomorrow and see how good Chan's driving skills are?"

Watching others have fun is something everyone enjoys, and it's also a way to quickly build team cohesion.

Chen Jin is a new member, and they naturally want to integrate her quickly, including the actor Dwayne Johnson, who hasn't spoken yet but is actually the biggest star among them all.

This guy's net worth in North America has reached $3000 million, second only to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Upon hearing his companion's suggestion, a smile appeared on his usually stern, bark-brown face.

"Guys, this isn't funny at all!"

Chen Jin shrugged and waved his hand, saying, "I hope that once I've completed my training, I can have a high-speed car race, not tomorrow!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone, including director Justin Lin, was amused by Chen Jin's words.

(End of this chapter)