Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 358 He is gradually fulfilling his promise

Then the fans who came to the cinema to see Shen Juan didn’t have to wait too long. About ten minutes into the movie, the male protagonist Xiaobei, played by Shen Juan, finally made his official appearance.

Chen Nian accidentally came across a gang fight on her way home from school in the evening. She paused for less than half a second, but she was moved with compassion and quietly took out her cell phone to call the police. However, before she could finish her words, she was discovered by a gangster from the group, who grabbed her neck from behind and dragged her away.

"Brother, this student girl called the police!"

When the gang leader heard this, he became so angry that he grabbed Xiaobei's hair and pulled his head up.

What caught the eyes of Chen Nian and the audience was Xiao Bei's bruised and swollen face, with streaks of dirty blood running down his cheeks. He looked so miserable that it was heartbreaking to see.

"No, isn't it so horrible? No wonder I saw someone say that they can watch Shen Juan get beaten if they pay to go to the cinema."

“This is too much of a fan abuse!”

"Does one have to be disfigured to demonstrate acting skills?"

"How can people take their eyes off his face if he is not disfigured? For an actor, this is both an advantage and a disadvantage."

The audience in the screening room were talking in low voices, and they were obviously shocked by Shen Juan's feature film debut.

"Kiss him! Kiss him!"

"I told you to kiss him! Didn't you hear me?"

"You really want him to die!"

Looking at Shen Juan, who was being pulled by the hair, strangled by the neck, kicked in the head, and cursed at by the thugs, Zhou Qiuyu's emotions were aroused very much. He was so scared that he was trembling slightly. In his tearful eyes, the extremely suppressed humiliation and subtle pity were expressed in a subtle and moving way.

Of course, Shen Juan's performance astounded the audience.

Being strangled by the abuser, his face gradually turned red due to difficulty in breathing, and black blood was flowing freely on his bruised face. But even under this miserable appearance, his eyes revealed a stubbornness and rebelliousness that was very consistent with the character's characteristics and very touching.

It not only struck the heart of Zhou Qiuyu who was standing right in front of him, but also touched the nerves of every audience member in the screening room.

Shen Juan who appears on the big screen at this moment is no longer the glamorous pop king and fashion icon of the past who can always bring spiritual strength to fans. Instead, he is Xiao Bei who keeps struggling in the mud, trying to find light in the gutter, and feels so broken that people feel pity for him.

His every facial expression and every body movement exudes a strong sense of reality and audience involvement.

This is not just the most superficial interpretation of disfigured acting, but also a promotion and leap in the actor's realm.

The idol turned rapper, then singer, then actor.

Shen Juan has almost achieved perfection in his two-year transformation into an all-round multi-talented artist.

The movie moves on.

After a period of time when the hero and heroine get along with each other that can be described as lighthearted and beautiful, the inevitable tragedy happens again.

Xiao Bei was arrested by the police and taken to the police station for investigation. Chen Nian, who lost her protection, was bullied again by Wei Lai who took the opportunity.

And this time it's even more excessive!

Not only did he cut her hair, he also took nude photos of her.

Out of companionship and protection for Chen Nian, as well as a sense of guilt, Xiao Bei decided to cut his hair short with her.

The camera gives a close-up of the male protagonist, projecting Shen Juan's upper body, which is absolutely muscular due to long-term fitness and weightlifting, onto the big screen. The muscle lines are smooth and clear, showing the aesthetics and strength of the human body. He is seen looking at the mirror with cold and defiant eyes, and using a clipper to trim his cool back hair.

(Reference picture, but the male lead does not have Won Bin's face)
It's like a huge rock dropped into a calm lake.

Instantly stirred up a thousand waves.

In the screening room, the female audience members who were stimulated by this scene could no longer suppress their excitement, and the low moans that came one after another intertwined into a small-scale commotion.

"Wow!! What CK couldn't do, Better Days did! The abs and shark lines are so sexy!"

"The impact it gave me was a bit like Captain America's appearance when he just took the serum, but the girth was not as large."

"Shen Juan obviously has lower body fat and is more well-proportioned!"

"This scene seems to pay tribute to Won Bin in "The Man from Nowhere", but Shen Juan has a more handsome face and a better figure."

"Sisters-in-law are blessed!"

"No wonder Sister Tian curses on Weibo every day because of Shen Juan. Those little black people don't understand how well Sister Tian eats!"

"You may not believe it, but I'm a poet."

There is no doubt that in the hearts of these female fans, this is definitely the most impressive explosive shot in the entire film!

There were even many male viewers who had the urge to take a picture of this scene and set it as their QQ or WeChat avatar.

There is no other reason.

So cool!

He has a handsome face, a handsome body, and an even more damn handsome temperament!
As we all know, being handsome is a feeling.

And with the interweaving of light and shadow just now, Shen Juan's already obvious handsomeness was undoubtedly displayed to the extreme!
The plot of the movie continues to move forward.

Due to an accident, Chen Nian accidentally killed Wei Lai. Xiao Bei decided to take the blame for Chen Nian. Unfortunately, the police had already noticed Chen Nian and started an investigation. So in order to prevent Chen Nian's dream from being shattered, Xiao Bei decided to speed up his plan to take the blame and increase his own criminal suspicion.

So on the day the college entrance examination ended, Xiao Bei kidnapped Chen Nian right under the noses of the police who were following and monitoring Chen Nian.

The two ran to an abandoned factory, and Xiaobei deliberately pretended to want to rape Chen Nian in order to increase suspicion.

"Only if you win, I won't lose."

"You go first, go to a safe place first."

"We will meet again, right?"

"Don't forget, you still owe me one."

The atmosphere in the screening room was solemn and depressing.

When Xiaobei seized the last moment to say these words of farewell, Chen Nian's eyes were filled with tears, as were the entire audience.

Shen Juan's performance is extremely infectious, and he interprets the character Xiaobei's inner struggle and determination vividly.

The audience, young and old, male and female, were deeply moved by this sensational scene, and sobs and sobs could be heard one after another.

Industry insiders and professional film critics at the scene were also impressed by Shen Juan's performance and nodded in approval.

Although he was nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his first leading role in "An Elephant Sitting Still", the movie was never officially released in theaters, the resources could only be found on the Internet, and very few people had seen the entire film, so it could not serve as a standard sample for judging the actor's acting skills.

In addition, no matter how you judge it, "A River of Sorrow" is a movie of poor quality.

Therefore, the outside world has never had a clear understanding of the acting skills of Shen Juan, a "part-time actor" whose main job is a singer.

He is undoubtedly talented.

Although this talent cannot be expressed as directly and vividly as his musical talent, it can still make people feel its existence truly.

So it is better than other traffic.

It’s indeed much better.

But that group of traffic stars can’t act at all.

Even if you randomly pick a passerby from the street who has never learned acting to come over for a few days of training, he can perform their effects.

Winning over them is not something to be proud of.

But this "Better Days" is obviously not the kind of bad movie that can be performed by just anyone.

Shen Juan also refreshed people's perception of him once again with his outstanding performance in this award-winning film.

If the audience in the screening room were discussing whether Shen Juan could take on Zhou Qiuyu's role before, now the topic has turned to whether Shen Juan can win the Best Actor award with this movie and this role, and fulfill the promise he made in a joking tone on the red carpet of Weibo Movie Night some time ago.

After about half an hour, the film ended.

The lights came on, and the screening room returned to its former brightness after more than two hours of darkness.

At the same time, the public welfare Easter egg recorded in advance by Shen Juan calling on the public to pay attention to school bullying began to play.

All the media and audience in the screening room stood up and began to applaud.

This is undoubtedly an excellent movie. At least they all believe that "Better Days" will achieve good box office results.

Next is the post-screening interactive session.

The main creative team stood up from the front row and went on stage one by one.

The fans and audiences who had been looking forward to this segment for a long time also clapped with all their might and showed their support.

After going on stage, everyone in the crew stood in a row.

Director Zeng Guoxiang and producer Xu Yuezhen stood in the center, Shen Juan, Zhou Ye and Zhang Yifan stood on the left, and Zhou Qiuyu, Yin Fang and Zhao Runran stood on the right.

After everyone has introduced themselves one by one and enjoyed the audience's cheers, the host begins to move the process forward.

First, the guest speakers spoke.

Da Zhangwei: "This is a very, very, very good movie! It made me, a grown man who hasn't shed tears for a long time, burst into tears. Our teachers Shen Juan, Zhou Qiuyu, and of course Zhou Ye who plays Wei Lai are really amazing! They acted so well!"

"Are you really crying?" Shen Juan asked with a smile.

"So I have to take a selfie to leave evidence when I cry, right?" Da Zhangwei's face was full of speechlessness.

The audience burst into laughter immediately, and this little episode seemed to have washed away a little of the sadness they felt after watching the movie.

Then, the host called Lu Han's name in order.

"This movie is so good and touching! As for Mr. Shen Juan's acting, I have only one word: amazing!"

"Really?" Shen Juan asked again, feeling as if he was being harassed by Lu Datou during the interview.

"of course it's true."

"How extreme is that?"

"It was so awesome that I had to secretly use a tissue to wipe my tears just now!" Lu Han happily gave his sincere praise.

Now everyone started whispering to each other again.

After all, according to the rumors that were widely circulated in the fan circle, this guy was the original male lead of "Better Days".

But later, for some unknown reason, he was replaced by Shen Juan, which caused quarrels and discussions among fans.

Xiao Chunjuan mocked that Lu Han had become obscure after the official announcement and had no traffic value anymore, and he deserved to be replaced by the investors. The New Era had no ship to carry an old dog like him with extremely poor business capabilities.

Lu Wei said that Shen Juan did not know how to respect his elders and had no manners. He would be popular for three years at most and it would definitely not last long.

As it turned out, once Lu Han, whose peak period had passed, began to decline, this trend could never be stopped.

There are no works produced, exposure is gradually decreasing, fans are constantly lost, and the quality of endorsements and scripts has also seriously declined.

So this time he was willing to put aside his pride and come to the premiere to support. It can only be said that Lu Han is a very decent person.

He has been honest in front of the public all his life, but once in a while he loses control of his emotions and gets angry in front of the camera, he is ridiculed and criticized by the whole network. He is not as comfortable as those stars who have no quality from the beginning. His good brother Wuli Taotao should have a say in this.

Deng Chao, who was sitting next to Lu Han, stood up and began to speak. "Like Xiao Lu, I think Better Days is an excellent movie. The theme of the movie is about school bullying and juvenile delinquency, and the actors' performances are all great!" "Shen Juan, you really refreshed my perception this time and made me look at you with new eyes. I just thought you sang well before, but now it seems that you obviously have many strengths waiting to be explored. I look forward to seeing you bring us more excellent works as an actor in the future."

Cheng Xiao, wearing a mask and a bucket hat, stood up with a pair of slightly swollen eyes and continued: "My eyes have told everyone what I think of this movie, it's really great! The actors' performance is the same! The problem of school bullying requires everyone to pay close attention and take it seriously!"

Seeing this, Shen Juan took out his cell phone and sent her a message of comfort right there on the stage in front of everyone.

Of course, no one knew why Shen Juan was holding his phone.

After all, from their perspective, Shen Juan was just playing with his phone and distracted himself when Cheng Xiao was giving his review of the movie.

Shao Goose, who hadn't been seen for a long time because he was away filming, also took time out to come to the premiere: "The scene that impressed me the most in the whole movie was the scene where Shen Juan got his head shaved, and the line that impressed me the most was 'You protect the world, I protect you'. Shen Juan, you really brought the character of Xiao Bei to life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the wealthy ladies in the audience turned their heads and looked in the direction of this well-known flower and bird envoy in the domestic entertainment industry (exclusively for Shen Juan).

I guess after the premiere, this group of people will rush to add her on WeChat and expand her business empire.

As for why Shen Juan was clearly at the scene, but he didn't go directly to find Shen Juan?
Of course it was because Shen Juan was very well protected by the team, and he himself was also rumored to be quite cold and arrogant.

If her family wasn't in the entertainment industry or she wasn't the daughter of a wealthy family, she probably wouldn't even be able to see him in private.

Then, Guli Nazha, Zhang Tianai and about a dozen friends in the circle stood up and expressed their thoughts on the movie.

Some spoke more, some spoke less; some prepared a long paragraph of formulaic words in advance, and some improvised.

But the common point is that they are all friends of Shen Juan, or they all come to gain Shen Juan's friendship.

Facts have proved that: when a person reaches a high position, even if he does not deliberately make connections, connections will be formed because of him.

Then we move on to the interaction with the audience.

"I have a question, Mr. Shen Juan, if you yourself traveled to Chongqing in the film and met Xiao Bei and Chen Nian who accompanied each other, what would you say to them?" The first fan asked a question that was later commented by Brother Neck as not having much meaning.

"Considering their situation at the time, I would tell them that if they hold on a little longer, they will see a bright future. Then, if possible, I would talk to Wei Lai. Since the law cannot punish her, I have to let her realize her mistakes and spend the rest of her life in guilt."

"Teacher Shen Juan, are you an idealist?"

"Maybe. I wouldn't say I am, but I also wouldn't say I'm not. After all, humans are very complex creatures."

The second audience member chosen was a handsome man with long flowing hair named Ricardo.

But perhaps because he spent a lot of money to get the premiere tickets from scalpers, he was particularly excited after being selected.

"Qiuyu, I'm your fan! I want to ask you if there are any interesting things you can share with us during the filming process?"

Zhou Qiuyu didn't expect that he would run into his fans even when the whole city was surrounded by Xiao Chunjuan.

Moreover, he is a high-quality male fan who spends money on the game, which is extremely rare in the fan circle!
She immediately became energetic and radiant. She took the microphone from Shen Juan and replied with some pride:
"There are indeed many funny things. For example, when we were filming the shaving scene, I almost asked the whole crew to shave their heads with me. Haha! But Shen Juan stopped me. I felt that he was boring and had no sense of humor. It would have been much fun if the whole crew shaved their heads!"

As he spoke, he gave Shen Juan a blaming look and said, "Then you won't have to worry about publicity and marketing, right?"

The audience burst into laughter again.

In such a lively and cheerful atmosphere of chasing stars, it is obvious that everyone has not yet discovered what is wrong with this sentence.

But Shen Juan, another party involved in the incident, discovered it.

I just think this sister is a god, she can even say such shameful things so blatantly
What’s the difference between this and Han Geng’s revelation that he stole people’s computers and fed people urine?
Could it be that she thinks this is normal and that she has done nothing wrong?
Don’t you know that this is workplace bullying in real life?

But he wouldn't help.

After all, this incident is a good thing for him.

At that time, everyone would think that it was the already notorious Zhou Qiuyu who wanted to bully in the workplace but was stopped by Shen Juan.

As a vested interest, he would certainly not ruin his future for an ordinary colleague with whom he was not familiar.

The third lucky audience member who was selected asked the question again to Shen Juan, the absolute core of the movie.

"I want to ask Juan Juan, after watching The Longing for Life, we all know that you and the actor Zhou Ye who plays Wei Lai are classmates, and you were born on the same day of the same month of the same year. You are also filming the same movie recently. Did you have any extra chemistry during the filming process?"

Shen Juan organized his words, considered his choice of words, and then answered: "I don't think there is any extra chemistry. We get along the same way in real life as we do in the movie (implying that they play a couple and show off their affection). And I would also like to take this opportunity to tell you all..."

"We all know how well Wei Lai played the role. Zhou Ye worked very hard on the set. She also filmed the scene where she rolled down the stairs. Of course, I know everyone hates Wei Lai and every bully, but please don't blame her for the character's behavior, because she is really kind and nice in real life. I hope that when people scold Wei Lai online, they won't also scold the actress."

Zhou was also listening quietly to Shen Juan's long speech about "he loved it so much", knowing that he said so much just to avoid being scolded. In an instant, happiness and sweetness surged into his heart like a tide, his whole body was surrounded by this warmth, and a smile bloomed on his face.

I can't hide my good mood!
"The next question I want to ask Zhou Ye."

Upon hearing this, Shen Juan handed the microphone to her and gave her a comforting and encouraging look to tell her to relax.

"Teacher Shen Juan just said that you don't have the same personality as Wei Lai, so you acted so well in the movie. Is it because you have encountered similar character templates in real life? For example, you encountered school bullying during school, or later met a gangster girl who bullied others."

This question is purely a hassle.

After all, let’s not even talk about being in the fan circle nowadays. Anyone who has paid attention to the news in the entertainment industry knows that when Shen Juan is mentioned, he will think of the “gangster” girl he is dating.
Zhou Ye officially entered the public eye with the episode of Longing aired last week, becoming another "officially certified" Sister Juan.

So it is obvious that the purpose of asking this question is to stir up conflict between Zhou Ye and Tian Xiwei, trying to make them quarrel with each other, and provide fresh fun and jokes for the public.

Fortunately, Zhou Ye still has a sense of propriety, and she certainly won't be so foolish as to jump into the trap.

Moreover, she never considered bringing the conflict between her and Tian Xiwei to the surface, using Tian Xiwei's not-so-optimistic reputation among passers-by and her notorious image as a gangster to win the sympathy of passers-by.

After all, they may have been former teammates or temporary opponents, but they will definitely not be enemies who will never have any contact with each other!

So I just put on a decent smile and gave an impeccable reply:

"First of all, thank you for giving such a high evaluation. Then, I think everyone should have seen or experienced school bullying, so all of this can be used in performance. Finally, as far as I know, among all the people I know, there should be no such a girl as you said."

Shen Juan also gave Xiao Ye a thumbs up in his heart.

Samoyeds are indeed humans’ closest companions!
Next, the last question of this session:
A high school girl who is being bullied at school tells her experience and hopes Shen Juan can give her some useful advice.

Shen Juan's originally smiling face suddenly became serious. He was silent for a long time before giving his answer:
"Frankly speaking, I have no way to answer this question accurately. I can only listen to what you say, feel and understand the difficulties and predicaments you are facing. I dare not say that anything I do or say will become the final solution. I can only say that we can try to solve it."

"Of course I can say something about love and encouragement, but I still don't want to give those perfect answers that can't be faulted, and deliberately create the illusion that everything will be fine after I finish speaking, because the reality is not like this. Many times our lives are terrible!"

"So I just want to say that we must learn to persevere and endure. Although this is not the most correct approach, it is an effective way for us to continue to survive in this world. Then, when you grow up, try to find your own sunshine and embellish your own world."

"In the face of extreme material scarcity, we can only use our spiritual world to fight against the reality of the material world. Sorry, this is all I can say now, but you can come to the backstage and add my WeChat later. If you have any difficulties, I think we can deal with and face them together."

After the words fell, there was a brief silence, followed by deafening applause from the audience.

Although Shen Juan could have just done what other stars did and said something empty and cliché like "I'm sorry for what you've gone through, keep hanging on and keep working hard, a bright future is ahead, I'm with you", and used the standard answer summed up by countless predecessors to deal with this question.

But when a real-life example appears before us, it is no longer appropriate to talk about those big principles about love.

In the face of hardships and an uncertain future, any empty comfort and false hope are irresponsible.

Only 100% true expression of feelings and empathy can be an absolutely sincere and truly effective response.

As news about the Beijing premiere of "Better Days" was reported online by on-site media and film promotion companies, almost all entertainment news media were trying to take advantage of the popularity of the film, and even many official media began to pay attention to this youth crime film that opposes school violence.

the reason is simple.

There are very few domestic film and television productions that deal with social issues, but school bullying is a common problem in society.

And more importantly, the protagonist of this movie is Shen Juan, whose any words and actions are likely to make hot news.

In fact, during this period, many people have regarded "Better Days" as an important part of China's cultural exports.

Therefore, it naturally received close attention from relevant departments and naturally aroused widespread discussion among the general public.

Discussion about the premiere:

[Wa Juan and his new sister-in-law are almost sticking to each other on the stage hahaha! Wouldn't Sister Tian want to kill someone if she saw this? ]

[It seems that my haters will suffer again tonight (sad face).]

[According to incomplete statistics, Shen Juan looked at Zhou Ye next to him 104 times during the minutes he was on stage. He loved her so much! ]

[According to incomplete statistics, Zhou Ye looked at Shen Juan 203 times during the minutes on stage. She loved him more! ]

[According to incomplete statistics, after seeing the live video, Tian Xiwei gnashed her teeth at least 300 times and was so angry that she bled! ]

[I've always been curious about when Shen Juan made so many friends. Hasn't he been hanging out overseas? How did he get so many friends in the industry to come to support his movie? And I don't see him going back to Beijing to meet up with friends. Are they all netizens who don't need to meet in person?]

[It's normal. If Bieber, Taylor, and Mars came to the Chinese entertainment industry, these people would probably rush to make friends with them. After all, being friends with international superstars is a symbol of status.]

There are also reviews about the movie itself:
[A passerby, I just watched the premiere. I came to watch this movie because I had read the original novel before. It is exactly like my Xiaobei and Chen Nian! It is super good. I didn’t expect Shen Juan’s acting skills to be so great! No wonder he was nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor right after his debut. ]

[The theme of this movie is about two lonely people who rely on each other and grow up together. The look in Xiaobei's eyes when he looks at Chen Nian should be a feeling beyond love. Shen Juan interprets this feeling very well, and his plasticity is very strong. Xiaobei is also a character with a strong sense of hierarchy. He is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he protects his inner softness with a rebellious shell. Shen Juan also grasps this feeling and does not blindly play it cool. ]

[Good to see! The performances of the two young actors are the strongest filter of this movie. All the rational judgments of the plot, logic, and lines must give way to the emotional impact of the two people's huge facial close-ups. Zhou Qiuyu performed different levels of freckles and tears, and Shen Juan made people gasp. There are many handsome male actors, but the ones with temperament and charm are the treasures. You have to believe in the strong feelings that welded the two together! ]

[I went to the premiere, and the actress Wei Jie herself was completely different from her image in the movie. She was also very cute! ]

[Derek Tsang is really something! He can turn any text into something magical! It's better to just make the original work after it's been adapted (sublimated) like this! It's a pity that now he's in trouble, does he have to find a script with controversial plagiarism to adapt and make a movie? 】

[In the modern history of Chinese-language films, the mainland has never contributed a classic image of a young man. Shen Juan has finally broken this zero. Perhaps when he said on the red carpet of Weibo Movie Night that he wanted to win his first Best Actor trophy with this movie, it was really not just talk.]

Putting aside the heated controversy surrounding plagiarism of the original novel, the film has received mostly positive reviews.

Whether it is the overall production level of the film, the character creation of the male lead Shen Juan and the female lead Zhou Qiuyu, or even Zhou Ye who plays the overbearing Sister Wei, netizens have been generous with their praise and are full of praise and encouragement.

After all, the performances of several actors were truly stunning, and they portrayed their respective roles to the fullest in every scene.

Moreover, this juvenile crime film focusing on school bullying has its own unique charm compared to those main theme blockbusters with grand scenes and huge structure.

It is more like a magnifying glass, which can show the actor's hard power and handling of details without reservation.

Every subtle change in expression and every fluctuation in emotion will be accurately captured by the camera.

It is then clearly fed back to the big screen, impacting the hearts of ordinary audiences, stirring their emotions, and at the same time providing professional film critics with rich appreciation material.

This is precisely the key reason why director Derek Tsang frequently uses close-up shots of the face.

Now that we have noticed the two leading actors' outstanding acting skills and unlimited potential, and now that we have acknowledged their outstanding performance during the filming process, we must showcase it without reservation in the most direct and shocking way, and show off this rare acting talent to the audience.

At the same time, the release of this film and the subsequent supporting marketing and promotion have also enabled people to have more profound thinking and discussion on the heavy social topic of school bullying and juvenile delinquency.

Although this society is very complex, a single individual can only change himself but can never change the entire social environment.

School bullying and juvenile delinquency are not problems that can be solved in a short period of time.

But allowing it to surface and enter the public eye is actually a significant and far-reaching progress.

Shen Juan knows very well that he cannot change this society, but this does not stop him from using his influence to do something for this society.

Instead of being like his traffic-rich peers who excessively occupy social resources just to make money from their fans.

It can only be said that due to different status and position, one's perspective and perspective will also change greatly. It is reasonable for Shen Juan to look down on his peers.

The next stage of pop superstardom is icon.

And he happens to be young and has a lot of things he wants to do.

In the race against time, he will win.

(End of this chapter)