I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 271, the early screening of "To Live" was, as expected, a copy of the film version!

At this time, "To Live" was about to be screened, and the production team even tried to piggyback on the movie version's popularity—of course, Zhang Yimou's studio and Huayi Brothers immediately came out to clarify.

This version of "To Live" has nothing to do with our movie version!

Zhang Yimou and Ge You will definitely go see this movie, but that's a personal choice.

Please don't generalize from personal behavior to the company.
At this moment, Gong Li, who was standing next to him, smiled slightly and looked at Uncle Ge.

"If they're so eager to freeload, then let them freeload."

Today, Gong Li, a "Mou Girl" (actress discovered by director Zhang Yimou), also came to find Zhang Yimou and Ge You, the main actors of the film "To Live" from back then. It seems that they all gathered together for this reason.

Gong Li remains a "Zhang Yimou Girl," and in Zhang Yimou's words, Gong Li holds extraordinary significance for him; she is the "Zhang Yimou Girl" he has nurtured and is the one he is most proud of and satisfied with.

There's no other like it.

She is special, unique. Their relationship has been on and off since "A Terracotta Warrior's Tale". Although they have now reached the point of peaceful breakup and both have maintained their dignity, they still have quite a few collaborations.

There will always be new and young actresses among Zhang Yimou's leading ladies.

But there is only one Gong Li.

"No way, I'm very protective of my reputation. Judging from their momentum, they've probably copied a lot of our movie version of 'To Live'." Uncle Ge chuckled, actually not too bothered by it.

After all, there's only one original script, and judging from our feelings, they've done almost the best.

In fact, if Ge You didn't simply parrot others' work, he felt that the TV series version of "To Live" would definitely be terrible.

Because "To Live" is a collection of suffering, how to portray that repressed, mundane pain?

Is the most important.

In fact, Gong Li and Zhang Yimou felt the same way.

The TV series version of "To Live" probably followed the trend of the film version of "To Live" quite a bit.

Watching this work evokes a sense of nostalgia.

Although the performances of that group of second-tier TV actors may not evoke much nostalgia in us.

at this time.

The TV series "To Live" has begun airing.

The pacing is really slow, but that's also the advantage of TV dramas—they can tell the story in a leisurely and detailed way.
At this moment, Zhang Mouzi also noticed Fugui, the playboy.

Ge You received even more attention.

"Oh my, I don't remember being that handsome back then." Ge You looked at Li Xuan with some admiration, praising his good looks.

When this handsome face appeared.

Ge You's expectations actually decreased.
Li Xuan seems to be quite a hot name lately, but the playful antics of the younger generation are actually hard to catch the eye of someone of his level in the entertainment industry.

At best, it's just a small-scale effort with a passable level of skill.

The casting choices reveal which direction this work leans towards; in retrospect, it seems to be more inclined towards an idol-oriented approach.

In other words, his approach is geared towards ratings, which contradicts the style of the work "To Live" in a way that suggests he's trying to ride the coattails of popular trends.

It's entirely possible that this work will leave people feeling bored.

If you follow your own path, your performance will be only one ten-thousandth of mine. I won't feel any connection to it at all—I'd rather just shout something myself and recite a scene from "To Live."

At this time, Li Xuan was also at home, reading the book "To Live" with Wei Ming. He also had the script of "Protégé" in his hand, which explored the feeling of "unhealthiness".

I used to be so weak and unhealthy, but now my health has basically recovered.

It's a process from negative numbers to 0, and we're still on the path from 0 to 10.

But the body will still instinctively abhor that unhealthy feeling.
It's an absolute, instinctive repulsion.

Li Xuan looked at the script in front of him. Judging from Lin Kun's billing, he should be equivalent to his own General Meng Yi in "The Myth".

He was the 'male lead' with fewer scenes and less screen time.

Should it be considered 1.5?
As for who can shine more, it's a matter of individual ability. All I can say is that Wu Yanzu has a slight advantage in terms of scriptwriting.

Each one depends on his own ability
In fact, Li Xuan was also somewhat emotional, as he was finally able to compete on the same stage with those famous and well-known figures.

Wu Yanzu.

One of the most handsome men of his time.

They were so close to catching up with me!

His appearance was truly terrifying; he was once a handsome young man, but now he had a distinctly American accent.

I wonder how many men and women he has captured.

Such a handsome young man is the dream of so many people.

This is not to be underestimated; this time, "Protégé" is also a battle of wits.

Actors of the same generation, in roughly the same positions.

Performance effect.

Who is the main character?

This is also the most interesting aspect of Hong Kong films.

The script has a lot of dual-protagonist feel to it.

Black and white.

A mixture of gray and gloom.

Who is the hero?
Awards and box office appeal.

These two elements can be leveraged by this work.

But for now, let's put that aside and focus on the present.

That is, "To Live".

"It's really unbearable. After a 20-minute commercial break, there's still another 10 minutes of commercials in each episode. My brain is being brainwashed by Biyuan Changrun Tea."

Wei Ming felt his head buzzing.

It's either Changrun Tea or Brain Gold.

Li Xuan also had some feelings.

Before the advent of internet video streaming, people could only watch TV on television sets, and the advertisements were very abstract.

One- or two-minute commercials will only appear on children's channels.

CCTV is actually alright, but local stations are even worse. Right now, Li Xuan is watching the premiere of Dongshan TV, and the length of this advertisement is a bit abstract.

However, it can also be considered a mark of the times.

In addition, local TV stations offer some small perks.

For example, the advertisement for Zhu Wushuang that was playing in front of them. Wei Ming and Li Xuan both tacitly avoided switching channels. Sometimes the advertisements were quite interesting.

I spent ages looking at Biyuan Changrun Tea and Brain Gold just for this moment.

hateful.

really big.

"What a contrast!" Li Xuan clicked his tongue at this moment: "Wu Shuang in My Own Swordsman is so cute."

“You have a lot of contrasts, you know. From An Zaitian and Qian Zhijiang in ‘The Plot’ to Fugui in ‘To Live’ now.”

Wei Ming felt that the gap was too big.

The main problem is that the music played too closely together.

All of these are works from this year.

Moreover, the time difference is so close that it's hard not to make the connection.

Just like Zhu Wushuang and "It's all good" now.

That feeling, you can't erase it from your mind even if you want to.

Actually, for Li Xuan...

The close connection between works is a double-edged sword. Some negative aspects, like preconceived notions, can make the audience feel disconnected from the story if the actor with weaker acting skills or a less appropriate performance.

People's states of being generally divided into high and low.

Even someone as talented as Stephen Chow will experience fluctuations in his performance. Only actors like Tony Leung Ka-fai, who have pushed their methods to the limit, or veteran actors who have dedicated their lives to honing their craft, can achieve such minimal ranges of variation.

Stable output is also very important.

Of course, there are some advantages to airing consecutively, which is reflected in the accumulation of popularity. The popularity of the previous work has not disappeared, and the subsequent work replenishes it, which is the best way to boost popularity.

Back then, Zhao Yanzi kept making films in the same series, which directly boosted her influence exponentially.

This is predicated on having sufficient hard power.

Moreover, there is another premise: Zhao Yanzi's roles in several works are all on the same board.

They are all protagonists in the same formula, like those in Qiong Yao novels.

The biggest downside of this kind of acting is probably that what goes around comes around. In recent years, she has made a lot of efforts to erase the influence of Zhao Yanzi, which is probably paying back the debt she owed back then.

There are pros and cons, but with Li Xuan acting like this, there's no need for a debt repayment phase. It doesn't feel like he's overdrawn any of his potential.

The difficulty has increased dramatically.
At this moment, Wei Ming spoke.

"A hero, a coward."

Li Xuan shook his head.

"No, both are heroes."

"Hmm?" Wei Ming wondered if he had misheard.

Can Fugui be called a hero?
Li Xuan, however, began to read with a slight smile.

"Just watch."

At this moment, "To Live" began to play.

Fugui is a truly rotten person. Although he was born into the landlord class, he indulged in all the vices of eating, drinking, gambling, whoring, and prostitution. What makes him most unbearable is that he is not only rotten, but also incredibly stupid.

He's a complete 'waste'!
He was tricked into gambling and lost all his family fortune. Everything he owned became a benefit for Long Er.

How could Jia Zhen possibly take a fancy to such a pure piece of trash!
Wei Ming grumbled from the side, but he wasn't actually disappointed in Fugui—because Fugui was so useless that he didn't even evoke any sympathy.

That handsome face, with eyes that held only the clearest, purest folly in the world, was the complete opposite of An Zaitian and Qian Zhijiang.

However, if we have to say something, this is a kind of 'positive' evaluation in a way. After all, if Fugui's portrayal wasn't both stupid and innocent, he wouldn't be Fugui.

A person who spends the rest of their life experiencing failure and loss.

One, a true loser.

northwest.

At this time, Ge Pengyan returned to her company, Northwest Wilderness Culture, a state-owned enterprise, which was also the production company for this round of "Living".
At the company, Ge Pengyan, along with the director and another producer, began watching this film, "Living."

As the director, Zhu Zhengwen was also nervously watching his film be released.

Even though I had confirmed several times that there were no problems, I was still very nervous when it came time to play it.

Feelings of anxiety and confusion are inevitable.

"It's alright, there won't be too much of a problem with the ratings. This time, the lead actor, Li Xuan, has given me extraordinary expectations," Ge Pengyan comforted Director Zhu Zhengwen with a chuckle.

The popularity of this year's top drama, "Plot Against," has also benefited "To Live," especially since the two works have some overlap in their target audience.
It can be said that "To Live" was built on the back of "Plot Against". Coupled with its already excellent IP value, it can be said that "To Live" will not be bad, at least the ratings will not be too bad.

The 'difference' that Ge Pengyan is focusing on is to differentiate itself from the movie version in terms of viewership ratings.
We need to find a breakthrough in this differentiation for the TV series version.
That's why Li Xuan came into being.

The publicity and distribution strategy also roughly follows this principle.

While watching TV, Ge Pengyan still felt a little surprised.

This Fugui is truly a complete waste.

His eyes even had a loser's air about them.

One, a loser.

As expected, Li Xuan still conservatively chose Ge You's acting style.

Ge Pengyan, who was standing next to her, exclaimed in admiration.

Yes, that's the style of acting, that's the rhythm; it really captures the feel of a movie.

If it captures half of Ge You's essence, that's enough to 'maintain the status quo,' and that's sufficient. The rest is up to the scriptwriters of 'To Live' to develop their own style.

However, Ge Pengyan also felt that...

Li Xuan is really quite a talented actor.

The actor who played the cold and aloof guy in "The Plot" and was known as the "Invisible Guardian" left a deep impression on the audience. His heroic acting skills were also used to portray Fugui, a rare and utterly ruthless character, with remarkable depth and nuance.

I really don't know how to praise this kind of acting.
At this moment, Ge Pengyan murmured.

"He truly lives up to his reputation as a 'many-faced' young actor."

At this moment, in the Huayi Brothers studio in Beiping, Chen Kun was intently looking at the book "To Live" in front of him, even refusing the beer and late-night snack that Huang Xiaoming offered him.

"Wow, you're working this hard to maintain your figure?"

"It's not entirely about body control."

Chen Kun chuckled sheepishly and said, "Right, Sister Zhou?"

There was another person in this movie-watching group, Zhou Xun.

At this moment, Zhou Xun, who was also drinking beer, smiled faintly.

"They must have been so engrossed in watching the work that they forgot to eat and sleep."

With her bright red lips, Zhou Xun hooked her arm around Chen Kun's shoulder and teased, "What, you like this work that much?"

Despite their physical contact, the strange thing is that Huang Xiaoming couldn't sense any romantic feelings between them, or even that they were like siblings—it was more like a close friendship between sisters.

The sense of déjà vu is incredibly strong!
Their relationship is very good, stemming from the film "Like Fog, Like Rain, Like Wind," which was their first collaboration—in Chen Kun's words, she is his "mentor."

The guidance she gave me on acting back then was invaluable, and I will never forget Zhou Xun's guidance in order to get to where I am today.

At least Chen Kun definitely thinks so. The guidance he received back then laid the foundation for his current status, and now Zhou Xun has come to Huayi Brothers to sign a contract and join the company.

He switched jobs from another company to Huayi.

Huayi offered Zhou Xun a deal she couldn't refuse.

"I loved 'To Live' when I was in school. He and Shi Tiesheng are my favorite writers."

Chen Kun said softly, but Shi Tiesheng preferred prose and lyricism, while Yu Hua preferred the novel genre.

That's what makes them different.

"I haven't seen him in a long time either."

At this moment, Zhou Xun sat down casually, holding a beer, and looked at the TV series "To Live" with a strange expression on her face.

Looking at this carefree and silly Fugui.

"Sister, do you know Li Xuan?" Huang Xiaoming couldn't help but ask.

“I know him, I even acted with Chen Kun in a movie,” Zhou Xun said.

Chen Kun, who was standing next to him, was also a little surprised. Li Xuan had actually worked with him before?
When did this happen?
"The little tailor, he's playing a villager, but you probably won't even notice him."

Zhou Xun smiled with her eyes narrowed.

"Nobody noticed him anymore, but I did, I noticed him from the very beginning."

Zhou Xun still feels a bit proud of this, especially back when she was filming "Ma'erzaha and the Little Chinese Seamstress".

The little guy that no one noticed.
Now he's already shining brightly, and Zhou Xun looked at Huang Xiaoming beside her, thinking that he could be compared to this promising young talent.

And Li Xuan hasn't even graduated yet.
This early achievement is even comparable to Zhao Yanzi's peak popularity back then! Apart from not having a phenomenal hit like "Princess Pearl," it's not inferior at all!
He truly climbed up from the bottom, step by step.
At this moment, Huang Xiaoming was also somewhat 'confused'.

Li Xuan
In fact, his performance in "The Plot" put pressure on him, given his handsome appearance and acting skills.

pressure.

At the same time, he also thought of how Xiang Zuo called him "uncle" at Liu Yifei's celebration banquet.

This man is shrouded in mystery, somewhat unconventional, and unwilling to be exploited and oppressed by capitalism. If he really is Xiang Zong's brother, he wouldn't have needed to start as an extra in the first place.

Looking at Li Xuan's past, one moment I felt he had connections, but the next I thought that if he did, he wouldn't have started from small roles.

So, perhaps, maybe, possibly.
The relationship between this younger brother and my godson is similar. It makes me feel even worse. Why am I the godson and he is just the godbrother?

No matter how you look at it, it makes Huang Xiaoming feel bad.

But one undeniable point is that Li Xuan's growth rate was even more astonishing than he had imagined—and even bolder.

The difference between his resolute and handsome image in "The Plot" and his portrayal of Fugui in "To Live" is like night and day.
Even Huang Xiaoming himself was worried that he would get confused and be unable to embody the character of Fugui.

But after reading the script for the first episode, he felt a little scared.

Because Fugui really is a fool. His simple-minded foolishness is the complete opposite of An Zaitian and Qian Zhijiang.

How did he manage to portray such an extreme and contradictory character so convincingly?

Fu Gui is Fu Gui, Qian Zhijiang is Qian Zhijiang, and An Zaitian is An Zaitian. As individuals, they are absolutely different.

It exists independently, as a separate entity.

Don't mix up the roles.

This is really terrifying.

The two contrasting character settings don't clash... How is that possible!

But he did it.
Even though his own "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was destined to be better than his "Chu Liuxiang", Li Xuan still gave Huang Xiaoming a great sense of crisis at this time.

Very big.

Even better than expected.

It's possible that he might be able to shake off the "Little Huang Xiaoming" label.
At this moment, Huang Xiaoming's mind was in turmoil. However, Zhou Xun, seeing Huang Xiaoming's state, paused and said.

"The biggest opponent in acting is not someone else, but always yourself."

Huang Xiaoming suddenly woke up with a start.

Suddenly.

Yes, the biggest opponent is yourself.
I have Jin Yong's "The Return of the Condor Heroes," which is the number one IP in martial arts fiction. I also have "The Banquet" and even "Curse of the Golden Flower."

I have a lot of things.

I am superior; he is merely a pursuer. As long as I keep overcoming myself, I will never be surpassed.

"Thank you, Sister Zhou. I was just immature."

"Young people are all like that. When Chen Kun first started acting, he was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat and cried."

"sister!"

Zhou Xun gave a perfunctory reply with a chuckle.

confused.

It is indeed a privilege and a common occurrence for young people.

At least, among the people Zhou Xun has met, there are some who have never seen him feel lost.

Li Xuan, that exceptionally good younger brother, never seemed to be confused; he always seemed so determined and clear-headed.

That's probably his greatest charm.

My one and only brother.

For Li Xuan, the work "To Live" is a significant one.

The impression was very deep; even after filming The Plot, I couldn't forget that unique feeling.

During this period, I filmed works based on novel IPs.

They are all film and television works adapted from literary works.

Espionage.

Era and martial arts.

If we're talking about what truly tests an actor's skills, it's probably "Living." After all, the closer the plot is to real life, the more it needs to highlight the details of everyday life.

TV dramas about everyday family life are the most difficult to act in.

Therefore, those who act in these TV series are usually veteran actors.

Regardless of the strategies employed in the TV series "Living," acting skills are essential for Li Xuan.

At this moment, Li Xuan...

Just quietly and gently feel it.

He probably played the most useless character he's ever played.

The most unlucky character.

Even my uncle thinks so.

But is that really the case?

Is Fugui really a useless person?

At this moment, carrying copper coins on his shoulder and his family fortune, he went to gamble with Long Er, and the wealth accumulated by his family for generations was lost in the blink of an eye.

He feels very uncomfortable.

But he is still alive.

still alive.

At this time, "To Live" was still playing.

Fugui's "luck" lay in the fact that during the first eighteen years of his life, in an era of food and clothing shortages, he was incredibly happy in a landlord family.

Perhaps compared to modern people, this kind of life is not considered 'happy'.

But in an era of underdeveloped productivity, his early life was definitely very happy.

Being able to eat your fill, and even having white flour to eat, is pure bliss!

It's infuriating that he could have lived a peaceful and comfortable life, but at times like this, people's feelings towards him are probably more about gloating over his misfortune.

After all, when others are starving and freezing, you not only have enough to eat and wear, but you also possess white flour, something that other families can only dream of! This stuff can be eaten every day, even in years of famine! No one else will go hungry, but the landlords and rich people will never go hungry.

To obtain what one desires means to recognize that one's suffering is commensurate with one's circumstances.
More than anything, it was a feeling of schadenfreude. Wei Ming even felt that at this moment, he was quite smug about his own fault.
If he hadn't been a compulsive gambler, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"Is this what a classic novel is like? The main characters all seem so miserable."

Compared to other core viewers, Wei Ming has one major characteristic: he has never read the original novel of "To Live".

Although "To Live" is quite popular and has even been included in middle school textbooks, there are still people who haven't read it.

For example, Wei Ming had never read the original novel "To Live" and did not know the later plot. He only had a rough idea of ​​what happened next. He also knew some of the general plot of the movie "To Live". All he knew was that it was a huge mess.

However, as things stand, it's simply a case of reaping what they sowed.

When they first lost their fortune, their misery was so terrible that it only made them a laughingstock.

Some even wondered why Jia Zhen would stay loyal to Fu Gui.

It's puzzling.

However, at least Wei Ming could still watch it, from the perspective of a pure, uneducated newcomer—because it was very real, depicting the turmoil of the times, and all of these things.

Like "The Plot," a portion of the text is used to describe all the changes and transformations experienced by ordinary people in this era.

This characteristic is even more obvious in "To Live". There are no special characters with special backgrounds. They are all completely insignificant people, and it is a tragedy of their class falling to the level of insignificant people.

At least for the protagonist, Fugui, it was a tragedy.

This sense of immersion, identification, and nostalgia made Wei Ming feel somewhat unable to stop.

of course.

There's one more point.

That's Li Xuan's acting skills; they completely belong to that era. This is a rare thing for young people. Why are the older and middle-aged generations so natural when they act in period dramas? Because they experienced that era, experienced food and cloth ration coupons, and some of the older ones even saw Japanese soldiers.

These experiences gave them an unparalleled sense of immersion, making their performances twice as effective with half the effort. These are things that Li Xuan lacked. Although he had not experienced that era, he was still able to portray such a sense of immersion and identification.

This ability can truly be described as monstrous; to be able to empathize with someone from an era one has never experienced.

It's watchable and enjoyable. The viewership of the TV series "To Live" hasn't fluctuated much, generally staying at around 7 or 8.

It can be said that the audience is quite fixed.
Li Xuan is going to Hong Kong to film "Protégé". The current public opinion surrounding "To Live" is that it is "imitating" the film version. There is no ridicule or mockery, and it is even taken for granted. At least for now, the direction is still very much like the film version of "To Live".

It's practically a carbon copy.

It's only natural.

With masterpieces preceding us, how can we not learn from them, or even create something original?

So, you guys don't actually have any original content?

Originality represents overturning and negation; this second-tier team probably doesn't have that capability.

Absolutely not.

(End of this chapter)