This director is vindictive.

Chapter 401 The Story of the Small Cannon Exploding
Chen Mo wouldn't say, "I saw in the news in my past life that your movie was being criticized so harshly, would he?"

Of course, to be honest, he could understand why Feng Xiaogang would make the film that way and why the script was written that way; he thought it was normal.

Because he is neither a woman nor from any marginalized group.

Therefore, everything is just his own opinion.

Just like the script written by the screenwriter, it's just how men imagine these women to be.

To put it bluntly, one issue is perspective. When a man directs a film about women, you might ask how to make them look prettier and sexier, and the male director would definitely be able to do it better.

After all, men definitely understand better than women what kind of things men want to see. For example, Jiang Wen patting Xu Qing's buttocks, or the thigh scene of getting out of the car in Wong Kar-wai's "Blossoms," are classic scenes that men find irresistible.

But conversely, if you ask a man to film what women think, how women interact, and so on, what does Feng Dagang know?

Of course, it's not that male directors can't make good films about women, but the problem is that the screenwriter is a man, the director is a man, and they didn't really try to figure out how women in this social class interact. So, wow, they directly substituted it with how men interact.

They all seem the same? But how could they possibly be the same?

Chen Mo was speechless. If you're going to make a film about this topic, can't you at least do some research and find some people with similar backgrounds to share their findings? Is that so hard?

Of course, since Chen Mo is looking at things from God's perspective, his viewpoint is naturally biased, so it doesn't seem fair to say that.

But there is no such thing as objectivity in the first place!

Feng Dagang on the other end of the phone was clearly very dissatisfied with Chen Mo's rejection of Zhao Liying's role.

Although Chen Mo has indeed surpassed his senior in terms of box office, commercial achievements, and influence, when did Feng Dagang ever lose face like this?
Although he did approach Zhao Liying partly because of her reputation as the "Princess of the Chinese Entertainment Industry," which was a good fit for the marketing strategy of "Sunflower."

After all, there are quite a few scenes in this movie where people slap each other and are slapped.

But he still felt that choosing Zhao Liying was a sign of respect for her, not that he couldn't live without her.

Chen Mo actually refused, and more importantly, he refused after reading the script. What does this mean? It's obvious that Chen Mo doesn't like the script, or rather, he doesn't have high hopes for his new film.

"Of course not, it's just that the content is too explicit!" Chen Mo felt that he had been very tactful and considerate.

But sometimes what he thinks is just what he thinks, what he feels is just what he feels.

Feng Dagang was certain that Chen Mo looked down on the script, which, in essence, meant that Chen Mo disrespected him, Feng Dagang, and was disrespectful to him!

"Hehe. That's settled then!" Feng Dagang hung up the phone immediately.

Chen Mo was taken aback when he heard the busy tone on the phone. Goodness, he's already broken down?
Even if a deal falls through, we can still be friendly. I'm so old, yet I'm still so impatient.

"How rude!" Chen Mo shook his head and complained.

Zhao Liying, however, asked with some concern, "Won't this offend Director Feng? He seems quite angry."

Chen Mo said calmly, "So?"

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Zhao Liying was still a little worried, mainly because if it weren't for her, this wouldn't have happened.

She seemed somewhat remorseful.

Chen Mo pulled her into his arms and said, "Alright, so what? Does he have to act in Feng Dagang's movies? Isn't that perfectly normal in the entertainment industry?"

Chen Mo disagreed, saying that was indeed the case! Besides, he believed he had already given Feng Dagang plenty of face.

At least they've come up with a plausible reason, what more do you want?

"And putting everything else aside, you're really not suited for this kind of role!" Chen Mo added.

"Why am I not suitable?" Zhao Liying said, somewhat unconvinced.

"Don't be so unconvinced. To be honest, your image is just not suitable for this role. Your eyes are too clear. This isn't something you can change overnight with acting skills!" Chen Mo looked at her, thinking of some netizens' comments on Zhao Liying's acting in this film in his previous life.

"Who is that white fox? She's a woman who's served time in a place like prison! To be honest, if you really act it out, it'll be easy for the audience to lose immersion in the story!" Chen Mo said.

Zhao Liying, the "I," clearly felt that Chen Mo had underestimated her.

But since she's already refused, how can she prove herself?
On the other hand, Feng Dagang was indeed very unhappy!
"Clang!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became! He, Feng Dagang, was a very famous director in the entertainment industry.

So many actresses lined up to act in his plays, but they were all rejected!
Moreover, he rejected the offer after reading the script.

The key point is that at the beginning they said that if it was necessary for art, then using a body double or a camera trick could be considered.

But after reading the script, they immediately said it was too explicit! Isn't that a clear indication that they don't like it?

He slammed the cup down hard on the table!

"Why are you so angry?" Xu Fan asked as he pushed the door open and saw Feng Dagang's fuming expression. They say old people are like children, and Feng Dagang is exactly that.

"You don't know what's good for you!" Feng Dagang was still annoyed!

"Who is it that made you so angry?" Xu Fan asked curiously. She was genuinely curious because Feng Dagang was now quite successful and had top-tier seniority and experience in the industry.

Few people could provoke him to such a deep rage.

“Chen Mo!” Feng Dagang said.

Now it was Xu Fan's turn to fall silent!

Then she couldn't help but ask, "You two don't have much interaction, do you? Why?"

“I’m working on a new project recently, right? I invited Zhao Liying to play the female lead, but Chen Mo rejected it after reading the script! Who does he think he is? He’s just a petty person who’s gotten ahead. When I was directing, he was still wearing open-crotch pants. He’s made a few movies and now he doesn’t know who he is. What a piece of trash!” Feng Dagang said indignantly.

Xu Fan couldn't help but roll his eyes.

But in his heart he thought, "How many movies has he made? He's a legendary figure in the entertainment industry, okay?"
Aside from age and seniority, what else does Lao Feng have that can compare to you?
But she could only think these things in her heart; of course, she couldn't say them out loud, otherwise Little Cannon would explode.
"You don't need her, and whether or not you accept a role is a two-way choice. What's there to be angry about? What reason did he give for refusing?" Xu Fan asked curiously.

"It's too explicit!" Feng Dagang said.

"Um, what's making you angry?" Xu Fan asked, puzzled.

"You really think it's because the content is too explicit? What's so explicit about it? And this was after reading the script. What do you think he meant by that? What does he mean?" Feng Dagang said angrily.

Xu Fan could only comfort him, saying, "Maybe it's just because the content is too explicit? After all, there are indeed sexually explicit scenes in your film."

In his heart, however, he thought to himself, "Do you think everyone is like you?"

When filming "Aftershock", did they even do a passionate scene with her?

This is what a man should do, okay?

"Hehe, those are just excuses. I really need to get my revenge! Help me think of a way to get my revenge," Feng Dagang said to Xu Fan.

This stumped Xu Fan.

Good grief, how are we going to vent this anger? Do they really think Shengshi Pictures is made of clay?

Besides, you're not in the right! They just turned down the acting offer.

But she knew Xiao Gangpao's temper; if she didn't let him vent his anger, it was entirely possible that he might do something terrible.

Xu Fan pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He leaned closer to Feng Dagang and said, "Old Feng, this might not be a bad thing. Chen Mo and Zhao Liying are both top-tier celebrities right now. If he rejects our script, wouldn't that be a perfect opportunity to create some buzz?"

She poured a cup of tea and handed it to Feng Dagang, continuing, "Look, we can do it like this—first, have the team 'accidentally' leak the news to the media that Zhao Liying was rejected by Chen Mo because of the explicit content, with a headline like, 'Shocking! Chen Mo reads the script overnight and urgently cancels Zhao Liying's participation.' Once the topic gains traction, you can post a Weibo message saying..."

Feng Dagang frowned and interrupted with some displeasure, "Doesn't this make me look like I'm trying to ride on his coattails?"

Xu Fan rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. Good heavens, is this something you, Little Cannon, would actually say?

"It's not like you invited them because you wanted to gain popularity," she said irritably.

Feng Dagang scratched his nose and said, "Alright, you can continue!"

"Pretentious!" Xu Fan couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.

Isn't that just being pretentious? How did you get your nickname "Little Cannon"? Wasn't it earned through your outbursts?

"Of course, we can't go too far, otherwise it might give the impression that we're petty. So you need to be careful with your Weibo posts. For example: 'Artistic creation inevitably involves controversy, and 'Sunflower' does indeed touch on sensitive topics. Thanks to a colleague for reviewing it in advance and pointing out our 'concerns about the scale,' which precisely proves that we have touched on a social pain point.'"

“These days, everyone’s complaining about censorship, right? So, the large scale itself is a big selling point, isn’t it?” Xu Fan added.

"Then we'll have the marketing team follow up, turn the comparison between the original novel and the screenplay into a trending topic #SunflowerAdaptationControversy#, and then find a few film critics to take sides and debate it."

Once the buzz builds, you can use the director's account to release behind-the-scenes footage, focusing on the raw and authentic prison research material—this film's main theme is "giving voice to marginalized groups," so it naturally needs artistic integrity, and the level of explicitness is also a standard of measurement. Just based on that, it shouldn't be difficult to attract audience discussion, right?

Feng Dagang stroked his stubble and suddenly laughed, "Brilliant! The fiercer the online arguments get, the more publicity we'll save. But..."

He suddenly thought to himself, "I need to have the casting assistant director find a second or third-tier actress to sign tomorrow, preferably one who has a grudge against Chen Mo, so that we can create a 'recasting controversy' later."

"No way! The only people who have a grudge against Chen Mo are those from the 'Backstabbing Cult.' They have a bad reputation, so let's not play with fire," Xu Fan quickly stopped him.

What a joke, those people are already nailed to the ground.

Just to vent his anger, he's cleared his name? She's really afraid that if Chen Mo goes crazy, he'll ruin Lao Feng's reputation in his later years.

(End of this chapter)