Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 532 A Surprise

In the Beverly Hills restaurant, a faint ring of wine stains still remained on the rim of the wine glass.

Wu Chen hung up the phone and casually placed it on the table.

Jason Blum looked up, tapping the stem of his wine glass lightly with his fingertips, and slowly began to speak:
"Is Inception finished?"

Nolan's "Inception" is scheduled for release this July, something Warner Bros. had already planned long ago, and now, it seems like that's all that's left to do.
"Yes, the haircut is about to be scheduled, and they invited me to come and take a look."

"I think what you're most interested in seeing is Crystal's performance in the movie."

His tone was clearly sarcastic.

Wu Chen did not deny it, but just smiled.

After all, his girlfriend is there, and her role is quite significant, so it's normal to have expectations.
Meanwhile, in a villa in Beijing.

Gong Li sat in front of the dressing table, lost in thought, her fingers hovering hesitantly over her phone.
The script for "What Women Want" was spread out on the table. She had already taken on this project. Although the script did not currently meet her requirements and the director was still revising it, the start date for filming had been tentatively set for June of this year.

If she remembered correctly, Wu Chen seemed to have said that "Interstellar" would start filming this year, and there were already casting announcements from Hollywood. Under these circumstances, her schedule did not fit in.
However, with an opportunity like "Interstellar" being directed by Wu Chen, it would be a real shame not to seize it.
Thinking of this, she glanced at her contacts, rubbed her fingers together, and then dialed the number.

At that moment, Wu Chen had just returned to his villa in Beverly Hills. As soon as he got out of the car, he received a call from Gong Li.

Looking at the incoming call, he knew the reason for the call almost without thinking.

Gong Li

Wu Chen answered the phone, glancing at the small fountain in front of his villa, which was shimmering with a faint mist under the warm yellow light. He casually fiddled with it for a moment, then walked back to the living room and draped his coat over the sofa.

"Director Wu, did I disturb you?"

"no!"

Wu Chen smiled, and the two then got down to business.

Gong Li came to inquire about "Interstellar," and was pleasantly surprised to hear that there was indeed an Asian female lead role.

However, after Wu Chen patiently elaborated on the character's background, Gong Li on the other end of the phone fell silent.

"So, my current aura is still too strong."

Holding the phone, she looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Her jawline was sharp, and her eyes were piercing. She was both amused and exasperated.

This kind of natural incompatibility in temperament is the most troublesome.

Wu Chen didn't beat around the bush: "Yes, a little."

A soft sigh came from the other end of the phone.

"If I were ten years younger, maybe it would be a good fit."

Gong Li remarked that she seemed to have a softer bone structure a few years ago, and combined with the character setting Wu Chengang mentioned, she was a good fit.

“Sister Gong Li, everything has its advantages and disadvantages,” Wu Chen said with a hint of comfort in his voice. “If it were any other role, you would be irreplaceable.”

He couldn't force Gong Li to play the role unless the character setting was changed. The role of the professor's daughter and biotechnology PhD would have to be changed to a mission commander to suit Gong Li's performance.

That's a huge change.

"So this role was given to Sissi?"

The moment Gong Li realized she wasn't a good fit for the role, she knew who the character was designed for.

In the Chinese-speaking world, there are very few actresses who can take on roles of this caliber.

It's either her or Liu Yifei.

As for Zhang Ziyi, she didn't even give her a second glance. The other party was currently embroiled in a charity fraud scandal, her image had plummeted, and she couldn't even protect her brand, let alone a film with a production cost of up to two hundred million US dollars.
"Yes, I plan to surprise her."

Wu Chen didn't keep it a secret; after the casting process in North America, he quickly announced the cast.
Upon hearing this, Gong Li couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, vaguely recalling herself back when she had Zhang Yimou. Unfortunately, the two had different goals and paths.
That evening, Liu Yifei called as promised, expressing her excitement and anticipation upon learning that Wu Chen was going to see the finished film of "Inception" the next day.

"Remember to read my part carefully, then come back and tell me."

"Yeah, no problem"

Wu Chen nodded, and after hanging up the phone, he couldn't help but chuckle.

He was thinking that if Liu Yifei asked about "Interstellar," he could reveal the surprise, but after chatting for a long time, they only talked about ordinary interesting things, and the conversation didn't veer in that direction at all.

The following day, the Los Angeles sun slanted down from the direction of Santa Monica, filtering through the skyscrapers and palm trees of the Beverly Hills ridge and illuminating the unassuming gray facades of the buildings. These buildings, seemingly ordinary and unmarked, were the heart of Warner Bros.' post-production department.

No one outside knows which building the actual haircut takes place in; only a select few invited individuals are allowed entry.

After Nolan saw Wu Chen in the distance, he waved and then led Wu Chen toward a building behind the building.

"Is it really necessary to be so mysterious?"

"Being absolutely safe won't lead to any mistakes!"

Nolan is particularly committed to the principles of security and confidentiality.
Pushing open the door, you'll find a small screening room at the end of the dimly lit corridor.

Hanging on the wall are several familiar stills from "The Dark Knight".

"OK, let's take a look at the finished product."

Nolan clapped his hands, and the staff understood and turned off the lights.

Suddenly, darkness descended, and the opening credits appeared.

Inception.

A spinning city, a suddenly tilting corridor, a fight in zero gravity.
However, what caught Wu Chen's attention even more was when Liu Yifei appeared.

Nolan clearly noticed Wu Chen's gaze, turned his head to look at him, and asked with a hint of teasing in his tone, "What do you think?"

"very good!"

"Are you referring to the movie, or Crystal's performance?"

Nolan's voice carried a hint of teasing.

I think both are true!

Wu Chen chuckled softly.

After the film ended, Wu Chen immediately gave his review, saying, "I think it was fantastic. The details were handled exceptionally well; it deserves a final cut."

The other staff members looked at Nolan with expectant eyes.

"OK, this version will do."

"Oh, yeah!"

Everyone applauded in celebration.

"By the way, how's the casting process going?"

After the event, the two chatted.

While many people have been speculating about the casting for "Interstellar," director Christopher Nolan's guesses are more accurate. In his opinion, Wu Chen is almost certainly already among the audition candidates.

"Yeah, we just cast a supporting actor. We originally wanted him to try out for the lead role, you know, Matt Damon."

"Oh, that poor guy who lost $2.5 million."

Nolan spoke frankly, and Wu Chen immediately laughed upon hearing this.

"By the way, did Christian look for you?"

"I looked for him, but his personality wasn't a good fit, and he wasn't available."

"Okay, no time constraints again!" Nolan couldn't help but shake his head, looking at Wu Chen curiously, "Your male lead sounds like he's hard to choose."

Matt Damon and Christian Bale are not a good fit in terms of temperament, which proves that the requirements for this male lead are quite high.

"I need him to have a rugged lifestyle, a kind of 'native' simplicity, someone who's 'born and raised on the land,' be able to drive tractors and repair farm machinery, and finally, have a romantic streak, and have expressive eyes."

"You have really high standards for this role!"

Nolan smiled, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Wu Chen, suggesting, "You know what, I actually thought of someone. Matthew McConaughey, do you know him? He's from Texas and has a typical Southern accent."

"Yes, I've studied his films and have already asked Universal Pictures to extend an invitation to him."

(End of this chapter)