It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 189 Jiang Wen is not cultured! Jiang Wu is not martial (Seeking monthly votes)
"Jiang Wen is neither cultured nor martial."

This is a popular saying in the entertainment industry, which aptly summarizes the contrasting personalities of the Jiang brothers, Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu.

Jiang Wen's original name was Jiang Xiaojun, and Jiang Wu's original name was Jiang Xiaobing.

Their maternal grandfather hoped that Jiang Wen would be more gentle and Jiang Wu would be more courageous, so he renamed them Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu. But reality did not go as planned.

Jiang Wen was bold, rebellious, and mischievous from a young age. After entering the film industry, he became even more domineering and decisive, with a strong desire to control his films. His works are also full of critical spirit and sharp style.

In contrast, Jiang Wu was gentle and honest from childhood. He has always been humble and low-key in the entertainment industry, speaks gently, rarely offends anyone, does not fight for top billing when filming, and focuses on portraying the role once he gets it.

Most of the characters he played were honest and simple.

To be honest, Lü Rui was quite surprised that Jiang Wu auditioned for the male lead in "Dying to Survive".

After all, he hadn't had much contact with Jiang Wu before this.

Even though he was very close to Jiang Wen and had met Jiang Wu several times, they never really had much interaction.

However, in his memories of his previous life, he had a very deep impression of Jiang Wu.

The character I remember most clearly is not the martial arts student in "Let the Bullets Fly", but the sea in "A Touch of Sin".

In the film, Jiang Wu plays Dahai, who holds a hunting rifle with eyes full of suppressed anger, perfectly conveying the idea that "the weapon of criticism cannot replace the criticism of weapons."

Ironically, when the evildoers in the film heard the alarm, they didn't panic at all; instead, they straightened their backs!

Even now, thinking about this absurd scene still makes Lü Rui feel heavy-hearted.

"Hello Director Lü, hello Director Shen, brother..."

After Jiang Wu pushed open the door and entered, he greeted the people in the audition room in a gentle voice.

Lu Rui stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to look at Jiang Wen beside him, quite surprised: "You two really look like twin brothers, it's hard to tell you apart at first glance."

"Haha, a lot of people say that!" Jiang Wen laughed heartily. "But I'm a full four years older than him, and we're half-brothers."

In fact, many brothers in first or second marriages often have weak and distant relationships.

But the two brothers in the Jiang family were exceptionally close.

Whenever Jiang Wen had the chance, he would try to introduce plays to Jiang Wu.

What's even more interesting is that Jiang Wen isn't very close to his biological mother, but he gets along like buddies with Jiang Wu's biological father, who is also his stepfather.

Once, the two brothers drank too much with their father and solemnly swore brotherhood in the yard, which angered Jiang Wen's mother so much that she scolded and stomped her feet, and in the end she could only give up helplessly.

Jiang Wu came to audition this time because Jiang Wen introduced him.

After reading the script for "Dying to Survive," he felt that the story was solid and the characters were compelling. He believed that if Jiang Wu could land the lead role, it would be a huge boost to his acting career.

After all, Jiang Wu had always played simple and honest supporting roles before, and he desperately needed a profound leading role to break through his established image.

However, before the audition began, Lü Rui made a request: "If you pass the audition, can you lose weight? And it has to be the kind of weight loss that happens while filming, can you do that?"

This demand is not unfounded.

In the script, the male lead was quite healthy before he was diagnosed with cancer.

However, after the diagnosis, his condition worsened day by day, with rapid weight loss and a gaunt complexion...

Lü Rui wanted to film the real process of "the body deteriorating with illness".

However, this places extremely high demands on the actor's physical management, as it is completely different from the character of Lü Shouyi, who is sickly from beginning to end. The male lead needs to accurately control the changes in his physique at different stages.

"Yes!" Jiang Wu agreed without hesitation, his tone firm. "When I was filming 'Shower' in 99, I gained 20 pounds in a short period of time for the role. If I can gain weight, losing weight is no problem either."

"Alright." Lü Rui nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's begin the audition."

Everyone present knew that having an actor and director as an older brother was a double-edged sword for Jiang Wu.

The advantage is that no one in the industry dares to bully him, and he never lacks acting opportunities.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious.

Jiang Wen's brilliance always made him appear somewhat overshadowed.

Few people even know that Jiang Wu himself has won quite a few awards, such as the Best Actor award at the 19th Hawaii International Film Festival.

He has mostly portrayed honest, simple, and dutiful characters in the past, but that doesn't mean he can't play selfish, eccentric middle-aged men.

On the contrary, this contrast with the "pre-existing image" makes the character more surprising.

When an actor who always presents a gentle demeanor suddenly unleashes complex and sharp qualities, the impact is exceptionally strong!
During the audition, when the male lead, played by Jiang Wu, faced with doubts, he roared with red eyes, "He just wanted to live! What did he do wrong!", the audition room fell silent instantly!

The other onlookers were stunned by the sudden outburst of energy, feeling that the line, coupled with his hysterical expression, was both heart-wrenching and conveyed a desperate stubbornness.

But as Lu Rui looked at him, he suddenly thought of the sea in "A Touch of Sin".

Both are from the bottom of society, both are fighting to "survive" and "fight for their lives," and their spirit of refusing to bow down even when pushed to the brink by reality is perfectly reflected in him.

Yes! Poor people just want to survive, what's wrong with that?

Does simply resisting injustice make one a sinner?

“Excellent!”

As soon as the audition ended, Lü Rui was the first to applaud, his eyes full of undisguised approval.

Others chimed in, and applause filled the audition room.

Jiang Wugang quickly detached himself from the character's emotions, the sharp stubbornness on his face fading away, and the next second he returned to his usual slightly naive appearance.

He scratched his head, seemingly a little embarrassed.

Lu Rui then gave Liu Yifei a wink: "Go up and do a scene, try out a father-daughter scene, and get a feel for it."

"OK, all right."

Liu Yifei stood up in response and walked to the opposite side of Jiang Wu.

Jiang Wu is already married with children, so playing a "father" is not a difficult task for him.

The transition between being a loving father and a strict father was quite easy for him.

As for Liu Yifei, she simply and quietly replaced Jiang Wu with Jiang Wen.

She had played Jiang Wen's "daughter" several times before, so she was already familiar with the role.

This immersive experience instantly reveals the initial sense of alienation from rebellion and defiance, and the later sense of intimacy from hidden care, with surprisingly good results.

After filming wrapped, Lü Rui said directly, "Go back and wait for news. We'll let you know the results as soon as the other actors finish their auditions."

"Okay, thank you, Director Lü." Jiang Wu nodded his thanks, said goodbye to the others, and turned to leave the audition room.

As soon as the door closed, Lü Rui suddenly raised an eyebrow, thinking of something interesting.

If Jiang Wu is cast as the male lead, then the script could actually be improved even further!
In the original "Dying to Survive", the protagonist and the police officer are brother-in-law and brother-in-law, which is full of the tug-of-war between family affection and legal principles.

But this time, the police officer role was played by Jiang Wen.

What if we made them brothers?

One is a "marginalized person" who risks everything to sell medicine for himself and his fellow patients; the other is a policeman who upholds rules and the law.

The two brothers have completely different ideals and ways of doing things. They disliked each other in the early stages and may even have fierce conflicts due to their opposing positions.

Later on, as the male protagonist changes and the police begin to rethink the balance between "human sentiment and law," their relationship may take a new turn...

This "battle of positions between brothers" adds a layer of complexity to the original "brother-in-law and brother-in-law" dynamic, making the dramatic tension even stronger!

The more Lü Rui thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. While refining the new concept in his mind, he raised his hand to signal to the staff: "Let the next actor who is auditioning come in."

Jiang Wu has quite a few competitors.

For example, Wang Jingsong, his classmate at the Beijing Film Academy and also Liu Yifei's class teacher, also came to audition today.

This actor's acting skills are equally "top-notch"!
There are differences among the teachers in the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy. For example, Wang Jingsong never offers extracurricular tutoring classes, yet he has never stopped receiving acting offers.

However, he mostly chooses the roles himself, and he won't accept roles he doesn't want to take.

In terms of audition performance, it is no exaggeration to say that he and Jiang Wu were almost on par, and he accurately portrayed the male lead's mercenary nature in the early stages and his struggles in the later stages.

It's no exaggeration to say that he can no longer be considered an ordinary actor, but a performing artist.

Back in the movie "Who Says I Don't Care", the line "I'll pull the rubber band out of my underwear and make a slingshot to shoot your windows" made Wang Zhiwen laugh so hard he couldn't stop.

Even a veteran comedian like Feng Gong had to grit his teeth to hold back his laughter.

However, film is not an art form created by one person alone.

Wang Jingsong's solo performance was good, but the effect was somewhat lacking when he acted alongside Liu Yifei.

The homeroom teacher and his student were playing father and daughter, and he himself was a little uncomfortable with it, while Liu Yifei was obviously a little flustered!

In traditional education, students' respect and fear of teachers are innate, so the two actors always seemed a bit reserved and uninhibited when they acted together.

But what Lü Rui wanted was the tension between father and daughter in the early stages, with their sharp exchanges and clashes of ideas; neither side could afford to be weak.

Thus, Wang Jingsong unfortunately became the backup candidate.

Besides him, many other actors from the Beijing Film Academy also came.

Huang Lei was also there. But as for acting skills, Lü Rui felt that he wasn't as good as the outside world had to say.

Especially when acting alongside Liu Yifei, his performance always inexplicably exudes a strong "fatherly" flavor.

This isn't the character's inherent stubbornness; rather, it seems like he's deliberately putting on airs as an elder, which feels incredibly incongruous.

Therefore, he was immediately eliminated from the shortlist by Lü Rui.

Today's auditions mainly focused on actors from the Beijing Film Academy, while the second day included auditions for several actors from the Central Academy of Drama.

Considering acting skills, temperament, compatibility with Liu Yifei, and the potential of a "brotherly relationship," Lü Rui finally made the decision: "Let Jiang Wu play the role, and have him start preparing to lose weight."

Shen Ao picked up his phone to make the notification, but Lü Rui stopped him and added, "Also, give Fan Bingbing and Li Bingbing a call and ask them to come over and sign the contract."

For the roles of Liu Sihui and Wang Jiajia, Lü Rui has never been able to find anyone more suitable than them.

Since their roles are small and their pay is low, it's better to let Bingbing and Fan Bingbing play them.

"Okay." Shen Ao nodded in agreement.

With this, the main cast of "Dying to Survive" was finalized.

After finalizing all the details, including the contract and salary, on the same day, Lü Rui immediately arranged for the publicity team to announce the cast the next day, while he went into seclusion again to revise the script.

Although the script had already been finalized and approved, minor adjustments to the subplots wouldn't be a problem.

This is because the mainland film bureau has regulations. If it were filmed in Hong Kong, it would be common for scripts to be changed, scenes to be added or deleted at the last minute.

……

"Announcement from Ruishijie: Auditions for 'Dying to Survive' have concluded. The project will star Jiang Wu and Liu Yifei, with Zhang Yi, Wang Baoqiang, and Li Mingqi in supporting roles. Jiang Wen, Fan Bingbing, and Li Bingbing will make guest appearances, and Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, and Zhang Piming will have special guest appearances..."

As expected, the announcement immediately sparked heated discussions within the industry.

Especially the female celebrities, who stared at the cast list with surprise in their eyes.

Liu Yifei is the lead actress, with Bingbing and Fan Bingbing making guest appearances.

With only a two-word difference, their status is worlds apart!

"Tsk tsk, Director Lü really went to great lengths to promote his 'Rui Girl'! He even invited Bingbing and Shuangbing to play supporting roles?"

Zhou Xun looked at the message, his tone full of surprise, but his eyes couldn't hide his envy.

She couldn't help but think that if she could get film resources of this level, she could definitely climb to the next level!
Zhang Ziyi is busy trying to break into Hollywood and marketing herself as "International Zhang".

She had no interest in going abroad to join in the fun, but she was determined to win the title of "the number one actress in mainland Chinese films".

But this path was too difficult, so she could only start by winning the "Triple Golden Award" (Hong Kong Film Award, Golden Horse Award, and Golden Rooster Award).

For this reason, she even humbled herself and accepted an invitation from the Hong Kong entertainment circle to play a supporting role.

For example, the romantic suspense film "Ming Ming," for which he just signed a contract, is a collaboration between him and Daniel Wu.

I just don't know if this "bow down" will bring the reward it deserves.
If Zhou Xun's feelings were a mixture of envy and jealousy, then Jiang Yiyan, Yang Mi, and the others were so jealous that their eyes turned red!

"I've released albums, acted in serious dramas, and painstakingly built up my network to make a name for myself in the industry. Why can she so easily get the lead role in a movie?"

Jiang Yiyan stared at the news, growing angrier the more she read.

She's not very magnanimous to begin with, and she's also very competitive.

Now, seeing the goal I used to chase after back in school soaring higher and higher, I'm so angry I could hardly believe my teeth.

Coincidentally, she had an interview scheduled for that day.

When asked by the media about her impression of her classmate Liu Yifei, she wore a bright smile, but her words carried a barb:
"I'm actually more curious about her than anything else. After all, she rarely comes to school. Of course, I don't mean she skips classes. It's just that she's always filming outside and is too busy. She doesn't really talk to her classmates much..."

These words sound normal, but upon closer inspection, they are full of implications.

"Doesn't attend classes" and "has a cold personality"—neither of these phrases sounds like a positive evaluation.

On the other hand, class monitor Wang Jia, as well as friends like Shu Chang and Jiang Xin, all spoke highly of and approved of Liu Yifei.

Who is close and who is distant, their status and position are immediately clear!
Yang Mi was also approached by the media.

She and Liu Yifei co-starred in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," a drama that is about to be released and is already a hot topic.

However, she didn't talk much about "The Return of the Condor Heroes" or mention her interactions with Liu Yifei.

Since filming wrapped on "The Return of the Condor Heroes," the two have had much less contact.

In addition, she replaced Zhou Xun as Rong Xinda's key talent to cultivate, and broke through from three thousand girls, beating Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Gao Yuanyuan and others to win the lead role in "Wang Zhaojun", and also took on the role of Nie Xiaoqian in "New Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio". Her confidence was already overflowing.

"From today onwards, I am the leading lady, Yang Mi, not someone's supporting character!" She made up her mind!
For her, Liu Yifei is no longer a former partner, but an opponent with whom she will inevitably face off in the future.

What she wants is a situation where "two beauties stand together," not to live forever in the shadow of others as a supporting character.

Therefore, when facing the camera, she directly avoided talking about Liu Yifei, and her attitude already showed some distance.

……

Before we knew it, the end of the month was approaching, with Lunar New Year's Eve and the Spring Festival just around the corner.

Instead of traveling around, Lü Rui went home to spend the Chinese New Year with his parents.

He even brought home the script revisions for "Dying to Survive".

The family of three sat around the dining table, eating and watching the Spring Festival Gala. The songs and dances on TV mingled with the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

Who is the director of this year's Spring Festival Gala? Why are there so many artists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan? Are they planning anything new after the New Year?

Mr. Lü picked up a piece of food, his gaze falling on the television screen, his tone filled with curiosity.

Since his son entered the entertainment industry, he has also started paying attention to the industry's dynamics and is particularly sensitive to these subtle changes.

"It seems to be Lang Kun," Lü Rui replied casually.

He was quite impressed with this person, not because of his works, but mainly because of the person's very rich love life.

He is now married for the third time, and his wife is a famous model!

Of course, putting aside his personal life, Lang Kun's professional skills are indeed outstanding.

He came from a privileged background and became a director in the arts and culture department of CCTV right after graduation. Later, he went to Germany to study directing and screenwriting training. Not long after he returned, he was promoted to deputy director. His career progressed smoothly all the way.

In the 90s, he created many classic programs on CCTV, and won numerous awards, including the Starlight Award, Rainbow Award, and Golden Eagle Award.

The reason why "Variety Show" became a nationwide hit back then was inseparable from his directing and producing skills.

He even spearheaded the creation of CCTV's music channel.

Last year, during the 2005 Spring Festival Gala, the performance of "Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva" by more than 20 deaf-mute people was still talked about because of its synchronized movements and stunning artistic conception... It was his work.

That's why his Spring Festival Gala was even praised by the audience: "It has the original flavor of the old Spring Festival Gala."

This is an exceptionally high evaluation!
Halfway through the meal, Mr. Lü suddenly changed the subject, saying with great interest, "Son, I heard that Zhang Yimou became the chief director of the Olympics, right? With more experience now, could you also become a great director with a huge influence like him?"

Influenced by Lü Rui, Lü's father successfully "got ashore" and entered the local cultural and tourism department.

After working in the field for a long time, he developed a strong attachment to "national-level projects" such as the Spring Festival Gala and the Olympics, always feeling that being able to participate in them was a true test of ability.

Lu Rui took a sip of his drink and smiled, "It should be fine, but it depends on the opportunity. Let's take it slow."

Actually, he wasn't that enthusiastic about these "big projects".

Moreover, although I have achieved some success, my qualifications are far from sufficient.

At 24, he's still too young. If he were to compete for these kinds of resources, a single comment from someone else like "he's still wet behind the ears" could negate all his achievements.

Instead of racking your brains to curry favor and vie for those unattainable opportunities, it's better to focus on making the films you have on hand.

First, establish yourself in the directing circle. Once you've accumulated enough influence, opportunities will naturally come knocking on your door.

"Look, it's Li Yuchun!"

Suddenly, Lu's mother interrupted their conversation, pointing at the television and shouting.

Although "Super Girl" has long ended, its influence continues to spread.

In particular, champion Lee Yu-chun was featured on the cover of the American current affairs weekly TIME (Asian Edition) as one of the "25 Asian Heroes of the Year".

"Corn" is all the rage across the country, and there are even rumors circulating online that girls wearing pants have beaten girls wearing skirts.

Lu Rui has reason to suspect that this is a harbinger of the development of LGBT culture among foreigners, deliberately disrupting normal aesthetic standards in China.

Mr. Lü was also indifferent to Li Yuchun, and waved his hand: "Call us when Zhao Benshan's skit comes out, don't disturb our conversation."

"Look at the way you're behaving!" Mother Lü rolled her eyes at him.

We waited until after 11 o'clock before Uncle Benshan finally made his dazzling appearance!
The CCTV Spring Festival Gala's viewership ratings reached their peak at this moment!

The skit "Talking About Things," performed by him, Song Dandan, and Cui Yongyuan, had the audience laughing non-stop from the very beginning.

This is also a highlight of the Spring Festival Gala every year, because seeing this means that this year's Spring Festival Gala is almost over.

Unlike later, when "First Encounter with the Photo Studio" was released, everyone knew that tonight's Spring Festival Gala was doomed again.

Father Lü watched with amusement, but Lü Rui stared at Xiao Cui for a long time, his mind racing, and a bold idea suddenly popped into his head...

(End of this chapter)