Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 234 Don't Let Yu Wei Play the Fool (Bonus Chapter)

Before leaving, Yu Wei checked the audition location and time one last time: Jiaxingmou Building, Chaoyang District, starting at 10:00 AM.

He had no experience with auditions, and the only scenes he knew were from entertainment novels, so they couldn't be taken seriously.

The capital city is great in every way, except for the terrible traffic jams. During the morning rush hour, the East Third Ring Road was already impossible to move. Yu Wei wasn't in a hurry, and casually flipped through the script again.

Today we're mainly testing those few that we can get for free. We're trying to get a lot for a little money first. If they're not a good match, we'll go through a second round of auditions.

Old Qi is reliable in this regard. Although he has his own "connections" who get things for free, Xingmou Company has also contacted another team as a backup plan.

At 9:20, Yu Wei walked into the grand lobby of the Xingmou Building, where a sign for the audition of "Goodbye Mr. Loser" was posted on the wall.

Following the clear signs, he successfully found the elevator and went to the audition room on the third floor, where he bumped into Zhang Lingye.

"Wei Zi, you've finally arrived! Look at my role..."

"I believe you."

Yu Wei patted him on the shoulder without saying anything in particular. He was just giving them an opportunity; whether they could seize it was up to them.

"Sigh." Zhang Lingye glanced in the direction of the audition room and said in a low voice, "I'm just afraid of being rejected. What if Director Qi finds out that my fans have insulted his son and targets me?"

That shows a lack of understanding of Lao Qi. Qi Yunming is not one to protect his own; he probably wouldn't bother with such matters.

“My fans have even insulted Qi Yuan.”

As the culprit behind Qi Yuan's loss of fans, and the artist that millions of fans hated most during their lifetime, is Yu Wei proud?
"You're different, you're a son-in-law of a dragon..."

The music awards ceremony that happened the night before last trended on several hot searches, so even if Zhang Lingye didn't specifically follow the gossip, he knew about it.

He was one of the first people to ship this couple, so he naturally knows the intricacies of their relationship.

"I'm a Der (a term used to describe someone who is a fan of a certain type of person), and besides, even Qi Yuan, who is considered the 'own son,' has to go through an open selection process, right?"

Yu Wei pointed to Qi Yuan, who was studying the script diligently in the corner. Compared to the others, Qi Yuan received the script the latest, so he naturally had to put in more effort.

He went over to greet his friends one by one. All of them were in good spirits, especially Fei Hong, who was clearly full of energy.

"Keep it up, everyone."

Yu Wei walked into the audition room, where a long table was placed in the middle, with place cards labeled "Director," "Producer," and "Screenwriter" already on it.

These are the seats for the jury, and Yu Wei's seat is right next to director Qi Yunming.

"Teacher Yu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Some short, stout producers quickly came forward. Qi Yunming gave a brief introduction: this was Peng Chao, his old partner, with whom he had collaborated on many films.

That needs special attention...

Qi Yunming's films are all terrible, which is probably related to the producers. The two of them, like a pair of swordsmen, have created countless "historical" stories.

Fortunately, he arranged for one of his own people to be in the directing team. Lu Zhou hasn't arrived yet, but given his international film award-winning reputation, he should have some say.

The arts and culture circle still values ​​international reputation. Lü Zhou is a slacker, but he is indeed popular.

"The story is excellent; Teacher Yu is simply a genius."

Producers don't usually talk to screenwriters like that, but Yu Wei isn't an ordinary screenwriter; he's just doing it part-time, so he has to respect the original screenwriter.

"There are plenty of talented screenwriters in the entertainment industry, but I'm not even one of them."

Yu Wei understands this principle: writing a good script doesn't count as winning; only filming it counts.

“We are discussing your strengths in understanding the character. You are both the screenwriter and the lead actor, so you should make full use of your insight today.”

Qi Yunming's words already hint at him becoming a hands-off manager. The screenwriter must have the deepest understanding of the character, right?
Producer Peng Chao nodded in agreement, mainly because he wasn't sure if his understanding was correct; he just wanted to see what Teacher Yu had to say.

This doesn't feel good...

Old Qi's unreliability was already showing signs of being bad. If he was like this before filming even officially started, what would happen after filming began?
At this moment, a staff member brought over a stack of actor resumes and handed them to Yu Wei: "This is the list of actors who will be auditioning this morning. These are all actors you are particularly interested in."

Although he knew his friends inside and out, he still had to go through the proper procedures.

The one at the top is Qi Yuan. She has no experience in film acting, but she has acted in four TV series, though they are all idol dramas and not very relevant.

Yu Wei wasn't worried about his acting skills. After all, he came from an entertainment family. Qi Luo'an had only studied for a few years and he was already quite good. Qi Yuan's basic skills must be pretty good too.

Fei Hong undoubtedly boasts the most extensive acting career on his resume. He started acting at the age of nine and has played countless roles, both big and small. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a veteran actor.

However, the quality of his roles has declined sharply in recent years. He could play leading roles when he was young, but now he can only play minor roles in episodes.

What do you two say?

After all, they found these people themselves, so they should listen to the opinions of the director and producer. They can't just make all the decisions themselves.

"A gathering of big names, bringing its own traffic, not bad."

Qi Yunming had already seen the resumes. From a commercial perspective, their normal selection process would definitely not be as good as the ones from Yu Weipy.

Although they lack experience, they are all currently very popular, so they have no shortage of traffic. What's more, they don't ask for money.

What more could you want if you've already gotten it for free?

Just as the conversation was getting a bit stuck, Lü Zhou finally arrived. He was noticeably respectful to Qi Yunming, using all the proper social niceties.

For directors from the lower ranks, Qi Yunming is still far beyond their reach. Despite his numerous bad films, his reputation is solid, and his box office success is guaranteed.

"Everyone's here, we can start now."

Yu Wei felt that they were a complete ragtag group, one was just giving up, another was just echoing others, and the third was here to make friends. "The four main characters we're going to see later are Yuan Hua, Da Chun, Meng Te, and Zhang Yang."

He briefly described the characteristics of the characters: Yuan Hua's father is the district head, who is well-versed in the ways of officialdom but is timid and cowardly; Da Chun is nicknamed "Big Fool," who is physically strong but simple-minded; Meng Te is male but recognizes himself as female; Zhang Yang is a snob.

In Yu Wei's plan, Qi Yuan would play Yuan Hua, Fei Hong would play Da Chun, Su Jian would play Meng Te, and Zhang Lingye would play Zhang Yang.

The first one to enter was Fei Hong. He was probably the most well-prepared among the male actors present, and his demeanor was noticeably different.

"Let's start by talking about our understanding of the character."

Qi Yunming asked a routine question: there are clear standards for actor selection, and understanding the role is an important part of it.

In addition, appearance, acting ability, and professional ethics are all key considerations, but unfortunately many actors today cannot even meet these basic requirements.

Fei Hong took a deep breath, slightly hunched his back, and awkwardly rubbed the seams of his trousers with his hands, his eyes revealing a simple and slightly nervous look.

Yu Wei's eyes lit up; this was Da Chun's signature body language. He hadn't expected Fei Hong to get into character so quickly.

The others didn't feel anything, since only Yu Wei had seen the original film and had clear images in her mind, so her feelings were particularly profound.

"Da Chun isn't really stupid; he just lives a pure life. He's as simple and warm as spring. He may seem slow-witted, but he's actually long understood the essence of happiness: contentment and cherishing the people around you."

Fei Hong speaks very slowly but firmly, and his understanding of the character is quite accurate.

Qi Yunming had also thought of this, but he felt that Yu Wei wanted to use this character to satirize this society that pursues fame and fortune...

Yu Wei nodded: "Now we'll perform a play. The first scene is Da Chun confessing his love to Ma Dongmei."

He deliberately chose a less classic scene to see if Fei Hong had really put in the effort; those who hadn't seen the original film probably wouldn't even remember this scene.

Fei Hong immediately got into character, pulling a non-existent sunflower from his pocket and awkwardly holding it to his chest, his eyes darting around expectantly.

"Dongmei, Charlotte said you like sunflowers... I think you're prettier than Qiuya."

Suddenly, Dongmei, whom he had imagined, patted his head. He shrank his neck but grinned and said, "Your hits still hurt this much!"

He remembers all of this?
Fei Hong not only remembered the relevant lines, but even the scenes with his co-stars so clearly that Yu Wei decided on the role almost instantly.

The actor portrayed the feeling of being secretly pleased by being bullied by someone he liked so well that he even suspected Fei Hongzhen had a crush on him.

It seems really...

"It doesn't feel clear enough."

Qi Yunming sighed, "To play Da Chun, you can't just portray his foolishness; you also have to bring out his pure wisdom and depth."

In that instant, Yu Wei actually had the urge to shout, "What the hell are you talking about? Fei Hong's acting is so good, there's absolutely no need to over-interpret it."

The portrayal of a character should not be too detailed, as this can be counterproductive. Understanding a character too thoroughly can easily lead to an overly contrived performance.

Yu Wei had previously thought that Qi Yunming made bad movies because he was too lazy to care and let things go on their own, but now she realized that he was just too lazy to care and overthinking things.

If actors are too lazy to care and overthink things, won't they go down a path of regression from which there is no turning back?
"Thank you, director. I think I... understand a little better now."

"No, no, no, no, you don't understand."

Yu Wei quickly stopped him. If he really understood, then there would be no hope. Stop it, Lao Qi. There are one-star reviews everywhere.

His sudden and somewhat forceful rebuke startled everyone present. Yu Wei had something to say.
"You acted very well, and your understanding is correct."

Fei Hong's performance is very realistic. If he had forced a sense of depth into his acting, it wouldn't have been human. What living person would consider the depth of their actions?

Seeing that words were not enough, and fearing that directly opposing it would hurt Qi Yunming too much, he took the initiative to suggest that he personally perform it as a demonstration.

While his mastery of the role might not qualify him as a god of acting, it certainly ensures a 100% accurate recreation of the original film.

Upon hearing this, everyone was no longer sleepy. With Teacher Yu being such a talented person, how could he possibly convincingly portray a fool?
Qi Yunming had seen Yu Wei act on the show before, and felt that there were some highlights but not many. He only remembered that the kid acted well as a blind man.

It'll be a good opportunity to see how much his acting has improved over this period of time.

Fei Hong moved away, looking bewildered. He thought, "Screenwriters probably don't necessarily act. Director Qi's point seems more valid..."

Yu Wei remained calm and composed, taking a moment to regain his composure after standing still.

When he looked up again, his entire aura had changed. It wasn't a deliberately feigned foolishness, but a childlike innocence untouched by worldly affairs.

Fei Hong, who was standing to the side, was struck dumb. Da Chun's stupidity was less like that of a mentally challenged person and more like that of a child whose mind had not yet been developed.

Yu Wei's approach was refreshing, and I actually learned something from it.

"Dong...Dongmei!"

He called out the name, his voice rising, filled with unthinking joy, like a child seeing his favorite friend.

If the previous situation was due to a different perspective, then this line is a complete subversion of the original meaning. Fei Hong only shouted "stupid," but Yu Wei's childlike excitement made him sound like an innocent fool.

In just the opening scene, Fei Hong realized the gap between himself and Yu Wei. Is this the screenwriter's ability to understand the character?

Yu Weicai is right!

Although the image didn't match, Yu Wei's acting skills undoubtedly amazed Qi Yunming; his improvement was too great.

He used to be the best Lee Sin player in the Chinese server, but now he's just a terrible player?

Don't let Yu Wei play a fool, he's too convincing.

(End of this chapter)