The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 141: The Launch Press Conference for "Seven Swords"

Having spent more time with Tsui Hark during this period, Ji Qingxu discovered that Tsui Hark was not at all the image presented to the outside world. Putting aside his love for movies, Tsui Hark was a dissolute old man, the kind who had all sorts of vices. If Shi Nansheng hadn't been keeping a close eye on him, this old man would have already gone wild.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened to Ji Qingxu. Xu Ke stared at him for a while and then shook his head. "Makeup artist, remove Qingxu's makeup and restore him to his original state."

Ji Qingxu was somewhat surprised to hear this instruction.

Seeing Ji Qingxu's confusion, Xu Ke smiled and said, "I was thinking of surprising the reporters outside and showing them your new image, but I just thought about it and decided to keep it a secret for now and give them a surprise after the movie is released."

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "I'll follow Director Xu's arrangements."

"Okay, you can remove your makeup first. I'll go out now."

"Take care, Director Xu."

After Xu Ke left the room, Jin Suyan walked up to Ji Qingxu and asked curiously, "Qingxu, is that Miss Zhang your girlfriend?"

Upon hearing this question, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "She is my good friend, and I am single now."

Upon hearing this, Kim So-yeon let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and patted the area in front of her. "You scared me to death! I thought she was your girlfriend."

""

Watching Kim So-yeon's affected movements, Ji Qingxu smiled but didn't say anything. She was too effeminate. If it weren't for the fact that this woman's appearance and figure didn't meet his aesthetic standards, Ji Qingxu would have really wanted to exchange a few moves with her.

"Qingxu, let me remove your makeup first."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Ai."

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the press conference for the start of filming of "Seven Swords".

""

Listening to the host's introduction, Ji Qingxu looked around and his eyes twitched when he saw the other people's outfits. They were all so ugly and looked so plain and unkempt. He wondered what kind of aesthetic Xu Ke had.

Thinking back to "House of Flying Daggers" which I watched a while ago, Ji Qing and Xu Zhen felt that Xu Ke should learn from Zhang Yimou. If you didn't look at the actors and director, just by looking at the costumes of the actors in "Seven Swords," no one would guess that this was a movie with an investment of over 100 million yuan. They would think it was some amateur crew from somewhere.

Glancing at Xu Ke standing in the distance, Ji Qingxu muttered to himself, "That old guy must have made quite a bit of money."

However, upon catching a glimpse of his handsome appearance in a black suit, sunglasses, and a wig, Ji Qingxu smiled and pushed up his sunglasses, thinking that he would be the most stylish guy on stage.

"Let's welcome director Tsui Hark to the stage!"

"Splash!"

Hearing the applause from the front, Ji Qingxu instantly snapped out of his daze and waited for the host's call.

Hello everyone, I'm Xu Ke...

'

"Next, let's welcome the actors from 'Seven Swords': Li Ming, Yang Caini, Ji Qingxu, Lu Yi, Kim So-yeon... to the stage."

Stepping onto the stage, Ji Qingxu glanced at the densely packed reporters and the constant flashes of light below. He thought to himself, "As expected of a big-budget film by a renowned director, there are at least a hundred reporters here. This is a much bigger event than the TV dramas I've filmed before."

"Director Xu, has Song Seung-heon confirmed his withdrawal from 'Seven Swords'?"

"Yes, Mr. Song Seung-heon's schedule conflicted with the filming of 'Seven Swords,' so it's a great pity that we can't work together this time."

Upon hearing this question, Ji Qingxu glanced at Xu Ke.

The male lead in the movie "Seven Swords" is Chu Zhaonan. Previously, the production team had chosen Korean star Song Seung-heon, who played the male lead in "Autumn in My Heart," for this role.

However, before Ji Qingxu joined the cast, Song Seung-heon had to resign from the role because he had taken on a South Korean drama, which conflicted with the filming schedule of "Seven Swords." In the end, Xu Ke found Donnie Yen to fill in.

This is the official statement. Ji Qingxu learned from Zhen Zidan that although Chu Zhaonan had the most screen time in the movie "Seven Swords," Yang Yuncong, played by Li Ming, was actually the leading man in terms of star power.

Song Seung-heon's agency lost the battle for the lead role, and the salary offered by the production team was not satisfactory to him. Coincidentally, a production team in South Korea invited Song Seung-heon to play the lead role with a very generous salary, so Song Seung-heon's agency had him turn down the role.

Thinking of the disdain on Zhen Zidan's face when she revealed this news, Ji Qingxu couldn't help but find it amusing. Competing with Li Ming for star power, what was she thinking? But it has to be Li Ming. If it were a mainland actor, the Koreans might have really succeeded.

Nowadays, in film and television dramas, especially movies, screen time is secondary; star power is primary.

In the movie "Seven Swords", Ji Qingxu, who plays Feng Huo Liancheng, and Donnie Yen, who plays Chu Zhaonan, have the most screen time, but in terms of star power, Li Ming is the first. Whether it is external publicity, poster ranking, or other arrangements of the production team, Donnie Yen is ranked second, Charlie Yeung is ranked third, Ji Qingxu is ranked fourth, and Lu Yi is ranked fifth.

Don't think this ranking is boring. It represents an actor's public identity and status in the industry. Whether they have a lot of screen time or how well they act is secondary. The ranking is the key point.

Of course, these kinds of customs were brought over from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Don't underestimate them; they can fool a lot of people when it comes to endorsements and business events. Moreover, this ranking of celebrities also affects a series of issues such as pay and treatment on set.

Nowadays, in many film and television dramas, as long as there are Hong Kong and Taiwan artists involved, these artists value this highly. Even if a Hong Kong or Taiwan actor's role in a film or television drama is not even in the top three, they are still portrayed as the main character in the external publicity. Many mainland actors did not know this at first, and people valued more whether the role was good or not, and whether the role had a lot of screen time, so they suffered a lot of hidden losses.

After the "Four Little Actresses" became popular, actresses in mainland China began to pay attention to this ranking of status. As for male actors, well, the famous and established male actors are all older, so they don't care much about this. As for young male actors, they have no say in this.

"Director Xu, wasn't it said that Donnie Yen replaced Song Seung-heon in the role? Why isn't he here today?"

"Hehe, Danny isn't in the country right now. He's in North America. Zhang Yimou's 'Hero' is going to be released there, and he's doing promotions. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Our Heavenly King Leon Lai is here, don't you have any questions?"

Upon hearing Xu Ke mention Li Ming, the reporters present all raised their hands in agreement.

"Brother Li Ming, may I ask..."

As one reporter after another bombarded Li Ming with questions, Ji Qingxu nodded slightly. As expected of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, his popularity was indeed high.

Although there were many actors on stage, the reporters could only see Li Ming.

Of course, as seasoned veterans in the industry, Tsui Hark and Lai Ming are no ordinary people either. After asking questions for about ten minutes, Tsui Hark took the initiative to steer the conversation to other actors, namely Charlie Yeung.

Although Charlie Yeung is not as famous as Gigi Lai, she was a well-known actress in the Hong Kong entertainment circle at the time. She retired from the industry at the peak of her career. After retiring for six or seven years, she officially made her comeback in 03 with Jackie Chan's film "New Police Story". "Seven Swords" was her second work after her comeback. The reporters present were very interested in her.

Watching the reporters scrambling to ask Charlie Yeung questions, Ji Qingxu sighed. The treatment of Hong Kong and Taiwan artists was ridiculously good. After retiring from the industry for six or seven years, she would come back and immediately become the leading lady in Jackie Chan's movies.

If it were a mainland actor, let alone retiring from the industry for six or seven years, even if they retired for two or three years and then came back, probably no one would recognize them.

"Director Xu, could you tell me which role Ji Qingxu plays in 'Seven Swords'?"

Upon hearing the reporter mention his name, Ji Qingxu smiled and looked at Xu Ke without saying a word.

Xu Ke then walked over to Ji Qingxu, smiling and gesturing, "Why don't you take a guess?"

"A protagonist or a villain?"

"you guess?"

"A villainous character?"

"Are you sure? Place your order now."

"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter erupted from below.

Xu Ke said with a smile, "I won't say which role Ji Qingxu plays for now, but I can tell you that Ji Qingxu's role is the soul of this movie, very important, and related to the main plot of the entire 'Seven Swords'."

Upon hearing Xu Ke's words, a gasp of surprise rang out from below. Even Ji Qingxu couldn't help but glance at Xu Ke, wondering why this old man valued him so much.

The subtext of Tsui Hark's words is that Ji Qingxu's character is one of the main characters in the movie "Seven Swords," and has a significant role. To exaggerate a bit, Tsui Hark's introduction could be said to have elevated Ji Qingxu's status by at least one notch.

Previously, Ji Qingxu was a newcomer in the film industry, but after Xu Ke's words, Ji Qingxu has become a well-established figure in the film industry. In the future, when he auditions for film crews, he can compete for the top three roles.

Despite having already played the male lead in several TV series, Ji Qingxu's career is quite different from that of the film industry. Crossing over into a different industry is no less difficult than entering one.

Lu Yi is quite famous, arguably one of the most popular young male actors in mainland China right now. However, with his fame, it would be very difficult for him to land a major role in a commercial film. After he took on the role of Han Zhibang in "Seven Swords," the publicity surrounding it was quite a buzz.

It's worth noting that Lu Yi had previously played the male lead in a movie, albeit a low-budget one. However, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Hundred Flowers Awards for his role in the film "Love at First Sight".

Before starring in "Seven Swords", unless he was extremely lucky, directors would basically not approach Ji Qingxu for roles in the top five of commercial films. Even for art films with budgets of hundreds of thousands or millions, it depended on whether the director was willing to take him on.

Ji Qingxu's role and screen time in "Seven Swords" were more significant than Lu Yi's because Ciwen Media invested in the film, and Xu Ke also valued it. From the outside perspective, if a film had to choose between Ji Qingxu and Lu Yi, Ji Qingxu would definitely be inferior to Lu Yi.

Catching a glimpse of the fleeting envy and jealousy in Lu Yi's eyes, one could tell just how much Lu Yi envied Ji Qingxu.

"Director Xu, you value Ji Qingxu so much, could you tell us why?"

"He's handsome enough."

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this joke, the reporters below burst into laughter.

"Okay, being handsome is only one of the reasons. Qingxu's acting skills and temperament are very much in line with the character I had in mind. Another reason is his fighting skills. Everyone knows that Qingxu is very good at fighting, which is also one of the reasons why I chose him."

"Mr. Ji Qingxu, is this your first time acting in a movie?"

When asked by a reporter, Ji Qingxu smiled and replied, "Yes, this is my first movie. I am very grateful to Director Xu for valuing me so much. I will do my best to play the role well and live up to Director Xu's expectations."

"What role do you play?"

"The key character".

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this answer, even Xu Ke couldn't help but burst into laughter, and the other actors on stage couldn't help but turn their heads to look at it. What a seasoned answer!

"Mr. Ji Qingxu, was you chosen to star in Director Xu Ke's film because you speak Korean, so that it would be easier for you to communicate with Ms. Kim So-yeon?"

Upon hearing this question, Ji Qingxu smiled and looked at Xu Ke beside him, "Director Xu, is that the reason?"

Xu Ke nodded seriously, "That's right, that's the reason."

The reporters below the stage were quite surprised to see the two of them singing in harmony. Xu Ke was so optimistic about Ji Qingxu.

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