The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"OK."

Gu Ning nodded and pondered, "The female lead goes from seventy years old to twenty years old. Just follow a path based on your own understanding."

"Okay, I need to prepare for a few minutes," Li Qin said.

Gu Ning nodded without saying anything.

Li Qin took a deep breath, recalling the walking postures of some elderly people she had seen, and constantly adjusted her own movements.

A few minutes later, Li Qin said, "Director Gu, I'm ready."

"Let's begin," Gu Ning said.

Li Lin nodded, walked to the corner of the room, and hunched over slightly as he walked forward.

He stopped at the other end, returned to the center, bowed, and said, "Director Gu, teachers, my performance is finished."

"We've worked together before, so I won't beat around the bush. You're not a good fit," Gu Ning said.

Although Li Lin tried her best to imitate, her body language was stiff and she didn't make any other movements. It was all just acting for the sake of acting, and the traces were too obvious.

This is crucial: the female protagonist's soul is seventy years old, but she suddenly reverts to a twenty-year-old body, so her mannerisms and habits are natural.

The performance was too contrived and negatively impacted the viewing experience, which is why Gu Ning didn't try out any other scenes and went straight to having her perform a segment.

Of course, most people find it difficult to do it naturally from the start.

Li Lin's appearance destined her to be unsuitable.

Gu Ning felt that Li Lin had a classical beauty and a gentle temperament, making her very suitable for playing elegant ladies in period dramas.

"Thank you, Director Gu. Thank you, both teachers."

Li Qin bowed and thanked him, saying, "Then I'll be going now."

She had previously mentioned to Gu Ning on set, at the company's suggestion, that she wanted to participate in Gu Ning's movies, regardless of the size of the role.

Gu Ning also told her frankly at the time that there was no suitable role for her.

Li Lin didn't want to come, but the company still asked her to give it a try.

It's simply because we had a previous working relationship and the person was already there, so regardless of the size of the role, we should at least get one.

Li Qin was still a newcomer, and she had no choice but to come because she couldn't disobey the company.

She didn't have much hope, so she wasn't disappointed either.

After Li Lin left, several more actors arrived. Gu Ning still told them to walk a short distance before telling them to go back and wait for news.

"Hello Director Gu, hello both teachers."

Yang Mi walked in and smiled, "I'm actress Yang Mi, here to audition for the role of Meng Lijun."

Gu Ning nodded and stated her request, asking Yang Mi to walk for a while.

At this time, Yang Mi had not yet started her career of taking on multiple roles simultaneously, and she had not acted in many dramas, giving her time to learn and hone her acting skills.

But it's quite a feat for her to naturally portray the walking posture of an elderly person in their sixties.

The performance was naturally subpar.

After she finished performing, Gu Ning said, "Go back and wait for our notification."

"Director Gu!"

Yang Mi said, "I think I can practice the character's words and actions slowly. There's still some time before I join the crew, so I can work hard to practice."

To play a role well, the most important things are acting skills and understanding the character.

"But I don't need your opinion. Go back and wait for our notification," Gu Ning said calmly.

Yang Mi was somewhat unwilling upon hearing this, but she could only force a smile before turning and leaving.

Next up was Wang Luodan, who greeted Gu Ning and the other two with a warm and confident smile, her eyes captivating as she looked at Gu Ning.

Gu Ning acted as if she hadn't seen it, and told her the audition requirements with a blank expression.

Wang Luodan appeared natural and began her performance after a few minutes of adjustment.

Gu Ning watched Wang Luodan's performance with some surprise. Although her performance still showed signs of acting, it was on a completely different level compared to her previous ones.

Moreover, her smile is very approachable, and she is quite suitable for the role in many ways.

However, after her performance, Gu Ning didn't say anything and still told her to go back and wait for further notice.

Fan Chunxi said, "At first, I actually preferred Wang Luodan, but she's a big star now, and her salary isn't cheap."

"Um."

Gu Ning nodded and said, "Let's take another look."

In terms of national popularity alone, Wang Luodan is not as popular as Shu Chang.

Shu Chang doesn't have a big company behind her, and she often makes some strange choices.

If it weren't for his early collaborations with CCTV and his subsequent appearances in many CCTV dramas, his career would have faded away long ago.

Logically speaking, she should have been one of the four little actresses, but in this world, connections and background matter.

As long as Shu Chang's performance is decent, Gu Ning still prefers to use Shu Chang.

After Wang Luodan left, Shu Chang came in a short while later.

"Greetings, Director Gu, and greetings to both teachers." Shu Chang bowed in greeting.

"I heard that you were reported as a spy for going to the park to observe how the elderly walk?" Gu Ning asked with a smile, looking at Shu Chang.

Shu Chang is very pretty. Although she is not the kind of beauty that can amaze you at first glance, she has a fresh and lively appearance. Her face is a little chubby, which makes her look sweet and cute, and she has the feeling of a girl next door.

"Director Gu, I'm so sorry."

Shu Chang quickly apologized and explained, "I didn't expect it to turn out like that, at the time..."

No explanation needed.

Gu Ning waved her hand and said, "Anyway, it didn't cause any major impact, and it even indirectly promoted the movie. Since you've been preparing for so long and even went to the park to observe, let me see the results of your hard work."

You can wander around casually, but the important thing is to demonstrate the mannerisms and behavior of an elderly person.

"it is good."

Shu Chang adjusted herself, went to the wall, turned around, took a deep breath, and then walked forward.

Like the other auditionees, she also had a hunched back, but the degree of hunching was very small, giving people a strange feeling, but it didn't seem like she was deliberately acting it out.

She walked slowly, a sweet smile tinged with kindness on her face.

When she reached the middle of the room, she put her hands behind her back and continued walking forward.

Gu Ning's eyes lit up. Shu Chang's performance was excellent, much better than Wang Luodan's.

Although her advance preparation played a significant role, the perfectly timed kindness in her smile was the finishing touch.

Although the female lead has become a bit talkative due to her age, and is also feeling down due to family conflicts.

But she was indeed a kind and gentle old lady.

He had seen the original version as well, but he didn't feel any of the kindness that comes with age; instead, it seemed more like a crazy old woman.

Ultimately, it's because I couldn't act it out; I was trying too hard.

Shu Chang portrayed this very well, and with her sweet appearance, she exuded youthful vitality while also revealing the kindness of an elderly person.

"Director Gu, I think her performance was excellent, what do you think?" Fan Chunxi whispered.

"Yes, it's really good." Gu Ning nodded slightly.

"Director Gu, teachers, I've finished acting."

Shu Chang walked back and looked at the three of them with some trepidation.

"I heard Liu Yifei came with you?" Gu Ning asked.

"That's right, but she doesn't plan to participate in the audition."

Shu Chang thought Gu Ning wanted to invite Liu Yifei to audition, so she quickly explained, "She said she's not suitable for this role."

Gu Ning nodded and said, "She's not suitable, but I'd like to invite her to play the role of Xiang Xinran. It's not a big role. Ask her if she's willing to act in it."

"Xiang Xinran?"

Shu Chang did not receive the complete script and did not know the specific role's content.

"Your performance was very good just now, and you've passed the audition. The character Xiang Xinran is your granddaughter in the play," Gu Ning said.

Shu Chang's eyes lit up when she heard this. Wouldn't Liu Yifei have to call her "Grandma" when they were acting like this?

Thinking about this, she found it very interesting, but she couldn't just agree on Liu Yifei's behalf.

"Director Gu, I need to ask Xixi first," Shu Chang said.

"It's okay, whether she plays the lead role or not, it's still yours. But we won't announce it to the public for now, so don't tell anyone," Gu Ning instructed.

"Thank you, Director Gu!" Shu Chang said excitedly upon hearing that her role had been decided.