Reborn in Hollywood

John Allardyce, the Fireman.

Li Rui certainly knew this character.

In X-Men 2, Pyro was merely a control group for Iceman, with very little screen time.

He only gained a little more presence in "X-Men 3", but he was still a minor supporting character.

more importantly--

What is the character design of Fireman?

He was irritable, easily angered, and impulsive, and eventually joined forces with Magneto, becoming a villain.

A complete "problem child".

Li Rui didn't react immediately; he simply nodded slightly and said, "I understand."

His gaze swept over Avi Arad, over Stan Lee, and finally settled on Bryan Singer's face.

He turned to Avi Arad and Stan Lee, bowing slightly.

Thank you both for your recognition. I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate in the future.

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the door.

Avi Arad stood up, as if to say something.

But Li Rui walked very quickly.

He pushed open the door and walked out of the audition room.

The others in the corridor immediately looked at him.

Li Rui nodded slightly to his colleagues and strode out.

That face, which had been so gentle just moments before, was now completely expressionless.

He stopped walking as he left the studio, his expression remaining almost unchanged.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

It's Alibaba.

"How is it?"

"It's hopeless." Li Rui made no attempt to hide his emotions.

"What?! Your audition invitation was personally sent by Stan Lee, how could that be...?"

"Bryan Singer didn't want me to play the Iceman; he thought the Fireman was a better fit for me."

"Fireman?"

Ali raised his voice, "That minor character with pitifully little screen time who's going to turn evil at the end?"

"right."

"You agreed?"

"no."

Ali sighed.

"You did the right thing! The Iceman character is good, but it's not worth it to fawn over that bastard for a supporting role."

Li Rui remained silent.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something else. Avi Arad has a good impression of you, maybe—"

"No."

Li Rui interrupted him.

"It's just a supporting role. I'm just not used to being rejected. This is the first time."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure."

Li Rui has already set his sights on the next stage: "The Matrix 2, Mark Pratt's project, Fast & Furious 2, we don't need another one."

"..."

Ali breathed a sigh of relief.

"Very good, go back and rest, don't think too much."

"Um."

hang up the phone.

Li Rui put his phone back in his pocket and walked down the steps.

In the parking lot, the pearl-white Mustang was quietly waiting for him.

He opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

The engine roared.

The car drove out of the studio and merged into the traffic of Los Angeles.

In the rearview mirror, the 20th Century Fox logo grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the building complex.

The Mustang's engine let out a low growl and disappeared into the relentless flow of traffic.

-----------------

Two days later.

As Li Rui drove into the gates of Warner Bros. Studios, Bryan Singer's words were still echoing in his mind.

"You don't seem like a good person."

He smiled and parked the car in the parking space.

Hollywood has no shortage of self-important directors like this.

They live in their own constructed artistic world, using a set of rigid labels to define each actor—this face is suitable for playing a hero, that face is suitable for playing a villain, this person has the temperament of a boy next door, that person has the temperament of a troubled teenager.

Li Rui never believed in that kind of thing.

I didn't believe it in my past life, and I don't believe it in this life either.

He got out of the car and quickly arrived at Studio 2.

This is the audition scene for The Matrix Reloaded.

To be precise, it was a back-to-back shoot of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions—the Wachowski brothers had a huge project, shooting two movies simultaneously with a combined budget of $300 million.

It's definitely a true A+ level project in Hollywood!

The role Li Rui is auditioning for is the guardian angel.

This name might be a little unfamiliar, but if you use another name, Chinese audiences from the previous generation will be more familiar with it—

"Chang Wei".

That's right, it's the character Collin Chou played in The Matrix Reloaded.

A guardian angel, a prophet's protector, he could easily find the Matrix backdoor and was extremely skilled, but ultimately died at the hands of Agent Smith.

She doesn't have many scenes, but she has a lot of action scenes.

For Li Rui, that was enough.

He needs to enter as many different movie worlds as possible; it would be a shame to miss out on an IP of the Matrix's caliber.

The only thing that made Li Rui a little unsure was that he had never entered the dream world of The Matrix.

I wonder if this will affect today's audition.

When Li Rui pushed open the door and walked in, the audition room was full of people.

In the very center are the Wachowski brothers—Andy and Larry, in their thirties, wearing matching black turtlenecks, their expressions as serious as if they were presiding over some kind of religious ceremony.

Sitting next to them was action director Yuen Woo-ping, in his fifties, with gray hair and sharp eyes.

Half of Hollywood action films have received his guidance—"The Matrix," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "Kill Bill" were all his creations.

Next to him is producer Joe Silver, and several casting directors.

"Raphael Lee".

Larry Wachowski (not yet Lana at this time) looked down at the data sheet: "Fast & Furious, Star Wars prequel, your agent Ali said you are the best fighter in Hollywood for your age group."

"Yes." Li Rui nodded.

Andy Wachowski (who wasn't Lily yet) looked up and her gaze lingered on Li Rui's face for a few seconds.

"Your application states that you have no martial arts background?"

"I haven't studied it systematically."

Li Rui told the truth, "But I have studied mixed martial arts and practiced swordsmanship for a period of time."

"fencing?"

Yuen Woo-ping suddenly spoke, his voice thick with Cantonese accent, "What swordsmanship?"

The translator on the side completed the synchronous work.

Li Rui paused.

He recalled the lightsaber techniques he had practiced day and night in the Star Wars universe, Bob Anderson's astonished look, and Ivan's question, "Who the hell are you?"

"Western fencing."

He said, "There are also some things... that I figured out on my own."

Yuen Woo-ping nodded and did not ask any further questions.

"The Guardian Angel character has a lot of action scenes."

Larry said, "And most of it is aerial maneuvering—wire work, flips, hanging in the air. Can you do that?"

Li Rui did not respond verbally.

He took two steps back and stood in the open space in the center of the audition room.

Then he moved.

A clean and crisp side somersault.

After landing, he followed up with a spinning whip kick, the wind whistling through the air.

Then came three consecutive roundhouse kicks, each reaching head height and landing motionless.

Finally, he calmed down and unleashed a combination of punches from mixed martial arts—straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts—combined with agile footwork, each punch carrying a real sense of power.

The entire process took less than fifteen seconds.

The audition room fell silent.

Yuen Woo-ping's eyes lit up.

"Your skills..." He paused, "...how long have you been training?"

"Three months." Li Rui didn't think there was anything wrong with saying that.

Yuen Woo-ping shook his head.

"You can't even type this in three months? You really haven't studied it before?"

"No," Li Rui said "honestly," "I just practice a lot."

Yuen Woo-ping stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to the Wachowski brothers.

"The movements are fine; they're more agile than many stuntmen."

Larry nodded, checked off the information sheet, and then asked, "What's your understanding of this character?"

Li Rui thought about it.

The guardian angel doesn't have a large role in the original story, but he has a key role – he is a follower of the prophet and one of those who believe there is a way out.

"He is a guardian."

Li Rui explained his thoughts: "He's not the protagonist, but he believes in what the protagonist can do. He knows he might die, but he chooses to stand at the forefront. Not because he's not afraid of death, but because he believes it's 'worth it'."

He paused.

"Such people are rare in reality. But in the Matrix, they are among the few who are clear-headed."

Larry nodded slightly in agreement.

"Your understanding is very interesting."

He closed the form and glanced at his younger brother.

The two exchanged a glance.

Then Larry asked, "What are your scheduling requirements?"

This is the very issue that Li Rui and others are concerned about.

"I need to strictly control my time."

He said, "I want to finish filming all my scenes as quickly as possible—ideally this year, but no later than early February next year."

Andy frowned: "So soon?"

"I have other projects in discussion."

Li Rui didn't hide anything, "There's also a musical film project, 'Fast & Furious 2.' The release dates need to be staggered."

Larry thought for a moment and asked, "Would half a month be enough?"

Li Rui quickly calculated in his mind.

If the action scenes for "The Matrix Reloaded" are filmed intensively, it is indeed possible that it will take half a month to shoot.

"That's enough."

Larry nodded.

"Then it's settled. The guardian angel is yours."

Li Rui was slightly taken aback.

Is that settled?

No second round of auditions? No long wait?

Andy noticed his confusion and, unusually, smiled.

"We don't like wasting time."

He said, "Your audition was good enough, your skills are solid, your understanding is deep, and your schedule is right. There's nothing to hesitate about."

Larry added, "The contract will be sent to your agent within a week. The salary—the maximum for a newcomer, two million—is something to be aware of, considering it's just a supporting role."

Two million.

Li Rui let out a soft breath.

"Thank you, I won't let you down."

Yuen Woo-ping walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Kid," the old man said in a low voice, "Don't slack off after you join the crew. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Li Rui smiled.

"it is good."

The sun was shining brightly as I stepped out of the audition room.

He stood on the steps, looking at the distant horizon.

He was rejected by Fox News two days ago.

Today, he was immediately approved by Warner.

This is Hollywood.

Some people think you're not good enough, while others think you are.

My phone vibrated.

It's Alibaba.

"How is it?"

"It's done. Guardian Angel, two million, filming will be completed in half a month."

"Well done! This is an A+ level mega-production; participating in this kind of project will benefit you."

"Yes, it's a pity he's just a supporting character."

Li Rui echoed this sentiment.