Chinese entertainment: Top stars have no holidays

Chapter 81 Script Reading Session (Please Subscribe!)

After the laughter subsided, Li Yitong skillfully snapped the detachable front tooth back into place, aligned the clips, and gently pressed it down, instantly restoring a set of neat, white teeth.

From the outside, it is impossible to tell that it is fake; it is so perfect that there is not a single flaw.

"Now you believe me, right? These custom-made dentures of mine are perfect for both filming and cooking, they're super practical!" Li Yitong raised an eyebrow and chuckled, her tone full of pride.

Jiang Bai nodded repeatedly, still with a smile on his face: "I've truly learned something new."

The two became very familiar with each other, and the initial awkwardness disappeared. They chatted about everything under the sun.

Not long after, the assistant who had gone out to pack lunch returned with a light and simple meal, which Jiang Bai then began to eat.

The two sat facing each other across the conference table, leisurely eating lunch while continuing their casual conversation.

After a simple lunch, it was already 1:30 pm.

With only half an hour left before the script reading at 2 PM, people began to arrive at the once empty and quiet hotel conference room.

The first to arrive were the show's director, Li Qingrong, and screenwriter, Duan Yule.

The two pushed open the door and entered the conference room. Seeing Jiang Bai and Li Yitong who were already there, they immediately smiled and went up to greet them.

"You two are too eager, arriving so early." Li Qingrong smiled as she sat down, her gentle gaze sweeping over the two of them. "It seems the main creators of our drama have an exceptionally positive attitude."

Following that, the main cast members arrived at the conference room one after another.

Li Xian, dressed in a simple and casual outfit, was the first to arrive.

Although he is still very young, he has a calm and composed demeanor, exuding a mature and steady aura.

In this drama, he plays the second male lead, Zhan Yu, who is a typical arrogant teenager during his high school years.

Seeing Li Xian's mature appearance, Jiang Bai began to doubt whether he could convincingly portray a high school student.

Following closely behind, Chen Duling, dressed in an elegant long dress and exuding a cool and gentle temperament, also arrived at the conference room.

Her features are clean and clear, exuding a scholarly aura, which perfectly matches the character of the aloof and academically gifted Gao Ge in the drama.

Guo Junchen, who arrived later, exuded youthful energy, with a lively and cheerful personality and a natural charisma.

She is also a perfect match for Yang Chaoyang, the sunny and funny third male lead in the drama.

The second to last person to arrive was Wang Yuwen. She dressed very casually, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and jeans, and it seemed like she wasn't wearing any makeup. She also had a mask pulled down over her chin.

This person was someone Jiang Bai knew.

She also played a minor supporting role in the drama "Rush to the Dead Summer", but the two didn't have many scenes together. When filming "Rush to the Dead Summer", Jiang Bai's impression of Wang Yuwen was limited to just having an impression of her.

In "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", she plays the female lead Lin Beixing's best friend. Because she mistakenly believes that she and Lin Beixing both like Zhan Yu, she often gives Lin Beixing "advice" in the process of bravely pursuing love.

She still doesn't have many scenes with Jiang Bai; they're in the same production team, but they won't be filming together.

Li Mingde, who arrived last, had a refreshing smile and exuded the approachable charm of a boy next door, perfectly matching Mai Zi's character of being honest, sincere, warm, and righteous.

Upon seeing this man, Jiang Bai was reminded of the "Mingde First Year" incident that caused a great uproar in his later years.

Reverse, reverse, and reverse again.

Even excluding Jiang Bai, who followed the whole story from beginning to end, it's still unclear whether Li Deming is simply a man of strong character or genuinely rebelling against capitalism.

But at least during this period, Li Deming should have been emotionally stable, right?

With this, all the main actors of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" have arrived.

Apart from Jiang Bai, none of the young actors are very popular.

Li Yitong has starred in many leading roles, but she is not famous.

Li Xian and Chen Duling can only be considered supporting actors at present.

The rest were all new actors.

Unfortunately, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" was originally a low-to-medium budget revenue-sharing drama, so it was impossible to find a bunch of big-name actors.

Although Jiang Bai's popularity and status have soared, it's not enough for him to immediately land a role in a top-tier, big-budget drama.

Once all the main creators had arrived, they greeted each other and introduced themselves.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone took their seats according to their roles in the play.

At 2:00 PM sharp, the script reading session for the entire cast and crew of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" officially began.

Director Li Qingrong was exceptionally approachable from the start: "Let's skip the formalities today. This is the first time we've worked together, so there's no need to be reserved."

"Today's reading session is mainly to help everyone familiarize themselves with the script, understand their characters, work together to refine the rhythm of their lines, and get a feel for their scenes together."

"The biggest taboo in youth dramas is acting deliberately and forcefully. Our focus is on authenticity and naturalness, and it's enough to portray the state of ordinary people."

After a brief opening, everyone read through the main plot of the script in its entirety.

Then each of them chose a scene and began auditioning.

The main thing is to read through the script, put yourself in the character's emotions, and try out the lines.

Fortunately, the young actors all had solid delivery of lines, and there were no instances of stuttering or breaking character.

After the reading is completed, there will be a free discussion session.

Everyone spoke freely about the character's personality, emotions, details of their interactions, and the logic behind their character's growth.

Screenwriter Duan Yule spoke first: "The core of our drama is not romance and sweetness, but the regrets, redemption, and mutual pursuit in youth."

"No character is perfect; they all have their own little flaws, awkwardness, and confusion during adolescence."

"I hope everyone will not portray the characters as stereotypical idol drama characters, but rather try to explore the most authentic youthful spirit and down-to-earth nature of the characters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xian, who plays the second male lead Zhan Yu, took the lead and said, "After reading the script, my biggest feeling is that Zhan Yu is not a villainous second male lead in the traditional sense."

"He's not bad, just a typical arrogant teenage boy."

He analyzed in detail, combining his own understanding: "Boys in their teens don't know how to express liking or caring."

"She clearly cares about Lin Beixing and has feelings for him, but she's stubborn, loves to show off, and is concerned about her image. She's used to using awkward ways to attract his attention."

"I was worried that I would portray him as too unlikeable, so I will try my best to control the degree of unlikeability during the subsequent filming."

"To portray the awkwardness and naivety of a teenager, rather than deliberately malicious and obsessive, and to bring out the clumsiness of a teenage boy."

Following that, Chen Duling, who plays the second female lead Gao Ge, also offered her interpretation: "Gao Ge's character gives me the feeling of being cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and insightful and clear-headed."

"She is a cool and aloof academic genius, calm and rational. She may seem unapproachable, but she is actually very sensitive and gentle, has a very positive outlook on life, and lives with great clarity."

She added with a smile to her performance philosophy: "Her coolness is a young girl's self-restraint and introversion, not indifference."

"When it comes to friendship and relationships, she has her own principles and gentleness."

"He appears calm, but he understands everything in his heart."

Guo Junchen, who spoke next, was lively and cheerful, and his speech was particularly relaxed: "My character, Yang Chaoyang, is much simpler; she's definitely the life of the party in the show!"

"His main role is to keep the atmosphere lively in the main cast."

"I really liked the character Yang Chaoyang when I read the script."

"There's no need to dwell on love, hate, or regret. I just feel like I'm playing myself, which adds a lighthearted atmosphere to the whole show."

Listening to everyone's comments, Li Mingde looked left and right, his expression somewhat bewildered.

No, are all of you guys this good at writing?

Are they all that understanding?

If I don't say anything, wouldn't I seem like a loser?

Li Mingde thought for a while, then stammered for a long time before finally organizing his thoughts.

I think...

"Mai Zi is Zhang Wansen's best brother since childhood."

"I want to pay more attention to portraying the brotherhood. I plan to make him more down-to-earth and relatable, and to show the purest brotherhood and youthful spirit."

Well...okay.

Director Li Qingrong glanced at him and nodded, which was taken as her approval of his views on the role.

The interpretations of the supporting characters each had their own focus; some had a deep understanding, while others clearly lacked intellectual capacity.

However, the director and screenwriter can understand. After all, script readings are meant to help actors who don't have good comprehension skills.

Finally, it was the turn of the two main characters to speak.

Li Yitong glanced at Jiang Bai and spoke first: "The greatest charm of the character Lin Beixing lies in his growth and redemption."

"In the early stages, she was carefree and a bit willful, carrying the restlessness and regrets of an adult."

"After being reborn and returning to high school, I gradually shed my recklessness and learned to cherish and understand gentleness."

"She's not a perfect female lead; she has flaws, naivety, and regrets."

"But it is precisely because it is imperfect that it is real."

After listening quietly to Li Yitong's interpretation of the character, Jiang Bai felt relieved.

To be honest, although this woman hasn't become famous in the past few years, her professional skills are definitely not a problem.

Come to think of it, Li Yitong's biggest problem is that the show aired but she didn't become famous, but no one ever said that she acted badly or dragged the production team down.

I imagine her portrayal of Lin Beixing will be just as good.

Relieved, Jiang Bai finally spoke, sharing his understanding of the character Zhang Wansen.

"Zhang Wansen's core is the contrast between forbearance, inferiority complex, deep affection, and courage."

Jiang Bai said calmly, "He seems weak, timid, sensitive, and insecure. He lives in self-doubt for many years, carefully hiding his love, not daring to express it or fight for it."

"But he was extremely brave at heart. To protect Lin Beixing, he crossed time and time again, silently sacrificing himself time and time again. All his gentleness and courage were given to the female lead."

"The most difficult part of this role isn't the lines or the amount of screen time, but the details."

"It was the cautious look in his eyes when he looked at the female lead."

"I want to portray the gentleness and resilience in his bones, and the love he suppresses and restrains, so that the audience can see the deep affection he hides so well."

To be honest, Jiang Bai didn't really like Zhang Wansen's character design.

Well, from a male perspective, this character is really too restrained and somewhat self-pitying.

But in the eyes of female viewers, his series of actions might be seen as a restrained expression of deep affection.

In short, the target audience of this drama really likes this character's personality.

As an actor, Jiang Bai didn't have much to say; he couldn't expect the screenwriter to change the character to one that he found pleasing.

He's not the target audience for this show.

At the end of his analysis, Jiang Bai added a few small details about acting that he had thought about himself.

"I think youth dramas don't need overly deliberate emotional outbursts."

"Many subtle emotions are mainly hidden in the eyes, small gestures, and micro-expressions."

"For example, clenching your fist when you're nervous, looking down when you're shy, and avoiding eye contact—doing these little details a lot will naturally bring out the atmosphere of the character."

Having acted in two youth campus dramas, Jiang Bai has considerable acting experience.

The group continued their discussion for over two hours, focusing on character details, how to act out scenes with other actors, the atmosphere of the scenes, and the emotional connections between the characters.

The script reading session finally ended just before dinner time, moderated by director Li Qingrong.

Everyone had a meal together at the hotel restaurant, which served as a pre-production start-up banquet.

Jiang Bai didn't return to his room until after 7 p.m.

He was just about to open his laptop and play a couple of games of League of Legends when his phone, which was on the table, rang.

It was the agent, Xu Xu, calling. He never joins Jiang Bai's productions.

"Jiang Bai, 'A Love So Beautiful' is so popular in Southeast Asia."

"You might need to add a few more overseas trips to your itinerary!"