Entertainment: The Path to Best Actor for Talented Actors

"You're already 28! If you don't start dating soon, you'll be a 30-year-old spinster, and you'll regret it!"

"Okay, okay, I know, that's not enough. Stop calling me an old maid. I'm not at the point where I can't get married!"

"Hey! Brother, you should go now! Don't worry about Feifei here!" Xu Qing, in order to avoid Zhang Ze's nagging, actually chased him away.

Zhang Ze shook his head; there was nothing he could do about his younger sister.

She's quite pretty, but she won't find a partner, which worries her whole family.

His mother even asked Zeng Lai to help introduce him to young men!

After Zhang Ze left, Xu Qing took Huang Feifei's hand and said to her, "Come here, Feifei, let me tell you, this variety show of ours is a collaboration with iQiyi..."

After handing Feifei over to Xu Qing, Zhang Ze turned to attend to his own business.

He's been busy lately working on getting a new TV series approved.

This TV series is a collaborative work with CCTV and the Narcotics Control Office of the Ministry of Public Security on drug control.

The story is adapted from the true story of the 2013 Guangdong Province's "Thunderbolt Anti-Drug 12.29" special operation that wiped out Boshe Village, the number one drug-producing village in Asia.

Six months ago, when screenwriter Chen Yuxin approached Zhang Ze with this script, he refused.

Because TV dramas about drug prohibition, anti-gang crime, and anti-corruption are too difficult to produce and the content is hard to control.

But after the screenwriter persuaded him many times to learn about the anti-drug police, he was able to do so.

According to research, the average lifespan of anti-drug police officers in our country is only 41 years.

Narcotics officers are among the most dangerous police officers of all.

An undercover police officer was captured and tortured to death by drug traffickers;

There are countless cases of drug enforcement officers' families being wiped out in retaliation by drug dealers after their family information was leaked!

A netizen posted a question online: "Why are there monuments erected for police dogs that have sacrificed their lives, but not for anti-drug police officers who have died in the line of duty?"

The police replied, "We're afraid drug dealers will use the information from those who came to pay their respects to find the families and seek revenge..."

Upon seeing this sentence, Zhang Ze was deeply moved!

He ultimately accepted the script.

The main reason was that the script was excellent, and he was also moved by the dangers, hardships, and silent dedication of the frontline anti-drug police.

He wanted to use this work to let people know that while they are enjoying a peaceful life, there are others who are carrying heavy burdens.

"I'll take on Old Chen's script!" he told the screenwriter over the phone.

"That's wonderful! Zhang Ze, let me tell you, this script is absolutely fantastic; it'll become a classic!"

Screenwriter Chen Yuxin is not exaggerating; he is a very capable person.

For example, many police and gangster works such as "Red Spider", "Dangerous Files", "Conquest" and "Mekong River Case" are his works.

Take this script for example; he spent five years writing it and made several trips to Guangdong to meet face-to-face with police officers who had participated in the drug-making village operation.

Zhang Ze was well aware that this was a good script, but it was also very challenging.

First of all, this drama could not be produced by his company alone; it had to be done in collaboration with other companies. So he approached CCTV Drama Production Center, the Publicity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, and the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department for cooperation.

Zhang Ze had familiar connections in the military and police fields, and these procedures were finally completed after several months.

The TV series has been officially approved; the next step is to attract investment.

The first company that comes to mind is Tencent Pictures, since we've collaborated before.

Who would have thought that in the past two years, Tencent Pictures has become somewhat arrogant, spending money recklessly.

They rejected the script after only one glance, saying that their platform's clients didn't watch this kind of material.

But things were different at iQiyi. The program's vice president, Dai Ying, liked the script very much at first glance.

We conducted an investment evaluation of the script as quickly as possible, and reached a cooperation agreement in less than a week.

"Director Zhang, how are the actors for this drama being cast? Will it be through internal invitations or open auditions?"

Dai Ying, the vice president of iQiyi, is a mature and beautiful woman in her forties with a very pleasant voice.

"I plan to invite some lead actors internally first. The script is excellent, and if filmed properly, it could very well become a masterpiece like 'Mekong River Case' and 'In the Name of the People'."

Zhang Ze said very seriously, "If we want to do this, then let's aim for excellence."

Having been influenced by Noon Sunshine for so many years, his shooting philosophy is somewhat similar to that of Noon Sunshine.

"Director Zhang, since it's an internal recommendation, we do have a few very talented young people under our management. I wonder if we could arrange a role for them?"

Dai Ying, this woman, looks gentle and beautiful, yet she still tried to trap Zhang Ze.

They're already trying to cram people in even though it's only just begun!

However, this is unavoidable; who wouldn't promote their own people if they had resources?

The idea of ​​keeping the good stuff within the family is perfectly normal in the entertainment industry.

He pretended not to be affected and asked, "Oh! Is it the female lead or the male lead?"

"Hehe, neither of them is suitable. The lead role is up to you, the director, to decide. But I think Huang Jingyu from your company would be quite good!"

Dai Ying smiled gently, flicked her hair, and continued, "Our company has three young people; we only need to assign them minor supporting roles in the drama."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ze thought to himself that this woman was really clever; she had used the male lead to trap him from the start.

He did have the idea of ​​casting Huang Jingyu as the male lead!

He didn't object at the time and nodded, saying, "That's no problem. As long as their acting skills are passable, I can arrange a role for them."

"Thank you so much, Director Zhang! Shall I call them in now so you can take a look?" Dai Ying asked.

"Sure, I'll take a look first so I'm fully prepared!"

Soon, Dai Ying led in three young people, one man and two women.

The three people were very young, looking like they had just graduated from university and were in their early twenties.

After introductions, it was learned that the boy's name was Li Haonan, and the two girls' names were...

Liu Ruoyan and Li Mozhi.

The three were reasonably good-looking, especially the two girls, who didn't show any signs of surgery or have typical "internet celebrity" faces, which pleased him.

Zhang Ze tested the three actors' acting skills, and they all did quite well, showing some talent.

We immediately decided to give the three of them a role.

After discussions with the assistant director, it was decided that Li Haonan would play a drug dealer named Wu Zai, and Liu Ruoyan would play a character named Cai Xiaoling.

This role is the wife of a major drug dealer who is pregnant, so it requires a certain level of acting skill.

The last one, Li Mozhi, was given the role of the protagonist Li Fei's girlfriend.

"The Thunder" is an ensemble drama with no absolute protagonist; every character is well-developed and vivid.

It will be presented from the perspective of a grassroots police officer named Li Fei, so you could call him the protagonist.

However, his girlfriend doesn't have many scenes either. Li Mozhi can't be considered the female lead; she's more of a supporting character.

After returning from iQiyi, Zhang Ze called Huang Jingyu to his office.