1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

Huo Sheng was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

"Why do you ask that?"

"It's just... something I felt compelled to say."

This once wildly popular Hong Kong idol, now with her head bowed and shoulders slightly hunched, looked like a child who had done something wrong.

No.

He denied it without hesitation, his tone much gentler than usual: "If that's how you think of yourself, you're sorely mistaken."

"Neither I, Director Yuan, nor PolyGram think you're bad. On the contrary, we all believe you can act well and bring us surprises, which is why we're so strict with you."

"Otherwise," he added, "do you think we're going to all this trouble to correct your performance just because we have nothing better to do?"

The last sentence was somewhat joking, but the tone was very serious.

"..."

Vivian Chow was not encouraged by his words.

If her current performance is the result of their deliberate manipulation, wouldn't that further confirm her incompetence in fulfilling her responsibilities?

Seeing this, Huo Sheng knew perfectly well that she was being stubborn.

Huo Sheng closed the script, leaned back in his chair, and said gently, "Do you know where the problem was with your performance just now?"

"Where?"

"Could you first tell me about your thought process when you were acting?"

"I think..."

The young sect leader lowered his head and slowly said, "Ruan Mei has finally found Fang Zhanbo. Seeing that he has avenged his great enemy and achieved his wish, she is very happy, so I have to act out that happiness."

"Are you worried?"

"Worry?"

Are you worried about Fong Chin-bo?

After asking, Huo Sheng explained, "Before the day of the great miracle, Ruan Mei knew that Fang Zhanbo was gambling his life with the Ding family."

She has a heart condition, but she still insisted on coming to the exchange. She stood there for hours, watching the numbers go up and down. With each drop, she felt like she couldn't hold on any longer. Did you think about that?

"I……"

Vivian Chow looked somewhat dejected and stammered, unable to speak.

Huo Sheng looked at her and asked, "You skipped over Xiao Youzi's own story again and focused only on Fang Zhanbo, didn't you?"

"I……"

The young sect leader opened his mouth, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and after a long while, he whispered, "I really didn't think that much about it."

"So how do you think we should perform now?"

She pondered for a moment, mentally reviewing her performance, and asked, "Should I have expressed Zhanbo's concern first, and then shared his joy?"

"right!"

While the girl was still in a daze, Huo Sheng continued, "If you want to play a role well, you must thoroughly understand the context and figure out the character's psychology. Emotions do not exist independently; they have causes and consequences."

Ruan Mei had been living in fear all day. When she saw Fang Zhanbo, her first reaction was to be worried that he was alright, and only then did she feel happy.

You skipped the previous layer and went straight to acting happy, so your performance looks thin and lacks depth.

In the original version of "The Greed of Man," Vivian Chow's performance in this segment was lackluster; she seemed like a wooden puppet and couldn't keep up with Lau Ching-wan's acting at all.

Huo Sheng took this opportunity to correct Zhou Huimin's acting style.

"How can one create layers in a performance?"

Vivian Chow asked urgently.

"You've opened gifts before, haven't you?"

"certainly."

When you receive a gift box, you first guess what's inside—that's curiosity. You open it a crack, peek inside, and your heart races—that's anticipation. But when you open it completely, see what's inside, and smile—that's happiness.

Huo Sheng looked at her and said, "These three emotions are connected. It's not about acting out curiosity first, then anticipation, and finally happiness. You have to let the audience see the process of you going from curiosity to anticipation, and from anticipation to happiness."

That middle line is called a layer.

There should be layers, but they should never be separated. I start with surprise, and then I follow up with joy. This is how a novice actor acts.

True hierarchy requires that each element is intertwined with the others, mutually encompassing yet clearly distinguishing itself from the others.

Vivian Chow blinked, pondering the metaphor over and over in her mind, her eyes slowly brightening a little.

"I think I understand now."

"Yes, it's easier once you substitute it into this formula."

Huo Sheng nodded.

I want to give it a try.

She raised her head, her voice soft but firm.

"Can."

After Huo Sheng finished speaking, realizing he only understood the theory but knew nothing about acting, he added, "How about we get Lau Ching-wan to come and act with you?"

He turned to look at the sidelines, his gaze passing through the bustling crowd of stagehands and landing on Liu Qingyun in the corner.

He was slightly bent over, in a very awkward posture, explaining the scene to Amy Kwok.

His dark face was flushed with a faint blush, and his movements were stiff like a child who had just learned to walk, making him look like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

He was holding the script and reciting Fang Zhanbo's lines, but his eyes kept drifting towards Guo Aiming.

Huo Sheng looked at it for two seconds, then silently turned his head back.

"never mind."

He gestured with his chin toward the young sect leader, "Let's try it again ourselves. Don't worry about me, just pretend the camera is on the other side."

"Um!"

Vivian Chow had thoroughly read the script and knew what she should do at this moment. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared herself for a few seconds.

When she opened her eyes again, the focus of those eyes had changed.

Instead of looking at Huo Sheng, she looked ahead at a slightly angled view.

His lips were pressed into a thin line, and the expression on his face slowly relaxed from tense, as if he wanted to confirm something, but dared not confirm it.

"wrong."

She shook her head first, "It's still a little short."

She continued to take deep breaths, but this time it was even worse than before. Her expression was very strange, and she knew it wasn't working: "It's too complicated, I can't grasp it."

"Let's simplify it then."

Huo Sheng thought for a moment, "Don't think about the three layers, just think about one thing—when you see Fang Zhanbo win, the weight on your heart will be lifted, and act out that feeling of the weight being lifted."

Vivian Chow nodded and tried again; this time it was much easier.

She didn't try to analyze her emotions anymore; she just looked at Huo Sheng, thinking, "He's alright." Her shoulders were tense at first, then slowly relaxed, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily, as if she wanted to laugh but hadn't yet.

Vivian Chow's eyes are naturally large and bright, so she doesn't need to overdo it. Just looking at the other person and slightly narrowing her gaze is enough to convey her emotions.

"Not bad, not bad!"

The two lined up several times, though there were still some shortcomings.

But the progress has been astonishing.

"Really?" Vivian Chow looked up, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.

Huo Sheng laughed.

He had already figured out the young sect leader's personality quite well. He was gentle on the outside but tough on the inside, stubborn at heart, and had a never-give-up spirit, just like the little Jew.

Why would I lie to you?

He said, "Didn't you feel it yourself just now? When you breathed a sigh of relief, didn't you also feel relieved?"

Vivian Chow paused for a moment, thought for a second, and slowly nodded: "It seems... there is a little bit."

That's it.

Huo Sheng handed her the script, "Remember that feeling from just now, do another take, and show it to Director Yuan."