Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

Filming for the scene involving the jade seal began in the morning.

The scene was listed as a "one-man show" in the production schedule.

There is only one actor, Leung Kwan-wah.

The scene is the study in the East Palace, with a table, a chair, and a brocade box. Inside the box is a jade seal prop, which was carved from real jade by the props team a month in advance. It is much more elaborate than ordinary props.

The difficulty of this scene lies not in the scale, but in how one actor can carry the entire scene alone.

The night before, Luo Yifeng told the assistant director that the scene needed to capture a "moment"—the instant Zhu Gaochi received the imperial seal, the moment he released everything he had held back for twenty years, and that moment had to be acted out.

This kind of play can be difficult or easy, depending on who plays it.

If it were a regular actor, this scene would simply involve "looking down at the imperial seal and changing their expression."

Leung Kwan-wah will be playing a different role.

Before nine o'clock, the monitoring tent was already full of people.

This was quite a novel sight on the film set.

When filming usually starts, Luo Yifeng and the assistant director are the only people in the monitoring studio.

Today is different. Today is the start of Liang Guanhua's filming, and several prominent figures from the crew have come.

The photography team leader, Lao Zheng, the action director, Zhao, the makeup artist, Sister Lin, and even the girl with glasses in the archives were all standing at the entrance of the monitoring booth, watching from afar.

These people came to "learn from the masters".

It's not every day that a 62-year-old veteran actor gets to film a ten-second scene. Being able to watch it live in this monitoring studio is a source of pride for the crew.

Jingming arrived at 8:40, earlier than Chen Mo.

As soon as he entered the monitoring booth, he greeted Luo Yifeng and chose a folding chair in the last row to sit down. There was a reason why he didn't choose the front row. He came to watch Liang Lao's play today to learn, and to learn, one should sit in the back row.

Chen Mo arrived at 9:55.

Chen Mo lifted the curtain and came in, nodding to Luo Yifeng, stunt coordinator Zhao, and Lao Zheng one by one. He walked to the back row and saw Jing Ming already sitting there. The two looked at each other.

They nodded to each other as a greeting.

Chen Mo sat down next to Jing Ming, and neither of them spoke, both looking at the screen.

Jingming was thinking about something.

He hadn't spoken more than a few words to Chen Mo these past few days, but he had been thinking about the actor Chen Mo the whole time.

He came to a conclusion.

Chen Mo's acting is good, but he plays the young Zhu Zhanji, who is fourteen or sixteen years old. Chen Mo has a natural advantage in this age range. He is twenty-four years old, and it is easier for him to play a fourteen-year-old than a forty-year-old.

Being good at playing young characters doesn't guarantee you'll be good at playing adult characters.

Today, Liang Lao plays Zhu Gaochi, a middle-aged man who has been suppressed for twenty years. Chen Mo has never played this kind of role before.

Jingming had a vague feeling that it was questionable whether Chen Mo could handle the role of Liang Lao when he played the adult Zhu Zhanji.

It wasn't that he looked down on Chen Mo.

He had reservations about the explosive performance of a 24-year-old carrying a 62-year-old veteran actor.

He didn't say it aloud, but it was on his mind.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the computer was turned on.

In the study of the Eastern Palace.

Liang Guanhua sat behind his desk.

He was wearing Zhu Gaochi's everyday clothes, a specially made ochre-colored robe.

This robe was heavier than the usual costumes for actors, so the props team added a lining around the waist to make Leung Kwan-wah's figure appear wider.

Zhu Gaochi was a famously fat man; historical records say he needed help to walk, so this robe he wore gave him that weight.

Liang Guanhua kept his head down.

On the desk in front of him lay a folding book, which was a prop, but the words on it were real.

His right hand was pressed against the edge of the folding paper, while his left hand hung down beside his leg.

He just sat there.

Luo Yifeng pressed the intercom.

"Action".

Liang Guanhua did not move.

He sat there.

There was a noise outside; it was the sound of a eunuch pushing open the door and entering.

Liang Guanhua did not look up.

He remained in this position without looking up for about six seconds.

For six seconds, his breathing was even, his back was slightly hunched forward, and his whole body looked like a mountain of flesh sitting in a chair.

Six seconds later, the door opened.

The eunuch walked in, carrying a brocade box.

The eunuch walked to the desk, knelt down, and placed the brocade box on the desk.

The eunuch neither spoke nor looked up.

Liang Guanhua looked up.

He saw the brocade box.

He didn't speak.

His eyes lingered on the brocade box for three seconds.

For those three seconds, his gaze was flat. A man who had been suppressed for twenty years saw a brocade box that should have belonged to him long ago, and his gaze was flat.

It's not that I'm not excited, it's that I've been excited for twenty years and I'm no longer excited.

Inside the monitoring shed.

Martial arts choreographer Zhao hissed softly.

He understands what's in that eye.

Jingming understood.

Jingming's hand, which was holding the teacup, stopped.

This was the first time he had seen a veteran actor perform something like this live, and the difference between watching it on screen and watching it live was enormous.

He can analyze what he sees on screen, but he can only feel what he sees in person.

Liang Guanhua reached out his hand.

His hands were slow, every inch of them was slow.

His right hand rested on the lid of the brocade box, while his left hand supported the side of the box.

Both hands paused for a moment.

This sudden stop is inexplicable.

But everyone watching knew that his two hands were telling him something.

I've waited twenty years.

After he finished using both hands, he opened the brocade box.

The brocade box contained the imperial seal.

The jade seal prop is carved from genuine jade, it is heavy, and the jade is bluish-white. The carving of the coiled dragon knob is extremely fine.

Liang Guanhua looked at the jade seal.

He looked at it for five seconds.

Five seconds later, his expression changed.

This is the moment Luo Yifeng wanted.

His eyes changed.

How did it change?

Everyone in the monitoring booth was staring at the screen.

Liang Guanhua's originally calm eyes lit up for a moment, and then lit up very quickly, like the tungsten filament in a light bulb being electrified.

After it lit up, the eyes didn't maintain that brightness; they immediately dimmed, and the brightness in the eyes transformed into something else entirely.

It's something that someone who has been suppressed for twenty years allows to shine for the first time, and then immediately hides that light away.

This gaze conveyed three levels within three seconds.

Brighten, collect, hide.

Inside the monitoring shed.

Luo Yifeng pressed the intercom.

His voice was a little hoarse.

"Pass."

This scene is forty seconds long.

One take.

No one spoke.

After about ten seconds, Old Zheng spoke first, his voice low: "Old Liang's attack hit three layers."

Action director Zhao Jie: "When I saw that bright light just now, I thought he was going to laugh, but he didn't. He took it back."

Makeup artist Sister Lin said from the side, "With this touch-up, the character of Zhu Gaochi is truly established."

Jingming sat in the back row and didn't say anything.

The cup of tea he was holding had gone cold.

He had been analyzing how Liang Lao's three layers of expression were acted out.

He analyzed two of the three layers: light and darkness.

He couldn't figure out the third layer of "hidden".

He knows it exists, but he can't make it.

This was the first time in over a decade that he had seen a veteran actor perform to this level live.

Luo Yifeng stood up from the monitoring booth.

He walked out of the surveillance booth and into the set of the East Palace study.

He bowed to Liang Guanhua politely.

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Liang."

Liang Guanhua smiled and waved his hand, "Old Luo, what are you doing?"

"I thank you on behalf of the production team."

As a director, Luo Yifeng deeply understands the importance of a good actor.

Liang Guanhua patted him on the shoulder: "That's enough, that's enough."

Luo Yifeng straightened up and turned to look in the direction of the monitoring shed.

He seemed to be thinking about something.

After a few seconds, he turned back to Liang Guanhua.

"Teacher Liang, I have an idea."

"Um?"

"I just watched the playback. In the last second of your scene, when you were 'hiding' your eyes, you glanced slightly towards the door."

Liang Guanhua was taken aback.

Did I make that gesture?

"Yes, I saw it in the replay."

Liang Guanhua thought for a moment and said, "It might be something I did subconsciously."

Luo Yifeng: "The direction of that glance was subconscious, but that glance has meaning in the play."

"What does it mean?"

"After Zhu Gaochi obtained the imperial seal, the first person he wanted to look at was his son, Zhu Zhanji."

Liang Guanhua's eyes lit up.

"Luo Yonghao, your idea is good."

Luo Yifeng: "I'd like to add a paragraph."

"Add what?"

"Add a scene where Zhu Zhanji pushes open the door and enters, sees his father holding the imperial seal, the two stare at each other for a second, and then Zhu Zhanji bows his head and leaves."

Liang Guanhua thought for a few seconds: "The addition makes sense."

Luo Yifeng: "Are you willing to film now?"

Liang Guanhua: "I'm willing."

Luo Yifeng turned around and shouted:

"Xiao Chen!"