Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

"Card!"

Uncle Wang's voice boomed across the set, unlike his usual smiling admonitions, this time it was very stern.

He stared at the monitor screen, his brows furrowed, then looked up at Li Xiang in the center of the room, and finally shook his head: "Not emotional enough."

"Your emotional response is too shallow," he said, pointing at the screen with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Your eyes need to be even more vacant, even more ruthless—you have to feel that doing this is your natural duty, without the slightest hesitation in your heart, let alone any aversion."

He paused, his voice growing more threatening: "You wrote this character; you yourself wrote it in the script, saying he was worse than an animal..."

Why do you suddenly want to show him some humanity when it comes to acting? If you hold back, it's irresponsible to them and the entire crew!

"Think it over carefully, and get rid of those unnecessary worries. Start again in five minutes!"

Li Xiang stood still, his face still bearing the coldness and hardness of his character. He didn't argue after hearing these words, but simply lowered his eyes slightly.

When I opened my eyes again, even the last vestiges of humanity in them had vanished completely.

The staff around were used to the director's temper when he was giving instructions, and no one dared to say anything, each keeping their heads down and busy with their own work.

"Give me the signal when you're ready." Uncle Wang sat back down on the monitor, his gaze returning to the screen, though the sternness in his tone had lessened.

Li Xiang took a deep breath and slowly nodded towards the camera.

The clapperboard slammed down, and this time, his indifference was no longer deliberate.

The movements of striking the opposing actor were swift and ruthless; the arm rose with a casual nonchalance, but fell without mercy.

One blow after another, the force traveled through the props and struck the fabric, producing a dull sound.

His eyes remained completely unmoved, as if the struggle and pleas before him were utterly irrelevant to him.

The fierce energy subsided like a tide when Uncle Wang shouted "Cut!"

"That's more like it!" Uncle Wang's voice finally carried a hint of something beyond his anger.

"This character is inherently a twist. The more he acts like a beast in the early stages, the more people hate him. Only his repentance in the later stages is meaningful and worth pondering."

Your performance in the early episodes was lukewarm; how could you possibly have any tension in your later scenes with Yinghong?

This is already Li Xiang's sixth day on set, but he is still stuck on the male lead's behavioral logic in the early stages.

That hollow, seemingly innate ruthlessness dealt him a heavy blow from the very beginning.

It's also his fault. Whether he was practicing at school or acting with Kara Hui, he was always practicing the part of the character that was more emotionally rich after being awakened by maternal love.

He quickly grasped those subtle struggles and transformations.

But the initial coldness, emptiness, and numbness were like a hard bone that was impossible to chew through.

After all, the character's actions are so morally reprehensible that anyone with a modicum of common sense would find it awkward to portray.

The body will subconsciously resist, the eyes will unconsciously dart away, and even psychologically, it feels like there's a layer separating you from them.

This instinctive sense of exclusivity makes his performances always have slight flaws or fleeting hesitations, making them seem deliberate and fake.

Ultimately, it comes down to a lack of acting skills, which is why he's been thoroughly punished by Uncle Wang these past few days.

From the tone of the dialogue to the angle of raising the hand, anything that deviates even slightly from the "inhuman" state will be stopped on the spot.

Then came the relentless scolding, which continued until he had completely lost his humanity.

Li Xiang rubbed his sore arm and frowned as he stared at the footage of himself on the monitor.

The person in the scene has vacant eyes and ruthless movements; they certainly look like the character they should be...

But he knew in his heart that this energy was forced out and was still far from being truly "natural".

"Take a ten-minute break," Uncle Wang's voice came, slightly softening, "Think about what I said—"

It's not about making you act like an animal, it's about getting into that shell where you feel you can do whatever you want.

He nodded, walked to the side, picked up the script, and traced the words "born evil" with his fingertips, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

On the seventeenth day of filming, the scenes that purely showcased evil were coming to an end, and the crew began to film a large number of scenes between Li Xiang and Kara Hui.

Zhang Yimou also brought Chen Kaige to the set. This timely action made Li Xiang realize that Director Zhang had actually been keeping a close eye on the filming progress.

He even knows exactly where he filmed and what his current condition is.

Looking at Uncle Wang's completely unsurprised expression, it's likely that the two of them had conspired beforehand, just waiting for Chen Kai to see his performance firsthand.

But by this time, Li Xiang had already immersed himself in the role, and his previous utilitarian thoughts had been completely worn away.

Upon seeing the two renowned directors enter, instead of rising to exchange pleasantries as usual, he shrank back into the shadows of the set corner, closed his eyes, and continued to prepare his emotions.

The next scene depicts the moment when the character's inner turmoil begins to waver.

As professional directors, neither of them had any complaints.

On the contrary, I felt that this was how a professional actor should act when filming, instead of jumping around like a social butterfly.

The clapperboard fell, and the play began.

The character played by Li Xiang is being handed a fish by the "mother" played by Kara Hui.

He had always ignored or even been annoyed by this woman's advances, but this time, when his fingers touched the fish in the bag, his fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

When he looked up at Kara Hui, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, which should have been cold, like a dusty mirror being wiped open with a crack.

"Okay!" Chen Kaige exclaimed softly from behind the monitor, almost getting up, but Zhang Yimou subtly pressed his arm down so he sat back down.

He stared at the fleeting change in Li Xiang's expression on the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing.

That wavering was so real, not a deliberate performance, but something that seemed to seep from the very core of my being, carrying a tension that made my heart clench.

For the next few days, the two directors stayed on set.

The plot has progressed to a stage where the characters are torn between "evil" and "wavering," and Li Xiang's performance is becoming increasingly nuanced and controlled.

One second he scoffed at Kara Hui's concern, but the next second he saw her being harassed by others and his fists clenched white.

He might utter harsh words, but his eyes would unconsciously follow her figure, like a lost beast secretly eyeing the only light that might be within reach.

Chen Kaige was itching to see it, and twice he couldn't resist and actually tried to snatch Uncle Wang's director's baton, but Zhang Yimou stopped him both times.

"Old Wang is doing a good job directing," Zhang Yimou advised him in a low voice, "There are too many people here, and if you start doing it, it will be hard to explain what will happen if word gets out."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kaige realized the taboo involved and could only suppress his thoughts, sitting silently behind Uncle Wang, his eyes never leaving the monitor.

Occasionally, when I come across a particularly brilliant part, I can't help but make a few marks on the script or whisper a few words to Zhang Yimou.

"It seems this kid is really in jail." "Kara Hui's eyes are absolutely amazing."

And so, the two directors ended up staying on set for more than a week.

The crew members gradually got used to it, instead of being initially nervous.

After all, it's obvious to everyone that these two are truly captivated by the tension in the play.

Li Xiang, however, did not lose his rhythm because of the arrival of the two. He continued to act as he always had, as if he only had eyes for the character and his co-star Kara Hui.

One day after filming wrapped, Zhang Yimou patted him on the shoulder and said, "The remaining scenes are the soul of the whole film. I'll talk to you about them later tonight."

Hearing this, Chen Kaige walked over, still holding a half-empty bottle of mineral water in his hand.

"As the saying goes, the finishing touch is essential to painting a dragon. I've been watching Kara Hui's situation these past few days, and I have a clear understanding of what's going on, so I'm at ease."

He paused, his gaze falling on Li Xiang's face, becoming more serious:

"The key is with you. You need to take those last few steps and try to break through."

So, I have some things I need to tell you later.