Part 4 of Chapter 63
This chapter is brought to you by Heemi, thanks for the ko-fi! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･
Please Like Her 14 – Male and Female Leads + Casting for ‘Evil’ (No In-Play Version)
As Shang Lu finished speaking, a male actor walked into the room.
He was the youngest actor in the country to have received three nominations for the Golden Dew Awards’ Film Emperor award, even though he hadn’t won yet. But multiple nominations were proof enough of his talent.
Hearing Shang Lu’s words, he gave Xu Ze a mocking look.
Shang Lu immediately pulled Xu Ze behind her and stared back at the male actor.
—What are you looking at?
She was just boasting about Xu Ze, so she had to give him a fierce look!
After spending a long time with Lin Yanyan, Shang Lu’s personality had become more outgoing and assertive.
Maybe because Shang Lu keep staring, there was a hint of ‘If you keep staring, I’ll gouge out your eyeballs’ written on the face of the male actor in front of her. Under the reminder of the assistant by his side, the male actor’s hand clenched tighter at his side, and he arrogantly threw out a sentence, “You’ll know when the time comes,” then left directly.
Watching his back, Shang Lu couldn’t help but comment, “I think he chose the wrong role. He should audition for the second son; his personality is clearly a better fit.”
Xu Ze, on the other hand, didn’t pay much attention to these taunts. He just took two candies out of his pocket and handed them to Shang Lu, saying, “Good luck with the audition.”
When Shang Lu walked into the room, she saw three beautiful girls already seated inside. One of them was Shen Xian, and the other two she didn’t really recognize.
“Sister Shen Xia,” Shang Lu greeted Shen Xian, and Shen Xian, who was holding a script, smiled back at her.
The other two girls, one had a blank expression, and the other one stood up proactively and introduced herself to Shang Lu. She said they were both students selected through auditions.
Shang Lu suddenly remembered a conversation between Cen Yan and Song Zeqian before. Song Zeqian seemed to have mentioned that he wanted to cast newcomers for the female lead.
Soon, two more female stars arrived.
One was Lu Shi, who had won the Best Supporting Actress at an international film festival at the age of seventeen. In the industry, she was called ‘Little Cen Yan.’ Her future was deemed limitless, and she was the most promising new-generation female star.
As for the other one, Ji Yun, she had worked with Song Zeqian twice before, but only in supporting roles.
“I’m just here to make an appearance today. Making it to the final round is satisfying enough for me,” Shen Xian said, lowering her voice and telling Shang Lu, “Your biggest competition among these people is probably Lu Shi.”
Shang Lu thought the same.
Song Zeqian had worked with Ji Yun twice before, so if he wanted to cast her, he would have done so already.
Therefore, among these people, Shang Lu couldn’t quite figure out Song Zeqian’s attitude towards her, but the one he was probably most satisfied with was Lu Shi.
Shang Lu looked at Lu Shi.
At her age, just over twenty, she had won an award at seventeen and had entered the mainstream entertainment circle directly. She had worked with A-list directors and crews over the years, a life that many female actors envied.
But when Lu Shi realized that Shang Lu was looking at her, she just smiled shyly.
Lu Shi’s appearance and personality surprisingly suited the role.
Shang Lu felt a hint of anxiety but quickly calmed herself down.
She lowered her head and couldn’t help but touch the ring on her hand, telling herself to do her best.
Song Zeqian soon arrived with two screenwriters responsible for refining the details, wearing sunglasses that hid his expression. He had the actors take turns performing the same scene without saying a word.
As expected, after this round, most people were directly eliminated.
Song Zeqian didn’t need to discuss anything with his screenwriters. He directly announced, “Except for Lu Shi and Shang Lu, everyone else can go back.”
Shang Lu’s heart was racing.
She breathed a sigh of relief but became even more nervous.
As expected, it was just as she had thought, but fortunately, she was also chosen to stay.
Lu Shi was her biggest competitor, but at the same time, she was Lu Shi’s only competitor here.
Song Zeqian commented, “The two of you are completely opposite. The most important thing for this role is the family relationship in a distorted environment and the hatred for the father. Lu Shi portrayed the former well, while Shang Lu portrayed the latter well. To be honest, neither of you completely satisfied me, but compared to others, at least you both brought out a part of it, so I can only choose between you two and work on it further.”
Song Zeqian didn’t rush them into a second round of auditions. Instead, he said, “There’s also a remarkable coincidence. After reading the script, both of you asked me the same question, expressing concerns about the character Wang Can in <Evil> overlapping with your most representative roles.”
Song Zeqian was right; in <Life’s Journey>, Shang Lu played Song Yanxue, who, after extreme parental control, chose to kill her parents. Lu Shi’s breakthrough work also told the story of a girl who had been controlled by medication for twenty years but ended up killing her mother.
So, Song Zeqian said directly, “For the second round of auditions, you don’t need to perform anything. I just need you to answer one question: What is the biggest difference between <Evil>’s Wang Can and the two roles you’ve played before?”
The biggest difference from the previous roles?
Shang Lu was a bit choked up.
She didn’t know, and she even wanted to curse and say that Song Zeqian was being unreasonable.
He had clearly said that if she was chosen, he would take her to see those children with his own eyes. She would find out then.
So why was he suddenly asking this question now? Shouldn’t he have told her after she was chosen?!
Lu Shi’s expression was equally confused, probably having been similarly brushed off by Song Zeqian with the same phrase in the past.
“Thirty minutes,” Song Zeqian said, then stood up and walked towards the exit. “I’m going out for a smoke. I hope that when I come back, you both will have your answers ready.”
With that, Song Zeqian left with the two screenwriters.
The scene takes place indoors, with only Shang Lu and Lu Shi remaining. Shang Lu looks at Lu Shi and sincerely praises, “You were really great just now, so talented.”
Lu Shi smiles bashfully and replies softly, “You were great too.”
Shang Lu can’t help but ask, “How did you portray that hatred and struggle? It made me feel both despair and hope.”
Lu Shi thinks for a moment and says, “Maybe it’s because of my personal experiences. My father wasn’t as extreme as the character in the script, but he used to neglect the family and it was my grandparents who mistreated us. I always wanted to work hard from a young age so I could provide a better life for my Mom.”
“I see,” Shang Lu pauses for a few seconds and then adds, “I didn’t expect that we both have a somewhat similar acting approach. My father wasn’t that extreme either, but he treated me badly, and I was afraid of him. I felt like he was a madman. If murder weren’t illegal, he’d be my first victim.”
As Shang Lu speaks, a spark suddenly ignites in her mind. Their approaches to the character are different because they have different starting points. This difference in perspective seems to mirror the differences between the youngest sister character in <Evil>.
What could it be?
Shang Lu feels like she’s grasping at something, but it eludes her understanding.
She furrows her brow in deep thought.
Half an hour later, Song Zeqian and the screenwriters return. Song Zeqian immediately looks at the time and says, “One minute per person, who wants to go first?”
Being the first one to answer holds a significant advantage. If two people think of the same answer, the latter doesn’t need to respond.
There’s no need for politeness at this moment. Lu Shi quickly raises her hand.
She has also thought deeply, not only comparing her character with the youngest sister in <Evil> but also comparing Shang Lu’s character.
Then she answers, “The roles we played before were all individuals who were oppressed, and their perception of family was more about absence. But this time, it’s an ensemble film. Although we are oppressed by our father, our family ties, whether it’s among siblings or with our mother, still exist and haven’t been eroded. I think it’s more about love than hatred, even though the act of patricide is driven by love for our mother.”
Song Zeqian supports his chin with one hand and lightly taps his other fingers on the table, giving his evaluation, “Well said, but my question was about the differences in the characters, not about expressing the theme.”
Afterward, Song Zeqian turns to Shang Lu and asks, “What about you?”
Shang Lu’s brain quickly processes many thoughts. The differences in characters, the fundamental driving force of the characters, and all the knowledge she gained from Cheng Baojiao’s classes and from Xue Zishan and Wang Rongping all come flooding back to her.
Thinking from the perspective of a creator.
It means understanding the character from Song Zeqian’s perspective.
Shang Lu raises her head and answers confidently, “Even in the same oppressive environment and similar actions, the characters are driven by different desires. Song Yanxue leans toward death, while Wang Can leans toward life.”
Shen Xian, popular traffic celebrity, 1st FL in Salvation Plan (the drama about time travel)
Also I don’t care if Song Zeqian is niceish to children and actors who managed to impress him in spite of his horrible attitude, he still sucks. I dislike him.
I’m doubting SL’s answer. Both of WC and SYX (or at least, the SYX whom SL portrayed) seek that fleeting “life” after their parent(s) death, fully knowing the soon coming death will follow. SYX, because at her core, she’s not fully grown as human, along with her age. Thus, her inability to actually life without her parents. WC, because she has experienced the outside world and should be aware of the consequences of patricide.
If SL’s right, the difference between them should be about how SYX seek death after she tasted that fleeting freedom/life. Meanwhile, WC planned to escape the consequences of patricide and get the “normal” life she and her siblings has longed for.
I think Wang Can and the siblings deal is that they sorta divvied up the murder so they won’t get caught? Although you’d think they’d choose a more subtle method…
It’s not the same environment though. Song Yanxue had never experienced love while Wang Can received love & protection from her siblings and mother. So I agree with the answer of love vs hate.
Yup and the abuse they faced were very different. One was in the form of control aimed at creating the perfect golden child while other was just oppression aimed at ensuring conformity. One was a twisted form of love but the other was pure dislike and disregard. Song Yanxue(+ Lu Shi’s other character) never experienced normal parental love but she(/they) mostly never had to fear for her(/their) life either, whereas Wang Can had to be very careful not to give anything away cause if she did it really might become dangerous for her and her mother. Song Yanxue knew what her emotions were but Wang Can was taught what her emotions should be by her other siblings and none of them I’m sure would’ve felt anything but hatred for their so called father.
I can’t wait for the next chapters. Thank you so much to the golden thighs and the messenger for blessing us! ORZ