The Best Director-Chapter 471 - : Don’t Underestimate Any Character
Chapter 471: Chapter 471: Don’t Underestimate Any Character
“Hee hee hee!” “Ha ha ha——”
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Under the clear sky, laughter from both adults and kids rang out from the park’s play area, as the energetic children ran around, playing on the slides and swings…
Spreading out a checkered picnic mat on the green lawn, Jessica sat down holding Keke, her gaze drifting to the blue sky and white clouds, her face alight with a leisurely smile. Sitting in her arms, Keke clutched a rattle drum, occasionally giving it a shake, listening to its “thump thump” sound. She laughed happily, even making an attempt at words, “MAMA, MAMA!” Even though Jessica knew it wasn’t an intentional call for mama, just baby talk, she couldn’t help but feel overjoyed every time she heard it, after teaching her daughter the word for a while, she tried another, “Can you say DADA? DA——DA——”
“Oh… ya——” Instead, Keke uncooperatively cooed, her chubby little face breaking into a smile, then she laughed cheerily, “Yiyi! Yaya!”
At the Santa Monica Flame Headquarters, the reception room outside the audition chamber was star-studded. On several sofas sat beautiful and enchanting megastars, with Natalie and Hathaway chatting and laughing about something, and Scarlett, having just sent a text message, joined in the conversation, while Natalie was flipping through a movie magazine, and Hewitt was quietly playing on her tablet… Actually, there was no need for them to come so early that they had to queue and wait, as auditions were scheduled for the entire morning. However, they all had arrived early without prior arrangement, as this was no ordinary audition.
Since the people auditioning in the morning had arrived before work hours and were all proud megastars, the order of the auditions was arranged alphabetically by surname, and if the surnames were the same, then by the first letter of their first names, ensuring absolute fairness.
Alexis Braidel was the first to audition, vying for the role of a psychologist. She had been confident upon entering, having watched “Infernal Affairs,” and found playing Li Xin’er to be effortless. As Joshua had said, it was just an ordinary woman who could stay calm, smile, and talk.
The door to the audition chamber opened, and everyone stopped and looked over in surprise to see Alexis walk out with a calm face, her expression revealing not the slightest bit of joy, but rather a seeming air of dejection. They didn’t have time to form any other thoughts, only confusion. What happened?
She had botched it! Facing the gazes of everyone, Alexis showed a wry smile. Her performance was poor, and she was almost speechless under Wang Yang’s probing questions, which affected her mood and distracted her performance. Looking at Natalie and the rest, she knew she had lost the chance for the role.
“Ladies, Wang Yang said ‘don’t underestimate any role’, good luck to you all,” Alexis smiled at the crowd, said a few words of farewell, and left first. She wasn’t too disappointed; she had only joined the competition because Joshua had convinced her, “That role is something even my dim-wit sister could play and get an Oscar Best Supporting Actress for, what are you afraid of?” She decided to focus on the last season of “Gilmore Girls” this year and prepare for the horror movie that Joshua was planning.
“Don’t underestimate any role!” Alexis’s flop immediately brought down the relaxed atmosphere of the reception room. Wang Yang’s words seemed to echo in their ears, as the megastars furrowed their brows in bewilderment. What a joke!
As everyone watched, Emily Blunt entered the audition chamber, and the atmosphere became subtly tense, hardly a good time to discuss this topic that was at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
They didn’t think lightly of any role, but whether it was a psychologist, Lau Kin Ming’s girlfriend… it was truly just an ordinary woman, after all. Could it be that Wang Yang’s adaptation script contained many breakout scenes? But it seemed that the main storyline and the amount of screen time would suggest otherwise.
And Alexis Braidel messed it up. Although she doesn’t have a Golden Globe Award or an Oscar nomination, her solid acting has received widespread acclaim. After shining brightly in “MIT-21-TEAM,” besides continuing with the TV series “Gilmore Girls,” she also delivered stellar performances in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “Sin City,” and her recent independent film “I Am Reed Fish” with Jay Baruchel is about to participate in the New York Tribeca Film Festival. Plus, her demeanour is gentle and suitable for a psychologist!
Thinking about this, Natalie frowned slightly, still self-confident, but without a trace of complacency that it would be easy to win. Clearly, the young director today was very strict, not surprising considering all these formidable women—wouldn’t it be more interesting if he wasn’t strict? She clenched her fist and shouted internally, “Just wait, Wang Yang, I will give my best performance!”
“No matter what, I am certain to win today.” Natalie, Scarlett, and others each had their thoughts. Weren’t they all thinking the same?
In the elegant audition room, following Alexis, today’s second big star braved the challenge! At this moment, Emily Blunt sat upright in her chair, with Wang Yang and several other judges seated behind the audition table. Wang Yang’s expression was stern, with none of the sunny and approachable air. He asked, “Have you seen ‘Infernal Affairs’? What do you think of the psychologist role? Just an ordinary woman?”
“I think… she’s quite important,” Emily thought on her feet and gave a universal answer, feeling a bit nervous. It was obviously very different from the last audition for “The Devil Wears Prada.” Wang Yang seemed very solemn, a little frightening…
“What do you think?” Wang Yang immediately made a gesture for her to continue, not giving her any time to think. Emily pondered and organized her thoughts, saying, “She’s a beautiful woman, with the unique charm of doctors, she is Chan Wing Yan’s warm harbor.” Wang Yang, with an inscrutable expression, propping his chin, then asked, “How do you plan to interpret her?” Emily blinked and, after pausing for a few seconds, Wang Yang immediately said, “You know that the preparation and shooting schedule of this movie are very tight. You must keep up.”
Luckily, these questions were regular and had been considered before. Emily said “Yes, I know,” and then answered, “I will portray her charm, a friendly and mature psychologist.”
“That’s everyone’s idea, a friendly and mature female psychologist, right!” This was the first time Wang Yang showed a smile, but his words were still startling to Emily, “Then, why should we choose you? These things sound like platitudes. When a character has a small role and a simple setup, that’s when it truly tests you. Do you know which character is the hardest to play? Not a neurotic, not a manic, not a depressive, not a fashion magazine office assistant; it’s an ordinary person.”
Emily nodded repeatedly. Wang Yang was absolutely right, to play an ordinary person memorably is very difficult, yet her initial thoughts were limited to being “an ordinary person,” thinking she could easily play the role well without considering how to make a memorable impression.
Wang Yang paused, and the audition room fell silent. Nancy and a few other judges did not speak. He continued, “Emily, if you were to shape her and I let you act freely, what energy could you bring to the film?” Emily felt she was in a proactive position but was actually quite passive, and thought to herself, “Warmth, light, smiles… I need to analyze from the script for specifics.” Wang Yang disregarded her reference to the script, “Warm smiles, are you sure they fit your temperament?”
Emily was momentarily disconcerted by his abrupt question, her thoughts becoming scattered. Her temperament indeed wasn’t that of a sweetheart type; even Alexis Braidel was warmer than her, but mature! Emily changed her answer, “Maybe I can be more serious and mature…”
“If you’re a serious psychologist, how could Chan Wing Yan find warmth? Why would he fall in love with you?” Wang Yang pressed her relentlessly, leaving Emily almost speechless, and after some time, she replied, “I would create a psychologist who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, with a warm smile that becomes more charming at critical moments.”
Wang Yang nodded silently, his expression and thoughts inscrutable. Emily was dissatisfied with her hesitant and poor performance and then listened as he asked, “Based on the story of ‘Infernal Affairs’ alone, do you think Chan found warmth with Li? Did he fall in love with her?” Emily paused upon hearing this, the question not about Li’s feelings for Chan, but instead about Chan’s feelings for Li. After thinking for a moment, she answered, “I believe he must have found warmth… but had not fallen in love yet.”
“You must understand, the mind of a mature psychologist is very sensitive, like a secret agent, she can see through the feelings Chen has for her, and accordingly, she will show certain responses,” Wang Yang explained a few sentences, although all of this was unnecessary. Emily understood right away, clearing up her confusion, but her performance really wasn’t all that impressive, no wonder Braidel messed up… Wang Yang suddenly asked again, “What will she show?” Emily couldn’t think of much on the spot and could only say, “… She wants to help him, a doctor helping her patient.”
“OK,” Wang Yang’s voice was light. He stood up and walked towards the camera while saying, “Let’s try acting it out.”
Watching Emily go from confident and proud to fidgety little movements, constantly lowering her gaze as if deep in thought, Nancy couldn’t help but inwardly sigh, ‘Magic Yang has tamed another one!’
The saying goes, a guest will see more in an hour than the host will see in a year, especially as the only person in the room who knew Wang Yang’s real intention was “not just to be strict, but also to deflate their arrogance.” Nancy saw a lot. His questions, though rapid, were not unreasonable – on the contrary, they were completely justified. The high degree of freedom made things more difficult. There was no need for tricky questions. Instead, with the use of interview techniques like controlling the tone and pace of the conversation, along with the psychological pressure exerted by “Stern Magic Yang,” Braidel and Bronte were already handled.
Moreover, Magic Yang knew these women’s temperaments and acting styles well and was aware of their weaknesses. He targeted each of them to feel like their performance was terrible. He kept hinting that the goody-two-shoes Alexis was playing were good, so a goody-two-shoes psychologist? Like a little girl, how could she possibly captivate the worldly and hurting Chan Wing Yan? Emily had a mature look and made a splendid debut in “The Devil Wears Prada,” yet he implied that the cool-tempered psychologist wasn’t warm enough, not impressive…
In fact, their performances were not bad, it’s just that lacking highlights now equated to being terrible. However, if you look at it from another angle, if they didn’t succumb to his intimidation and inducement, and remained confident and strong from beginning to end, managing to impress Magic Yang, wouldn’t they emerge as winners? Yes, Nancy glanced at Wang Yang.
Magic Yang was truly intimidating today! They thought the past two days were strict enough. The casting directors like Cally were all feeling this, believing it to be the audition with the least amount of smiles he’d had in years. They understood, though, as today’s candidates were all of superstar caliber, anyone who came in could be described as, “I see Li Xin’er.”
In the following acting challenge, Emily Blunt’s performance continued to be uninspiring. The cool on the outside but warm inside turned into cold and haughty. The always encouraging and instructing Wang Yang was nowhere to be seen. Seeing Emily’s somewhat strained smile, Nancy sighed inwardly, hoping she wouldn’t be left with a psychological scar.
“Emily, you have a fantastic talent for acting and the sufficient effort, I know it, we all do,” said the sunshiny Magic Yang, appearing belatedly after the camera was turned off. Emily was nearly moved to tears, wasn’t this what she longed for? She saw his smile, which was as kind as a big brother looking at his little sister, and comfortingly said, “Actually, I don’t know about the others, but your performance surprised me. Are you really the Emily Blunt from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’?”
His question made everyone laugh, and Emily laughed along. Her mature face gradually regained its confident look. Listening to these encouragements coming from Magic Yang, the amazing director who had brought her from London to Hollywood, her idol who was only three years older than her, it was truly delightful!
“It’s rare for someone to have such an outstanding debut film, and such a successful start can easily lead to complacency and getting lost. I’m glad to see you didn’t, you are improving.”
Wang Yang didn’t skimp on his words of praise, Emily almost felt as if she had just delivered an impressively perfect performance! Was it her illusion, or was it actually really good? However, the happiness didn’t last, as Wang Yang’s smile suddenly faded. He calmly said, “I see valuable qualities in you, but also some undesirable changes in attitude. I don’t see that fearless Emily who wouldn’t think twice about facing a tiger. Hey, where’s the person who dared to act opposite Meryl Streep? What are you afraid of? Are you scared of losing because you have gained something?”
Being lectured in front of everyone at an audition, Emily didn’t feel the slightest bit annoyed or embarrassed but looked mesmerized and receptive. The film critics said, “Emily Blunt is ‘The Devil Wear Prada”s most eye-catching component,” “Every minute she appears, she controls the entire stage,” “She makes Streep look like an old lady”… However, all these reputations, praises, spotlight, what were they worth in front of Magic Yang?
And every word he said was a wake-up call. Emily only felt her heart aching, her cheeks blushing with a bit of shame because he had hit the nail on the head. Yes! What was she afraid of, what was she hesitating for? She wasn’t afraid of Streep before, and now she’s actually worried about the likes of Portman, Natalie, Hathaway? But there were no more chances…
“Emily, don’t think too much, you’ve already done great, this is just a process of growth,”
Wang Yang encouraged her gently once more. This British girl needed to be bristly to be full of charm. Success hadn’t made her arrogant, but it had made her mediocre, he truly hoped that “Emily Blunt” would come back. After flipping through the documents in hand and writing something down, Wang Yang concluded, “Right now, I can’t say who gave the best performance or who is the most suitable, so although your joining would definitely bring positive energy to the film, you know we have to consider the overall situation and then come to a decision. So, thank you for your participation.”
“Yes, yes,” Emily nodded repeatedly. She stood up, her face earnest as she said, “Well, I also thank you for this rare opportunity! Marvelous Yang, I will remember your words, I will think about it, thank you all, goodbye!” She smiled at everyone and walked outside.
As soon as she turned around, she let out a silent sigh, her expression somewhat lost; she had truly botched it! It was fair to say there was not a single highlight, not a shred of merit! Three years had passed, and she had only gotten worse! Three years! She had always wanted to return to Marvelous Yang’s set, and today, she had messed it up, and the problem was serious… His last words kept echoing in her ears; she was really lousy! No wonder she had accomplished nothing over these three years, played several leading roles in movies, yet her signature work was still “The Devil Wears Prada.” What made her think she could return to Marvelous Yang’s set…
“Oh God! I’m scared again.” Emily covered her forehead and just then walked out of the audition room. As soon as everyone saw her dejected appearance, they knew things didn’t look good!
“Ladies, don’t underestimate any role.” Temporarily putting away her low spirits, Emily smirked and scanned the crowd, saying in an Alexis-like manner, “Good luck to you all.”
Watching Bronte leave, Hathaway got up and walked into the audition room. For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment—another person had performed poorly! And it was someone Wang Yang had personally launched onto the big screen…
Hewitt’s brows furrowed even more, simply because among those left in the queue this morning, her fame was the lowest… No, she couldn’t lose confidence!
“It seems that it’s indeed not a minor role,” “Yes, obviously, otherwise what are we fighting for?” Natalie and Scarlett teased each other. They were still brimming with confidence, even if in a while Hathaway walked out looking downcast, in this age group of female actors, who in Hollywood could be more formidable? Natalie, sitting there, didn’t say anything, silently flipping a page of the magazine. Alright, a challenge just made things more interesting.
Meanwhile, on the grass of the park, Jessica, gazing at the sky, murmured to herself, “I wonder how today’s audition is going?”
“Ah ah—” Keke lying beside her made a few noises, continuously emitting “oh oh, oh oh, yi ya ya oh oh” sounds. Jessica looked at her daughter, what exactly was she saying? She pondered for a while, then helplessly said, “Mommy doesn’t understand ah!” (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit (qidian.com) to vote for it and donate monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
