Chapter 651: Casting

The news brought by Hua Ruzhen was just an interlude.

Lu Yan He's work focus was still on the company's two dramas.

The casting audition for the drama *2 Broke Girls* lasted for about a week.

During this period, a total of five rounds of auditions were held.

Lu Yan He participated in three of them.

In the end, the roles for *2 Broke Girls* were all decided.

Among them was Deng Xiaoyuan.

Deng Xiaoyuan got the role on the spot.

When she heard "Congratulations, you got this role" from Hu Siwei, she cried with joy on the spot.

Lu Yan He likes the kind of "reality" in her performance, likes the state presented by a kind of composure that seems to have been tempered and carries a sense of frustration, rather than relying on the spiritual energy itself.

Of course, Lu Yan He also had selfish motives. He had collaborated with Deng Xiaoyuan on *Chinese Paladin*, and he had seen Deng Xiaoyuan's on-site performance with his own eyes, knowing that she was a reliable actress.

And another main role, the restaurant owner, was also successfully taken by the short man Bai Yunfei discovered by Hu Siwei.

Several main roles all received the same performance contract.

The two female leads were both contracts of 30,000 per episode, and at the same time, they had to sign a performance contract for six seasons in one go—of course, at Lu Yan He's request, Linghe did not require them to sign a six-season performance contract at a pay of 30,000 per episode. Starting from the second season, the pay would restart negotiations, giving them room to increase their pay.

Other main actors had a pay of 10,000 per episode.

For them, even this price of pay was a "high salary" they couldn't usually get.

The structure of actor pay is even more disparate than the tip of the pyramid and the bottom of the pyramid.

After deciding on the actors, Linghe announced this project for the first time.

Public to the masses for the first time.

Hu Siwei as producer and supervisor, Lu Yan He provided the script idea, Linghe's fourth sitcom after *Friends*, *My Own Swordsman*, and *Co-renting Men and Women*.

With the previous two dramas as pearls in front, *2 Broke Girls* naturally attracted everyone's attention.

However, when everyone discovered that the leads of this drama *2 Broke Girls* were all unknown actors, they were all stunned.

Lu Yan He often used many unknown actors and newcomers as leads in his projects, and everyone was already used to it, but before this, every project definitely still had big stars.

Just like *Love Letter* had him and Chen Bige, *Squid Game* had Jiang Yuqian and Liu Zefan, and *Lost on Journey* had Jia Long.

Didn't expect that *2 Broke Girls* didn't use a single first-tier star.

Someone sang a dirge, saying: "Probably because the budget for *2 Broke Girls* was used to pay for Lu Yan He's script idea."

Linghe was happy to let everyone discuss, brushing up the heat for this drama *2 Broke Girls*, and letting the attention rise first.

Not long after, Linghe suddenly released another news related to *2 Broke Girls*:

Recruiting rehearsal audiences. Before *2 Broke Girls* officially starts filming, it will be performed in a small theater in the form of a stage play to give to everyone, and audiences will be recruited to watch and provide opinions.

Another new way to play.

The reason was still because the script was saved together by everyone. Although Lu Yan He had also seen it, Hu Siwei still wanted to use this method to see the audience's reaction in advance.

See if the script and story are feasible, if the characters can stand up, and another thing is to let the actors rehearse in advance and master the state of the characters.

This requires spending a sum of money in advance.

Actors need to spend three months in advance to cooperate with rehearsals, script revisions, trial performances, and discussions, and according to opinions, another round, or even two rounds.

Linghe of course couldn't let everyone work for free. For this, Linghe still gave everyone a subsidy of 10,000 yuan per month.

These actors are not famous actors, and their life pressure is not small. It cannot be said that *2 Broke Girls* is a big cake that can change their fate, so let them "dedicate" and "sacrifice" one after another in the early stage.

And these main actors in *2 Broke Girls* are all very willing to do this. Their current mentality is like suddenly winning the lottery, and everything in life has become how to make this lottery ticket truly cash out the prize.

*Television Review* magazine specifically wrote a review article for this, praising this phenomenon.

——Film and television dramas have been eager for quick success and instant benefits for many years, but Lu Yan He and his Linghe Film and Television take every crew to slow down, trial performances, rehearsals, script reading meetings, and even in last year's *Friends* filming, one week, three days of rehearsal, two days of filming, two days of rest, ensuring that everyone's filming state is the best.

——Sometimes, a drama, hundreds of millions thrown in, using the best creators to build the best team, wanting to film the best drama, but uniquely did not give it the most sufficient time to do the most sufficient preparation.

——Of course, we must also see that up to now, the crews that can do this are only a very small number. Only Lu Yan He's dramas can make those difficult agents and difficult actors willingly cooperate with his and Linghe Film and Television's arrangements, doing things they could never do in other crews.

"We just started a drama before, originally wanting the actors to enter the crew a week in advance, read the script, and rehearse. As a result, people opened their mouths and wanted to pay them an extra 3 million, not including the food, clothing, housing, and transportation for him and his team for this extra week."

A producer from Songkai Film and Television said in his live broadcast about the things he just encountered.

"Lu Yan He and their way of doing things, who of us doesn't want to do this? Who doesn't want this drama to be better? I think you scolding us producers is really scolding the wrong person. Is it that we don't hope to give them a better creative environment?"

"In the entertainment industry, how many actors like Lu Yan He are there? He enters the crew in advance for almost every drama, and several dramas have exceeded the period, but people have never asked the crew for an extra cent of pay. People are very considerate of the crew. Just this point, you say how many actors can do it?"

"Why do you think he didn't use any stars for *2 Broke Girls*? I say really, in the circle, everyone has formed a consensus. Actors in Lu Yan He's circle are relatively easy to cooperate with, especially those young actors who have collaborated with Lu Yan He. People are leading by example and have infectious power."

"He goes to any crew, except for his own food and lodging, the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of anyone in his team are never paid for by the crew. Just this point, up to now, he is the only one in the entire entertainment industry who does this. Why can he have such industry influence?"

"Of course, we can't say that other actors who let the crew pay are wrong. The things inside are too complicated. It is not realistic for you to let actors not bring assistants into the crew. Even someone as unpretentious as Lu Yan He has to bring them. No way, the nature of the profession is placed here. I am talking about some actors, really disgusting. Seven aunts and eight uncles all hate not to bring them, catching the crew and wooling."

"I really hope Lu Yan He and his company film more dramas and bring out more actors who are easy to cooperate with, so that those actors who are not worthy of their position will be eliminated."

"Really, I am not exaggerating. Look at Wang Dashan who acted in *Lost on Journey*, Wang Jing who acted in *Late Spring*, and those few people, as well as Zhan Yun and Wen Minglan from *Friends*. They are all recognized as actors who are easy to cooperate with. People all entered the industry following Lu Yan He. How to be an actor, they all learned from Lu Yan He."

"Some time ago, a friend had a drama looking for Yin Xincheng. As a result, when it was about to start filming, an investor ran away and withdrew capital. Suddenly, this drama might be yellow. Yin Xincheng had already received half of the pay. According to the contract, at this time, even if the drama is yellow, he doesn't need to return this money. People took the initiative to find my friend and asked, if this pay is used to fill the hole, is it enough to continue filming? If it is not enough, he will return half of the pay. Damn, do you dare to think about it?"

"Why only half? Go, do you understand? Don't say he can only return half. The other half is divided by the brokerage company. He can't be the master of his brokerage company. Even if he received it all and only returned half, this is also very awesome, okay? It is really Yin Xincheng's timely help that this drama was revived. It is equivalent to him not taking a cent of pay, just waiting for how much money this drama earns later, and he will share how much. If it doesn't make money and loses money, he is equivalent to filming for nothing."

"Do you know what Yin Xincheng said? He said if he received the money with peace of mind at this time and ignored everything, if this matter spread out, he would have no face to see his friends from *Friends*."

In the main creative group chat of *Friends*, Bai Jin intercepted the clip of this live broadcast and sent it to the group, @Yin Xincheng:

Is this true?

Yin Xincheng: It is true.

Bai Jin: You are so righteous?!

Yin Xincheng: I saw that big brother was too miserable. He used the power of the whole company to film that drama. He prepared for almost a year. Everyone in the company was waiting for this drama to support their families. When he came to knock on my schedule, it took a lot of effort to see me through my agent. After chatting, one is that I feel his project is okay, and two is that I feel he is really not easy. These years the industry is not prosperous. He had a drama before, the actor had an accident, it was pressed in his hand and gathered dust, and he lost a big one. If I promised to act, the platform could promise to give a pre-purchase payment. Otherwise, his drama couldn't be filmed from the beginning.

Lu Yan He gave him three thumbs up in the group.

Bai Jin: You are really afraid of having no face to see us?

Yin Xincheng: Otherwise? You guys have all done so many things, roll me to death.

Bai Jin: What did we do?

Yin Xincheng: Still talking about it, last month you followed the *Heart Plan* team of CCTV and went to the poverty-stricken mountainous areas to do condolence activities, right?

Bai Jin: That is a public welfare activity. Can this also roll to you?

Yin Xincheng: This is your fifth public welfare activity this year, right? Who let you guys all be so good? If I don't show that my character is a bit good, I feel I am not worthy of this small circle.

Yan Liang: Your mouth is really hard. You want to do something righteously yourself, but you have to blame us.

Zhan Yun: Exactly.

Yin Xincheng: Don't talk, don't talk.

Zhan Yun: @Lu Yan He, when will *2 Broke Girls* be filmed? Do you need us to make guest appearances?

Lu Yan He: I have this idea, but I haven't thought about what form to make guest appearances in the script.

Zhan Yun: What is difficult about this? Aren't they opening a restaurant? Let us go to the restaurant to have a meal together, and have a meal as the characters in *Friends*.

Bai Jin: This can have!

Lu Yan He said with a smile: I will tell the screenwriter team and see if we can save a good idea.

Lu Yan He is very grateful that Zhan Yun took the initiative to mention this matter in the group.

*Friends* has been broadcast until today, and the leads in it have all become popular actors who can stand alone and carry the results alone.

Just like Yin Xincheng, for dramas starring him, the platform is willing to pay pre-purchase payments before broadcasting.

It is conceivable that the more it is this time, it is actually harder to ask them to make guest appearances in a new drama. Not every actor is as free as Lu Yan He. What dramas to take and what dramas to make guest appearances in are all decided by themselves.

They come to make guest appearances, and they will definitely not collect money. If they collect money, Zhan Yun will not take the initiative to mention it.

And if they don't collect money, the brokerage company will definitely have opinions because the brokerage company cannot earn a share.

This requires them to work hard to handle the brokerage company.

The more clearly he knows the things behind this, the harder it is for Lu Yan He to open his mouth and ask them to make guest appearances.

Huang Kai can, Chen Bige can, Jiang Yuqian can, because he knows they can be their own masters.

But Yin Xincheng, Zhan Yun, and the others cannot be their own masters.

Despite this, Zhan Yun still spoke.

In all fairness, Lu Yan He really needs the main creative team of *Friends* to make guest appearances in *2 Broke Girls* together.

The picture of the six people of *Friends* together will definitely be a big explosion point, which will attract millions or even tens of millions of people to watch this drama *2 Broke Girls* for this scene.

Lu Yan He hadn't thought about how to open his mouth to them, but Zhan Yun mentioned it herself.

At this moment, Bai Jin is also chatting privately with Zhan Yun:

Yan He didn't even look for us, why did you take the initiative to ask? What if he doesn't need us to make guest appearances?

Zhan Yun: If people don't need it, just say it directly, but maybe he really needs us to go, but he is that kind of person. You have known him for so long, don't you know? He always doesn't want to add trouble to us. If he really wants to open his mouth, he doesn't know how much struggle he has to do in his heart.

Bai Jin: Ah, what you said is also true. I don't understand. Clearly, he gave us the opportunity to make us popular, but he always acts like he is afraid of troubling us and taking advantage of us.

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Zhan Yun: But it is precisely because he is such a person that I trust him.

Bai Jin: I don't know how many seasons this drama *Friends* can film. I really hope it can keep filming.

Zhan Yun: I hope so too. Actually, my brokerage company already hopes that I will quit this drama.

Bai Jin: Ah?

Zhan Yun: Don't worry, I won't agree. If they dare to force me to quit *Friends*, I will talk to them about terminating the contract.

Bai Jin: Why do they want you to quit *Friends*? Clearly, this drama is still so popular.

Zhan Yun: Because filming *Friends* takes up a lot of my time. From December to February, basically two or three months are spent rehearsing and filming. In the same time, I might take another drama, thirty or forty episodes, and the pay is two or three times that of *Friends*.

Bai Jin: But is there any drama that can be more popular than *Friends*?

Zhan Yun: They feel that I am already popular even if I don't act in *Friends*.

Bai Jin:...

Zhan Yun: Sigh, small companies are like this. I will definitely leave after my contract with this company expires. I am really depressed. You can really feel from their attitude towards you that they really just treat you as a tool to make money and will not consider your long-term planning at all, nor will they consider what project is helpful to my entire career.

Bai Jin: Just want to make quick money, right?

Zhan Yun: They even wanted me to live-stream and bring goods, but I refused sternly.

Bai Jin: Go to the brand's live broadcast room?

Zhan Yun: I live-stream and bring goods myself.

Bai Jin:... Please, you are not outdated. If they let you do this, aren't they afraid that your image will plummet and those endorsements on you will run away?

Zhan Yun: They thought of it later, so they didn't mention this matter.

Some big-name endorsements on Zhan Yun would definitely not want to see their spokesperson suddenly become low.

Bai Jin: Have you considered where to go after your contract here ends?

Zhan Yun: Haven't thought about it. I am more inclined to open a studio myself, but Li Zhibai and Yan Liang didn't choose to open a studio but renewed their contracts themselves, which makes me a bit confused about whether opening a studio is not that easy.

Bai Jin: The premise of opening a studio yourself may still be to have an agent like Chen Ziyan. Otherwise, even if you are popular, you have to fight alone, and you may not be able to hold on.

Zhan Yun: Yes, sometimes seeing the black and attacks Lu Yan He has suffered, I am thinking, if I didn't have a brokerage company—although they did a very bad job, without these, it is very likely that I wouldn't be able to hold on.

Bai Jin: That's not it. Mainly, opening a studio yourself, all aspects of expenses are borne by yourself. Legal, public relations, publicity, marketing, business docking... The operating cost is quite high, especially if you cooperate with the best people in the industry. With your popularity and fame, the costs in these aspects every year are not small.

Zhan Yun: Why don't we set up a brokerage company together in the future to huddle together for warmth.

Bai Jin: Now that we are all in the rising period, let's forget it. Wait until ten years later, twenty years later, and then we will get together to do it, with fewer contradictions.

Zhan Yun: You are still as direct as ever.

Bai Jin: I like it this way.

Zhan Yun: I also like this you.

If the casting of *2 Broke Girls* had a kind of smooth progress like pushing step by step, then the casting of the two thieves in *Home Alone* was the frustration of never finding a suitable candidate.

The actors Lu Yan He and the others thought were suitable all couldn't participate due to schedule conflicts.

So much so that they had basically finished watching the comedy actors in the circle and didn't find a suitable actor.

Chen Yin insisted that this film must have a famous actor recognized by cinema managers. Otherwise, even if the film is good and popular, it might end its window period in just a few days because there is no screening.

Lu Yan He understood why Chen Yin insisted so much.

The positioning of *Home Alone* is different from *Oh My Sea*.

Although *Home Alone* is also a small-cost film, its positioning is a commercial film, so their operation idea should be the operation idea of a commercial film.

The core of a commercial film: one has selling points, two has stars.

It is true that the three leads of *Harry Potter* were all newcomers, but the other roles can be called a golden supporting cast lineup. Not one was missing, and all were actors with great reputations in Europe and America.

Even the two actors in the original version of *Home Alone*, Joe Pesci had already starred in *Goodfellas*, and Daniel Stern already had *Diner*. At that time, they were already famous male actors, especially the latter. At the beginning, director Chris Columbus was worried about not being able to afford them, and it was only after the production side relaxed on the budget that they had their classic interpretation.

If *Home Alone* only relied on the screenwriter being Lu Yan He, this film definitely wouldn't be released silently like an ordinary "three-no" film, but it definitely wouldn't be able to get enough screenings like *Love Letter*, ensuring that the audience who wants to watch this film doesn't have to increase their viewing costs and run very far to find a cinema to watch it.

With stars, can they guarantee publicity points in the early stage and guarantee basic screenings.

And there are only so many good comedy actors in China with a certain box office appeal.

"If the scope is expanded to non-comedy actors?" Hu Siwei asked, "The image can be adjusted through makeup and other methods, right? It's not that only comedy actors can act in comedies. Many actors who cross over to act in comedies also have surprising performances in comedy works."

This is of course.

Just like the actors of the two thieves in the original version of *Home Alone*, they are not actors who specialize in comedy, but the final effect was very good.

It's just that if you really follow this idea to find actors, the difficulty is even greater.

One is that famous actors dare not easily take dramas that are not their own path.

Second is that even if people are willing to take it, what effect they will act out, no one knows.

Still have to audition.

But for a bunch of actors who have already become famous, asking people to audition, even for Lu Yan He, is not something that can be easily done.

However, the film is about to start filming.

Huang Feng only has winter vacation time to film.

Once it is not filmed, he can only wait for the next vacation.

Lu Yan He bit the bullet, called many people, asked them to recommend actors, and then took the initiative to contact people, make appointments to meet, chat about the script, chat about the role, and then ask them to test the acting.

Because of such movements, many people in the entertainment industry knew that Lu Yan He had a film that was constantly seeing actors, but hadn't found a suitable one.

Quite a few actors with good acting skills and strength took the initiative to come to Lu Yan He to recommend themselves.

Lu Yan He was very entangled and very hesitant.

He didn't even easily ask others to test the acting because from the hard conditions, they didn't satisfy them. Their fame was not big enough, they couldn't move cinema managers, and they had no way to support the star halo for *Home Alone*.

He didn't want to waste other people's time.

However, really let him say to others, very sorry, because you are not red enough, your fame is not big enough, so I cannot give you this opportunity.

This is too pulling. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 652 =====