Chapter 816

Wen Shengming had actually heard of this script long ago.

He didn't expect Lu Yan He to come to him with this script at this time.

Although he had thought before about whether he would be approached for the father role in it.

This film, to put it bluntly, is an ensemble piece with three main characters.

And the other two characters are starred by Lu Yan He and Yu Mengling, respectively.

Which actor would not find such co-stars attractive?

Wen Shengming's status in the domestic film industry is naturally unquestionable, but that doesn't affect his desire to work with these two people.

Especially after he worked with Lu Yan He to film "Storm Calmer No. 1."

Why do almost all veteran actors have some difficulty when it comes to acting—

Setting aside those who are intentionally disgusting, there are actually those like Wen Shengming who, just like the current Lu Yan He, cherish their own feathers.

Therefore, at the beginning of a collaboration, there will be some testing and some competition for the right to speak.

For example, Wen Shengming initially asked Lu Yan He to have breakfast with him every day.

This was actually to make Lu Yan He understand who the actor with the real right to speak in the crew was.

At this point, Lu Yan He was not angry and could accept it because Wen Shengming did not take advantage of it to push his luck.

If Wen Shengming had started to rely on his seniority to bully him, he certainly wouldn't be a fool to sit and wait for death, just being bullied like that.

However, once truly familiar with Lu Yan He's character, would Wen Shengming still do such things?

Naturally, he wouldn't.

On the contrary, because they had worked together and knew what kind of actor Lu Yan He was, there is a term called "unable to stop."

A good actor is like this toward a co-star who can spark fire in a performance.

Many people don't know what Wen Shengming's standards for accepting roles are now.

It seems he hasn't seriously acted in a play or played a role for many years, even making people wonder if he doesn't want to act anymore.

But his past glorious experiences and his national popularity in China have made him seem "retired," yet he has never truly left.

Before "Storm Calmer No. 1," Wen Shengming even starred in a period costume TV series.

It was also extremely popular for a time.

"Storm Calmer No. 1" brought him back to the film circle.

After that, a large number of scripts and roles were sent to him, but Wen Shengming's agent rejected them all.

Of course, there were reasons for the polite refusals.

For example, the role overlapped with roles Wen Shengming had played before.

For example, the script was a bit rough.

For example, Wen Shengming was resting recently and hadn't considered taking the next play.

And so on.

Chen Pinhe could calmly "lie down" for so many years, let alone Wen Shengming.

Through the sands of time, they are the actors of their generation who stood until the end.

They no longer need to rely on one or two films a year to consolidate their status.

As long as they want to film and let the word out, every company will scour their inventory of scripts and send invitations.

As long as they nod, the project gets the green light directly.

They are the big shots who can make projects get the green light.

Therefore, everyone thought that Wen Shengming might really just not want to take another play right after "Storm Calmer No. 1" was released.

As a result, news suddenly broke that he would also join the cast of "The Boat," which had been the subject of heated discussion some time ago.

"Wen Shengming has been completely tied to Lu Yan He these past two years."

"Yeah, why work with Lu Yan He consecutively?"

"Don't say that; look, basically all the actors who have worked with Lu Yan He will continue to work with him."

"The film 'The Boat' clearly has Yu Mengling as the producer, and Lu Yan He is just the lead actor. In your mouths, it becomes Lu Yan He's film. He didn't even write the script."

"But the film is personally invested in by Lu Yan He, and Linghe also invested a portion. Do you think Lu Yan He is not the producer?"

"..."

"Lu Yan He is now simply wealthy and powerful, earning one-third of the money in the Chinese film market by himself."

"It's Linghe, not Lu Yan He alone. You say Lu Yan He earned it all by himself; can you even say that? Are the hundreds of people at Linghe drinking the northwest wind? So many directors, screenwriters, and production staff—it's not like Lu Yan He wrote all the scripts."

"Is there any difference?"

"Summer insects cannot talk about ice. You say Lu Yan He is wealthy and powerful, I admit it. You say he earned one-third of the money in the Chinese film market; I suspect you are intentionally jealous of him and are inviting hatred for him."

"You're not a fan of Lu Yan He, are you? You have to be so fussy about this?"

"Is this being fussy? Look at the sour taste in your words. If you have something to say, just say it directly. What's the point of hiding it?"

"Alright, alright, what are you arguing about? You're worrying too much. How much money Lu Yan He makes is none of your business; how much he makes has nothing to do with you."

"For a film like 'The Boat,' it's naturally good that Lu Yan He is willing to invest. Otherwise, it's not like it's been a day or two that art films are hard to find investment for."

"Lu Yan He invests in quite a few art films every year; 'The Boat' is not the only one."

"The key is, with Wen Shengming, Lu Yan He, and Yu Mengling starring, you tell me such a lineup is still hard to find investment for? If put out there, wouldn't it be scrambled for?"

"That's easy to say. When investors actually see the film's subject matter, they still have doubts in their hearts. This time, 'Storm Calmer No. 1' didn't pass 200 million USD in global box office, which led to Lu Yan He being attacked by some media saying his box office appeal had failed. They said it so convincingly; do you think those investors really understand? An investor I know even asked me seriously if Lu Yan He's new film couldn't find investment and if he could gain Lu Yan He's favor by investing at this time."

"..."

"Is your friend just mentally ill? He doesn't understand the market at all."

"How many investors do you think really understand the market?"

"Shouldn't we be discussing why Wen Shengming would accept this film?"

"What else could it be? Because of Lu Yan He."

Chen Pinhe, who was promoting the film "The Pianist," saw this news on the road and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuezhen immediately noticed Chen Pinhe's anomaly.

"Wen Shengming has also joined the film 'The Boat,'" Chen Pinhe said.

Zhang Yuezhen was also stunned for a moment.

"Wen Shengming and Lu Yan He are actually getting so close."

"Yes, his energy now has reached the point where he can find Wen Shengming to cooperate for two consecutive films."

In fact, until now, Chen Pinhe has never worked with Wen Shengming.

In the first few years after he debuted, Wen Shengming was at his peak, and he simply didn't have the qualifications to enter the crew he was in.

Later, he became popular and won awards, but Wen Shengming "retired" a bit and rarely appeared in the world.

And sometimes, if you haven't worked with the core figures of a certain circle, you won't get the recognition of this core circle.

Chen Pinhe is a generation apart from Wen Shengming.

It is precisely this generation that has kept Chen Pinhe's status in the Chinese entertainment industry stable, but without further advancement.

This kind of further advancement is actually the recognition of the previous generation.

Many people think the National Master is the TOP 1 of Chinese film directors. In fact, for a long time, he couldn't beat another proper academic lineage director.

The older generation didn't recognize the National Master as much.

The so-called orthodoxy, the so-called mainstream.

It wasn't until the older generation died or became paralyzed that the National Master truly stood firm in the position of National Master, and then became the new orthodoxy and the new mainstream.

Ms. Marry, the top actress in Chinese cinema these years, also had to be in his film to win a Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress. Of course, Marry is fully capable of winning Best Actress, but does she really have to be in his film to win? Couldn't she win in so many previous films? It's a matter of opinion.

If you don't appear in the films of these helmsmen, you can certainly win awards, but you have to encounter times when these lineages are not protecting you. Otherwise, if everyone has the strength to win an award, it must be the lineage that wins.

Chen Pinhe originally thought that he couldn't integrate into the circle of the previous generation, so he wouldn't force it.

However, Lu Yan He managed the TV circle through Luo Yuzhong and Chen Lingling, and established connections with Wang Zhong and Wen Shengming one after another. In just a few years, Lu Yan He became the darling of the older generation.

How could Chen Pinhe not be annoyed by this?

Working with Lu Yan He for two consecutive films is almost like writing the attitude of "I am very satisfied with Lu Yan He" on his face.

No wonder—

So many attacks against Lu Yan He and his film and television projects seemed to have an invisible hand helping to resolve them behind the scenes, without affecting him in the slightest.

Any schedule, as long as it's Lu Yan He's film to be released, no one can pull it down for any problem.

Whether it's honors or awards, even when competing with the Golden Tripod Awards, Lu Yan He could retreat unscathed, letting the Golden Tripod Awards hurt themselves.

Perhaps Lu Yan He himself doesn't know how much power is protecting him behind his back.

Thinking of this, Chen Pinhe felt a bit uncomfortable.

Unknowingly, the power Lu Yan He held in his hands and the power gathered around him had already caused a reversal in the disparity between him and himself.

This also meant... a sense of crisis.

When did the initiative suddenly stop being in his control?

This feeling is not good.

Of course, no one cares about this point. Because only he himself knows this feeling.

"Yan He, have you noticed that now when you do a film project, even if it's a low-budget art film, you start to use the best production team uncontrollably."

Chen Ziyan winked at Lu Yan He.

Lu Yan He said: "The script of 'The Boat' is so good, it would be a pity not to use the best team to produce it."

"However, how could a script that catches your eye not be good?" Chen Ziyan smiled. "This is a paradox, but there are always some films that, at the beginning of production, don't look like a good team. Of course, you might not encounter such a crew again. The best production talents are all waiting to work with you. With your style, I guess that in the future, as long as it's a script you like, you will support it with all your might. Now people outside are saying that you are wealthy and powerful, and you support art films regardless of cost."

Lu Yan He: "... Then I really don't know what to say."

Chen Ziyan: "Because you were hit on the mark, right?"

Lu Yan He: "You make me sound like a coal boss."

"That really has the same effect. After all, the investors the entertainment industry liked most before were coal bosses," Chen Ziyan said. "Except for appointing the heroine, everything else had plenty of money and few things to do. Which producer or director wouldn't like that?"

Lu Yan He: "..."

Chen Ziyan: "Of course, you don't just appoint the lead, you also appoint the director."

Lu Yan He: "Sounds like I should be the kind of collaborator who is very unwelcome."

"In artistic creation, those who are welcomed are those without talent," Chen Ziyan said. "Those with talent, if they can't let their talent be displayed, it's a waste. You are not a rookie who is just starting out. Work opportunities are more important than artistic attitude. You are Lu Yan He. Artistic attitude is your core value, and artistic aesthetics are the feathers you need to cherish. The problems of those who don't seriously consider the opinions you put forward are much bigger than yours."

Lu Yan He: "... Sister Ziyan, you really are my number one fan."

"Pretty much, you're right," Chen Ziyan smiled. "I have never denied this point. If I were only your agent, I wouldn't have been able to persist for such a long time."

Chen Ziyan had indeed said many times before that she was not a long-term person; even Shang Yongzhou and Chen Bige were people she stopped working with when she said so.

Her legend in the world definitely has credit for this matter.

However, now the cooperation between Lu Yan He and Chen Ziyan is no longer a common cooperation model between an agent and an artist.

Chen Ziyan also said before that because of him, she had the opportunity to do "Picking Fire," which she had always wanted to do.

Chen Ziyan said: "Wen Shengming's agent Chen Keqiu also contacted me."

"Hmm?" Lu Yan He was stunned.

"He said he hopes to entrust Wen Shengming's agency business to us, and he himself, as an independent agent, will be responsible for Wen Shengming's agency business as a partner," Chen Ziyan said. "He himself also realized that if Wen Shengming wants to expand his international influence like Jiang Jun in the future, his current energy is not enough."

"What is Teacher Wen's opinion?"

"He said he hasn't told Teacher Wen yet; he wants to talk clearly with us before going to tell Teacher Wen."

Lu Yan He thought for a while, "Teacher Wen might not necessarily be willing. He is a bit different from Teacher Jiang Jun. Teacher Wen actually doesn't care much about further advancement in his career. He is very concerned about the performance of 'Storm Calmer No. 1' internationally purely because, as a Chinese filmmaker, he wants to see what kind of results this film can achieve. If he needs to cooperate in doing some work to help 'Storm Calmer No. 1' achieve better results, he will do it. If it's just for himself, then it's not necessarily so."

Chen Ziyan said: "Teacher Wen won the Best Actor award at the Venice International Film Festival, and 'Storm Calmer No. 1' helped him make a name for himself in the international film scene. If he really hopes to see the influence of Chinese cinema internationally grow, he shouldn't just be a bystander. He can completely become one of the pushers to promote this matter. I also believe that since Chen Keqiu came to me, he must have seen that Wen Shengming still has ideas about the international market. Otherwise, why would he bother?"

Lu Yan He nodded, "Indeed, maybe I thought wrong. Chen Keqiu is the one who knows Teacher Wen best."

They have worked together for decades.

Just like Lu Yan He doesn't doubt at all that Chen Ziyan might know him better than he knows himself.

Chen Ziyan said: "If Teacher Wen's agency business can be signed to Picking Fire, it's actually very good. Among the actors currently signed to Picking Fire, the oldest is Teacher Jiang Jun, and we are just missing an actor in Wen Shengming's age group."

Lu Yan He said: "But Teacher Wen has very high requirements for accepting roles. Can our Picking Fire meet his requirements?"

"I'm not afraid of high requirements, only of unclear requirements," Chen Ziyan said. "Chen Keqiu will come over together. With him to communicate, what Picking Fire needs to do is actually execution and finding resources. These are Picking Fire's strengths. With Chen Keqiu here, we don't need to guess Teacher Wen's thoughts. This is the most troublesome part of working with mature artists; the rest is relatively okay."

Lu Yan He: "Understood."

Chen Ziyan said: "There is another thing. Zhang Ruozhi's mother came to ask if there are suitable acting opportunities during the winter and summer vacations, can Zhang Ruozhi take one or two plays."

"Her mother changed her mind and supports Zhang Ruozhi being an actor?" Lu Yan He was surprised.

He still remembers how much Zhang Ruozhi's mother didn't want her to be an artist when they were in Jiangzhi.

Chen Ziyan said: "Not really, her mother just wants to give Zhang Ruozhi more choices in the future. I see that Zhang Ruozhi herself doesn't want to be an actor that much. Her personality is really quite calm, and she enjoys university life very much, even though the film 'Love Letter' brought her so much exposure, there are still many people brushing some clips of her in the film."

Lu Yan He said: "Ruozhi's own thoughts are the most important. Why not ask Ruozhi's own thoughts? If she is willing, we will find her a few roles during the winter and summer vacations to maintain exposure, so that when she wants to act after graduation, she will still have a foundation."

Chen Ziyan nodded, "If Ruozhi really doesn't want to be an actor that much, what should we do? Should we persuade her? To be honest, she has great qualifications, and it's a pity if she doesn't become an actor."

"This kind of thing is definitely not sweet if forced," Lu Yan He said. "Moreover, when she acted in 'Love Letter' back then, it was completely a natural performance, and it didn't involve any acting skills. It's just that her camera sense is particularly good. In this regard, God really rewards her. Whatever she wants to do, she can try it first. To put it bluntly, with 'Love Letter,' even if she wants to come back to be an actor ten years later, she will still have the opportunity. She is very lucky and can completely try what she wants to do first. Life is freer, and there is no need to rush to cut off all other possibilities for a little visible future."

Chen Ziyan: "You, you are really incredible."

"How am I incredible?" Lu Yan He shook his head, "Number one fan, please put away some of your worship and liking for me."

Chen Ziyan burst into laughter.

"What you said, I send it back to you. Life is freer. You have worked so hard, and the world has been widened by you more than a little. Don't always let yourself run on the track."

Lu Yan He: "I... what if I was born an athlete, and only on the track is my comfortable state?"

"Then pretend I didn't say anything, you keep running."

The team for "The Boat" is basically assembled.

Next month, they can start filming.

Lu Yan He went to record the latest episode of "Young Days" and reunited with his old friends.

This variety show, all in all, has been done for eight seasons and is already considered one of the longest-running variety shows in China.

And the most awesome thing about this show is that everyone's status has soared, firmly staying in the first tier, but not a single one is missing. From the first season to the latest season, even if the schedule is getting harder and harder to match, and it's getting harder and harder to gather everyone, not one has been changed, and not one is missing.

And "Young Days" reaching the ninth season is still the only resident variety show Lu Yan He has participated in since his debut—not counting "The Birth of an Actor," where he served as the initiator in the first season.

Just Lu Yan He's fans know how much weight this variety show has in Lu Yan He's heart.

Until now, Lu Yan He will list "Young Days" as one of his representative works in his social media personal profile section.

Li Zhenzhen happily pulled everyone to eat together.

Because of particularly good luck, the episode Lu Yan He returned to participate in recording was very rare, with everyone present. (End of chapter)