Chapter 70: Audition and Casting

Once, when he was on the set of *Lotus Lantern*, he had marveled at the beauty of Yan Danchen.

The photo on the resume before him was in no way inferior to Yan Danchen’s Chang'e look, and this was just a candid life photo; her temperament was even more extraordinary.

In terms of acting, the Central Academy of Drama vouched for her, and her classmates were all powerhouses, but in terms of fame, she seemed a bit thin; she was too indifferent to fame.

He set this resume aside separately and wrote four characters on it with a pen: Audition for Lead Actress.

Lin Nan continued to look through the rest.

Perhaps being able to send a physical resume over was not just a matter of a good attitude, but also confidence in one's own strength.

Resumes in emails were generally worse than physical ones, and Lin Nan was looking at them simultaneously.

Given Lin Nan’s casting requirements, many of the actresses on the resumes were seniors from several classes ahead at the three major academies.

If they were to audition, they would most likely be acquaintances.

There were also quite a few resumes from male actors, but since one spot was already reserved for Zhu Yawen, only two remained; besides that, the taxi driver role was not very important, so he wouldn't look for it here, as there wasn't much screen time.

The role of the lead actress's friend was the most important among the male roles; Zhu Yawen was not suitable, as he was too young and couldn't grasp it yet.

Lin Nan saw someone, and his eyes suddenly lit up; he also came from the Central Academy of Drama and was currently a stage actor.

"He should be quite suitable!"

The more Lin Nan thought about it, the more suitable he felt; in real life, he and the candidate he had just picked for the lead actress were friends and even classmates.

He picked out this resume and placed it together with the previous one.

Lin Nan read faster; although he had declined the dinner invitation from Wangzhong Army, the resumes of the two Fan Bingbings were not absent.

This was a problem; it was impossible not to give them an audition opportunity.

Lin Nan hesitated for a while, but still took the two of them out.

He picked out another familiar face from the Central Academy of Drama, simply because Lin Nan recognized him.

"This, no wonder everyone says the actors from the Central Academy of Drama are good; they all have a background in stage plays."

Lin Nan had a bit of a headache; he couldn't have all his preferred candidates be from the school next door, or the academy would come to nag him.

Fortunately, he saw Yan Danchen, and Lin Nan took her out without a second word.

"Gao Yuanyuan?"

Lin Nan took out another resume; this time it was written on it: Audition for Third Female Lead.

Perhaps the role the actress wanted to audition for was something else, but that didn't hinder Lin Nan's subjective consideration.

Lin Nan finished flipping through the physical resumes first, then looked at the ones in the email, appearing a bit distracted; perhaps it was a preconceived notion, but the people on the physical resumes were indeed more outstanding.

……

By four o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Nan had pulled out over thirty resumes.

"These people can be notified to come for an audition."

"Director Lin, right here at the company?"

Lin Nan thought for a moment.

"Yes, come to the company. Finish the auditions before the 18th; I have other things to do afterward."

"Understood, Director Lin."

After saying this, Lin Nan was the first to finish work and left the company.

Before long, the company was in an uproar.

"Coming to the company for an interview, doesn't that mean we can see a lot of stars?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Quick, let's see whose resumes are there!"

A group of people instantly surrounded the administration staff.

Lin Nan’s company sent out audition invitations, and the media confirmed this from the few artists who had received them.

The film genre and production cost were also announced together.

"Only the two of them received invitations?"

"Yes, Mr. Wang."

"Then let them go. Since they weren't chosen for *The Banquet*, let's see if there's an opportunity with Lin Nan."

A large tree branches out; there were so many people in the company that sometimes resources were hard to distribute. Wangzhong Army even wanted to use *The Banquet* to win over Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun.

……

A cost of forty million was the highest production budget Lin Nan had handled so far, and it was a project with a very high priority in the country.

"My agent told me to give it a try; I didn't expect to actually receive an audition!"

In a class group of ten or so people, someone sent a message.

"Ming Hao, are you talking about that movie of Lin Nan's?" A female avatar sent a message.

"It must be. Recently, that's the only place casting. I have a schedule conflict, otherwise I would go and try too," someone else added.

"Hehe, our double-crowned film emperor has a big tone, doesn't he?" The female avatar teased.

"Jingjing, you're making fun of me again!"

"Although the lead is focused on the female character, since it's a movie, there will definitely be a male lead to match. Ming Hao, you have to work hard!" The female avatar encouraged her friend.

"Haha, of course."

Suddenly, a female opera character avatar appeared, "Ming Hao, let's go together when the time comes; remember to call me."

"My god, you're actually alive?"

"How are you talking to our Big Pear?"

"The last time I saw you speak was the last time."

……

The group instantly became lively.

Most people in the group had a very good relationship and would chat every now and then. A small number of people were very career-oriented and almost never appeared here, and their classmates were more distant from them.

There were also people who rarely spoke, not because they were devoted to their careers, but because they really only watched and didn't speak, yet she was very popular.

"I'm looking forward to you two being in the same crew, haha."

The *Qingyi* avatar jumped out again, "I didn't expect it either, that I would really receive an invitation."

"Since there is an invitation, then seize it. Although the director is young, his achievements are remarkable, and he is also a Best Silver Bear director. You two should cherish it; good resources are scarce."

A real-life old lady avatar popped up.

"You actually have time to chat today, and you type quite fast, don't you?"

"Teacher, scold him; he is teasing you."

A few people below were fanning the flames.

……

Zhang Ziyi was preparing for *The Banquet*. Her Hollywood path had been very smooth over the past two years. In three months, *Memoirs of a Geisha* would land in North America and other places, and she was the undisputed lead actress.

Looking at the laughter in the group, she felt a bit unwilling and a bit disdainful. She couldn't integrate into the classmates like Hu Jing and the others; sometimes she felt like she was isolated by the class, but this was her choice, and she didn't regret it.

Lin Nan received the pass to enter the competition site for the Olympic general director; only with this could he be let in.

"How are the auditions going?"

"They are just about to start. I plan to get it done in one round," Lin Nan replied.

"Then you must be careful, although commercial films don't require acting that is too high-level."

"Don't worry about that. It's impossible for me to find people who are just here through connections; even if there are, they won't be dead weight."

"That's good."

Those who did not receive an audition invitation would also receive an email notification.

The number of people auditioning was small, and Lin Nan felt he could handle it alone.

Lin Nan didn't like the style of people like Zhang Da, who had to hype up auditions for a long time.

The first person to arrive was Gao Yuanyuan. Her slightly plump figure matched the floral dress very well. She wore light makeup, had fair skin and a beautiful face, and gave Lin Nan a very natural feeling.

The agent waited outside. Gao Yuanyuan’s audition effect was good; although she was not from a professional background, her acting skills surpassed many from the academies.

"Director Lin."

Twenty-six-year-old Gao Yuanyuan was in the rising period of her career, with the addition of several TV series, especially after winning an award for *Shanghai Dreams* at the beginning of the year.

"Isn't *Rob-B-Hood* also at that time?"

Lin Nan asked.

Others might not know, but he knew that Gao Yuanyuan was on the casting list for this movie, and it had already been decided.

"Director Lin knows. In Jackie Chan’s movies, the female characters are basically supporting roles; there is no such thing as a lead actress. Of course, *The Myth* this time is an exception."

Lin Nan understood what Gao Yuanyuan meant.

*Rob-B-Hood* was almost entirely a male-led film.

"If I give you this role of the third female lead, are you sure you have enough time?"

Hearing Lin Nan’s words, Gao Yuanyuan clearly felt there was a chance. She had read the introduction for the role of the third female lead; it was the one with the least screen time among the six people, and she didn't even get on the cruise ship.

"I can."

For the filming of *Rob-B-Hood*, her time to join the crew was originally on the later side, as the early stage was mainly focused on the men's scenes.

Lin Nan’s film was planned for one month, ending in less than two months, and it would start filming after the Golden Rooster Awards; she could completely handle the time.

"Take a copy of the complete script back. Sort out the plot during this time. Be as perfect as possible after filming starts. Keep the script confidential. Come and sign the contract in two days."

Lin Nan put on a smiling face, no longer as serious as he was during the audition.

Gao Yuanyuan was happy and very excited, "Thank you, Director Lin. I will definitely not let you down."

The company staff watched Gao Yuanyuan come out of the reception room with a joyful expression on her face, holding a document bag in her hand.

"The first one already succeeded?"

"Doesn't that mean the competition will be very intense later on?"

"Yuanyuan, how did it go?"

Downstairs at the company, Gao Yuanyuan's agent asked.

"Here!"

Gao Yuanyuan shoved the document bag to her agent, "The complete script, I need to familiarize myself with it first, it must be kept confidential."

The agent reacted instantly, "It's a success?"

"Mm."

The two got into a car and left; in several cars nearby sat people waiting to audition, who, not wanting to run into acquaintances upstairs and feel awkward, had to wait downstairs.

Where there are successes, there are failures.

After several in a row, Lin Nan was somewhat dissatisfied; some seemed to be currently filming in other crews, and when they auditioned, they still carried the flavor of those other roles.

Not receiving an affirmative answer meant the result; they had just seen Gao Yuanyuan walk out holding a document bag.

Lin Nan had to stay at the company for these few days; with over thirty people, the schedule was arranged generously, with seven or eight per day being sufficient.

The next day, Lin Nan met Tian Yu, who was thirty years old and from the 95th class of the Central Academy of Drama.

For some reason, Lin Nan always wanted to laugh when he saw him, but one had to acknowledge his acting skills, as he had been mingling in stage plays for many years.

"Director Lin, is there a problem?"

Tian Yu was a bit puzzled; there shouldn't have been any major issues with what he just performed, and he had specifically avoided the performance style of stage plays. If he could study the script more, he could definitely perform better.

"No problem." Lin Nan adjusted his mood.

"The second male lead, this role is very critical. He and the first male lead—let's call him the first male lead—they are childhood friends. In the script, there is a wife, which is the second female lead. Senior Brother Tian, go back and digest the complete script as soon as possible."

Lin Nan handed over a document bag.

"I, I auditioned successfully? It was decided on the spot?"

Tian Yu couldn't quite believe it; it wasn't the usual way of being told to go back and wait for notification.

"Hehe, it's decided. Remember to keep the script confidential. You will be notified to sign the contract in a couple of days."

"Ah, thank you, Director Lin."

Tian Yu's joy was visible; he took the document bag with both hands and said thank you several times before leaving the room.

"Who is he?"

Watching Tian Yu leave, someone in the company asked.

"Seems like he graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, I remember."

Actors without fame are just like this; perhaps you are very hardworking and talented, but you must have an opportunity to showcase yourself. Many stage actors are really only known by people within their own small circles.