Chapter 326: Repaying a Debt

"Dead Man's Island," the cave where Barbossa hid his treasure; all the main characters were gathered here, and each had their own scenes to play.

Before filming began, Cao Yang called Depp over. Looking at Depp, who was wearing exaggerated smoky makeup, he emphasized once again:

"You are a pirate who fancies himself elegant. In your heart, there is neither a sense of justice nor so-called honor, and you are selfish and self-interested. This is different from a traditional pirate."

"You can add swaying postures, unique gestures, and a distinct way of speaking, and you can even act eccentric, but you must release the charm you believe you have, rather than acting in a way that makes people dislike you. Do you understand?"

Depp nodded. At first, when Cao Yang told him he wanted him to play such a contradictory pirate, different from the traditional mold, he hadn't understood.

After these days of contemplation, he understood a little bit now. Let's give it a try.

Cao Yang then called Jude Law over and said, "Remember, you are an honest, brave, upright, and responsible person. This is also what Elizabeth Swann likes about you. Release these traits. Can you do it?"

Jude Law nodded, "I will try my best."

Cao Yang then called Eva Green over and asked, "Do you still remember the positioning of your character?"

Eva Green nodded: "Elizabeth breaks away from the traditional image of a noble girl who needs to be saved. She is no longer a fragile person, but shows independence, wit, and courage."

"Your understanding is fine. Do you have the confidence to play this role well?"

Cao Yang asked with a smile.

"No problem," Eva Green said confidently.

Afterward, Cao Yang called Duan Yihong over and said, "The role of Barbossa, in my plan, is a very charming character, but you don't need to consider that for now."

"On the surface, you appear to be the villain of this film, but villains can also have unique charm. Do you know where Barbossa's charm lies?"

"He is a professional pirate. Although he is sinister, cunning, and betrayed Jack, he is a very responsible captain. He tries every possible way to lift the curse that he and his crew are under."

Duan Yihong said softly.

Cao Yang nodded. He had made some slight changes to the setting for Barbossa. All the crew of the "Black Pearl" followed him in betraying Jack because he promised to lead everyone to find a way to lift the curse.

These crew members trusted him, even if he was sinister and cunning.

Actually, this doesn't count as changing the setting.

In the original "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," why did those crew members follow Barbossa to betray Jack?

Because these crew members all believed that Barbossa was more suitable to be captain than Jack, and more worthy of everyone's trust, believing he could lead them to lift the curse.

"Your performance can be exaggerated, sinister, or cold and ruthless, but you must grasp one important point: responsibility! No matter how bad you are, as long as you have a sense of responsibility and are a suitable captain, that's enough. Work hard in this direction."

Cao Yang emphasized to Duan Yihong once again.

Of course, on the first day, it was impossible for Cao Yang to film very complex plots and shots; they were all simple dialogue scenes.

In fact, the simpler the dialogue, the more one could see whose acting was better and who entered the state earlier, without the addition of the immersion experience.

Depp, this guy, had worked with Cao Yang three times and had also added the immersion experience three times.

It was obvious that he was no longer that particularly picky "weirdo," especially since Captain Jack was a role better suited for him to display his talents.

Therefore, without the addition of the immersion experience, Depp entered the state earlier and performed the best.

Jude Law and Duan Yihong both performed in a standard and steady manner, with no particularly brilliant spots, but they didn't drag their feet either, which is actually a sign of very good acting.

After all, it was the first day of filming, and being able to have such a performance proved that both were strength-based actors.

This point made Cao Yang have to praise Jude Law in his heart. "Jude" traveled the world relying not only on his looks, but his acting was also his other major reliance.

You have to know that Duan Yihong had worked with Cao Yang twice and was himself a domestic middle-generation actor known for his acting skills, and he had added an immersion experience once. Even so, Jude Law could still hold his own against him in their scenes.

Eva Green, compared to the three of them, appeared a bit more immature.

However, she also came from an art-house background. Although she looked sexy and beautiful, she was not a vase, and her acting was much better than those sexy vases in Hollywood.

Of course, her scene partners were all strength-based actors.

Plus, there was Depp, who had encountered a role that added to his own acting, performing even better, which made Eva Green struggle a bit when acting against the three.

She was also the one with the most NGs on the first day of filming.

This made Eva Green become a bit unconfident, starting to doubt her own acting.

To be honest, she had been somewhat proud of her acting before.

Before coming to Hollywood, when she filmed movies, whether it was directors or actors, they all praised her acting highly; otherwise, Isabelle Huppert, the French European art-house queen, wouldn't have become her good friend.

After coming to Hollywood, whether it was filming "Kingdom of Heaven" or "Casino Royale," her number of NGs was the lowest, and her acting was there for all to see.

This was also the reason why she was dissatisfied with the sexy vase route the company had created for her.

Eva Green had always believed that her acting was absolutely not inferior to Natalie Portman's. Why could she take the art-house route, but she couldn't?

Today was the first day of filming, and there weren't many shots, but the three leads plus Hector Barbossa, played by Duan Yihong, all had scenes together.

After a whole day of filming, Eva Green's sense of frustration was very severe.

Depp was a two-time consecutive Oscar winner, and his acting was recognized as good. Eva Green felt it was normal that she couldn't keep up with his acting.

Jude Law, this pretty boy, was not only famous for his "looks," but his acting was also recognized as good. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 72nd Oscars in 2000 and Best Actor at the 76th Oscars in 2004.

Eva Green felt that it was understandable that she had some difficulty acting against him. He was more than ten years older than her. When she was about his age, her acting might be even better than his.

But that Chinese actor Duan Yihong, who had almost no fame, why was his acting also so good? Acting against him felt similar to acting against Jude Law.

Eva Green thought for a long time and finally concluded that maybe she wasn't working hard enough, or her talent really wasn't as good as the three mentioned above. Having received the same level of acting guidance from Director Cao Yang, only she performed the worst.

This made her very depressed.

After the first day of filming ended, Eva Green didn't leave but came to Cao Yang and said softly:

"Director, I don't know if it's because my talent isn't good enough, so my understanding of the character might be a bit off. Can you give me some more acting guidance tonight?"

Cao Yang paused. It was only the first day; giving acting guidance to a female actor at night went against his long-standing principles. This precedent could not be set.

He looked at the time; it was already 5:30.

"Not tonight, I still have to formulate the shooting plan with the coordinators."

Cao Yang said, and seeing Eva Green's disappointed expression, he couldn't bear it, so he continued: "Before eight o'clock tonight, I have time, I can give you some acting guidance for a while."

Then, after having dinner, Cao Yang went to Eva Green's room at 6:30 to give her acting guidance.

He really did give half an hour of acting guidance, talking about the positioning and personality of the female lead.

By seven o'clock, Eva Green felt she had confidence again, so, out of gratitude, the actress began to repay the debt.

This time it turned into the traditional sense of a director giving acting guidance to a female actor, the kind where the guidance was very intense.

"Is your relationship with your boyfriend okay?"

Cao Yang asked casually when he was about to give the acting guidance.

"The relationship is fine... oh..."

Eva Green knelt on the bed, which was more conducive to understanding the content of Cao Yang's acting guidance and also more conducive to the passion of Cao Yang's acting guidance.

"Why... why are you asking, asking this?"

Eva Green said intermittently: "When you are giving me acting guidance, asking, asking this, isn't it a bit strange?"

"Is it strange?"

Cao Yang gave the acting guidance with force, letting Eva Green understand more deeply.

"No, isn't it strange?"

"I think it's quite good."

When Cao Yang left, it was exactly eight o'clock; the timing was just right.

After Cao Yang left, Eva Green recalled what Cao Yang had said to her before leaving, letting her lie on the bed and try hard to think about the personality of the female lead and her understanding of the female lead.

Thinking and pondering, unknowingly, Eva Green fell asleep in a daze.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 327 =====