Chapter 376: Getting Into Character

With Cao Yang’s films becoming global blockbusters and winning awards continuously over the past few years, his reputation and influence have grown significantly, to the point where his currently available reputation points have accumulated to an exaggerated degree.

Simply put, it’s inexhaustible; it’s just impossible to use it all up.

The last time he checked, he had over 3 million available reputation points; looking again this time, it’s already over 5 million.

As for exactly how it grew, and how much came from awards versus box office, who knows?

In any case, since he can’t use it all, he has no desire to probe or calculate it now; as long as this growth rate continues, he probably won’t finish using it even if he lives forever.

Looking at that long string of available reputation points, which could be converted into nearly 60 "Immersive Acting Experiences," Cao Yang even had the impulse to challenge the likes of Tian, the "Staring Queen," Nazha, Mimi, Reba, and others.

However, after thinking about it, he gave up the impulse to challenge them all, because that would be "Hell Mode," and he estimated that these few dozen Immersive Acting Experiences might not actually be enough.

Still, there are two ready-made candidates in this crew, so he could take the opportunity to test it out.

Actually, such tests aren't necessarily accurate; a role with only a tiny bit of screen time is a different matter entirely from playing the lead, and they cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

Cao Yang first redeemed 5 Immersive Acting Experiences and tried using one to boost Tian, but it didn't take—one Immersive Acting Experience wasn't enough!

Damn!

For just that tiny bit of screen time, one Immersive Acting Experience actually wasn't enough; oh Tian, you... you really are something.

And this is still Tian; compared to the likes of the "Staring Queen" and others he has to hold down, Tian can even be considered to have acting skills.

Cao Yang couldn't even imagine how many Immersive Acting Experiences it would take to make those new-era traffic-starlets actually get into character.

Cao Yang didn't test it on Mimi.

To be honest, before Mimi went independent to strike out on her own, and before she signed those gambling agreements with others, she did have acting skills.

Look at her early role as Guo Xiang in *The Return of the Condor Heroes*; that was still very spirited.

Cao Yang felt that Mimi during that period definitely had better acting skills than Gao Yuanyuan and Yu Feihong did back then.

It’s a pity that after she went independent, in order to fulfill the gambling agreements, she took on too many roles at once, exhausting her spirit.

Not only did she fade into the crowd, but the formulaic "acting" set she summarized for herself made her even more insulated from true acting.

Cao Yang looked at the system panel.

Host: Cao Yang

Current Reputation: 9,008,865

Available Reputation: 5,308,865

Immersive Acting Experiences: 5

Film in Production: *Manchester by the Sea*

Male Lead: Cheng Long

Supporting Actresses: Yu Feihong, Hui Yinghong, Jiang Wenli, Jing Tian, Yang Mi

Supporting Actors: Zhu Yilong, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Wang Jinsong

Among these people, Wang Jinsong and Old Tian don't have much screen time, and both of their acting skills are considered very good, so they shouldn't need Immersive Acting Experiences.

The only worry is that their scenes are mainly opposite the male lead, and he’s afraid they won't be able to keep up with the performance.

Cao Yang thought about it; even if he stacked a few Immersive Acting Experiences on Cheng Long, old hands like Wang Jinsong and Old Tian should have ways to cope.

Zhu Yilong has more scenes opposite the male lead, so he definitely needs an Immersive Acting Experience.

Cao Yang tried adding two directly to Zhu Yilong, but it didn't take.

This was truly both unexpected and within reason.

At only 19 years old, Zhu Yilong has spirit, but his acting skills certainly aren't extensive yet.

Cao Yang tried using 3 directly, and this time it took.

Good, good; at least he's not a dud.

Zhu Yilong plays the male lead's nephew, the role with the most screen time besides the lead, with a large number of scenes opposite the male lead and several moments that require an emotional outburst.

For example, after the male lead's brother dies, due to the special weather in Xiangjiang, he certainly has to be placed in the morgue to be "frozen" until a "good day" for the burial.

At first, the nephew chooses to escape and deliberately ignore his father's death.

However, he has a scene where he opens the refrigerator at home, and the frozen chicken inside falls out.

This moment reminds him of his father "frozen" in the morgue, and he can no longer control his emotions, breaking down completely.

If this part is acted well, it can form a sharp contrast with his previous behavior, and there is a high possibility of winning a Best Supporting Actor award at domestic film festivals.

Cao Yang hesitated for only a moment before adding one more Immersive Acting Experience to Zhu Yilong.

When the film comes out, Zhu Yilong's performance will surely be unexpected.

Although Cao Yang already has a reputation for being good at coaching actors, having another skilled actor emerge from his film will solidify his label as someone "good at coaching actors."

Furthermore, a film is a whole; a lead's outburst can at most bring awards to the lead, but if more actors perform well, it will increase the chances of winning Best Picture.

As for Best Director, the general criteria for this are the film's implications and metaphors, plus some lens language.

These are the director's ways of "speaking."

The film *Manchester by the Sea* still has a lot of lens language.

For example, there are many shots of the male lead where he is framed within a door frame or in an image that forms a similar frame; this is used to illustrate that the male lead is "trapped" and unable to walk out of this "cage."

There is a lot of similar lens language.

These are all things a director wants to tell the audience through the lens.

Of course, most viewers certainly won't notice these.

But film critics and film festival judges care very much about these—if your film doesn't have enough metaphors and enough lens language, it's hard to be convincing if you want to win Best Director.

He won't add any for Jing Tian or Yang Mi; Yang Mi should be fine, and as for Jing Tian, since her screen time is very small, he'll just see how it goes when filming.

Hui Yinghong and Jiang Wenli, one playing the male lead's brother's wife... also the ex-wife, and the other playing the sister-in-law, don't have much screen time, and they don't have many scenes opposite the lead; with their acting skills, they should be able to handle it.

As for Yu Feihong, who plays the male lead's ex-wife, ever since Cao Yang added several Immersive Acting Experiences for her in *Empty Room*, some of her acting skills have been retained.

However, after she won the Best Actress award in Venice, she became completely indifferent; she appeared in very few films and didn't consolidate those acting skills in time, so he doesn't know how much is left now.

In this regard, she is not as good as Li Xiaoran, Gao Yuanyuan, and Dong Xuan.

Nowadays, among the five of the Four Great Qingyi—uh, now he has to add Fatty Bing, Fatty Bing also belongs to this tier—among the six of the Four Great Qingyi, if you want to talk about the best acting, it is also universally acknowledged to be Li Xiaoran.

Since winning the Best Actress award in Berlin, Li Xiaoran has played many female leads and has collaborated with major domestic directors many times, such as in Xiao Gangpao's *A World Without Thieves* and *The Banquet*, as well as Old Chen's *Forever Enthralled*.

The acting experience brought to Li Xiaoran by the Immersive Acting Experiences can be considered consolidated.

Numerous domestic directors, including Old Mouzi, Old Chen, and Xiao Gangpao, as well as many film critics and media, all believe that among the new generation of actresses like the Four Great Qingyi and the Three Great Dan, Li Xiaoran's acting skills are in a league of their own.

Cao Yang thought about it; the male lead's ex-wife played by Yu Feihong has a scene where she reunites with the male lead while pushing a baby carriage, and that part also requires an outburst.

Still the same point: as long as this is acted well, even if the screen time isn't much, no one will question her acting skills if she wins Best Supporting Actress at any domestic film festival, including the Golden Rooster, Golden Horse, and Hong Kong Film Awards.

It's just that the European Big Three only have Best Actress and no Best Supporting Actress; otherwise, winning a Best Supporting Actress award at the European Big Three would also be no problem.

It's just that the male lead's ex-wife has too little screen time; if there were more, she could even compete for Best Actress at the European Big Three.

Cao Yang was a bit doubtful about Yu Feihong's current acting skills, so he would add an Immersive Acting Experience for her.

After all, she is his woman, so there's nothing to feel bad about adding some acting skills for her.

Cao Yang tried adding one Immersive Acting Experience for her, and it succeeded.

It seems Yu Feihong's foundation is still there; the previous Immersive Acting Experiences weren't added in vain.

The 5 redeemed Immersive Acting Experiences had already been used, and Cao Yang checked his available reputation; he could still redeem 53 more.

So, he redeemed another 5.

He originally wanted to add all 5 to Cheng Long in one go, but after considering it, he decided to take it slow; too much is as bad as too little, so he shouldn't "break" him by adding too much.

Let's look at Cheng Long's baseline conditions first.

Cao Yang first tried adding 1, and as expected, it didn't work.

Considering that Cheng Long is the male lead, and the requirements for the male lead in *Manchester by the Sea* are quite high, it's normal that 1 wasn't enough.

Cao Yang directly added 2 Immersive Acting Experiences to Cheng Long.

Unexpectedly, it succeeded!

Damn!

Cao Yang really didn't expect that Cheng Long's acting skills were actually quite good.

The impression he left on the audience was that of a comedic kung fu superstar, where every fighting move was unexpectedly funny, which was also the key to his success.

Who would have thought that Cheng Long's acting skills were actually quite good as well?

Cao Yang thought of *Heart of Dragon*, which Cheng Long starred in early on; this film is actually considered an art film, with most of the length talking about the warmth between him and his mentally disabled brother, and his acting in it was quite good.

There was also his transformation work, *Shinjuku Incident*, where his acting was also quite commendable.

Looking at it this way, it's normal that 2 Immersive Acting Experiences could succeed.

Of course, success and an acting performance that exceeds expectations are two different things, just like Dong Xuan in *Black Swan*, which was quite... well, the acting was unexpectedly good, just because one extra Immersive Acting Experience was added. Thus, Cao Yang decided: double the Immersive Acting Experiences, double the exceeding of expectations!

To express his inner apology—no, to express his respect for Cheng Long, Cao Yang muttered to himself:

"Brother Long, I'm doing this for your own good. Your films in Hollywood have flopped one after another, and you unluckily took on the Huayi and Hollywood co-production *The Forbidden Kingdom*, which is another film destined to flop."

"At this point, you probably won't be able to get any more mainstream Hollywood commercial films."

"However, if I promote you and let you win Best Actor in Berlin, even if your Hollywood path doesn't pan out, it will have drawn a perfectly complete period, won't it?"

"With your fame, you might not be able to get mainstream Hollywood commercial films, but those Hollywood independent films, especially art films, might hire you under the dual blessing of your fame and the Berlin Best Actor award."

"Yeah, I'm really doing this for your own good."

Cao Yang added another 2 Immersive Acting Experiences to Cheng Long, bringing the total to 4.

Don't thank me; just wait to shock the world with your acting skills.

Cao Yang looked at the 1 remaining Immersive Acting Experience from the 5 he had redeemed, frowned, and hesitated for a moment over Yu Feihong's name.

He smacked his lips, closed his eyes, and added one more Immersive Acting Experience for her.

Still, the same point stands: for one's own woman, even if she can't win Best Actress at the three major European film festivals, winning a few domestic Best Supporting Actress awards is not bad either.

As for the aftereffects...

They fade away after a while anyway, it’s no big deal.

Thinking of aftereffects, Cao Yang remembered Dong Xuan.

After filming *Black Swan*, Dong Xuan was truly something to savor... ahem, nowadays Dong Xuan has long since recovered, she has absolutely no negative psychological trauma, it’s all good, all good.

Shy and pure by day, passionate as fire by night, that was truly... ahem.

After finishing the immersion experience, Cao Yang stroked his chin, feeling he had forgotten something.

He thought and thought, and after a while, he finally slapped his thigh and hurriedly called the assistant director, Li Mingyi.

"Mingyi, did you find the psychologist I asked you to look for?"

"It's booked, right? Can they join the set tomorrow? Good."

"You even invited a teacher from the academy who specializes in emotional guidance after immersion? Not bad, not bad, Mingyi, thank you for your hard work."

Cao Yang hung up the phone and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The male lead Cheng Long is to play is too unique; a film that is "depressing" to the extreme, plus all those immersion experiences... well, it’s all for the sake of the film, all for Cheng Long’s transformation.

Cheng Long was still very obedient to Cao Yang.

After all, he hadn't performed well today and just wanted to make up for it, so he was being especially compliant.

After Cao Yang finished coaching him on the scenes for another two hours, he followed Cao Yang's instructions, lay on the bed, and began to think in his mind about the character positioning and the specificities of the male lead that Cao Yang had explained.

Thinking and thinking, he didn't know when he drifted off to sleep.

In 1998, at a private party, he met an emerging actress who had just begun to make a name for herself; the girl was only 25 and was a winner of the "Miss Asia" pageant.

After a series of ardent pursuits, the girl agreed to be with him, gave up her acting career for him, and three months later, the two were married.

The following year, one of their children was born.

Both of them were very happy.

Five years later, their third child was born, and the two were as in love as ever, feeling that life was simply blissful and perfect.

Just when the third child was one year old, he was hosting a party at home with some friends, playing until very late.

His wife felt their party was too noisy, to the point that it affected the children's rest, so she came out and said a few words to him.

Of course, his wife called him aside privately to say it, giving him plenty of face.

He felt his wife was right; it was indeed too late.

So, he told his friends, let's stop here for today and get together again when we have time.

After his friends left, while he was cleaning up the wine bottles and cigarette butts on the floor, his wife asked him if he had bought diapers when he came home from work today, as they were running low.

His wife had told him about this early that morning.

Only then did he remember that he had only been thinking about the small gathering with his friends today and had forgotten about it.

So, in his haste, he dumped the trash he had collected—wine bottles, cigarette butts, and tissues—into the wastebasket beside the sofa.

Because he had drunk quite a bit of alcohol today, he didn't think to take the trash out, nor did he think there would be any danger; he just hurried out to buy the diapers, fearing the nearby shops would close soon.

When he bought them and returned, he discovered that a great fire had already broken out in the house.

He stared at the raging fire, dumbfounded, feeling as if the sky had collapsed.

He desperately threw away the diapers in his hands, wanting to rush into the fire, because his beloved wife and three children were still inside.

However, because it was too dangerous, he was held back tightly by his cousin who had rushed over.

Fortunately, he was reminded that the firefighters had already rescued his wife from the sea of fire.

He didn't wait to hear the rest of his cousin's words and ran desperately to the ambulance—he saw his wife, he saw... he searched everywhere, but couldn't find any of the children.

The subsequent police investigation report showed that an unextinguished cigarette butt had ignited the tissues, and those remaining traces of brandy and other alcohol happened to be highly flammable.

Thus, the fire burning in the wastebasket spread to the nearby sofa, thereby igniting the entire house.

His wife was rescued in time and was unharmed.

However, when he saw his three children again, they were in special bags.

"No, no, no!"

Cheng Long shouted and yelled on the bed, struggling constantly, as if someone were blocking him, preventing him from rushing into the fire to save his children.

"No, no, no!"

He finally sat up from the bed, his face covered in tears, crying incessantly: "No, no, it's not true, it's not, it's not, woooo..."

"Woooo..."

He just sat on the bed like that, crying, for half an hour, until his assistant came to knock on the door, and he was still crying "woooo."

The assistant had a key to the room; after she entered, she saw Cheng Long sitting on the bed, his hands covering his face, crying "woooo," his throat already hoarse from crying.

"Big Brother, what's wrong with you?"

The assistant hurried over, held Cheng Long's shoulders with both hands, and asked urgently.

She thought some unexpected accident had happened.

Cheng Long seemed to have found something to lean on.

He hugged the assistant, crying "woooo," crying, and then said with a hoarse throat: "They're gone, my children are gone, all three children are gone, my children, I don't deserve to be a father, I don't deserve... woooo..."

The assistant was stunned.

Big Brother Cheng Long's children are gone?

How could this be?

Why didn't I know?

"Big Brother, what's going on? What happened to A-Ming? What's wrong with him?"

Although the assistant also wanted to know why Big Brother Cheng Long mentioned three children, she thought she had misheard and assumed something had happened to A-Ming.

"Woooo..."

Cheng Long held the assistant and cried very sorrowfully.

"I shouldn't have drunk, I shouldn't have left without throwing out the trash, it's all my fault, I don't deserve to be a father, I don't deserve, woooo..."

Cheng Long's words left the assistant even more confused.

What drinking? What party? What throwing out the trash?

Big Brother, what on earth are you talking about?

She simply took out her phone and called A-Ming to see if he would answer.

As it turned out, A-Ming answered the phone very impatiently.

Huh?

Nothing wrong?

Then what is going on right now?

(End of chapter)