Chapter 204: Too Eager to Progress

In the later year of 2005, Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang served as the head of the Directing Department at the Beijing Film Academy, was selected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the cultural and arts sector, and later became the president of the China Film Directors' Guild.

"I understand, Master Tian, I will consider it."

A resonant drum needs no heavy hammer; after chatting for a few more moments, the two returned to their respective lodgings.

Stay close to the government, stay far from politics.

Whether in his past life or his current one, this was the code of conduct Lu Kuan had set for himself and his team.

It would be one thing if he hadn't stepped into the game.

But once his commercial territory and capital scale truly broke out of the circle, no longer confined to the entertainment industry, and he began to attract the covetous eyes of the second-generation elites as a force of capital, where would he go from there?

Those second-generation elites were far from being idiots like Liu Liu Zeyu; they were the kind who would truly eat you alive without spitting out the bones.

Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang's earnest advice was the counsel of a seasoned veteran, but he did not understand Lu Kuan's true strength.

Perhaps the mere status of a deputy department head and political consultant was far from enough to provide shelter for his industries.

To wear the crown, one must bear its weight; this was a problem that truly required planning for a rainy day.

The most important thing at present remained completing this film, *Exotic Land*, with quality and quantity.

Beijing time, November 5, 2003, the 23rd China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival opened.

The Golden Rooster Awards evaluate films from the past two years, so both *Drummer* and *Thief* were nominated.

Lu Kuan did not agree with the domestic film festival system and the "cake-slicing" style of the judges, so he did not return to attend, but the nominated actors from both films were all present.

To be honest, his participation caused the judges a great deal of trouble.

Damn it, the cake wasn't big enough to go around as it was, and here you were, submitting two films by yourself.

If they didn't give you the awards, the audience and public opinion would ask if the Golden Rooster Awards thought they were better than the big three in Europe.

Since those festivals gave you the Golden Lion and Best Director, you're saying they don't look good, right?

If they gave all the awards to you, what about all the interpersonal relationships? Were the industry elders, whose ages could make them your father or grandfather, supposed to lose face?

The jury held several discussions before finally deciding on the list of winners.

But because *Drummer* and *Thief* were simply too outstanding, they still occupied quite a few heavyweight awards.

At the awards ceremony, Liu Liu Yifei defeated Zhang Yan from *Warm Spring* and Li Min from *Seventeen-Year-Old Norma* to win the Best New Performer award.

Fan Fan Bingbing won Best Supporting Actress for her role as the fallen girl in *Thief*, defeating Xu Xu Jinglei of the Beijing circle.

Feng Feng Yuanzheng undoubtedly won Best Actor for his role as Zhuang Zhong in *Drummer*.

The Best Feature Film award was a three-way tie, and *Thief* was one of them.

Best Cinematography went to Cao Yu for *Thief*.

In addition, they picked up some scraps like the Jury Special Award and Best Directorial Debut.

In short, it was like chewing wax—tasteless to eat, but a pity to discard.

However, the two actresses he was supporting, both openly and covertly, had achieved their wishes and were each walking on the right path of development.

In her past life, Fan Fan Bingbing had won this honor for the role of Wu Yue in *Cell Phone*.

*Thief* had higher artistic quality, gave her more room to perform, and the character's depth and image were more iconic, so it was not surprising that she gained the judges' approval.

On November 8, the lead actress of *Exotic Land*, Liu Liu Yifei, returned to the set to continue the intense shooting schedule.

The foreigners on the Hollywood crew had recently been seeing a strange sight.

Every day when they clocked in at 8 AM, they could see an old Chinese man hired by director Lu Kuan training the lead actress.

Sometimes it was a line delivered with great emotion, sometimes it was a silent scene of eye acting; in any case, everyone was amazed.

The old man looked to be about fifty, but his appearance was somewhat haggard, save for a pair of eyes that were frighteningly bright.

Sometimes when he demonstrated a villainous gaze for Liu Liu Yifei, including the "Kubrick Stare" that Lu Kuan had taught her, it could startle the lighting crew watching from the sidelines.

That acting was more terrifying than Hannibal!

7 AM, the sky wasn't fully bright yet, but the crew was starting early today specifically for this natural light.

The Hollywood crew had a call sheet posted at the entrance of the studio.

It marked out what time the light would meet the director's requirements and what scenes were suitable to shoot, for the director's reference.

Leonardo arrived relatively early today, greeted Lu Kuan, and watched the old Chinese man and the young girl do their morning exercises together.

"Lu, is this the acting teacher you hired for the crew? What movies has he been in?"

"His works are all Chinese films, involving a lot of domestic history and political figures; you probably haven't seen them."

Seeing how polite Lu Kuan was to this old man, Leonardo couldn't help but get curious.

"You can talk to me about it. If he's as excellent as you say, maybe I could use his help too?"

Boss Lu smiled: "Let me give you an example. In the 90s, this Master Li starred in a film called *Jiao Jiao Yulu*."

"At that time, the ticket price was... well, equivalent to about 6 cents in your America now, but it grossed about 26 million dollars."

In 1990, the exchange rate of the dollar to the RMB was about 4.7, so the 120 million box office of *Jiao Jiao Yulu* was roughly equal to 26 million dollars.

Leonardo's jaw nearly dropped; 6 cents a ticket, 26 million dollars in box office—that meant an audience of over 400 million!

His own *Titanic*, according to statistics, had a global audience of less than 500 million.

Lu Kuan told the truth: "This number is distorted. Films of this type had unified arrangements for screenings by the government, but there were also many who walked into the theaters spontaneously."

Leonardo watched the interaction between the two not far away, somewhat speechless; even if this number were halved, it was still incredible to him.

In 1990, the entire population of North America was less than 250 million.

"Is he a Method actor or a Classical actor?"

Boss Lu couldn't help but laugh. These non-classically trained Hollywood stars usually attended various acting workshops and sometimes got hung up on the differences between systems.

"Are you a Method actor or a Classical actor?"

Leonardo chuckled: "Me? Haha, I'm a Naturalist, I just act as I please."

"He should be considered a Classical actor."

"Come on, I'll take you over to chat with them."

The two interrupted Li Li Xuejian and Liu Liu Yifei.

"Lu Kuan, you're here." Li Li Xuejian smiled and greeted them, though his voice still sounded quite raspy.

Boss Lu had told Li Li Xuejian to just call him Xiao Lu, but Li Li Xuejian insisted that on set, one must be formal and call him Director Lu.

There was no helping it, so Liu Liu Yifei came up with a compromise: just call each other by their names.

"Master Li Xuejian, Leonardo was just asking me what acting school you belong to."

Li Li Xuejian was stunned: "Oh, as for acting schools, I suppose I'm a Classical actor, but this stuff is hard to define; there's no need to be so hung up on it."

"Are you talking about Stanislavski and Brecht?"

Liu Liu Yifei was listening to them chat when she suddenly heard something she understood. You're talking about this? I'm wide awake now.

Don't look at me like I'm only 16; I've spent months studying properly at the Beijing Film Academy, and I'm a sophomore now!

Lu Kuan teased: "You understand? Then tell me about it, let me hear."

The young girl rolled her eyes at him, unconvinced. Don't look down on people!

"Let me give you an example!"

"Suppose you and Leonardo had to play gay men. Then, according to the Classical method, you, Lu Kuan, would have to truly dig into the gay emotions within your own heart and sincerely fall in love with Leonardo."

Lu Kuan's mouth twitched as he listened. You sure know how to pick examples.

Leonardo laughed out loud. Of course, he had attended workshops, but he had long since returned that knowledge to his teachers; he had always acted as he pleased.

He was also a naturally gifted player.

"And what about the Method?"

Liu Liu Yifei smiled: "The Method is for Lu Kuan to imagine you are a woman, and then fall in love with you. That way, you'll definitely act it well!"

Leonardo laughed even louder: "Lu, I don't mind playing a gay couple with you; it should be very interesting!"

Boss Lu felt a chill. If you disgust me any further, I'll write a *Brokeback Mountain* script for you and let you have your fill of it.

More and more crew members were watching, including Liang Liang Jiahui, who had joined the crew yesterday, squad member Travolta, and other cast and crew.

Everyone had long been curious about this strange combination of an old Chinese man and a young girl, and Lu Kuan also wanted everyone to see Li Li Xuejian's true strength to help him adapt to the crew better.

Lu Kuan suddenly smiled at Leonardo: "Leo, learn a move from me."

Before he finished speaking, he walked sideways toward Liu Liu Yifei. Just as he was about to brush past her, he turned his head slightly to look at her, and suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he gave a sharp, sudden glance as they passed each other.

Everyone was a bit confused, not knowing what his intention was.

Only Li Li Xuejian was still chuckling, his face peaceful, though there was a hint of surprise in his eyes as he looked at Lu Kuan.

Didn't Tian Zhuangzhuang say he was from the Directing Department? How was his muscle control better than many actors?

Seeing Lu Kuan signaling him to follow suit, Leonardo curled his lip and walked toward Liu Liu Yifei.

Brushing past, turning head, passing, second turn of the head to observe.

Huh?

Not just Leonardo himself, but all the onlookers noticed something was wrong.

Travolta asked in confusion: "Leo, your movement seems much slower than the director's? And not very smooth."

Liang Liang Jiahui also smiled: "It is lacking something. Director Lu's movement is smooth and natural, with all parts of his body in harmony. Leo's movement is a bit stiff; it looks like he didn't fully engage his muscles."

Lu Kuan prompted: "A simple turn of the head and a second turn involve the coordination of muscles like the sternocleidomastoid, the splenius capitis, and the rectus capitis posterior major. This movement also requires the back muscles of half the upper body to be coordinated to look elegant."

"Leo, it's not as simple as it looks."

The move Lu Kuan performed was a detail of Li Li Xuejian's character in the 1990 show *Yearning*.

According to an interview with Liang Tian, one of the core figures of the Beijing circle, this life-like, short-duration double-take stunned him at the time, and he tried many times but couldn't achieve the same effect. (Note 1)

He even exaggeratedly said that the number of actors in the country today who could perform this move could be counted on two hands.

This statement could be understood as commercial hype, but the high level of Li Li Xuejian's basic skills in acting technique and muscle control was beyond doubt.

Leonardo tried a few more times, but even though he nearly twisted his neck, he still couldn't win the approval of the onlookers.

"Lu, where did this move come from? It looks so effortless, why is my execution always lacking?"

"This is a character movement from a TV series in the 90s by Master Li Li Xuejian."

Lu Kuan said, turning to Li Li Xuejian: "Master Li Xuejian, please demonstrate it for everyone."

There was a film crew translator on set responsible for helping communication between the Chinese and foreign actors and the director, and everyone cheered loudly after hearing this.

Li Li Xuejian had an extremely low-key and introverted personality; he gave Lu Kuan a helpless look, then walked toward Liu Liu Yifei with ease, completing the fluid movement with absolute naturalness.

"Whoa!"

"That's amazing!"

The Americans on the Hollywood crew had been stunned by Lu Kuan's professional skills on the first day, and now, having seen an old Chinese man effortlessly steal the praise, they all felt this Eastern country was truly unfathomable.

Liu Liu Yifei had been observing everyone, mentally rehearsing the flow of the movement.

The young girl didn't exclaim in surprise along with the other cast and crew, because she suddenly felt...

I think I can do that too!

"Little Liu, you come try it, I'll stand here and not move."

"Ah? Oh!"

Liu Liu Yifei recalled the details of the movement for two seconds, then walked toward Lu Kuan with light steps, her movements as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation.

The onlookers let out another burst of exclamations! They clapped and cheered one after another!

Part of this was due to the small favors Liu Liu Xiaoli usually used to win them over; the foreigners were quite fond of that sort of thing.

Of course, it was also because Liu Liu Yifei had earned their recognition through her dedication and hard work while serving as a stunt double.

Leonardo was truly going crazy now!

If it were really as Lu Kuan said, and this middle-aged Chinese actor could draw over 400 million viewers for a single film, then losing to him was one thing!

But this Liu Liu Yifei was clearly just a fledgling!

She had only been brought in as a replacement after the lead actress was accidentally injured, and these past two days of filming dramatic scenes had Lu Kuan pacing in frustration more than once!

How could she also do it so easily?

Li Li Xuejian still wore a smiling expression; he had been guiding Liu Liu Yifei for several days, so he wasn't surprised that she could master these movements.

Leonardo called out her English name: "Crystal, how did you do that?"

"It's... just very simple, you just do it, right?"

Leonardo felt that the acting coach he paid hundreds of dollars an hour should resign in disgrace.

Lu Kuan smiled and said: "She is learning Grotowski, which belongs to an acting school outside of Stanislavski and Brecht, focusing more on the utilization and training of the actor's own physical conditions."

"The movement you just watched requires the coordination of many muscles in the neck, back, and even the waist, and Grotowski's physical training incorporates the essence of movement training from Chinese Peking Opera, Japanese Noh theater, and Indian yoga, which is very beneficial for actors to improve their control over their own muscles."

Leonardo let out a "wow" and rushed to Liu Liu Yifei, unable to wait: "Crystal, can you introduce your teacher to me?"

Liu Liu Yifei said with a grin: "Sure, but his reputation isn't very good; he's always getting into messy situations with actors, so you have to be careful."

Boss Lu looked at her speechlessly.

Ever since the two of them cut their overt subordinate relationship, the young girl had become increasingly unbridled toward him.

"Who?"

Liu Liu Yifei stretched out her slender, onion-like fingers: "Him! Your homosexual partner!"

"Hahahaha!"

The whole room burst into laughter; everyone knew she was joking.

Leonardo held his forehead: "Lu, so you are also an acting teacher; no wonder you are so professional every time you explain a scene to me."

He really liked Lu Kuan's way of explaining scenes as a director, as he would give actors clear suggestions based on acting techniques, the character's inner world, and personality shaping, never leaving the actors to guess for themselves.

For novice actors like Liu Liu Yifei, Lu Kuan would give the most explicit requirements, striving to achieve the filming effect in the shortest possible time;

For actors like Leonardo and Liang Liang Jiahui, he would provide a general performance framework, hoping the actors could offer different approaches, which also provided more ideas and possibilities for the film's post-production editing.

Lu Kuan smiled: "I'm also a self-taught amateur; for her, I'm just teaching her how to polish some basic skills."

After saying this, he turned to Li Li Xuejian: "Master Li Xuejian, Liu Liu Yifei's 'hardware' equipment should be pretty good now, right?"

"Very good!"

Li Li Xuejian did not stint on his praise: "I spoke with Director Yuan Yuan Heping yesterday; although Little Liu's acting is still quite green, her physical fitness and reaction ability are both excellent."

Liu Liu Yifei looked at Lu Kuan with a haughty expression, almost writing the words "praise me quickly" on her face.

"Lu, tell me about the Grotowski you taught Crystal."

Leonardo looked like a top star for commercial films, but he was truly dedicated to art-house films and profound roles, and he was very focused on improving his professional capabilities.

Back then, when James Cameron asked him to star in Titanic, Leonardo flatly refused.

Cameron persuaded him, saying that with his current fame, if he wanted to act in art-house films, the big directors wouldn't even look at him.

You must first make yourself a box-office hit, and once the box office is guaranteed, art-house directors will prioritize you when considering box office returns and investment recovery.

Lu Kuan guided him patiently: "In terms of muscle control, truly top-tier actors must have extremely strong control over their bodies, emotions, and desires, so they can express themselves as they wish."

"Grotowski's physical training has 32 sets of movements, and long-term practice is very beneficial for an actor's full-body muscles and control; in fact, this point is also mentioned in the Stella school."

Leonardo asked in surprise: "It has a connection to Stella too?"

Liu Liu Yifei also asked curiously: "Lu Kuan, who is Stella?"

"Stella is one of the three great masters of the Method school, who has always been committed to cultivating top-tier actors and implementing her own acting philosophy."

Seeing that she was listening in a daze, Boss Lu changed his way of explaining.

"You know Marlon Brando, right? You know Robert De Niro, right? They are all her disciples."

Liu Liu Yifei didn't know, but the other actors, including Leonardo and Travolta, knew perfectly well—these were the big behind-the-scenes names in Hollywood!

Leonardo nodded silently, then suddenly smiled at Liu Liu Yifei and Li Li Xuejian: "You two, can you bring me along for morning practice in the future?"

In order to win an Oscar, I, little Leonardo, am so eager to improve!

Note 1: This was mentioned by Liang Tian in an interview, but unfortunately, the TV series is from the 90s, and no information can be found; the author is also very curious about what the movement is.

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(End of this chapter)