Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 767: Chapter 515: Script Reading Session (Part 2)

During the break, everyone started chatting and laughing with those sitting around them.

Wan Fangli was sitting next to him, took the initiative to strike up a conversation, and said, ”Actually, apart from a bit of nervousness, I noticed your lines are really solid. Have you acted in plays before?”

Zhou Jianfeng felt flattered and said, ”Yes, I have acted before.”

”I thought so, otherwise how could someone as young as you have such a solid foundation for your lines?” Wan Fangli laughed, ”And you’re also handsome, truly the perfect lead actor material.”

Zhou Jianfeng scratched his head, feeling embarrassed.

Wan Fangli said, ”I’ll tell you, it’s normal to be nervous, even I get nervous. But on the other hand, I think it’s actually great. You know? ’Under the Grand Dress’, this show is one of the few I’ve come across in recent years that really relies on auditions to select actors, and it’s not a movie, it’s a TV series. Every actor, big or small role, sitting here, they’ve been through auditions, oh, of course, teacher Zeng Lili didn’t audition, that’s a different case, I heard you auditioned too, right?”

Zhou Jianfeng nodded and hummed in agreement, ”I... Initially, I wasn’t chosen.”

”So what?” Wan Fangli said, ”In the film and television industry, there are many unexpected turns. Many actors who weren’t the first choice initially have ended up playing their characters so well that nobody else could replace them. Look at Zhang Ziyi, she wasn’t Ang Lee’s first choice for ’Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, nor was Zhao Wei Aunt Qiong Yao’s first choice for ’My Fair Princess’. But what happened? It turns out that in acting, the first choice isn’t necessarily the best choice.” Wan Fangli told Zhou Jianfeng, ”No matter what, regardless of who they chose at first, the person sitting here now, the one who’s going to play the male lead, that’s you, isn’t it?”

The words Wan Fangli said eased some of Zhou Jianfeng’s anxious and unsettled feelings.

”Um, thank you.”

”Keep it up, I can tell from your lines that you definitely are an actor with solid fundamentals. You can surely do it.”

The break ended, and the script reading resumed.

Zhou Jianfeng’s performance improved a lot.

He mentally noted Wan Fangli’s kindness.

At noon, Zhou Yun, Zeng Lili, and Wan Fangli had lunch together.

”You’ve worked hard,” Zhou Yun said to Wan Fangli with a smile, ”After you spoke to him, his performance improved significantly.”

Wan Fangli said, ”Xiao Yun, why didn’t you go and say those encouraging words yourself?”

”If I had said them, he might not have taken them to heart,” Zhou Yun smiled helplessly, ”We didn’t choose him in the beginning, so he must have felt disappointed and a bit let down. Actually, when he first came to audition, he was quite proud. But ever since we decided to have him replace Yu Zhiyang in this show, I noticed that he’s become a bit quiet, as if a little afraid to speak.”

”I sensed that,” Wan Fangli said, ”He’s really afraid he won’t do well.”

”Yes.”

Zeng Lili pondered for a moment and then said, ”It’s like this with actors, they’re actually more sensitive than ordinary people. When they’re proud, they shine, but once they’re struck down, they become completely disheartened. I’ve had such moments before.”

”Really?” Zhou Yun asked in surprise, ”I feel like you, sister Lili, would never have such moments.”

”That’s because I’ve been through it all, so now I can afford this nonchalant attitude. When I first entered the industry, how could I dare to be casual? I would recite lines every night, afraid of forgetting or messing up the next day. Back then, if I caused a NG because of my mistake when acting with veteran actors, I was definitely going to be chewed out by the director.”

”It’s all like that,” said Wan Fangli, ”When I first started acting, not only was I scolded by the director, but I was also scolded by the veteran actors on set, saying I didn’t know anything.”

Zhou Yun: ”I hope I don’t become that sort of person when I’m older.”

”Haha, actually, a good director and a good actor know how to protect an actor’s pride and self-esteem,” Zeng Lili said. ”Let me tell you, some directors like to yell on set, but those really capable ones, when they scold people, they don’t even use swear words. They can make you feel ashamed of yourself, yet at the same time, not lose all hope. They’re not attacking you; they’re setting higher demands for you, pushing you.”

”Directors with no real skill are just completely destroying an actor’s self-esteem,” Wan Fangli added.