Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 824: Chapter 534: Who Controls Whom_2

Cheng Shenlv hung up the phone, utterly shocked.

She never expected Zhou Yun to say such things about her.

For a moment, feelings of regret and gratitude intertwined.

In fact, Zhou Yun did have a great appreciation for Cheng Shenlv.

She once told Zhou Lan, ”Cheng Shenlv is beautiful, especially bare-faced, very lovely; she is quite suited for the path of the green robe.”

An actor’s appearance profoundly influences the paths they take.

Even with superb acting skills like Huang Bo and Zhou Dongyu, you couldn’t cast Huang Bo as a handsome man or Zhou Dongyu as a stunning beauty. Both possess their unique charms and charisma, but certainly not the conventional or standard definitions of a heartthrob or ravishing beauty.

Wang Jing’s looks fall into the category of versatile; she doesn’t have Zhou Yun’s striking features that captivate at a glance, but she is undoubtedly attractive. Zhou Yun always believed that, in terms of appearance alone, Wang Jing’s versatility is much greater than hers. For example, if offered a script like ”The Story of Qiu Ju,” Zhou Yun would want to act but wouldn’t dare; even playing an ugly role wouldn’t suit her, but Wang Jing could. Similarly, when Zhou Yun acts in TV dramas, she is quite picky about her roles. Unlike films, TV dramas require a different image, and Zhou Yun’s looks are not suited for domestic dramas. Even if she acts well, she doesn’t blend into that mundane atmosphere, but Wang Jing can.

At the time, Zhou Yun was discussing Cheng Shenlv with Zhou Lan in relation to Wang Jing and Cheng Shenlv starring in the drama ”Youth Story.”

Zhou Lan was thinking about how to chart Wang Jing’s career path.

She had discussed it many times with Zhou Yun, but every discussion would bring something new.

Especially now that Wang Jing received a Lingjun Award nomination, attracting significant attention in the industry.

”Strictly speaking, in terms of acting talent, I believe Cheng Shenlv has higher potential than Wang Jing. Cheng Shenlv has a natural sensitivity and intuition for the camera and nuances.” Zhou Yun privately told Zhou Lan, ”Sometimes, I envy her sensitivity and intuition. When watching rough cuts with Ning Yufeng, I found her scenes generally passed smoothly, but at certain moments, or with a key line, she would suddenly impress you with a subtle impact.”

Upon hearing Zhou Yun say this, Zhou Lan became particularly curious, ”You describe her so skillfully; I want to see how she performs.”

Zhou Yun replied, ”You’ll know when you watch her next time.”

”Do you think she could be Wang Jing’s future contender?”

Zhou Yun laughed, saying, ”Why do you always wonder if someone good might be a rival?”

Zhou Lan said, ”I’ve got no choice; I’m an agent. My duty is to ensure everything goes well for you.”

”In the future, Wang Jing and Cheng Shenlv will likely face competition. Xiao Jing’s advantage lies in her appearance, with strong versatility; she can play any role, although her acting skills are slightly lacking. Cheng Shenlv’s aura is relatively cool, her features appear refined, similar to mine, hence somewhat limited.”

”Another area that concerns me is that the film and TV market is changing too fast. A couple of years ago, it was the era of traffic, be it film or TV; capital investors, platforms, advertisers, etc., focused solely on traffic. So, whoever had more fans and better data was favored. That was also when many unknown but capable actors had no roles to play, as nobody created those traditional, serious drama-themed works, with everything being about traffic dramas.”

Zhou Lan was discussing the perplexities she faced recently.

”Later, traffic dramas lost their appeal, and they started talking about quality and acting skills. Some high-reputation dramas did emerge, but disappointingly, without exception, they all flopped, dealing a further blow to film and TV production. We thought the good actors’ time had come, but even with excellent acting, it didn’t work; there wasn’t an audience—the audience still wasn’t interested.”

”Eventually, there were fewer breakout dramas, and platforms and TV stations began producing genre-specific shows. Different subjects have their own audiences, and filming this way won’t lose money anyway. However, whether they will be a hit, to what extent they might break through, is all down to luck.”

Zhou Lan said, ”Facing such a market, I feel the risk is too high; of course, if you are starring, that’s another matter. You are one of the few actors in the market capable of carrying a drama or box office. But whenever arranging work for actors like Yuk Chu and Wang Jing, who have gained some fame, or newcomers like Huang Zicheng and Lu Zhongting, I fall into a dilemma: letting them act in popular idol dramas might affect their reputation as actors, making transitions hard, easily typecasting them. Having them perform in more serious or earnest dramas, they won’t get major roles, and even the roles they get may lack appeal, and there’s no telling when they might become popular. The most critical thing is that the current market is so disorderly; I can’t find a consistent, optimal path for them to follow.”