The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 531 Determining the Actor
It's another cloudy day, with layers of clouds.

The autumn wind is silent, turning the fallen leaves yellow.

The weather is slightly colder and Yanjing is very quiet during this period, just like the early morning before the sun rises. When October comes and the National Day holiday arrives, the city will be much livelier.

Landmark Building Fenghua Film and Television Company.

Li Shengyao met Liang Jiawui and Simon Yam, "Brother Jiawui, brother Hua, please sit down."

Liang Jiahui wore a dark blue casual suit on the upper body, jeans on the lower body, and a pair of khaki leather shoes.

He had just flown from Hong Kong Island to Yanjing. He probably didn't have a good rest and his eyes were a little red.

Ren Dahua looked more formal. He was wearing a well-fitting suit and a pair of black leather shoes.

Despite his age, he works out regularly and still looks very handsome in a suit.

These two came together today, and Li Shengyao was actually a little surprised.

After much deliberation between him and his assistant directors, Lee Sing-yew finally decided to invite Leung Ka-Hui and Simon Yam to audition for the male lead in "Parasite."

Both of these people are in their fifties, can play small characters, and have no problem with their acting skills at all.

If nothing else, the final male protagonist will be chosen from the two of them.

Li Shengyao arranged for his assistant to contact the two for auditions, but he did not expect that the two came together.

The assistant came forward to pour tea.

A faint white mist floated up.

Leung Ka Hui was a little dazed. He remembered that seven years ago, Lee Sheng Yew was a TV drama director and personally went to Hong Kong Island to ask him to star in "My Uncle".

In the blink of an eye, a few years later, Lee Sung-yew won the Palme d'Or and became a well-known director in Asia.

And now Director Li's film has become a project that everyone in the China Entertainment Film and Television Industry is competing for.

The white mist dissipated slightly, and the fragrance of tea spread.

Liang Jiahui came to his senses and nodded, "Director Li, congratulations on winning the grand prize in Cannes."

After starring in "My Uncle", for a year or two, Leung Ka Hui and Lee Sheng Yew occasionally contacted each other to exchange information.

But as time went by, contact gradually became less and less.

When Li Shengyao won the Palme d'Or before, Leung Ka Hui sent a congratulatory text message, but there was no face-to-face congratulations yet.

Simon Yam sat aside and looked at Li Shengyao and Leung Ka Hui with a smile.

He has never collaborated with Lee Sing-yew. He has met before but did not have an in-depth chat.

There are rumors in the world that Lee Sheng Yew doesn't like Hong Kong actors very much. Ying Huang wanted to cooperate with Lee Sheng Yew many times, but Lee Sheng Yew rejected them all.

Seeing Lee Sing-Yew at this time and observing his attitude, Simon Yam felt that Lee Sing-Yew probably didn't hate Hong Kong actors, but just disliked those in Ying Huang.

This time many people came to Fenghua to audition, but Fenghua took the initiative to send out invitations to auditions, but very few.

Ren Dahua knew this was his chance.

It is said that the script of "Parasite" is very good, and it is another movie that will hit the awards.

He hopes to perform such an excellent movie.

After receiving the invitation, he contacted several Hong Kong actors who had collaborated with Lee Sheng Yew to inquire about Lee Sheng Yew's requirements.

Liang Jiahui was one of them. Only then did the two people know that the other party had received an invitation to audition, and they made an appointment to go to the audition together.

Perhaps in other places, such a thing would be a bit embarrassing, but in a small place like Hong Kong Island, it is very ordinary.

After the millennium, when it comes to feature films in Hong Kong, Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai will go through them first. If they don’t want to take them, it will be the turn of actors of the same level as Tony Leung Ka-wai and Simon Yam.

Leung Ka Hui and Simon Yam often auditioned for the same role in the past.

After a while, the three of them chatted about some entertainment industry gossip, and then got down to business.

Li Shengyao asked his assistant to get two pieces of plot paper and showed them to Leung Ka Hui and Simon Yam.

"This character is from the bottom of society. He started a business in his early years, but it failed. He has been living in a muddle since then. He is lazy, greedy, arrogant, incompetent, timid, and has low self-esteem. He has a line. Some people show their disdain for him to his face. He'll be angry."

"I'll give you two three hours to think about it yourself. After three hours, let's take a look at the character's temperament. How about it?"

Lee Sing-yew did not choose to let Simon Yam and Leung Ka Hui play a specific part of the plot, because he believed that with the acting skills of these two people, there would be no problem with simple performances, but it would be difficult to distinguish them.

He plans to give the two of them time to see who is closer to the temperament of the male protagonist of "Parasite".

Liang Jiahui and Ren Dahua looked at each other, then smiled and agreed.

Li Shengyao immediately asked his assistant to arrange a room for Leung Ka Hui and Simon Yam to allow them to develop their feelings.

"boom!"

Liang Jiahui closed the door and sighed slightly.

Li Shengyao's audition method reminded him of the King of Sunglasses.

Most of the movies directed by the King of Sunglasses have no scripts. They just write a character and let the actors find the feeling.

Liang Jiahui once publicly criticized Sunglasses King for being unfriendly to actors.

It’s not that he thinks good movies can’t be made this way, but that the King of Sunglasses is too ink-stained when filming, which makes the actors less money.

Of course Lee Seung-yew has a script. As we all know, Director Lee is a master of scripts.

The reason for doing this is that it is difficult to distinguish between high and low acting skills, and I want to see whose temperament is closer to the character.

Liang Jiahui knew that when Li Shengyao was selecting actors for "Parasite", he asked his agent to send his information by mail. He had also recently carefully observed the lives of the people at the bottom of Hong Kong Island.

Sometimes I sit down in a tea restaurant for a whole day, which makes the waiters look at me a lot.

He still has some experience and insights on how to play the role of ordinary people at the bottom.

When acting, he likes to write short biographies of characters and then immerse himself in them. He has played many small characters before, and he used them all this time.

He noticed a mirror on the wall, so he walked over slowly and adjusted himself in front of the mirror.

Inexplicably, he was distracted and thought of his two daughters.

His eldest daughter has graduated from college, and his younger daughter has also gone to college. The two daughters are not the most beautiful girls in the country, but they can be said to be the beauty of Xiaojia, and they have many suitors.

Liang Jiahui is used to the divisions and mergers in the entertainment industry, but his views are relatively traditional. He still hopes that his daughters will use marriage as a way to fall in love in advance, rather than just for fun.

There was a sound of high heels stomping outside the door.

Liang Jiahui came to his senses and immediately dismissed those messy thoughts. Thinking of Li Shengyao and Ren Dahua, he patted his face.

"This is Director Li's movie. You must seize the opportunity and be serious about it."

He then forced himself not to think about his daughters and seriously considered how to act as a low-level person in Hong Kong Island.

While Liang Jiahui was concentrating, in another room, Ren Dahua had already taken off his suit. He was also standing in front of the mirror, looking at the mirror, constantly adjusting his expression and looking energetic.

Entertainment media often write that Simon Yam has an extraordinary family background, but in fact he does not.

Their family was at best a police family. His father was a policeman, but he died when he was 11 years old.

From then on, he and his brother lived with his mother. The family was not in a good situation, so he went out to work early to make money.

He knows what the living conditions of the people at the bottom of Hong Kong Island are like.

At this time, he stood in front of the mirror, swaying from side to side, occasionally frowning, and occasionally chuckled.

Probably because he worked as a model when he was young. When Simon Yam performs, his body is very natural and relaxed, which is his advantage.

He was very calm at this time.

Suddenly he thought of his wife and daughter in Shanghai. He thought that his daughter was in the first grade this semester. He went to school a few days ago and said he was not used to it. He wondered if his daughter would miss him after he left.Ren Dahua can be regarded as an old man. His daughter is only seven years old. To him, her daughter is the most important person in the world.

He couldn't help but be entranced when he thought of his daughter. When he came to his senses, he found that 10 minutes had passed.

He smiled.

"Even if it's for my daughter, I have to perform well and make her proud of me."

Simon Yam then dismissed unnecessary thoughts and focused on finding the feelings of the people at the bottom of Hong Kong Island.

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Shengyao and several assistant directors quickly saw Liang Jiahui. He saw a down-and-out middle-aged man with squinted eyes, a little irritated, and shaking his legs slightly. This man's eyes were a little fierce.

This look is very similar to the people at the bottom of the Hong Kong film and television dramas that Lee Sheng-yao saw.

People on Hong Kong Island live under a lot of pressure. People there seem to have been exposed to dynamite and have bad tempers.

Li Shengyao smiled and nodded, then turned and went to Simon Yam's office.

Ren Dahua sat there, his back slightly hunched, a smile of disdain for the world on his lips, his eyes were frivolous and uncertain, and he did not dare to make eye contact with Li Shengyao.

He looked like a failed and arrogant middle-aged man.

Li Shengyao nodded affirmatively, and then left with the others.

Back in the conference room, Li Shengyao discussed with several assistant directors who was more suitable. They all felt that the two actors were very good and they could choose either one.

"In that case, let's think about it again."

Li Shengyao then personally escorted Liang Jiahui and Simon Yam out of the Liangmahe Building, "Both of you, whether it works or not, I will give you an approval letter within seven days."

Liang Jiahui and Ren Dahua then left together.

"I have to rush back to Hong Kong Island."

"I want to go back to Shanghai."

Ren Dahua has lived in Shanghai in recent years.

"I'm worried about my daughter."

"Me too."

The two met, smiled, and rushed to the airport together.

Two hours later, Liang Jiahui got on the plane. This was the second time he got on the plane within 24 hours. He felt very tired, and his eyes were dry and astringent, but when he closed his eyes, he couldn't calm down.

This time he was not thinking about his daughter, but he couldn't help but think about the results of today's audition.

He didn't see Simon Yam's appearance, but he thought it should be great.

"Hey, don't think too much, just have a good rest."

Liang Jiahui comforted himself, but when he closed his eyes, his mind was still spinning and he couldn't rest at all.

For the entire journey, which lasted for three and a half hours, he was thinking about this matter.

After getting off the plane, the autumn wind blew and was cool.

Liang Jiahui couldn't help but think of Li Shengyao again.

Do you want to send Director Li a text message to show your sincerity?

Isn't that too humble?
Does Director Li think I want to use the back door?

Liang Jiahui took out his mobile phone, frowned slightly, stopped there for a moment, then put away the mobile phone and moved forward.

"Ring bell bell!"

The phone rang, and Liang Jiahui picked up the phone. It was a call from his agent.

"Tony, how's it going? Is there any result?"

"No, Director Li said he would reply within a week."

The agent didn't say much and was about to hang up the phone when Liang Jiahui said immediately: "Do you think I should send a text message or make a phone call to Director Li to express my attitude?"

"Uh, okay, I sent a text message to say thank you to Director Li for his approval."

Texting doesn’t seem that awkward.

Hearing this, Liang Jiahui gained some courage and said, "Okay, I understand."

He then edited a text message and sent it to Li Shengyao.

……

For Lee Sung-yao, the casting of "Parasite" was generally relatively smooth.

He is mainly responsible for the casting of the leading male couple, the wealthy couple, and the former maid couple. As for other roles, he leaves it to the assistant directors to consider.

The choice of male lead is more difficult, Simon Yam and Leung Ka Hui are both very good.

The hero's wife is much simpler. The role of this character is a former shot put champion, and she also needs to look like a nanny.

Then this actor must be about 50 years old, a tall woman with a slightly rustic look.

There are relatively few such actresses in the Mainland, and they are not glamorous. Li Shengyao immediately thought of Ding Jiali. He felt that this eldest sister was perfect for her.

Then there are the wealthy couples.

Regarding the rich people, he considered Andy Lau and Ng Chun-yu, both of whom were equally difficult to choose. In the end, Li Shengyao chose Andy Lau.

The rich man in "Parasite" is a man of action. Now Liu Dehua is leaner and looks more capable, more like an entrepreneur.

It just so happens that Andy Lau is relatively free this year, so he took on the movie "Sister Tao" and produced an album, which has been completed and he now has time.

After hearing Li Shengyao's invitation, Andy Lau readily agreed.

As for the rich man's wife, Li Shengyao chose Liu Tao. After all, Bai Jie was the best candidate, and Liu Tao should be qualified.

There are also ex-maid couples. In the movie, the ex-maid's husband will eventually go crazy and kill the hero's daughter.

Moreover, this man also scared the rich man's son. Overall, he is a somewhat neurotic man.

Li Shengyao thought over and over again and finally chose Ni Dahong. As for the person who played Ni Dahong's wife, he had three choices, one was Chen Jin, the second was Xiao Cai Xuling, and the third was Qu Aying and Wang Lan.

The acting skills of these three are all good, and Chen Jin even won the Best Actress.

However, Chen Jin looks a little thinner and doesn't look like a parasitic helper in a wealthy family.

Xu Ling and Wang Lan's figures look more like servants from rich families.

Considering that Cai Genhua and Su Daqiang did not get together in "Everything Is Good", Li Shengyao chose Xu Ling in the end, which can be regarded as a tribute to his previous life.

In this way, except for the male protagonist, everyone else's roles on Lee Sheung-yao's side have been confirmed.

The assistant director quickly made the final choices. The actor's son chose Bai Yu, the actor's daughter chose Song Yi, the rich man's daughter chose Zhang Xueying, and the rich man's son chose Hu Xianxu.

Li Shengyao is very satisfied with these choices.

Neither the hero's son nor his daughter are particularly good-looking, so Bai Yu and Song Yi are just right.

As for the rich man's daughter, she is a girl who looks very good, and Zhang Xueying is just right for her.

The son of a rich man is actually not that important. Arthur, Cheng Cheng, and Hu Xianxu are all fine.

Arthur has a box office poisonous physique. As for Cheng Cheng, there will be a lot of news at that time, and Hu Xianxu will not have so many things to do.

After confirming the actors, after Chen Hao and others give birth, Lee Sheng-yao will go south to Hong Kong Island to officially start filming.

(End of this chapter)