Full-time actor

Chapter 651 [77] The greatness of art!

There was applause from the audition room.

After a long while, everyone gradually suppressed their amazement and calmed down.

Nolan had been looking at Chen Yu's face. After putting on makeup, his temperament was undoubtedly similar to the clown he imagined in his mind.

There is no discomfort that the yellow race has.

Even better than Heath Ledger's senses.

Because Chen Yu's clown gives people a richer and more three-dimensional feeling.

This also made Nolan feel like re-examining Chen Yu. From his initial rejection, Nolan now actually felt that... Chen Yu might be more suitable for the Joker.

This is too weird.

Nolan supported his chin with one hand and gestured to Chen Yu that he could sit down.

"Chan, can we talk?"

Nolan said to Chen Yu, and then suddenly laughed, waved his hand and said: "No need to substitute the clown's performance!"

He was afraid that Chen Yu would talk to him in a clown-like manner, which would make him feel extremely oppressed.

Sometimes the way actors get into their roles can actually be quite scary.

He's seen a lot.

"Ok!"

Chen Yu also smiled and sat back in his seat.

"What do you understand by clown?"

"I want to hear your true thoughts, not about the character in the comics, but about what kind of performance is needed in the movie!"

"Oh, this isn't an audition, it's just a simple chat!"

Nolan wanted to get to know Chen Yu better as a person and his views on acting.

This will allow Nolan to be more certain about who will play the role of the Joker.

Although he has basically made up his mind now, he still has some questions that he needs to discuss with Chen Yu.

"My opinion?"

Chen Yu thought about it, but didn't pause for too long: "Many people say that the clown is a monster. He has no principles, no specific preferences, and no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness in human nature. It seems that he is not born a human being, but was born to commit crimes..."

"But I feel like the Joker is actually a living person."

"I definitely play him as a person first, then study his life, and then think about the specifics of the character!"

"..."

Nolan nodded after listening, and motioned for Chen Yu to continue and ask if he could say anything else.

"I have studied the Joker in DC stories. It seems to appear out of nowhere, an evil, criminal, dark entity. But if it is a movie, the Joker must have once been a normal person!"

"In ancient China, there was a Confucian saint named Mencius who once proposed the concept of 'human nature is good at birth', which means that when a person is just born, he is kind, without evil thoughts, and the purest. The shaping of one's character depends on the environment in which one grows up!"

Chen Yu did speak eloquently and expressed his own thoughts: "Of course, another sage, Xunzi, also proposed the completely different view that 'human nature is evil', believing that we humans are born with a dark and evil side, which is now called the dark side of human nature!"

"Humans are also animals. Chasing inner desires is the instinct of animals!"

"However, as advanced animals with morals and principles, humans have been limiting their desires throughout their lives!"

"But no matter which statement is true, it is enough to show that the Joker did not appear out of thin air. He must have experienced something that eventually changed his worldview, released the darkest side of human nature, and freed his desires from the cage!"

Chen Yu looked at the auditioners present, wearing clown makeup, and spread his hands and said in a funny way: "So I was wondering, what kind of despair would a person go through to reach this point?"

"What kind of despair would one have to go through to abandon the morals, principles, kindness, and bottom line that one has believed in all one's life, and would rather become the kind of person that one once hated the most!"

"So, this is how the clown I auditioned for this time was formed. He went from being a human to a 'demon'. Maybe the word 'demon' is not quite appropriate, but he just turned into the clown we are familiar with!"

Nolan and a group of producers all nodded thoughtfully after hearing what Chen Yu said.

Chen Yu translated this passage into English, which is exactly the same as the translation of "dripping water wears away the stone" used by Bruce Lee during his audition.

Although there are differences between Chinese and foreign cultures, there are still some common points in some basic understandings of human nature.

Moreover, Chen Yu's explanation was very precise and clear, and everyone present actually understood it.

"That's very well said. I'm curious to ask, do you guys in China Film auditions analyze the characters so deeply?"

This was purely out of Nolan's curiosity.

"Not sure, maybe, maybe not!"

"At least, that's how I analyze roles when I audition for them. Sometimes I even write a little character bio!"

Nolan felt that what Chen Yu had just said made a lot of sense and his interpretation of the Joker was also very vivid.

In fact, in DC comics, the Joker has transcended an "individual". He is a "symbol" and the embodiment of the abstract concept of the dark side of human nature. There is no need to care about his past, because the Joker is the Joker.

The Joker has no past or future, he is a representative of dark human nature.

Even in DC comics, there are actually several Jokers.

But since we are going to make "Batman: The Dark Knight", the Joker must be a flesh-and-blood person, walking from the two-dimensional world to reality.

Since we are human beings, we naturally have stories and experiences.

"The story I just performed, where the clown said that his face was cut by his alcoholic father, was actually added temporarily by the third round."

“In fact, even if it is made into a movie, I think the Joker still represents more of a symbol. We just need to give him some human elements.”

“This is some of my understanding of the character!”

Having said this, Chen Yu stopped talking.

Nolan thought about it for a while, but stood up and said, "As for the scene just now, I really approve of your performance, but we still need to discuss and decide on the final candidate for the Joker role!"

This means the audition is over.

"Ok!"

Chen Yu stood up and smiled politely at everyone present, then walked out with the paint box.

The people outside were obviously surprised that Chen Yu rushed out and then went back in, but people in the audition room started talking.

"I feel that Chan's performance is more delicate and subtle than Heath Ledger's!"

Nolan said to several producers: "This is different from Ledger's direct approach to evil. It actually makes me feel darker and more terrifying."

The more I think about it, the more I feel that when that clown Chen Yu explodes, his power will be even stronger.

Maybe because of Ledger's performance, the Joker is very neurotic and evil.

But that was when I watched it, and the aftertaste was not that strong...but for Chen Yu, it's just the opposite.

The feeling kept improving as I watched it, and even now, his face is still lingering in my brain.

"What he plays is not just the Joker from DC Comics, but also the Joker in the movie Batman: The Dark Knight, which makes it feel more real and resonates with people a lot more."

"Christopher!" Warner's producer suddenly said, "I actually admire Chan's performance just now, but as for the Joker, DC Comics has been developing for so many years, and its image has long been deeply rooted in many people's minds!"

"We added some stories to him, which increased his authenticity, but I'm afraid it also lost some of the clown's spiritual elements. What do you think?"

"Of course, I'm not saying Chan's performance was bad!"

"On the contrary, he's really great, isn't he?"

Warner actually still prefers Chen Yu to play the Joker, but there are some differences about the role.

"What do you think is the spiritual element of the Joker?"

Nolan understood what the other party meant, and suddenly had an idea in his mind: "Movies are originally the sublimation of comics, from books to the real world. I think Chan's idea is very good. It adds some story colors to the Joker, and the interpretation of the Joker will only be more in-depth and thorough!"

"Our ideas should not be rigid and fixed. Movies are flexible works of art. If we just copy the Joker in the comics and use it in the movie without any changes, what kind of movie art can we talk about?"

“Isn’t the greatness of art creation?”

After Nolan said this, he had basically made a decision in his heart.

"Perhaps you are right, but such an attempt is very risky!"

“I’m willing to try this!”

Nolan is a bold director, and the adaptation of "The Dark Knight" is in his hands. After watching Chen Yu's audition, he suddenly had more material for the Joker in his mind.

If Chen Yu were to play this role, he would probably be able to create wonderful sparks.

"Guys, I think I'm changing my mind!"

"Let a Chinese person play this role. Do you agree?"

Warner and Legendary certainly have no objection.

They don’t make movies for art’s sake. What’s the point of a good movie if it doesn’t make money?

Giants are all very realistic.

The investment is so huge, $2.5 million. If they only want to make an art film, they could have made another type of film instead of the Batman IP!

At the end of the day, box office is king.

Even if the reputation of this movie collapses and its score is 3 points, if the box office reaches more than ten billion, Warner will definitely continue to produce a sequel.

Among the Big Six, Warner is actually the least courageous. At worst, they can just restart the film.

It's not like I haven't restarted before.

Batman has been filmed so many times, and if its reputation collapses, the worst that can happen is that we can just start over again.

Art?

Money is king for Warner.

Compared with Heath Ledger, Chen Yu is now outclassed in the Asian market alone, not to mention in Hollywood, where Ledger's box office appeal is almost zero.

"Brokeback Mountain" only brought him a boost in popularity, not box office.

On the contrary, Chen Yu may have more than him.

As for yellow people playing clowns... this does have a huge impact and is controversial.

Before the movie even comes out, fans of the Joker will definitely come out to boycott.

But the bigger the topic, the more it becomes a double-edged sword.

If used well, it can be a powerful tool to increase box office sales.

If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to wait and see how the box office works after the movie is released.

In short, Chen Yu and Nolan may be under greater pressure than Warner.

This time, Warner only released the IP. The money was paid by Legendary, and the director was also found by Legendary. Warner is just a hands-off boss.

If there is a loss, it has nothing to do with him; if there is a profit, he will also make a lot of money.

Legend has certain risks, but Nolan's control of the film and Chen Yu's portrayal of the Joker are the two most difficult aspects of this film.

If these two points are accomplished well, then congratulations to "The Dark Knight", it will definitely become a historic film, Nolan will be deified, and Chen Yu will be able to gain a firm foothold in Hollywood, getting rid of certain constraints of the yellow race on him.

From the moment Chen Yu was cast, this movie was destined to embark on a path full of topics and controversy.

"Then let's decide!"

"heal chan, play the clown!"

After pondering for a long time, Nolan finally made his decision.

If Chen Yu can really play the clown in the third round, Nolan believes that all the audiences who love the clown in this movie will be moved by his performance.

And the most important thing is that Nolan does not intend to reveal Chen Yu’s true face on the big screen.

The "mask" of paint will accompany him throughout the film.

In other words, Chen Yu will be wearing a clown mask throughout the entire movie.

This is also Nolan's biggest compromise, because his yellow face may indeed look awkward to North American audiences.

But with the "mask", there is no problem with all this, only Chen Yu's performance is added points.

In fact, Heath Ledger’s true face never appeared in "The Dark Knight" in his previous life.

He has always been known as the "paint clown".

In fact, after watching this movie, many viewers couldn't connect the Joker with Heath Ledger when they saw his real appearance.

Because it is so different.

Chen Yu never thought that he would reveal his true face in "The Dark Knight".

In fact, all his ambitions are on the independent film "Joker".

"The Dark Knight" was the beginning of his recognition of his Joker by North American audiences, and "Joker" was his complete explosion.

As long as his Joker in "The Dark Knight" is successful, then "Joker" will definitely be his highest-grossing film in North America, no doubt about it.

This is Chen Yu’s real plan.

I'm afraid even Nolan himself is not aware of this, because there is currently no script for "Joker" in the world.

This is the gift that Chen Yu, a reborn man, left for himself to counterattack North America in his directorial career.

There are at least several plans involved.

With the success of the Joker in "The Dark Knight", he became famous as a director in "Better Days". After that, he may make another "Budapest" to hit the international market. Finally, "Joker" will completely bombard the global film market.

By then, Chen Yu’s best plan is that his career as a director and an actor should both reach their peak moments after his rebirth.

Therefore, the role of the Joker is so important to Chen Yu!
It doesn't matter if I don't get elected.

Once selected, a series of subsequent plans can all be put on the agenda.

Winning the Oscar for Best Director will no longer be a fantasy for Chen Yu!
(End of this chapter)