A widower's entertainment

The news that Lin Zhaomei was going to direct a feature film, with a script written by her father Lin Youcheng, would spread not only within the Beijing Film Academy but throughout the entire Beijing film industry.

There's no other reason than that the movie script was written by Lin Youcheng.

How could people in the film industry not know?

Of course, those who were truly familiar with Lin Youcheng knew about this long ago. For example, Zhang Wei had read Lin Youcheng's movie script and knew what kind of story it was. He had even thought about having Lin Youcheng publish it as a novel first, but Lin Youcheng refused, all because of his daughter, Lin Zhaomei.

Compared to the heated discussions and curiosity of others in the industry, Zhou Xun had heard about this much earlier, and Lin Youcheng had even told her directly that she would be the female lead in the movie.

Zhou Xun was naturally very much looking forward to the movie script written by Lin Youcheng.

After she finished reading the script, Zhou Xun was deeply shocked. She really hadn't expected the story to be like this; it was unbelievable and incredibly moving.

Zhou Xun was truly shocked by the story of "Our Millionaire". She didn't even think about the female lead she was going to play. She was more shocked by Xu Qingshan's incredible life experience.

Such a dramatic and unpredictable life is truly astonishing.

Most importantly, the story was actually inspired by a quiz show, with each question revealing an experience of the male protagonist, Xu Qingshan. This design was truly ingenious. Of course, the question Xu Qingshan asked Xiaoyu at the end also deeply moved Zhou Xun.

Because the first question Xu Qingshan asked wasn't the last question on the show, but rather where Xiao Yu was.

This is the question that Xu Qingshan cares about most.

Zhou Xun had truly fallen in love with the story, but she asked with some uncertainty, "Teacher Lin, are you really going to let me play the role of Xiaoyu?"

This is because although Zhou Xun has acted in some dramas, such as Xiuer in "Crossing the Guandong", "Strange Tales of the Human World" which she recently collaborated with director Li An, and the young Princess Taiping in "Palace of Desire", she has never truly played a leading role.

Of course, there are exceptions. For example, she played the female lead in Lin Zhaomei's short film "Destiny".

This is truly her first time playing the female lead in a movie.

Lin Youcheng nodded and said, "Xiaoyu doesn't have as many scenes as the male lead, but this role is not easy to play, especially the scene in the bathhouse."

Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Zhou Xun understood that Lin Youcheng was truly going to entrust this role to her. She was very excited and said, "Teacher Lin, I will definitely play this role well."

Zhou Xun didn't care at all that Xiaoyu had fewer scenes than the male lead; that wasn't her concern at all. She was more focused on the love story between the female lead, Xiaoyu, and Xu Qingshan.

Of course, in Zhou Xun's view, just as Lin Youcheng said, the character of Xiaoyu is not so simple, especially in the scene where she hurts someone in the bathhouse. However, Zhou Xun is very clear in her heart that she must play this role well and absolutely cannot let down this role or this good script.

Actually, casting Zhou Xun as the female lead in "Our Millionaire" was a joint decision by Lin Youcheng and Lin Zhaomei.

Lin Zhaomei initially thought of Zhou Xun, after all, Zhou Xun's performance in the short film "Destiny" left a deep impression on her, not to mention that Zhou Xun was also an employee of her own Huayi Film and Television Company.

Once the female lead is chosen, there will be no changes. What remains is the crucial choice of the male lead.

This role is undoubtedly very crucial.

As a film director, Lin Zhaomei naturally respected her screenwriter father's ideas and decided to audition a group of young actors.

Undoubtedly, once this news spread, everyone who knew about it would be tempted. However, there were requirements: the age must be between twenty and twenty-five. As for younger actors, there were concerns that they wouldn't be a good match for Zhou Xun, and their acting skills might not be up to par. Young male actors aged twenty to twenty-five were mostly second- or third-year students in acting programs, or young actors who had graduated a year or two ago.

Anyone who knows about it would love to play this role. After all, even if we disregard the fact that the director is Lin Zhaomei, just the fact that the screenwriter is Lin Youcheng is enough to make a group of young male actors swoon.

Lin Youcheng was clearly aware of this as well, just as Chen Jianbin and Wang Xuebin also came to him, obviously wanting to compete for the male lead role in this film.

Chen Jianbin is 27 years old, which is a bit old, but he clearly still wants to seize this opportunity, especially since he knows that the female lead is Zhou Xun. He still feels that he can play a couple with Zhou Xun, and he can't help but say: "Teacher Lin, I think you can reconsider your age. I think I look quite young."

Even though Chen Jianbin hadn't read the script, it didn't stop him from wanting to play the role. The only reason was that the script was written by Lin Youcheng.

Upon hearing Chen Jianbin's words, Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "This role is not suitable."

Well, these words disappointed Chen Jianbin somewhat.

"We'll have another opportunity to collaborate in the future."

Suddenly, after saying this, Lin Youcheng looked at Chen Jianbin and asked abruptly, "Would you be willing to shave your head and make a cameo appearance in a play?"

Lin Youcheng suddenly thought of Hu Guangsheng in "The Nameless". Chen Jianbin shaved his head into a rooster comb when he was young, which was not a bad idea. After all, Chen Jianbin had acted in "A Spoon" later. As long as he doesn't gain weight, his current thin figure is quite suitable for playing Hu Guangsheng.

Chen Jianbin did not expect Lin Youcheng to say that suddenly.

If he can't play the male lead, why make him shave his head and make a cameo appearance in a play?

This……

Knowing that this was a film written by Lin Youcheng, Chen Jianbin steeled his heart and said directly, "I'm willing."

Regardless, television actors ultimately hope to have the opportunity to act in movies, as movies are the real big screen where actors showcase their acting skills. Chen Jianbin naturally shares this aspiration and also hopes to act in movies.

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard Chen Jianbin's words. He was clearly surprised that the now-famous Chen Jianbin was willing to shave his head and make a cameo appearance in a play, which naturally made him very happy.

Of course, Lin Youcheng wouldn't say that Chen Jianbin would have another film, "The Nameless," waiting for him, since if Chen Jianbin's appearance didn't work out later, it would be better to replace him.

However, Lin Youcheng is also quite looking forward to Chen Jianbin's version of "The Nameless".

The fact that Chen Jianbin's team failed to secure the male lead role in "Our Millionaire" is enough to prove that Lin Youcheng and Lin Zhaomei both value the male lead selection highly.

During the audition, Tao Hong brought a classmate with her.

Tao Hong had also worked with Lin Youcheng on the TV series "Crossing the Guandong", so they were acquaintances. Naturally, she knew about Lin Youcheng's casting auditions. She herself had auditioned and was selected to play the role of Xiuer in "Crossing the Guandong". Now that she knew Lin Youcheng was casting for the male lead in a movie, she naturally encouraged her classmate Duan Long to audition.

Duan Long is a junior in college this year. Although he really hoped to have the opportunity to work with Lin Youcheng, he also knew that such an opportunity was too slim, so he didn't dare to think about it too much. If it weren't for his class monitor Tao Hong constantly telling him to give it a try, he probably wouldn't have come to audition.

However, just as Tao Hong told him, it was a good thing to meet Teacher Lin Youcheng. That's why Duan Long came to participate in the audition.

When Lin Youcheng saw Duan Long, he naturally recognized the actor who would later change his name to Duan Yihong. He was a very good actor. Although he was a junior in college this year, his professional skills were very solid. He was also very young, having come from a remote area to Beijing. His age and appearance were also very suitable.

"You act out this line."

As they spoke, the company staff handed the script to Duan Long. Duan Long glanced through it and was quite shocked, but he tried his best to memorize his lines.

Duan Long was very clear that he was just reciting Xu Qingshan's lines. Watching this scene, he felt like a young man was looking for a job, and he was thinking about what kind of mindset this young man would have when he read the lines.

Looking at Duan Long, Lin Zhaomei could tell that her father was quite satisfied with this newcomer. After glancing at him, Lin Youcheng shook his head and didn't say anything, letting Lin Zhaomei see how Duan Long performed first.

Someone nearby commented to Duan Long, "Looking for work? It must be tough. I've been waiting for three days already; I'll have to try my luck."

Duan Long asked, "Uncle, have you found work yet?"

"Found it, a job in the coal mine, I can earn a thousand a month."

Duan Long's eyes lit up instantly, like a country boy who had never seen the world, and he asked again, "Really? Uncle, can you take me with you?"

“I have a partner now, so it’s not easy to handle. But I’ll ask my friend.”

After a pause, the other person continued, "We asked you to buy a ticket, what are you doing bringing a child here?"

"What's the rush? He wants to work with us and make money, that's all that matters."

"You've got a child, are you still going to live up to the rules? We have to follow the rules when we do things."

"Can rules be used as money? If you don't have money, your child still has to go out and work, right? You pity him, but who pities you?"

"What's your name?"

Duan Long listened to those words and, though somewhat puzzled, remained silent. He desperately wanted the job, and upon hearing the question, immediately replied, "Xu Qingshan."

"Remember, from now on your surname is Song, you are his nephew, your name is Song Fenmin, and you are nineteen years old."

Duan Long immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, Second Uncle! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found such a high-paying job."

Without a doubt, Duan Long's delivery of lines is excellent, and his overall demeanor is also very good. Even if he is not clear about the situation, he still has the feel of the character. In fact, the reason for performing this scene is to give Duan Long a confused feeling of not yet understanding what is going on.

Although Lin Youcheng felt that Duan Long was quite suitable, he did not make a decision immediately and was still considering other young actors.

After reviewing these candidates, the suitable candidates are Duan Long, Guo Xiaodong, and Fu Dalong.

Lin Zhaomei naturally didn't discuss it with her father, and said, "Duan Long is quite suitable, let's choose him."

"Are you sure you don't want to watch videos of your film school's alumni?"

Lin Zhaomei shook her head and said, "The most important thing is that the role is suitable."

Lin Zhaomei did not intend to have her classmates from the film academy's acting department play the male lead. If she had that idea, it would be irresponsible to the film, since they are all in the same film industry.

Lin Youcheng nodded and said, "He needs to lose some weight so that his overall demeanor will be more in line with the lower classes."

Lin Zhaomei nodded in agreement with her father's statement.

Undoubtedly, when Duan Long received the notification that he would be playing the male lead in Lin Zhaomei's film, he was completely stunned.

Because he really didn't expect to have this opportunity.

Keep in mind he's only a junior in college!

Tao Hong was undoubtedly very happy for Duan Long, and said, "That's great, I knew you could do it."

Duan Long was still somewhat dazed when he heard Tao Hong's words, because he really couldn't believe that he was actually going to play the male lead in Lin Youcheng's movie.

This was something he never expected.

"I was really chosen?"

Duan Long was very excited, but also very uncertain, and even felt like he was dreaming.

He found it incredible and was very grateful to Tao Hong for letting him audition; otherwise, this opportunity would never have fallen into his lap.

This was something he never dared to imagine, yet it actually happened.

Of course, Duan Long also heard what they said, that he should lose more weight, that being thinner would be better. He was naturally prepared to lose weight so that he could play the role well and not let this good opportunity go to waste.

That's right, this is an absolutely great opportunity for him!

Undoubtedly, the Yenching Academy of Drama knew that its acting student, Duan Long, had been chosen to play the male lead in Lin Youcheng's film. This was undoubtedly a source of great pride, especially since students from the Film Academy were also vying for the role, but in the end, the Drama Academy student was chosen. That was truly remarkable.

The students at Yenching Academy of Drama were undoubtedly very envious of Duan Long; after all, he was the male lead in Lin Youcheng's movies.

Of course, at this time, director Lin Zhaomei's identity will be largely overlooked. There's nothing that can be done about it, since screenwriter Lin Youcheng is just too prominent. It can be said that these people went to audition because of Lin Youcheng.

The fact that the male lead has now been cast as a freshman in school is undoubtedly attracting a lot of attention.

Even though this is just a film made by film school directing students, with Lin Youcheng involved, this movie is unlikely to be overlooked. (End of Chapter)