Extracting skills from movies

A group of burly men ran to the side of the street and kicked a utility pole.

Some were successfully kicked down, but they were all the kind that were old, dilapidated, and rusted to the point of breaking.

Most of the time, there was a loud "thud," and the foot would throb with pain, but the pole wouldn't budge.

The funniest thing is that someone specifically used a ruler to measure the dent on the lamppost where Du Sheng kicked it, and the depth was more than 3 centimeters.

The comments section was absolutely bursting with laughter:
"I tried it, my toe was broken, but the stick didn't even shed any dust."

Du Sheng is not human, he is a god!

"It is recommended that the 'resistance to being kicked by Du Sheng' be added to the future inspection standards for utility poles."

"I used to think his action scenes were special effects, but now I believe it; his kicking power is real."

This "kicking streetlight challenge" has directly boosted Du Sheng's status in the entertainment industry by a significant margin.

Many fighting enthusiasts and fitness bloggers have shared the post, calling him the invincible version of the "King of Kung Fu".

His previous videos teaching Bajiquan have also resurfaced, and their views have skyrocketed.

Thus, Du Sheng's image subtly changed:

He has evolved from a "kung fu star + tycoon + king of singers" to a "real-life superman".

Fans became even more enthusiastic, and casual observers also turned into fans.

Some media outlets have even begun to discuss:
Should Du Sheng go to the Olympics?
With his physical abilities, he could probably win several gold medals.

And so, not long after filming began, "Wolverine" saw its popularity soar, directly climbing to the top of Rotten Tomatoes' "Most Anticipated Movies of 2008" list.

Second on the list is "Quantum of Solace" from the James Bond series.

As a popular spy movie, although fans have high expectations, the previous film's mediocre box office performance has led to a wait-and-see attitude towards the sequel.

Well, now, the "live-action performance + kicking over a street lamp" stunt by "Wolverine" has completely overshadowed them.

It's not surprising, really. The character of Wolverine already has a large number of die-hard fans in the West.

Now, with Du Sheng, a "walking hormone," playing the role, and boasting a host of accolades including "King of Kung Fu," "World's Richest Man," "Grammy Singer," and "Triple Crown Best Actor," the show's popularity has skyrocketed.

It's no surprise that it surpassed "Quantum of Solace" in popularity.

Since the "telephone pole incident," the number of onlookers surrounding the film crew has increased several times over.

Every day during location shooting, the film set was surrounded by layers upon layers of fans and reporters.
Telescopes, telephoto lenses, and selfie sticks were all deployed, making it even more lively than a celebrity fan meeting.

Du Sheng shook his head inwardly upon seeing this scene:
'Since everyone's paying so much attention, why keep it hidden?'

Since then, he has been more uninhibited in filming action scenes, and the action choreography has become more ruthless.

Every now and then, he would accidentally kick over a prop cart or knock down a stone shed...

Anyway, the production team isn't short of money, so let them lose money; the publicity effect is worth the price of admission.

He performed all the high-difficulty aerial flips and flying kicks himself, without using a single stunt double.

These images are often captured by fans or reporters and uploaded online, quickly going viral.

Claims like "Du Sheng climbs an 800-meter cliff with his bare hands," "Du Sheng bends an iron pipe with one hand," and "Du Sheng splits a bullet with his bare hands"...

All sorts of outrageous headlines are flying around.

While some of the issues were due to editing or camera angles, most of the movements were indeed his own skill.

With these waves of visually stunning "live-action" scenes, the popularity of "Wolverine" exploded.

Publicity effect?

It couldn't be better; it's so good it's practically trending on social media.

Of course, Du Sheng's title of "King of Kung Fu" is now firmly etched onto his forehead.

His tough-guy image of "daring to film" and "doing all the dangerous stunts himself" is firmly established.

The production team was happy to promote this character, and Du Sheng herself didn't feel it was out of place.

He knew perfectly well that everyone in the world who makes action movies has used a stunt double.
Jackie Chan works so hard, so when it's necessary to use a stunt double, it's also necessary to use one.

The key point is that he really dares to do many of the most difficult moves and is truly capable of handling them.

As long as he personally attends the key scenes, his persona won't collapse.

He follows the same path as Jackie Chan.

If the audience likes this kind of ruthless spirit, then let them see it.

Of course, tough guys alone are not enough; they also need to add warmth and affection.

For example, there's a classic scene in the script where Wolverine comforts his daughter Lucy.

Performing magic tricks.

Before he takes any action, he always grins.
"Come on, let Daddy do a magic trick for you."

The phrase "do magic" became Logan's catchphrase.

To make his performance seem convincing, Du Sheng actually took the time to study magic beforehand.

He flipped the playing cards in his hands like butterflies, and he pulled out coins from his ears without ever repeating the same one.

Magic is a skill that's quite useful in everyday life.

It can be used to make kids happy or to flirt with girls and show off your skills.

By the time the pivotal scene of "defeating the main villain Romulus" was filmed, the scenes featuring Cynthia in "Wolverine" were almost finished.

Actually, this location mainly filmed city chases, special effects studio shots, and some indoor fight scenes.

A true "soulful performance".

Father-daughter relationship, rural life, martial arts training in Kunlun.

They all have to be filmed in Xinjiang.

On March 26, the film crew chartered a plane to fly directly to Lucheng.

The girls who were vacationing here came to see him off, and the scene was very warm.

Taylor followed, and when she saw Ivy Heard standing behind Du Sheng with a smug look on her face as if she were the rightful wife, her anger flared up instantly.

Without saying a word, she rushed forward and launched a surprise kiss, catching Du Sheng completely off guard.

At the time, Du Sheng was hugging Li Yixin goodbye and was completely unprepared.

He was both amused and exasperated, and slapped her on the bottom.

"Nonsense!"

Taylor blinked and said in a serious tone:
"Brother Sheng, I understand what you mean!"
You think my figure isn't perfect enough and want me to work on my glutes, right?

Having a perky, round butt can also be a plus, right?

OK! I'll definitely do as you say and get a gym membership as soon as I get back!

Du Sheng: "..."

Seeing Taylor's "earnest and inspiring" look, Li Yixin burst out laughing, and the sadness of parting was instantly diluted by more than half.

Du Sheng shook his head helplessly, ignored the "drama queen," hugged each of the girls, and then turned to board the plane.

After a layover and a full sixteen hours of flight,

The chartered plane carrying the "Wolverine" crew finally landed safely at Lucheng International Airport.

As soon as Du Sheng got off the plane, he noticed that there was quite a commotion.

Not only was Wang Jinhua and the crew waiting at the airport arrival gate, but several local representatives also came in person.
They even put on a proper welcoming ceremony, complete with a red carpet, flowers, and banners.

Why is it so important?
It's all because Du Sheng's "golden brand" is so powerful.

Take his previous works, such as "Full House" and "Wanted," for example. They directly turned Shanghai and Shenzhen into popular tourist destinations for foreign tourists, with the number of tourists more than doubling.

This time, "Wolverine" set its main scene in Xinjiang, which is a genuine Hollywood A-list blockbuster with international influence, so the local government naturally had to treat it as a top priority.

Xinjiang City is truly a gift from heaven. It boasts every kind of landscape imaginable: snow-capped mountains blending into grasslands, lakes so clear you can see your reflection, and canyons so deep they seem to lead to the earth's core.

And then there's the endless Gobi Desert, so desolate it gives you goosebumps.

In terms of vast territory, abundant resources, and diverse landforms, Xinjiang City definitely ranks among the top three, given its considerable size.

There are still few people, making it a perfect spot for shooting blockbuster films.

But having such a large place also has its problems. Without the support of local officials, the film crew can't film smoothly.

So Du Sheng was quite cooperative in the face of such a warm reception.

Everyone gets what they need.

The actor needs to promote the film, and he needs to make a good movie.

Du Sheng smiled and waved as she accepted flowers from a little girl named Hani.

This young girl almost landed a small role in a film crew; local media even featured her in a special report titled "Amateur Girl Appears in Hollywood Blockbuster."
She was ultimately not selected, which many people found regrettable.

Du Sheng looked at the little girl in front of him. She had a delicate face and bright, sparkling eyes, and was quite likable.

When Hani heard the thanks, she looked up and met the gaze of the man. She realized that the title of "Asia's Number One Handsome Man" was indeed well-deserved. Her face inexplicably turned red, and she stammered in reply:
"No...you're welcome."

Little did Hani know that missing out on that role meant missing out on an opportunity that could have propelled her to stardom.

Seeing how nervous she was, not knowing where to put her hands, Du Sheng understood even more why Wang Jinhua had chosen Zhao Yishi.

Given her current age, condition, and expressiveness, Zhao Zishi is indeed more suitable.

However, he didn't mistreat Hani either, and turned to Wang Jinhua and said:

"Sign this girl up and train her slowly, there's no rush."

Anyway, Interstellar Media doesn't need another promising talent.

After exchanging pleasantries, Du Sheng turned around and exchanged a few more polite words with the leaders. He even temporarily acted as a translator, introducing Gavin Hood, Ivy Heard, and other key members of the production team from the United States one by one.

Then came the reporters' questions, all revolving around Xinjiang City:
Why did you choose this location for filming?

"Do you think Jiangcheng is beautiful?"

Were you moved by the local culture?

This is exactly what Du Sheng wanted.

Before he arrived, he gave the foreign crew members a heads-up, telling them to memorize some phrases praising Xinjiang.

At this moment, everyone was speaking with such sincerity, as if it came from the bottom of their hearts.

The most amazing one is Ivy Heard.

She had secretly learned a few Chinese phrases, and immediately said, "Very beautiful, very beautiful, I like it very much," which made the reporters clap their hands and exclaim, "What a pleasant surprise!"

As soon as the airport ceremony ended, Du Sheng followed the leaders to the reception point and had a meal of authentic Xinjiang cuisine.

Hand-grabbed rice, baked buns, and braised chicken were served in turn, and even Ivy Heard ate to her heart's content.

The main event will follow after dinner.

A folk song and dance performance specially prepared for the film crew.

Xinjiang is a vast country with many ethnic groups, more than a dozen of which live together, resulting in a rich and diverse culture.

On stage, actors from various ethnic groups took turns appearing.

The Uyghur girl's wrists fluttered like blooming flowers.

The Kazakh youth jumped up with bold and unrestrained spirit, like an eagle soaring over the grasslands.

The Xibe people's dance steps are vigorous and powerful, carrying the heroic spirit of soldiers guarding the border.

The shows were all incredibly exciting.
Du Sheng watched with great interest, occasionally explaining things to the Lighthouse creators around him:
"This dance is called 'Daolang,' and it is an ancient hunting ritual."

That's a 'black horse,' a Kazakh's way of celebrating the harvest..."

Although the foreigners didn't understand much, they couldn't resist the strong visual impact, and their hands got sore from clapping.

Ivy Heard sat next to Du Sheng, watching the dancers' graceful figures on stage with envy in her eyes.

Du Sheng teased her on purpose:

"Interested? Want to go up and show off your skills? How about I arrange a solo dance for you?"

Ivy Heard immediately waved her hand when she heard about dancing.
But before she could even put her hand down, the movement in her chest was quite loud, making one's eyes dizzy.

She sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness:

"Actually, I really love this sport!"
But as you can see, this 'equipment' is too heavy, making it very inconvenient to hop around.

I've been thinking about this for days; maybe I should just do something to reduce my workload.

Upon hearing this, Du Sheng's face immediately turned serious, and he said solemnly:
"That won't do!"
There is an old saying in the East: "A person's hair and skin are given to them by their parents."

If you really go under the knife, what will happen to your breast milk after you have a baby?

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

He paused, then added:
"What's so difficult about dancing? I'll teach you."

If you really feel it's too formal, just wear a sports bra when you jump, it's not a big deal.

Ivy Heard's eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately replied:
"That's a deal!"
You promised to teach me to dance, you can't go back on your word!

Du Sheng then realized what was happening.

Good grief, I've fallen for this girl's trap!
But teaching a dance isn't a big deal, so he didn't mind and nodded with a smile:
"Fine, you win."

If we're talking about who had the most fun after the crew arrived in Xinjiang, Ivy Heard has to be number one.

why?
Since Taylor's "love rival" wasn't there, Li Yixin and the Hearst sisters also went back.
She was the only beautiful woman in the entire crew who could fight, instantly becoming the "lone flower".

She was secretly pleased with herself as she made her plans:

Isn't this opportunity meant for me?

In fact, she didn't have any real feelings for Du Sheng; it was more of a "curiosity + rebellion" mentality.

In her view, being able to win over Du Sheng, a "world's most powerful billionaire and top kung fu star,"
Even a brief encounter can be a highlight of one's life.

Just imagine how prestigious you'd be among your girlfriends after sleeping with the world's most famous man?

Her personality is inextricably linked to her family background.

My parents are both elite white Americans with mixed and complex bloodlines. They come from a family of gods and have incredibly strict family rules.

Do you have to report when you're dating, or live together before marriage?
Don't even think about it!

Ivy was always a "good girl," but now that she's legally an adult, her parents are more lenient with her...

Her rebellious spirit, suppressed for many years, surged out like a tsunami.

What she wants to do most right now is to have a "deep relationship," but she doesn't want to seem too casual.

Thus, Du Sheng became her "ideal target".

That's why she and Taylor were constantly bickering on set, neither willing to concede to the other.

Du Sheng knew exactly what was going on, and smiled without paying any attention to those little thoughts.

A little lamb trying to hunt a tiger?

His gaze shifted and landed on a familiar figure on the stage.

15-year-old Dilraba.

At this moment, she still had a bit of a childish look on her face, with big, bright eyes. She had a typical Uyghur appearance, with deep-set features and a heroic air, giving her a "strong woman" vibe.

Those who like this type think she's an angel.

Those who are not used to it may find it a bit "too wild".

…(End of this chapter)