Actor: Thank you.

"Why do you think so many people in our line of work use drugs?"

On the way to the meeting, Zhang Yuan, who had just finished giving his opinion to the reporter, asked in a sullen tone.

Isn't this tarnishing the reputation of the industry?
I'm in this business too.

The average length—no, the quality—that I worked so hard to raise has all been dragged down by you guys!

"Boss, didn't the movie you filmed say it was because of emptiness?" the assistant replied.

"You still remember? That's good," Zhang Yuan praised.

That was Ah Zu's final monologue in "Protégé".

"However, I don't quite agree with that statement."

Zhang Yuan was both satisfied and somewhat dissatisfied with the ending that Er Dongsheng had given him.

In the end, the child saved Ah Zu, who also wanted to take drugs, and threw the needle into the trash can.

The content is good, but he doesn't agree with the line that says drug use is a monologue about emptiness.

It's certain that these people feel empty inside, but the problem is definitely not just emptiness.

"Boss." Bodyguard Brother Long rarely spoke, but he spoke up this time.

"When I was in Hong Kong, I saw many big brothers and little brothers who were fans of the food."

"But the real big shots, the smart people, absolutely do not eat powder."

Zhang Yuan nodded; that was more like it.

Saying it's because of pressure or the need for inspiration are common excuses used in the entertainment industry.

Is Ma Yun under a lot of pressure?

Is Ma Ying-jeou under a lot of pressure?

Are frontline UN peacekeeping personnel under a lot of pressure?

No matter how much pressure you're under, how can you handle billions of dollars in funds or face the flames of war, where you could be sacrificed at any moment?

They have flawed values ​​and are also stupid.

Truly intelligent people are very clear about what they are doing and what they want to do, and they would never get involved in such things.

Even though Li Huanggua has been criticized like this, has his family ever produced a single fan?

Zhang Yuan felt that he still needed to strictly control his subordinates.

This batch is actually not bad.

Don't be fooled by their seemingly simple or bluffing appearance; they're actually quite shrewd.

Who knows what will happen after that?

He also thought that the music industry was a disaster area, and he could cooperate with them, but he should try to have as little personal contact with them as possible.

If someone were to play a joke on you, or have malicious intent, and slip something into your drink or cigarette, you'd be in big trouble.

Zhang Yuan specifically reminded Brother Long to pay attention to these things in life, and the other party cautiously agreed.

Because he had actually seen "US dollars" and "Hong Kong dollars".

Wow, we're here!

Just like before, he met with Hong Kong tycoons in a private room of a large restaurant.

He hadn't even arrived yet, and the group had already started eating mango pomelo sago.

He started ordering food after he arrived.

Previously, I always treated him with the utmost hospitality, ordering the dishes in advance and not giving him a chance to choose.

Actually, there's a bit of a feeling from my early years that I looked down on "Northerners" and thought they didn't know how to eat.

The poached chicken must be bloody, and the fried rice must be made with leftover rice from the previous day. Do you understand, you fried rice king?

Moreover, after he arrived today, these people were noticeably happier when they saw him than before.

because……

"Huayi has gone public. I heard you own quite a few shares."

"So, you're a billionaire now, right?"

In fact, they had treated him as a friend before, but no one ever considered him a partner of equal standing.

My initial intention was to find a "buffer zone" after the major battle between the mainland and Hong Kong, someone who could connect both sides.

Zhang Yuan knew this, but he needed this opportunity to get himself into this position.

This is just like being in a relationship.

Who cares if the goddess genuinely likes you or just wants to use you to spite her ex-boyfriend?

If you have the chance, go to sleep first and don't worry about anything else.

Why worry about saving face? Why worry about sincerity?

First, get things done properly. After that, it's easy to invite a god, but difficult to send him away.

What if you fall in love while sleeping together?
Several Hong Kong business owners initially treated Zhang Yuan with the mindset of finding a "puppet".

We'll give you face if you help us communicate, and we'll even give you some leftover soup from the bottom of the bowl.

They're treating him like a "lucky charm".

But now they realize that this isn't Wangcai at all, it's clearly Sangbiao.

They're incredibly fierce!

Every time he comes, he argues with everyone and everything.

Not a pushover, but a soft nail.

Previously, the biggest asset of these Hong Kong business owners was their wealth.

After all, they started their business early and are much richer than their mainland counterparts.

Every one of these people is worth hundreds of millions.

Yang Chenguang's film industry alone is worth tens of billions, and he also has assets in real estate, watches, tourism, and other sectors.

Jiang Zhiqiang also has several billion.

Huang Baiming is considered a small amount; his paper wealth is still in the billions.

However, all this so-called wealth will gradually shrink as Hong Kong as a whole declines.

In fact, without mainland China, at least half of them would have gone bankrupt during the 97 financial crisis.

Let bygones be bygones, for times have changed.

With Huayi's listing, Zhang Yuan's weakest link isn't so weak anymore!

Although they are still not as good as them, they are rapidly closing the gap.

Moreover, the youngest of these people are 45, or even over 50.

We're already middle-aged, in the second half of our lives.

Zhang Yuan was still a young man, not even in his prime.

Can this be the same?

At their age, unless they inherit their father's assets, most of them are still working as laborers.

Now that I have money, of course I'm even happier to see him.

Eating abalone doesn't feel like taking advantage of them; it's become something we should do.

After he sat down, the group tried to get information out of him, wanting to know how much he had embezzled.

Zhang Yuan deliberately didn't say anything.

It's not that I want to keep it a secret, because the news will reach their ears soon enough.

I just don't want to say it outright.

Because no matter how much they talk about it, it's never as much as their assets.

These people will deliberately elevate themselves a little in their minds to gain a sense of superiority.

This is human nature.

Keeping it a secret, keeping it mysterious, and making them curious is more in line with his current needs.

Because we're here today to discuss something.

"I came here specifically today because there are a few important things to discuss."

"First of all, I am not satisfied with the conditions that Chow Yun-fat offered on the set of 'Let the Bullets Fly'."

"I was just expressing my opinion, but I'll hold back for now for the sake of the film."

He has to say it.

If you don't say anything, it means you agree.

“After Ah Fa went to Hollywood, he became a bit of a big shot.” ​​Someone spoke up for him.

No matter what, Chow Yun-fat is one of the most important figures in Hong Kong today.

Apart from Chen Long and Li Lianjie, he is basically the highest-paid actor among Chinese actors.

Back then, there was a saying in Hong Kong: "Two Chows and One Jackie."

Zhou Xingchi, Zhou Runfa, Chenlong.

These three actors' movies are the most profitable.

Actually, only Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan have consistently made money.

Chow Yun-fat's involvement was intermittent and often resulted in losses, making him more of a bystander.

Putting him alongside those two is almost an overestimation of his abilities.

"I've been to Hollywood too, and I didn't act like a diva," Zhang Yuan replied nonchalantly.

It's just something I said casually; anyone can do that.

"Let's leave that aside for now; we have more important matters to discuss."

"Everyone should know Zhang Weiping."

“Mr. Jiang, you should be quite familiar with him.”

Jiang Zhiqiang nodded, after all, they had cooperated many times.

Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Ride Alone for Thousands of Miles, Curse of the Golden Flower, A Simple Noodle Story.

Edko Films, owned by Mr. Jiang, has invested in and produced all of these films.

He was the person at the table who was most familiar with Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou.

"Zhang Weiping told me that he recently wanted to use 'A Simple Noodle Story' as a comeback film for director Zhang Yimou after the Olympics."

"Use this film to exert pressure on mainland cinemas to increase the production company's share of the profits."

"We want to increase it from 43% to 45%."

"He hopes I can talk to everyone, join in, and make a bigger splash."

"Mr. Zhang believes that this is beneficial to everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone started discussing it.

Increasing the percentage means earning more, so of course they're willing to do it.

So we had a really exciting conversation.

Zhang Yuan sipped his tea and waited patiently.

He was given more than ten minutes to speak before he spoke again.

"I came here today to ask everyone what their thoughts are on this matter."

"It would be great if everyone joined forces to fight against mainland cinemas."

"Yes, and there are people who stand up for us."

"Take advantage of any benefits, run away when there are none. Hey, that's perfect."

This is the result of their discussion.

They grab what's good and run away when there's no good... that certainly fits their business principles.

In addition, even if these individuals own their own cinema chains, they are Hong Kong cinema chains, and they would not be able to gain any influence in mainland China.

It would be wonderful to be able to make more money.

"Yes, I understand what everyone means."

Zhang Yuan nodded in response.

Jiang Zhiqiang noticed something strange.

That is, although Zhang Yuan agreed, he did not confirm his consent.

"There's one more thing I'd like to mention first."

"As I mentioned before, I wanted to cast Mickey Rourke as the villain in Ip Man 2."

"I have already spoken with Mickey Rourke himself about this."

"And then?" Yang Chen asked, squinting.

"He agreed."

"Okay." Boss Yang nodded.

He knew that if Zhang Yuan went to negotiate, he would eventually succeed.

After all, this kid is very capable.

But what will be the price for Gul'dan?
"How much is the other party asking for?"

Immediately, someone asked a blunt question.

"They gave us two weeks of availability and $100 million."

"We need to add more slots later, at $10 per day."

"At most, two more weeks."

These are the kinds of things that make you think.

"what?"

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.

Because it's cheap!

The Golden Globe Best Actor award goes to last year's winner, not 10 or 20 years ago.

This is when it's most valuable!
Even if you use the full four-week schedule, it will only cost $250 million.

The word "才" is appropriate when used to describe someone else.

"However, they have conditions."

"The script needs to be changed," Zhang Yuan said, ignoring their expressions.

"Rewrite the script..." Huang Baiming was most familiar with the director and screenwriter, so he immediately asked.

"The other party thinks the character is too bad and wants to change it to a good guy?"

"In that case, the character development and story structure will be completely changed, which is equivalent to overturning the script."

"Although it's not impossible to find him, but..."

“You’ve misunderstood,” Zhang Yuan interrupted, raising his hand. “He didn’t think the character was too evil.”

"Instead, they demand things be made even worse!"

"He felt it had to be more evil, more vile, preferably something that would make people feel nauseous and uncomfortable just by looking at it."

"Huh?" The group of big shots exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Of course, there's a condition to being this bad." And that condition was the "unavoidable reason" Zhang Yuan gave him.

Mickey Rourke is actually a difficult guy to deal with.

Because he loves money, but not that much.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been doing so well in filming, and then suddenly went into boxing and disfigured himself.

It should be said that the most capable people in any industry cannot be bought with money.

These people often have ideals and their own unique life goals.

If anyone could be bribed with money, why would Mr. Qian have returned to China?
There are always some people who cannot be defeated by wealth.

After winning the Best Actor award, Mickey Rourke received many film offers, with "Iron Man 2" alone bringing in $400 million.

If you can't offer a higher price, why would anyone be willing to travel all the way to China to film a movie?

Furthermore, Huaxia investors have a bad reputation, so there are risks involved in filming overseas.

What do you do if they detain your people there and won't let them leave, and they won't pay you?
This kind of thing not only happens, but it happens quite often.

They also have their own concerns.

Therefore, the key issue has never been money.

I don't have that much money to spare.

As future internet companies have come to know, to get ordinary people to spend money, they must accurately address their needs.

So what is this guy's need?
This brings us back to his love of boxing.

To be willing to disfigure oneself, that's not just ordinary love; it's bordering on madness.

The reasons for loving it so much include personal pursuits and preferences.

But there is one more key point.

In fact, it's a term that's been overused and overused in later generations.

Family of origin.

The guy was born in New York, but his lineage is complicated, which perfectly fits the North American "cocktail" style.

My father is of Irish and German descent, and my mother is of British and French Canadian descent.

When he was five, his parents divorced, and his mother remarried a redneck policeman.

He's really had a run of bad luck.

Everyone knows rednecks; their most formidable trait is their ability to wield whips.

Now that smoking black people is prohibited, smoke him instead.

It was for him...

White police officers, you can imagine their physiques.

His mother didn't care about any of that, since she still had to depend on the other party.

He idolized Ali since elementary school and started practicing boxing.

Subconsciously, I just want to protect myself.

He's a pitiful person at heart.

In a violent family atmosphere, the seeds of violence can easily be sown.

He didn't resort to violence indiscriminately, but instead vented his anger in a reasonable and legal way on the boxing ring.

This person is already considered a good person.

It's better than passing it down from generation to generation, with the father himself beating his wife and children.

The hardships experienced in childhood can affect a person's entire life.

This is what is known as the "family of origin".

The seeds of hatred will not disappear, they will only shift.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan guessed that his reckless boxing style was probably related to his childhood.

While reviewing the other party's information, another problem was discovered.

That is "household registration".

Having been abused since childhood, she naturally hates her stepfather and her "accomplice" biological mother.

His mother was an Englishman and a legal Lansier.

His father was Irish and German...

These two have to get a divorce; their blood ties are completely opposed.

Just like Susan Boyle, who is a representative of the British Dream, but is Scottish.

Scots will not identify as English; they will only say they are Scots.

Just like people from Suqian will only say they are Chinese or Suqian people, but will not say they are from Jiangsu.

The situation is relatively good domestically.

The relationship between England and Ireland is not so harmonious!

During the chat, Zhang Yuan probed, and the guy identified himself as Irish.

He knew then that he had it in the bag!
To understand the situation in Scotland and England, you can watch the famous film "Braveheart" starring Mel Gibson.

The male protagonist in the film is the one who leads Scotland against King Edward Longlegs of England, and ultimately sacrifices himself.

Ireland, on the other hand, is a heavyweight.

Stephen Chow has a movie called "Fight Back to School".

The villains in the second part are a terrorist organization that demands the British government release prisoners or they will carry out a bombing at a school in Hong Kong.

Because Hong Kong was then under the British colonial government and was a British colony.

Of course, in the end, he was defeated by Uncle Da and Stephen Chow dressed as the Terminator.

The prototype of this villainous organization is the infamous Irish Republican Army!

A terrorist organization specifically targeting Britain.

The goal was Irish unification, forcing Britain to relinquish Northern Ireland, which it had forcibly swallowed.

Philip, the husband of the long-reigning queen, is her maternal uncle and the Duke of Mountbatten, who has eight royal succession rights.

He was killed by the IRA.

Of course, this man also inherited the British tradition of great moral failings, and he spearheaded the partition of India and Pakistan.

Before Britain withdrew, it dropped various "ethnic," "race," and "religious" poison pills on its colonies throughout South Asia.

I guarantee none of you will get better!

Not only will it not improve the situation, but it will also cause long-term instability in the region, which is how we can profit.

Therefore, Ireland and Britain are bitter enemies, a fact well-known in the West.

Mr. Qiao, a rare and precious man.

This person's biological mother is Irish, and her maternal ancestors fled to the United States during the Irish Famine.

Understanding the Irish Famine will reveal whether the Western capitalist world is human or demonic.

In any case, this disaster resulted in the deaths of nearly half of the Irish population.

Therefore, during Mr. George's reign, he stabbed Britain in the back quite a few times.

Moreover, it's an open attack, making it clear that I dislike you because of my bloodline, without even trying to hide it.

Even today, Northern Ireland and Scotland are both seeking independence, and Britain has been declining, especially after Brexit.

The same goes for island nations; not only Ryukyu is seeking independence, but Hokkaido has also been causing trouble.

These immoral empires all met the same end.

Mickey Rourke has both Irish and English ancestry, but he only acknowledges his Irish heritage and strongly dislikes his maternal British heritage.

It's normal to feel resentment when you're a child and your mom doesn't help you when you get beaten.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan recognized this point and discussed it further with him.

"The role I'm looking for you to play is an Englishman."

My brother became even less interested.

I find it dirty.

"He could also be an Englishman whose ancestors oppressed and murdered the Irish and profited from it."

The disfigured man raised his waist.

Guess which ancestor the Lighthouse people inherited their methods of treating indigenous people from?
Centuries ago, Britain had a famous slogan: "To kill an Irishman is to kill a dog."

"This crazy boxer could be a father or grandfather who seized the land and assets of the locals during the Irish famine."

“These are things that Europeans and Americans may know, but Asians don’t.”

“And our film just happens to be mainly shown in Asia.” Zhang Yuan gave him an OK sign.

Money isn't important; what matters is what I say that hits home.

We need to promote it!

"The whole world needs to know what Britain did to Ireland..." thought Mickey Locke, the spiritual Irishman.

This changes the nature of filming!
It's not for money, it's not for a job, it's for my compatriots!
If Dai Ying had any sense of humanity, she wouldn't have acted so inhumanely.

This was a bad thing, but at this point, it turned into a good thing.

With a goal, one develops nobler sentiments.

To speak out for one's compatriots and expose the enemy's actions—isn't that a noble sentiment?

Lu Chuan's decision to film "Nanjing Nanjing" was originally a noble act, but he ended up making it vulgar.

That's easier to say.

The pay is negotiable.

But they're not stupid; they don't want money.

The initial price wasn't low, but they offered a discount.

The requirement is to clearly define the character's personality.

Furthermore, the film must be presented in detail upon release, using the characters to condemn these disasters.

This is why he not only didn't demand that the character be portrayed well, but instead wanted it to be even worse.

I played an Englishman, and of course, those sons of bitches were awful.

Not only vile, but also insane, perverted, evil, and disgusting...

Imagine what it would feel like to play a Japanese soldier.

The more lewd and perverted, the more suitable it is.

Zhang Yuan quickly pulled back; any further and he'd become Hannibal Lecter.

However, the film "The Silence of the Lambs" did actually approach him, but he turned it down because he was going to do boxing.

The only guarantee is that the Asian version will include subtitles and narration explaining the family background of the character "Tornado".

If this film is shown in Europe and America, this content may be removed.

All of this needs to be agreed upon in advance.

He finally agreed.

Find the need, and satisfy that need.

The hardest part is often finding the needs, because most people can't express them, or even know what they want.

After Zhang Yuan finished explaining, the Hong Kong tycoons present were dumbfounded.

This all works!
Several people were quite upset because many missed the British colonial era in Hong Kong.

I have a good impression of Britain.

Many Hong Kong people believe that Britain brought modernization and wealth to Hong Kong.

This is a fallacy. Hong Kong's current state is entirely due to the mainland.

Even as a colony, it reaped enormous profits from transshipment, trade, and finance to the mainland.

But the British colonists would not say that, nor would they educate their children in that way.

"Good, good, good!" Jiang Zhiqiang clapped enthusiastically.

I also think he has a keen eye for people's hearts, which is quite impressive.

"That's all done! Brilliant, brilliant!" Yang Chen clapped.

The rest of the people followed.

"It's all for the company, for everyone to make money." Zhang Yuan waved his hand, and his assistant took out a contract from his bag.

"I also brought back a North American distribution rights contract."

"Five million dollars!"

After Mickey Rourke made the decision, he went to find that fat, deadbeat Harvey.

The old Jewish man was stunned; he almost dropped his cigar into his stomach.

But he thought about it.

If an old Jewish man were to portray a psychopathic Nazi, the actor would probably be willing to reduce his salary.

This illustrates the connection between personal hobbies and work.

With this person in charge, the distribution in Europe and America will be much easier!
Once Mickey Rourke's name is mentioned, theater deals are guaranteed to go smoothly.

Zhang Yuan, as always, asked for 2000 million US dollars.

Harvey refrained from swearing.
Last time, "The Promise" cost tens of millions, and I lost so much money!
Finally, they discussed the entire North American release and CDs, packaged together for $500 million.

In this way, even before the film was shot, the production had already broken even with Mickey Rourke's salary!
The crowd was so excited that they even called over a waiter and opened a bottle of Martell Cordon Bleu to celebrate.

People in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hong Kong love to drink brandy, and they especially love Martell.

In many places, two bottles of liquor are placed on the dining table during the Spring Festival, equivalent to Wuliangye and Moutai in the north.

Everyone was happy as they ate and drank.

They completely forgot their own smugness when Zhang Yuan mentioned using a foreign film star last time.

Zhang Yuan also pretended not to remember.

"Okay, it's a good thing that everyone can make money."

“However, there was still something we hadn’t finished talking about.” Zhang Yuan stood up.

"It was Zhang Weiping who proposed that cinemas increase their revenue share."

"Of course, we all agree."

"You take the lead, and we'll follow you."

"That's right, we trust you to handle things now that we've got the Best Actor on board."

After what just happened, everyone fawned over him.

But they were all wrong, or rather, the opposite.

Zhang Yuan first mentioned his own "contributions".

It involves both actor contracts and copyright contracts.

It's not about getting their support.

It was to get their support!
“But what I mean is…” Zhang Yuan raised his glass and made a toast.

"I hope everyone will not support this proposal to increase revenue sharing." (End of Chapter)