Actor: Thank you.

"What did you say in the end?"

In the large office on the top floor of Huayi Office Building.

The two brothers of the Wang family sat on either side of the coffee table. A wisp of white smoke was rising from a pot of freshly brewed green tea on the table.

As soon as the king spoke, the hot breath was blown away by the chill in his tone.

"Heh..." Xiao Wang did not answer directly, but sneered first.

Then he took a sip of tea, making a slurping sound, and it was not known whether he was helpless or unhappy.

"Zhang Yuan, this kid... is asking for too much!"

"After finding him, we discussed it for a long time."

“In the end, he asked for this amount.”

Wang Zhonglei raised his hands.

He made a one with his left hand and a five with his right hand.

"150 million US dollars..." The king understood and muttered.

"There's nothing we can do about it. It's because that foreign director thinks he's the only one who can do it."

"Yes, his performance is indeed much better than those we found."

"But I've never heard of this price." Wang Zhongjun frowned.

"When filming The Banquet, Zhang Ziyi only received 200 million US dollars."

The king made a horizontal comparison and felt that the pay was shockingly high.

But the reason why Zhang Ziyi got 200 million US dollars for "Night Banquet" was because "Memoirs of a Geisha" was a huge failure and she had already taken a pay cut.

If it weren't for "Memoirs of a Geisha", her salary would have been at least 300 million US dollars.

If "Memoirs of a Geisha" not only did not fail but was a huge success, then Zhang Ziyi could even get a salary second only to Li Lianjie and Chen Long.

But there is no "if" in history. If you lose, you lose, and you have to pay the price.

"According to the current exchange rate, 150 million US dollars is more than 1000 million." Wang Zhongjun made a rough calculation.

This is a huge sum of money.

"But Zhang Ziyi can get millions of dollars in film pay because of these blockbusters, such as House of Flying Daggers, Hero, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Xiao Wang analyzed.

"Plus, these films have made her popular among foreigners."

"In fact, in addition to these costume dramas, Chen Long asked her to play in Rush Hour 2, which was also crucial."

"Her salary was raised to over a million dollars."

"She couldn't even get a million Chinese Yuan before."

At this time in the Chinese entertainment industry, the pricing of film pay is actually very simple.

Having been to Hollywood and not having been to Hollywood are two completely different levels.

If you haven't been there, you will never get a film salary of tens of millions even if you are beaten to death.

Even Zhao Yanzi, the most popular of the Four Dans and Two Bings, can’t do it!

Before filming "Rush Hour 2", the two films that made Zhang Ziyi a big hit were Zhang Yimou's "My Father and Mother" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

She played the leading female role in "My Father and Mother" and her salary was less than 30 yuan.

In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she was the supporting actress. In addition, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh and Chang Chen all had extremely high salaries, and the film's set and props also cost a huge amount, so there was not much budget left for supporting roles.

She only took a few hundred thousand.

In fact, whether it is Ang Lee or John Woo, these Hong Kong and Taiwan directors have always paid Hong Kong and Taiwan actors sky-high salaries, and have also severely suppressed the salaries of mainland actors.

Unless you are internationally recognized, they will become polite to you.

Anyway, although Zhang Ziyi was already very famous before filming "Rush Hour 2", her total salary was less than one million Chinese yuan.

Once you start hanging out with Uncle Long, you'll immediately take off.

They are all kung fu superstars. I have only heard of the Jacky Cheung Stunt Team, but never the Lee Stunt Team.

"In fact, Zhang Yuan's current situation is very similar to Zhang Ziyi's back then." Xiao Wang continued.

“First, we shot a few top-notch productions by domestic directors.”

“The Banquet, Curse of the Golden Flower.”

"These two films last year actually laid the foundation for him."

"Coincidentally, the person who guided him and Zhang Ziyi to Hollywood was Chen Long."

"With a lot of accumulation, once you go abroad, your pay will skyrocket!"

"I checked it, and Rob checked it too."

"New Line approached him with the script for Final Destination while they were filming Rush Hour 3."

"The asking price was $120 million."

"This can be confirmed to be true. It is impossible for both of us to be deceived at the same time. This guy doesn't have the ability to block and manipulate all information channels."

After listening to his younger brother's words, the king nodded slightly.

The asking price is 120 million US dollars, and you can add more.

If we take the price given by Hollywood companies as a reference, 150 million US dollars is not an exaggeration.

It is within a reasonable range.

Don’t be fooled by the big men in the imperial circle who always look down on others and think that their circle is the center of the universe.

But as soon as they meet foreigners, they instantly lose their temper.

They believe everything white people say, otherwise how could they be fooled by Harvey.

So now Zhang Yuan has the endorsement of the "Final Destination" crew.

The king, who thought his price was too high just now, now even thinks it is quite reasonable.

I just got over it in my heart.

"The problem is not just the pay, he also made a lot of demands." Xiao Wang sighed.

"First, the character's makeup."

"He demands that he have some say in the decisions he makes."

"If you are not satisfied, you can discuss with the crew to modify the makeup."

"He also proposed to bring his own makeup artist."

Wang Zhongjun breathed out through his nose and leaned back.

For big stars, asking for the right to use makeup is not uncommon.

But usually this kind of thing is proposed by actresses. How could a male actor like him make such a request?

Isn’t it because the Hollywood team’s aesthetic taste is worrying!

Even if I play a villain, I still have to consider my own face!

"Also, he requested to modify the stories and settings of some characters."

"The point he made seemed to be to make the villain of this character more profound and not so one-sided and stereotyped."

“There aren’t many changes, and they won’t affect other characters or the overall story.”

"Hmph, if it doesn't have much impact, just give it to him." The king nodded in agreement.

Zhang Yuan wanted the right to modify the makeup and script in order to get rid of the "Fu Manchu" style.

The original character design had long black hair, a thin goatee that stuck to the face, and gloomy makeup.

A perfect Yellow Peril template!
Once you have reached a certain level as an actor, if you want to move up further, you have to take the initiative to shoulder social responsibilities.

If Brother Hua doesn’t smoke, he will die if he plays a bad guy.

This is social responsibility.

So is Chen Long.

"Drunken Master" is his big hit, and this drama has completely opened up a new path for the separate category of "Kung Fu Comedy".

"Drunken Master 1" made Chen Long a big hit on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and "Drunken Master 2" became popular all the way abroad, accumulating a lot of overseas popularity for Uncle Long.

But Chen Long said himself that after filming "Drunken Master", he felt that this role was not good.

Drinking and fighting all day long, and the more they drink, the harder they fight, can easily have a negative impact on young people.

So when he was filming "Drunken Master 2", he designed the ending where Wong Fei-hung drinks industrial alcohol for the final battle, which eventually ruins his brain and turns him into a fool.

However, Golden Harvest felt that this ending was too tragic and radical, so they did not agree.

It was changed to a relatively milder ending of temporary blindness due to industrial alcohol.

The ending of becoming a fool was only included in the DVD released later.

This is actually also a social responsibility.

If you want to move up, you have to have high standards for yourself.

The later filming of "The Chinese Zodiac" was even more "national" from the beginning.

This film was shot in France. In the second year after the film was broadcast, the French Pinault family, the owner of the Yves Saint Laurent, Boucheron and Gucci brands, donated the two cultural relics, the rat head and the rabbit head, to China free of charge.

Of course, the French are not all kind-hearted.

Because since 12, China has become the world's largest luxury consumption market.

The Pinault family's donation is somewhat of a gesture of goodwill to the country, with the intention of making more money and gaining some policy advantages.

Because China is considered to be relatively respectable among the major countries, if you show sincerity, it will really reward you.

Because they need to use you as an example to attract others to surrender.

Unlike some countries, where they like to trick people into coming in and then kill them.

The timing and filming location of the movie "Chinese Zodiac" are so clever that it is impossible to say it is a coincidence.

But this is also the reason why the country still takes Chen Long seriously even though he has done a lot of bad things in private.

Because he has created a very positive image of the Chinese people in the film and television industry, especially on the world stage.

Zhang Yuan is facing a similar situation now.

He has no control over the role of the Jade Border God of War when it comes to other people.

But when it comes into my hands, it cannot appear in this image!

You can be a bad person, but you can't be a disgusting person.

So he argued with Rob in the negotiations and demanded a change in the settings.

We must not kill innocent people indiscriminately, especially women and children.

When he asked to do the makeup himself, Rob initially shook his head and strongly objected.

However, Zhang Yuan said that he would contact the art director and makeup artist of "Curse of the Golden Flower" and make changes based on the look of Jay Chou's golden armor in the photo.

Jay Chou wears a golden robe and golden armor in the film, and uses a golden Guandao.

The equipment is actually very similar to the one Hollywood gave to the Jade Border God of War.

When he heard that it was someone Zhang Yimou had used before, and saw that he was dressed in a domineering and handsome manner, he took a step back.

"Oh, makeup and script." The king chuckled and said, "This is the treatment you get as a big star."

"He is being treated like a big star now."

"I'm on the cover of Harper's Bazaar again this month." Wang Zhonglei pointed to the magazines on the rack nearby.

"Su Mang is also a shrewd and mercenary woman. She will be friends with whoever is popular."

"But he mentioned more than just makeup and scripts."

"He asked for the $150 million salary first before filming."

"Fuck!" The king cursed immediately after hearing this.

"Who does he think he is!"

"Is it the leap year method?"

Everyone in the circle knows that Chow Yun Fat always asks for payment before filming.

"He said he was thinking this because of the previous incident with Soldier Assault."

“I don’t want to be unable to pay the bill again.”

Hearing this, Wang Zhongjun fell silent.

"I didn't say I wouldn't give it to you, but you're just eyeing this little money all day long." He started complaining.

They didn't explicitly say they were going to default on the debt, but if they drag it out for ten or eight years, the losses alone in interest and depreciation would be huge.

Speaking of this, the two brothers of the Wang family actually feel a little guilty.

Know that you are in the wrong.

"So he is now asking for a salary of 150 million US dollars first."

"We also need to settle the investment income of Soldier Assault."

Zhang Yuan is clearly here to collect debts and he doesn't trust your reputation.

If he had made this series of demands in the past, the two Wang brothers would have kicked him out.

It means taking advantage of one's power to bully others.

But now the situation is with him!
The white director stood by him.

The former queen of the imperial circle, Cixi.

He would still tremble when he saw the foreign master.

Besides, Huayi still wants to go out to sea to make money.

Let’s talk about who is popular overseas at this time.

Of course it’s Zhang Yuan who has appeared on CCTV and major foreign media!

All the news from the Beacon Country has been reported, so I can say that I have become a familiar face.

The two brothers also thought that the advantage of using Zhang Yuan was that the film would have another actor that foreigners would recognize.

This will help the overseas box office market.

Even these two brothers had to admit that among the younger generation of Chinese actors, he was the only one with this ability.

Even our own artists are nothing compared to him.

"This kid, who I haven't seen for a while, actually climbed over our heads!"

"It's impossible to pay the full amount of the film remuneration first, 7% at most." After thinking it through, the king gave instructions.

“As for the cooperative investment income of “Soldier Assault”.”

"Go to the finance department to get the report and settle accounts with him."

"But it's the same thing. You have to pay it in installments."

"Give him 30% to 50% first."

"The rest..." When he said this, Wang Zhongjun revealed a sinister and ferocious look.

"Not in a hurry!"

"This kid thinks he's won with this show."

"You can challenge us now."

"Then you have to teach him a lesson!"

"Doesn't he want money?"

"Well, the remaining money can be used as a bargaining chip."

"What bargaining chip?" Xiao Wang looked up in confusion.

"That man's bargaining chip!"

"Oh, that person!" Wang Zhonglei also revealed a cunning look.

"When the time comes, let him choose the one with the people and the money."

"Great!" Xiao Wang clapped his hands, looking pleased.

"This way, he will be able to clearly understand the consequences of negotiating with us."

"He's still too young and confident."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Two loud laughs that belonged only to villains were heard in the office.

Not long after, Zhang Yuan received a notice from Huayi asking him to go to the company to sign the contract.

And expressed that he generally accepted his conditions.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Zhang Yuan sat proudly on the reclining chair in the courtyard and also laughed loudly...his laughter was a little bit more decent.

"This is 150 million US dollars!" Cheng Hao's eyes widened when he found out that the other party actually accepted it all.

"An actor of the same age may not be able to earn this much even if he shoots ten TV series."

"Stop laughing." The good sister patted his shoulder.

"When you smile, I always think of Mr. Bao Guoan's Cao Cao."

"More than 150 million US dollars, I can finally recover the investment." Having said that, Zhang Yuan clenched his fists.

"If I invest with Huayi again in the future, I will be a grandson!"

"Aren't you afraid that the Wang brothers will be angry if you do this?" Cheng Hao also knew that the two brothers were overbearing and was afraid that he would suffer a loss.

"It's actually hard for them to touch me now, because on the surface, I'm Huayi's person."

"If they ban me, it will be like telling everyone how ruthless Huayi is to its own people."

"Who would dare to come to Huayi then?"

“This goes against their original intention of attracting more people to join the game.”

Zhang Yuan grasped this point.

The more you encounter this group of unreasonable people, the more you cannot bow your head and show weakness.

"And which is more important, their anger or the investment principal and interest of at least 20 million?"

"Of course money is important." The good sister answered without hesitation.

After all, the most painful thing in a person’s life is that the person is still alive but the money is gone.

"All right!"

"I have a job and money now, and everything is going well." Zhang Yuan stood up and stretched.

"Since you are so happy, I will call everyone over to celebrate."

"After the filming of Rush Hour 3 was finished, we were planning to have a meal together."

"In two days."

Zhang Yuan cleared his throat guiltily.

"Well...I have some things to do these days."

"No time for dinner."

Cheng Hao narrowed his eyes: "What's the matter?"

"Work."

"I'm the producer of Apple, and I haven't visited the crew yet."

"We have to go to the Magic City."

“Hehe…” The good sister replied with a chuckle.

That enchantress Fan Bingbing is in the crew of the Magic City. She knows it.

"Remember, you are the producer, but the producer doesn't have to go on stage in person." She emphasized the word "go on stage."

"What are you thinking? I'm here to supervise the work."

"It better be."

“By the way, there will also be Xixi in that crew later, please say hello to her for me.” Cheng Hao reminded.

They also filmed "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" together, so they are quite familiar with each other.

It is completely different from the attitude towards Fan Xiaopang.

Good sister thought, Aunt Liu followed the whole process.

Even if Zhang Yuan had any thoughts, it was useless.

So she was relieved.

And he didn't even consider this usually very kind and polite little girl as his opponent.

All I can say is that the most dangerous place is the safest place.

vice versa.

The safest place is also the most dangerous place.

She didn't know that Zhang Yuan turned around and went out to have dinner with the Liu family mother and daughter... (End of this chapter)