Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 141 [Discussing the Night Light Script]

Monica Bellucci has been in Los Angeles for more than half a year, and she has played less than twenty roles in total, and they were all minor background roles. You can imagine how little money she can earn.

You have to know that the prices in Los Angeles are not cheap. The savings she brought from Italy are not enough to support her life in this world of fame and fortune for half a year, not to mention that she is still taking acting classes. So when she can't find an acting job, she can only rely on odd jobs to make a living.

Anyone who has been to a big city can understand the sadness of it, let alone going to a foreign country. Before meeting Lee Yi-su, Monica Bellucci had never met anyone she could talk to.

Now that she finally met someone who was not very familiar to her but who provided her with great help, Monica Bellucci complained to Li Yishu about all the sadness and grievances she had experienced in the past six months.

Li Yishu could understand Monica's complaints and grumblings.

In his previous life, after seeing no hope at Emei Film Studio, he resolutely decided to take a leave of absence from work without pay and returned to Yanjing to develop his career.

Although she suffered a lot, Li Yishu was a graduate of Beijing Film Academy after all. Her parents were both veterans of Emei Film Studio. Although she had no connection with the Beijing Film Studio, she was more or less a member of the system. So even though she had never had the opportunity to direct a movie, it was still easy for her to join the crew and become an assistant director.

After complaining, Monica Bellucci felt much better. Then she realized that she had said too much and apologized quickly: "I'm sorry for saying so many terrible things to you."

Li Yishu said, "It's okay. This is what happens when you're alone in a foreign country. This is also my first time to film in the United States. Even though I'm a director, I can feel more or less discrimination. They respect me on the surface, but who knows what they say about me behind my back?"

"That's because they don't know your talent!"

Monica Bellucci said with a twinkling look in her eyes: "I still remember the movie The Postman You Filmed. It was so good. Although I don't know the specific plot of the movie, I believe that you, the director, will succeed. When the movie is released, they will definitely be amazed by your talent, which will prove your talent."

Li Yishu said, "Thank you for your recognition of me, but Monica... why should I prove it to them?"

"what?"

Monica Bellucci was confused and thought she had heard it wrong.

"Monica, I used to think the same as you. I felt that if people looked down upon or discriminated against you, you had to prove your talent and ability so that they would feel ashamed of themselves."

Changing the subject, Li Yishu smiled and said, "But after I came to the United States, I realized that this was a wrong idea. You don't need to prove your ability just to be looked down upon or discriminated against by others. The best way is to fight back directly in person!"

"Fight back in person?"

"Yes, do you remember my requirements for the female interview?"

"She is mature, intelligent, and has a certain amount of experience to play the role of a wife."

"That's right. Even you, the interviewer, remembers it so clearly. However, our casting director seems to have forgotten my request and arranged many girls in their early twenties or even 17 or 18 years old to come in. Although they all look quite mature, that is only physical maturity."

"It seems so."

Monica Bellucci tilted her head. She remembered that when she went for the interview, she did see many girls who looked to be only about twenty years old.

To be honest, Americans develop too fast, especially women. There are too many people who look like those aged 14 or 15 and those who look like those aged 24 or 25.

But that's just physical maturity.

Lee Ye-seo continued, “I don’t know if the casting director really forgot or had some other ulterior motive, but I felt disrespected, so I fired the casting director and asked him to leave the crew.”

In fact, what Li Yishu said was very tactful. The casting director's responsibility is to cooperate with the chief director to arrange interviews with actors. This is his job. How could he forget even the chief director's requirements?

To put it bluntly, he looked down on Lee Yi-su, a director from China. If it were any other Hollywood director, even if he had no works and was just a new director, it would be impossible for the other party to do something to make him lose his job.

"If it were me, I would choose to do the same."

Monica Bellucci nodded in agreement. If she put herself in the other person's shoes, she would definitely fire the other person if she had the ability to do so.

Li Yishu smiled and said, "So there is no need to prove to those idiots that I can be a director and direct this movie, which means that my ability has been recognized by the investors. Vice versa, if I don't have the ability, I won't get the opportunity to direct this movie."

"In China, there is an old saying that goes, 'Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.' If this person is fired, at least during subsequent filming, there will be no such low-level mistakes made in public."

Monica Bellucci wondered, "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey?"

"This story is a bit long..."

For a long time afterwards, Li Yishu explained to Monica Bellucci the meaning of the idiom "killing the chicken to scare the monkey".

When the time quietly came to two o'clock in the afternoon, he looked at his watch and said, "It's almost time, Monica, I have to go continue interviewing the young actors."

"So fast?"

Monica Bellucci was stunned for a moment, and quickly said: "I'm sorry to have delayed you for so long."

"It's okay. It's nice talking to you."

Li Yishu stood up and said, "After you go back, get familiar with the script. The crew will start filming very soon, probably next Monday."

"I will read the script carefully."

Monica Bellucci nodded, then called the waiter over and took the initiative to pay for the meal and tip. Li Yishu saw that after she paid the money, there were only a few one-dollar bills left in her shriveled wallet, and it was obvious that her financial situation was not very good.

The two of them left the restaurant together, and Li Yishu asked, "Don't you have an agent?"

"There was someone who wanted to be my agent before, but we fell out."

"Have you signed your contract?"

“It’s already been signed.”

Monica Bellucci nodded. In fact, she was hesitant to sign the contract because she had been cheated before. However, the director this time was Lee Yi-su, so she did not have any concerns at all.

Li Yishu said, "Then come to the crew tomorrow at noon, and I will ask the crew to pay all your salary directly then."

"Thank you! I really need this money now."

Monica Bellucci's eyes lit up. She was indeed short of money. After paying the rent and acting lessons a few days ago, she had twenty dollars left.

According to the prices in the United States and her appetite, twenty dollars would be enough to last her a week if she went to the supermarket to buy some bread or something.

But I just treated Li Yishu to a meal, and now I only have a few dollars left. I guess I can only last until tomorrow at most.

Li Yishu smiled and said, "If you want to thank me, then act well. This movie is not only my first movie in the United States, but also your first movie in the United States."

“I will act seriously.”

Monica Bellucci hesitated and said, "Lee, can I invite you to my house tonight to discuss the script? I have been reading the script since I got it this morning, but I don't understand many parts. Was the person who assassinated Malcolm at the beginning the grown-up Cole?"

Go home to discuss the script?

Li Yishu raised an eyebrow. "Of course you can, but I'm afraid I don't have time tonight. How about I discuss it with you tomorrow?"

He actually wanted to discuss the luminous script with Monica in the dark room, but Bruce Willis was coming over in the evening, and Li Yishu had already made an appointment with him to meet and chat in the evening, so it was naturally difficult to stand him up.

Anyway, the next filming will take at least a month, so there is plenty of time to discuss how the script for Luminous came about.

Monica Bellucci nodded: "No problem."

Then Li Yishu waved and walked directly into the building across the street.

Monica Bellucci watched his back until he could no longer be seen. She then clenched her fists and cheered herself up: "Monica, you can do it! Don't let Li and yourself down."

Inside the interview room.

"I thought you weren't coming this afternoon."

Producer Thomas joked, "Why? Is this little time at noon enough?"

"Thomas, this is just a simple get-together with friends."

Li Yishu shook her head and said, "And I won't delay my work because of this. You should understand that directing a movie with a $3000 million investment is very important to me."

It was still 1993, and it was a very, very rare thing for Lee Yi-su to get the right to direct a movie with an investment of 3000 million US dollars in Hollywood, and to have a lot of autonomy within the crew.

Even though Lee Yi-su was reborn from decades later, she attached great importance to this directing opportunity.

Because for a long period of time in the future, almost 20 years or so, it will be difficult for the country to support blockbuster films.

If Li Yishu wants to stop making art films, she must come to the United States to make commercial films.

He had already planned for his future.

Before 1995, the sprint for the three major European film festivals was a period of time when Chinese films were favored by European film festivals. After that, not only did the value of the three major European film festivals begin to decline, but Chinese-themed films were also less likely to win awards in Europe.

In addition, the market for art films has been further eroded by Hollywood's commercial films. If one wants to avoid becoming a "niche director", then venturing into Hollywood is an inevitable step.

Although directing "The Sixth Sense" was not planned, it was also a rare attempt for Lee Yi-su.

As long as the box office can reach half or even one-third of the original film's global revenue of $600 million, it will basically open the door for him to enter Hollywood.

After 1995, when I tried to return to Hollywood to make movies, I had a foundation in place.

And to put it bluntly, the treatment that directors and actors who have achieved success in the United States receive after returning to China is completely different from before.

If Li Yishu wants to become a big shot in China in the future, it is not only necessary to win awards, but box office is also equally important.

(End of this chapter)