Huayu: Starting from Fahrenheit

Chapter 431 The Amazing Honey with a Heart for the World
"Teacher Chen, it's been a long time. Thank you so much for playing this role this time."

If you hadn't come, I wouldn't know who else to turn to.

Upon arriving at the film set, Wu Zhuo immediately went to see Chen Daoming.

To reiterate, Wu Zhuo has considerable influence globally.

But in China, his treatment of his seniors is impeccable.

No matter how big or small your star is, as long as you've been in the industry for more than a year since you debuted, Wu Zhuo's attitude towards them will remain the same.

In this respect, he actually learned from the Koreans and the Japanese.

To be fair, Koreans are truly exceptional when it comes to respecting their elders.

Of course, Wu Zhuo certainly wouldn't bow and scrape before his seniors like people in Japan and South Korea do.

Neither can he.

He simply learned the attitude of respecting one's seniors.

In any case, artists in China who have worked with Wu Zhuo all speak highly of him in this regard.

I think he truly embodies the principle of being consistent in word and deed, and is extremely polite to his seniors.

In fact, this is quite remarkable for someone who is already famous worldwide and a well-known figure in China.

It is precisely this humble attitude of his that has helped him overcome the growing stigma surrounding Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists in the mainland entertainment industry in the past two years.

However, Wu Zhuo was not included in it.

Of course, one reason for this is that Taiwanese actors are not particularly ostracized.

For a long time, people have always lumped Hong Kong and Taiwan artists together.

However, after these two groups came to the mainland, their attitudes towards local artists were completely different.

Hong Kong artists are generally more arrogant and more likely to act like divas.

Yes, this is not just Wu Zhuo's opinion, but a consensus within the entire industry.

As for why Hong Kong artists behave this way, the reason is simple: Hong Kong was once powerful.

Whether in the economic or entertainment industry, Hong Kong was once at the center of Asia, known as the Hollywood of the East.

As is well known, in those days, Hong Kong film crews who came to the mainland to film movies received different pay than mainland artists.

Jet Li collaborated with Hong Kong film crews on several films in mainland China during the 1980s.

At the time, Li Lianjie, who played the lead role, only received a few dozen dollars, while Hong Kong people, even if they were just ordinary odd jobs, received several hundred dollars in pay.

I've had that experience before.

Naturally, this inevitably gave the crew members in Hong Kong the impression that we were more sophisticated and high-class.

After the turn of the century, a large number of people from the Hong Kong entertainment industry began to move north.

Although it was obvious that they were there to make money, they still couldn't let go of their airs.

They still had to be treated specially on set, and were treated differently from mainland artists.

Needless to say, when it comes to pay, the same lead actor can earn hundreds of thousands, while mainland artists don't even get a fraction of that.

For a long time, these Hong Kong film crews didn't use mainland male leads; they exclusively used Hong Kong actors.

Even if that actor has no influence in mainland China, they still have to use him.

The reason is simply to cultivate their own people.

In short, for a long time, Hong Kong artists and even behind-the-scenes staff were privileged in mainland China.

There's nothing inherently wrong with this situation.

After all, it's your money, your director, so of course you can call the shots.

Of course, no one from the mainland Chinese artists said much.

However, the repeated incidents of mainland artists being targeted and suppressed have thoroughly enraged the mainland artists.

So, as the mainland economy took off, so did the mainland's own capital and production companies.

They then tacitly began to avoid using Hong Kong artists as the main characters.

Just like how Hong Kong film crews treated mainlanders back then.

Unlike the people of Hong Kong.

In the new century, Taiwanese artists also enjoyed certain privileges in mainland China.

However, the two are very different.

Firstly, although Taiwan's film and television industry has had its peak periods, it has never been as prosperous as Hong Kong's.

Furthermore, Taiwanese artists had little collaboration with mainland China in the 1980s and 90s, so they did not develop a sense of superiority.

So after the turn of the century, when Taiwanese artists went to the mainland to make money, everyone had a mindset that they needed the market, not the other way around.

Taiwanese artists with this mindset naturally won't look down on mainland artists when they collaborate with them, and they'll even get along very well with mainland actors or behind-the-scenes staff.

Of course, another factor is that Taiwanese artists share the same roots as mainland artists, and they all speak Mandarin.

Although the Taiwanese accent is a bit affected, it's undeniable that everyone can communicate very smoothly together and shares very similar interests and tastes.

But things are different in Hong Kong.

Many Hong Kong artists don't actually speak Mandarin, and even if they can say a few words, they're only half-fluent.

Aside from artists from Guangdong province, artists from other provinces generally can't understand Cantonese.

Difficult communication is also a major reason for the significant gap between mainland artists and Hong Kong artists.

In fact, if most Hong Kong artists were like people such as Andy Lau, and worked hard to learn Mandarin well, then as long as there was communication, the two sides wouldn't have such a tense relationship.

But Hong Kong artists are all incredibly arrogant.

I won't learn it, I'll just speak Cantonese, what can you do about it?
It doesn't matter if you don't learn; after the rise of the mainland gang, those who can't even speak Mandarin fluently will naturally be eliminated by the mainland market and can only continue to stay in Hong Kong.

This is also why, 10 years later in my previous life, Taiwanese artists were frequently seen in mainland Chinese TV dramas and movies, and why Taiwanese capital was even able to establish the Heavenly Banquet.

This is because it is tacitly approved by capital on the mainland.

On the contrary, in Hong Kong, the younger generation is basically relegated to supporting roles in films dominated by mainland capital.

Without the support of the mainland market, Hong Kong naturally couldn't promote new talent and could only continue to rely on the old guard, letting a group of seventy- or eighty-year-old men continue to support Hong Kong films.

Of course, this does not mean that Hong Kong has been defeated.

In fact, after artists lost their dominant position, Hong Kong changed its approach.

Many people have begun to move behind the scenes.

They gradually integrated into the mainland by settling there.

...

After meeting Chen Daoming, Wu Zhuo went to see Chen Kun and Yang Mi.

Chen Kun was very polite to Wu Zhuo.

This guy is a very grateful person; he always remembers Wu Zhuo's kindness in recommending him to "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".

He kept thanking me upon meeting me, and said that if I needed anything from him, I should just let him know.

Although Wu Zhuo certainly wouldn't need him for anything right now, his attitude pleased Wu Zhuo.

At the very least, this proves that his recommendation of Jet Li was not in vain.

In contrast to Chen Kun's politeness, Yang Mi completely acted as if she were part of the family.

Upon meeting, he immediately gave Wu Zhuo a big hug.

The marshmallow rubbed hard against his body twice.

Then, she openly declared that she would keep an eye on Wu Zhuo for Liu Shishi.

Yes, there were several other female artists in the crew besides her.

For example, Jing Tian, ​​who played Qin Banruo.

Besides her, there are several other pretty female celebrities.

Therefore, Yang Mi directly warned Wu Zhuo not to mess around, claiming to be Liu Shishi's best friend.

Goodness, Wu Zhuo actually thought that was true at the time.

As a result, on the third day after the crew started filming...

Yang Mi used the pretext of discussing the script to sneak into Wu Zhuo's room. There's a saying... what was it again?

It's said that pursuing a woman is like climbing a mountain for a man, but pursuing a man is like piercing a thin veil

Wu Zhuo is not Liu Xiahui.

Although he always told himself not to mess around.

But since they've come to him so readily, how could he possibly turn them away?
Then, Wu Zhuo had no choice but to follow Jackie Chan's example and make the same mistake that all men in the world make.

To be fair, Yang Mi does fit Wu Zhuo's aesthetic preferences quite well.

Especially cotton candy.

The previous women hadn't been very successful in this regard, but this time, she showed Wu Zhuo what it means to have the world in one's heart.

This person truly has the world in their heart.

I usually look at the airport.

After the restraints were removed, they turned out to be two Mount Everests.

……

After the official start of filming for Nirvana in Fire, Wu Zhuo rarely left the production crew.

He plans to finish filming this movie in one go before doing other work.

However, he doesn't actually have that much work anymore.

As his income increased, Wu Zhuo also started to suffer from Jay Chou's laziness.

He began to consciously reduce his activities.

He gradually reduced his attendance at some unnecessary events.

Of course, there's nothing you can do about some things that are unavoidable.

He left the film crew twice during this period: once to film "The Founding of a Republic" and once for the premiere of "My Kingdom" starring Wu Zun.

The first part is unavoidable; it's part of the mission.

Wu Zhuo could certainly choose not to go, but that would be contrary to his usual principles.

He's not like Jay Chou who tries to push things away whenever possible.

He never misses an official assignment while he's in mainland China.

This is also why he has such a lot of influence in mainland China.

Because someone is backing you up.

As for "The Great Magician," it's hard to refuse that role either.

Although there was a period when Wu Zun's relationship with him was a bit strained.

But as they each developed their own paths over the past two years, their relationship returned to what it was before.

You may meet many people in your life.

However, the people you meet at different stages will give you different insights.

At the same time, your friends from your most innocent and naive period are actually your true friends.

This is especially true for Wu Zhuo now.

Don't be fooled by his many friends now; many of them are actually drawn to him because of his status as an international superstar and film mogul.

These interactions often involve disgusting exchanges of benefits.

On the contrary, it was the Fahrenheit members.

Perhaps some of them are not doing well, or perhaps there was a small misunderstanding.

But their friendship during their time in the group was absolutely genuine.

Years have passed, and Wu Zhuo now looks back on Fahrenheit with great emotion.

Sometimes, when I look at photos of everyone from that time, I get lost in thought for no reason.

Wu Zhuo even felt a little regretful.

They shouldn't have pushed for Fahrenheit to disband back then.

Looking back now, I realize he acted a bit impulsively.

Of course, we are fortunate that we are all more mature now.

The minor friction from back then has gradually faded away with time.

Everyone has repaired that relationship...

Wu Zhuo attended the "My Kingdom" film set as promised, supporting Wu Zun. The two also talked a lot about their time with Fahrenheit in front of reporters to promote the film.

Unfortunately, despite having a large fan base and being a top star of this era, Wu Zun's performance in this movie was truly disappointing.

Although "My Kingdom" created a sensation on its opening day, it only grossed 4200 million yuan in 10 days, becoming the biggest upset of the summer season.

Andrew Morgan, the film producer, has been involved in several films that have achieved great success, including "Million Dollar Baby," "Fist of Fury," and "Perhaps Love."

However, the failure of "My Kingdom" also cast a shadow over his career.

In response, he stated in a media interview that "My Kingdom" was the first film he had ever made that lost money.

He bluntly stated that the film's being defined as a fan film and Gao Xiaosong's lack of experience were the reasons for its box office failure.
Guan Xiaosong's agent declined to comment, but the concept of fan films has once again been thrust into the spotlight due to these accusations.

Then, this person, who had absolutely no connection to Wu Zhuo, dragged Wu Zhuo into the mix.

the reason is simple.

Because Wu Zhuo was a representative figure of fan films during this period.

Because he has a lot of traffic and many fans.

For each movie, a large number of fans will book out entire theaters to show their support.

This made him a leading figure in this new type of film, fan-based movies.

Therefore, Andrew Morgan's remarks about fan-made films inevitably affected Wu Zhuo.

Sometimes, a small problem can escalate into a big one.

This time too.

When many people associate Wu Zhuo with being the most typical representative of fan-driven films.

A trend targeting Wu Zhuo gradually began to emerge online.

Many media figures have said that Wu Zhuo's fan-driven films may be successful in the short term, but sooner or later, something unexpected may happen.

Seeing that the matter had somehow become related to him, Wu Zhuo immediately posted a Weibo post.

“I don’t mind people discussing me, but please consider the actual situation before questioning me.”

Indeed, my fans are very supportive of my movies, but does that mean my movies are fan-made movies?
Let's all check out my movie ratings before discussing this!

Wu Zhuo's response was clearly unexpected by many.

Because Wu Zhuo has never paid attention to many online discussions.

This time, he actually took the initiative to post on Weibo about the matter.

However, Wu Zhuo's Weibo post did indeed help to curb public opinion to some extent.

the reason is simple.

While Wu Zhuo's films are indeed fan films, you could also say that they are not fan films.

Because many of his votes were contributed by passersby.

Bona Film Group's publicity director, Zhao Peng, stated the following:
"Wu Zhuo's films certainly cannot be considered fan films."

Gong Li and Leslie Cheung were both incredibly talented in "Farewell My Concubine" back then.

When we make a film, we simply arrange and combine these elements effectively. It's wrong to make a film solely for the sake of Leslie Cheung.

Zhao Peng also said, "We can say things like 'tailor-made' for someone in the media. But you can't do that when making a movie."

If you let the concept of fan-made films influence your creative and marketing strategies, then there's definitely a problem.

Clearly, while Wu Zhuo's films possess a strong personal style, they cannot be categorized as fan films.

(End of this chapter)