Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 570 Do you think I still have a chance?
Jean-Claude Van Damme is still considering the possibility of hiring a male nanny.

Of course he had to consider it; the whole thing sounded terrifying!

In particular, a few days ago he received a strange phone call asking him to act in a Japanese movie.

I rely on!

Jean-Claude Van Damme, of course, didn't believe it.

What kind of nobody is he? Would foreigners specifically call him to ask him to make movies?

He'd never heard of Jackie Chan, but he'd heard of Akira Gu, since Gu's hometown is Belgium, just around the corner from France. So Jean-Claude Van Damme had seen Gu's work.

After much hesitation, Jean-Claude Van Damme felt that he could only consider hiring a male nanny.

He tiptoed to the restaurant counter to make a phone call, only to find two customers sitting at the bar, their eyes making Jean-Claude Van Damme itch with desire.

One was a typical older white American man, while the other looked Asian.

Jean-Claude Van Damme didn't take it seriously and shook off the phone to dial the other end.

"What?! I can't even be a male nanny anymore?! Who took my place?"

"Brad Pitt? Brad..."

Jean-Claude Van Damme couldn't help but inwardly pound his chest in frustration.

Male nannies can't even work anymore!

How could Brad Pitt be so mean!

After hanging up the phone, Jean-Claude Yundon let out a long sigh.

Fine, I can't be a male nanny anymore, I'll just have to settle down and serve dishes!

Jean-Claude Van Damme was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of the Asian man walking over and sitting on the high chair next to him.

Snapped!
A hand landed on Jean-Claude Van Damme's leg.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was startled.

Nest!

Do Asians also need male nannies?
"Sir, please have some self-respect!"

"Have self-respect. I have great self-respect. Your name is Claude, right?"

Claude is his real name, and Jean-Claude Van Damme is his stage name.

Jean-Claude Van Damme was slightly taken aback, forgetting even the hand on his leg, and immediately asked, "You... no, how do you know my name?"

"Oh, I was just passing through Los Angeles and happened to be there to see what the people who refused my invitation were up to."

Jean-Claude Van Damme's brain short-circuited.

A few seconds later, he figured out the cause and effect.

"You are that Japanese actor, that one, that one."

Jean-Claude Van Damme paused for a moment, unable to recall the name. After a long while, he remembered a movie: "Takeda..."

"Takeda Shingen, that's the name of the character in the movie 'Kagemusha'. My name is Furuya Akira."

"Yes, yes! Mr. Akira Furuya!"

Now I remember everything.

Jean-Claude Van Damme, his enormous frame hunched over a high stool, was both excited and nervous.

He certainly had reason to be nervous.

Jean-Claude Van Damme never imagined that people would actually come looking for him, because he never considered that the matter was real.

He was excited because he recalled the previous phone call.

This is a character!
Jean-Claude Van Damme stammered a little, but still tried his best to communicate in the English he had learned: "Well, I, I received a phone call earlier. The person on the other end was a gentleman whose name I couldn't pronounce. He said he wanted me to act in a movie. Of course, I didn't believe it. I thought it was fake, so I refused. Actually, I, I would be very happy to agree!"

Gu Ming nodded: "I thought you had other plans."

Jean-Claude shook his head immediately: "No, no, how could there be any other arrangements!"

What else would you arrange? Assign him to be someone's male nanny?

In Hollywood, who else but Brad Pitt would be a male nanny?

That settles things now.

There was just one thing Jean-Claude Van Damme didn't quite understand.

“I’ve never acted in a film in Europe, and I’ve only had some minor roles in the United States. How does an actor like you know my name, and that I’m here?”

"How could I not have heard of the four-time European Karate Championship champion?" Gu Mingha chuckled, smoothly responding, "As for you being here, you said yourself that you work for old Louis!"

After saying that, Gu Ming casually patted Jean-Claude Van Damme's thigh: "Get some rest. If there's nothing else, come to Japan to see me as soon as possible. If everything goes smoothly, I plan to give you a contract."

Although Jean-Claude Van Damme may only become a second-tier actor in Hollywood in the future, second-tier is enough; his acting skills are what truly matter. Van Damme nodded in agreement.

Do we need to wait until tomorrow?
He has time today and can leave right now!
Gu Ming said, "There's no rush, after all, we still need to eat first!"

Jean-Claude Van Damme suddenly realized.

Correct.

We still need to eat!
He apologized and prepared to go to the kitchen to order.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Jean-Claude Van Damme clenched his fist instantly.

Yay! ...
What the hell is a male nanny? Brad Pitt can be one himself! He's not going to be a male nanny!

Jean-Claude Van Damme put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a business card.

After glancing at the proctologist's business card in his hand, Jean-Claude Van Damme was about to throw it away.

No need for it anymore.

but.

Recalling the gesture of being slapped on the thigh earlier, Jean-Claude Van Damme took a deep breath and accepted the business card anyway.

Don't rush.

Just in case it comes in handy!

……

……

Now, Gu Ming has an additional high-speed camera and two entourage members by his side.

One of them was Harvey from Kodak, who was in charge of overseeing the cameras and also insured them.

Another one, of course, is Jean-Claude Van Damme, who replaces Jetsman Benny as the villain in the food truck.

Jean-Claude Van Damme has his advantages: he is tall and has long legs, and he practices karate, so his fighting style is absolutely outstanding.

It could be said that Jean-Claude Van Damme's birth in Europe was unfortunate; had he been born in Hong Kong, he might very well have become a new martial arts star.

Action actors in Europe and America actually place more importance on appearance than physical appearance.

Isn't that manly enough?

In the era of Schwarzenegger and Stallone, what was needed were those muscular, tough guys. Back then, if Jean-Claude Van Damme wasn't physically fit enough, he wouldn't have become a top star.

Later, the "muscular men" were laid off, and they were replaced by tough guys with the right physiques, like Tom Cruise and Jason Statham. But by then, Jean-Claude Van Damme was no longer able to perform such feats.

In short, they weren't born at a good time.

When you can fight, there's no market for it; when there's a market for it, you can't fight.

Jean-Claude Yundon resigned from his job with old Louis and prepared to follow Gu Ming exclusively.

I still need to learn English, and I also need to study Japanese.

He is Belgian in Belgium, but American in the United States!
However, just when he thought he was about to return to Japan, Gu Ming's route puzzled him, because Gu Ming actually went to San Francisco.

Gu Ming, of course, didn't care what Jean-Claude Van Damme was thinking. He was just visiting someone he could call a friend on his way to San Francisco.

George Lucas, creator of Industrial Light & Magic, and director of Star Wars.

At the time, George Lucas was filming a new Star Wars movie, but Gu Ming still managed to meet him amidst his busy schedule.

George Lucas was somewhat surprised when the two met beneath the Death Star's massive sphere.

"Ming? I didn't expect you to come to America." He gave Gu Ming a bear hug, and the distinctive American smell almost made Gu Ming roll over and run two miles away.

"Haha, sorry, we've been filming lately, so we haven't really had time to take care of our personal hygiene."

Gu Ming replied, "It's only natural. I came to the United States to purchase a batch of equipment. I was just passing through San Francisco to check on things here, and I'll be leaving soon."

"That's a real shame," George Lucas said politely, then suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, I watched that movie this month, the one about samurai fighting and killing everywhere in ancient times! Wow, I'm not exaggerating, that story was just amazing!"

Time travel isn't unusual; films like Terminator (1984) and Back to the Future (1985) touched on the theme. However, George Lucas still admitted he was quite shocked to see this theme appear in a film!

"What shocked me most was not the concept itself, but your ability to perfectly combine the special effects with the stories. This is exactly the kind of special effects film I envisioned. It seems Mr. Kurusawa was right; you are indeed a remarkable person in this regard!"

Jean-Claude Van Damme stood behind him, like an honest male nanny.

As the two men chatted, appearing remarkably familiar with each other, Jean-Claude Van Damme barely understood a few words of their string of English, yet he couldn't hide his surprise.

He had certainly watched Star Wars, and although he had never met George Lucas, he had heard of him. Now he knew who the bearded man in front of him was.

I never imagined they had this kind of relationship.

Jean-Claude Van Damme touched the business card in his pocket.

I wonder if the proctologists in Tokyo are as good as those in Los Angeles!
(End of this chapter)