Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 195 Wang Baoqiang's Efforts
"Director, thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me act in the movie. This is a local specialty I brought for you from my hometown..." Wang Baoqiang looked young and honest. Although he looked a bit rustic, he didn't seem threatening at all, as if he were a particularly harmless guy.

Faced with Wang Baoqiang's attitude, Li Boda chuckled at the local specialties he had brought, but he didn't have any particular thoughts about anything else.

After all, Li Boda knew very well what the entertainment industry was like. The fact that Wang Baoqiang was able to rise from an extra to where he is now, and even perform on the Spring Festival Gala stage, was enough to prove that he was no ordinary person.

However, Wang Baoqiang's appearance was merely a protective shield for himself; he had no malicious intent and no intention to harm others.

Therefore, Li Boda was quite optimistic about Wang Baoqiang.

As for the local specialties that Wang Baoqiang brought, Li Boda also took a look. There was nothing of value, just some local specialties, such as green beans, free-range eggs, and some vegetables. In addition, Li Boda even saw two live free-range chickens.

Wang Baoqiang's gift made Li Boda want to laugh, but he also really had the urge to have these local specialties turned into food.

……

Press conference for the start of filming of "Lost in Thailand".

The number of reporters and media present at the scene this time was truly enormous.

Because Li Boda has now become a successful director. Although the word "successful" is a bit of a stretch, success is success.

So in addition to the media reporters who were specially invited, many other media reporters who were not invited also attended the event.

The reporters, cameras in hand, snapped away, asking Li Boda, Xu Shanzheng, and Wang Baoqiang all sorts of questions, creating a lively scene.

At the subsequent opening ceremony, Li Boda, Xu Shanzheng, Wang Baoqiang, and others stood at the very front.

They bowed and burned incense. On the table was a large pig's head, along with many other items that sounded similar to or represented success.

After the opening ceremony, the giant pig's head, along with snacks and other items, was cut up and distributed to the crew.

Before filming officially began, Li Boda looked at the crew and felt a sense of pride.

"Exon!"

click!
With the sound of a clapperboard, filming began for the first scene of the production.

The first scene was particularly easy to film. As the old saying goes, for a good omen, the crew would select the easiest scenes to film in the entire movie and try to get them right in one take, symbolizing a smooth filming process.

Xu Shanzheng's acting skills are quite good, and the role was also very simple, so he really only had to do it in one take.

After the scene was over, everyone on set applauded.

……

"Xu Shanzheng, Tao Hong, are you really going to film it this way?" Li Boda asked the two with a smile.

"Director, this play, this character, feels quite novel, so director, let's film it like this." Xu Shanzheng chuckled.

“That’s right, I think this character is quite fun, especially since the male lead is Lao Xu.” Tao Hong nodded in agreement.

"You two really know how to have fun," Li Boda said with a smile and a shake of his head.

To be honest, when Li Boda cast Xu Shanzheng as the male lead in this drama, he had already thought of having Xu Shanzheng's wife, Tao Hong, also play a role—the wife of Xu Shanzheng's character. Real-life couples playing a couple on screen—that's kind of interesting, isn't it?

To Li Boda's surprise, Tao Hong chose the role of the mistress after reading the script.

That's right, in real life, Xu Shanzheng's wife, Tao Hong, actually wanted to play the mistress of the character Xu Shanzheng played.

According to them, this way of playing is fun and exciting.

Li Boda was a little speechless about this, but since they wanted it so fast, fine, let them play it this way, it's quite interesting anyway.

However, since Tao Hong wants to play the role of a mistress, she needs to be properly made up before filming.

Well, Tao Hong's face actually resembles that of a virtuous wife and loving mother; she gives off the impression of being that type.

Of course, this is just based on appearance; whether it conflicts with the person's actual appearance is another matter.

Although there is an idiom, "The face reflects the heart."

However, in reality, this idiom is sometimes quite accurate, and sometimes terribly wrong.

Therefore, Li Boda would not judge a person's character or personality based on their facial features.

After makeup, the peach-pink color looks less serene and more flamboyant and alluring, giving off a more seductive vibe. Doesn't she look exactly like a mistress?

Therefore, the saying "the face reflects the heart" is actually a bit inaccurate, especially in the entertainment industry, or when applied to women.

Because when filming, no matter what kind of look you want, the makeup artist can magically transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Xu Shanzheng's eyes lit up when he saw his wife's appearance. He usually saw Tao Hong looking normal, and this alluring, even foxy, look was rare, so this sudden contrast excited him a little. "Exxon!"

Tao Hong affectionately hugged Xu Shanzheng's arm, placing it in her bosom without any restraint, almost pressing her entire body against him. The impression given was one of passionate intimacy.

"This, I want this, can you catch it for me?" Peach Blossom said in a deliberately high-pitched, coquettish voice.

"Okay, okay, I'll get one for you, I'll get one for you right now!" Xu Shanzheng's voice was also filled with a bit of doting. Then he inserted a coin and started to grab a small doll for Tao Hong.

In front of the camera, Xu Shanzheng easily grabbed the little doll that Tao Hong was pointing to.

As for why Xu Shanxiang was able to grab the baby so easily, it's because before filming, the crew specially had someone choose a claw that was adjusted to be extremely tight, so that once it grabbed the baby, it would never let go.

……

"Baoqiang, are you really going to drink this whole bucket of milk in one go?" Li Boda specifically asked Wang Baoqiang.

“Yes, director, this makes it more realistic to film,” Wang Baoqiang said with a simple smile.

"No, this bucket of milk is way too much, a full five liters. How about we film the beginning, then pour out the rest of the milk, leaving only the bottom, and then film the rest..."

"Director, I'm fine. It's only five liters, I can drink it." Wang Baoqiang chuckled foolishly, but his attitude was quite firm.

“Alright, let’s give it a try. If you can drink five liters of milk in one go, then we’ll film it like this. If you can’t, then we’ll edit it in the end.” Li Boda nodded.

"Thank you, director, but I really can drink it," Wang Baoqiang said stubbornly.

Wang Baoqiang really went all out to film a scene well.

It's not entirely Wang Baoqiang's fault; he genuinely didn't want to miss any opportunity, especially this scene. If he could finish the whole bucket of milk in one take, it would definitely be a standout scene, and Wang Baoqiang didn't want to miss any memorable moments.

It's no wonder Wang Baoqiang acted this way; in the entertainment industry, if you're not ruthless with yourself, it's not easy to make it big.

Just like Wang Baoqiang, he started working in Beijing as a struggling actor very early on, and after two years of hard work, he was lucky enough to be chosen as the male lead in a movie called "Blind Shaft." From then on, he officially entered the entertainment industry.

Later, he also filmed "A World Without Thieves", acting alongside Andy Lau and Rene Liu, who were at the peak of their popularity at the time.

Did it become popular? Yes, it did, but for many years afterward, it didn't make any further name for itself. Several years later, it was with this drama, "Soldiers Sortie," that it returned to the public eye and even got a chance to perform on the Spring Festival Gala stage.

But it seems that's all he can do. At most, he can only continue filming TV dramas; he can't get any other resources.

Now that Li Boda has finally approached him to make a movie and even cast him as the male lead, Wang Baoqiang is absolutely unwilling to let this opportunity slip by.

He cherishes every outstanding scene and doesn't want to miss a single one. He's even willing to drink five liters of milk in one go, and he'll grit his teeth and persevere through even the most demanding scenes.

Seeing Wang Baoqiang's firm stance, Li Boda said nothing more and followed Wang Baoqiang's instructions.

"Exon!"

So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, in front of the camera, and surrounded by the entire crew, they...

After stubbornly complaining to the airport inspector, Wang Baoqiang twisted open the bottle cap, picked up the five-liter bucket of milk, and began to gulp it down.

As the milk level steadily dropped, and as Wang Baoqiang gulped down large mouthfuls of milk, the entire film crew remained silent. Everyone stared blankly at Wang Baoqiang, utterly astonished.

Some people even subconsciously feel nauseous when they put themselves in Wang Baoqiang's shoes.

Some people, watching Wang Baoqiang drink milk sip by sip, subconsciously swallowed their saliva.

Li Boda sat behind the monitor, watching Wang Baoqiang drink milk. When Wang Baoqiang had drunk one-fifth of the milk, a look of pain appeared on his face. Then a trickle of milk flowed from the corner of Wang Baoqiang's mouth, down his chin and down his neck. Even so, Wang Baoqiang still insisted on drinking the whole bucket of milk clean.

After putting down the milk bucket, Wang Baoqiang couldn't help but let out a burp. Even as he burped, the milk seemed to want to rush out of his throat, but he swallowed it back down.

"it is good!"

"Cut! That's a wrap, that scene is a wrap. Baoqiang, well done!"

Li Boda praised and clapped.

When the rest of the crew saw that Li Boda was the director, they all applauded, and the others followed suit.

"Director, was the take just now okay? I think I lost control when I was drinking milk, and it spilled down my neck." Wang Baoqiang was a little uneasy.

“That’s what makes it more realistic. We’re making a realistic comedy. While it’s funny, the more real it is, the better. The fact that you couldn’t control yourself and let the milk run down your neck actually makes it more realistic and better,” Li Boda explained with a smile, patting Wang Baoqiang on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm relieved then. If I hadn't been able to drink that much milk, I really wouldn't have been able to drink another five liters." Wang Baoqiang said with a simple smile.

(End of this chapter)