I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 95 Actor Selection

Take Huayi Brothers as an example. In order to develop the Hong Kong film and television industry, many of Huayi Brothers' films will feature Hong Kong actors as the main actors, while the company's own actors will be assigned to supporting roles, or even comedic roles.

This is what is known as bootlicking.

Seeing that Cheng Sheng didn't seem worried at all, Liu Meng asked doubtfully, "What Wu Baige said might affect our subsequent auditions."

"Hehe, don't worry. I never thought that big stars would audition for my film 'The Yellow Turban Rebellion of the Three Kingdoms,' let alone invite artists from Hong Kong. Wu Baige's ban has no meaning for our new film."

Cheng Sheng's audition requirement was that he be well-versed in history. Those popular actors who are in a hurry to make money, how could they possibly have time to study history?

However, some actors who are not successful will take this opportunity to try their luck at auditions.

These actors don't care about Wu Baige's ban at all, because they were looking for an opportunity to become famous overnight.

In fact, Cheng Sheng had his own ideas about the roles in the movie. The requirement to be well-versed in history was just to eliminate some of those popular celebrities who seemed to be from the future.

He didn't want those popular celebrities who couldn't even memorize their lines and could only recite numbers like 12345678 to act in his movies.

With this requirement in place, the remaining artists who pass the test no longer need to worry about being imposters.

After all, who would bother to study history books just to fish in troubled waters?
The most important actors in "The Yellow Turban Rebellion" are Zhang Jiao and Zhang Bao. As for the other roles, Cheng Sheng already had people in mind.

For example, the actors who played Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo, and Lu Zhi had already provided the answer for Cheng Sheng in the CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" more than a decade ago.

The actors in the CCTV version are the most recognized by the audience, especially Bao Guoan, who played Cao Cao. His portrayal of Cao Cao is so classic that although many actors have played Cao Cao in the future, none of them have been able to surpass him.

Cheng Sheng also learned a little news from another memory: the CCTV version of Cao Cao was originally played not by Bao Guoan, but by an actor surnamed Li.

Before the CCTV version of "Three Kingdoms" started filming, an actor surnamed Li acted like a diva, signing a contract and then running away at the last minute, which angered director Wang Fulin so much that he scolded him on the spot: "Even Cao Cao ran away, what kind of Three Kingdoms are we making!"

This sounds outrageous; the last-minute withdrawal of one character almost dragged the entire production team down with them.

But think about it again, if it weren't for this farce, would we still know the classic Bao Guoan version of Cao Cao?

At the time, Bao Guoan's career was at a low point, and he was very nervous when he received the audition notice.

He went despite his reluctance, and acted out Cao Cao's harsh words: "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me."

He didn't follow the script rigidly; he added some laughter and a sly look to his eyes, trying to bring out Cao Cao's ruthless and ambitious nature.

After the performance, he felt he had no chance and left dejectedly. Who knew that the next day Wang Fulin would come to his door with several directors and say something?

"You, Cao Cao, are flesh and blood, so we'll choose you!" How dramatic this is! A "big shot" who ran away abandoned his post, while a "marginalized person" ended up getting a great deal. Fate is truly unpredictable, "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river."

Bao Guoan is truly dedicated; after taking office, he put in his utmost effort.

He didn't just take on a role; he practically risked his life for it.

To play Cao Cao well, he thoroughly studied "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and even read through "Records of the Three Kingdoms" to understand what kind of person this powerful and ruthless figure really was.

When filming the scene of "quenching thirst by looking at plums", he was not satisfied with the dry lines in the script, so he added a small gesture of licking his lips, which brought to life Cao Cao's calm and composed demeanor in the face of adversity.

When audiences later talked about the play, they all said, "That Cao Cao was so interesting!"

His dedication not only filled the void left by the actor surnamed Li's departure, but also turned Cao Cao into a living advertisement on screen. Cheng Sheng has great respect for actors like him.

But after playing Cao Cao, Bao Guoan could no longer play any other roles.

It's a real pity that such a good actor can't break free from the cycle of his roles.

But it doesn't matter, what Cheng Sheng wants is Cao Cao.

Although he is old, with today's makeup techniques, there is no need to worry about that at all.

The Cao Cao chosen by Wu Baige in the future!

It doesn't fit Cao Cao at all; not only is the plot full of flaws, but even the casting is a failure.

Zhang Fengyi's acting skills are beyond question; he's a veteran actor!

However, as soon as "Red Cliff" came out, the audience criticized his portrayal of Cao Cao.

It's not that his acting is bad, but rather that his acting style and character portrayal are terrible.

Zhang Fengyi's appearance and temperament are rather tough and dignified, which is more in line with the "heroic" Cao Cao setting (such as great talent and outstanding military ability), but Cao Cao's historical image also has the characteristics of "treacherous".

Because Zhang Fengyi's performance leans towards "domineering" rather than "cunning," the character lacks complexity.

Cao Cao in history had multiple identities, including politician, military strategist, and poet, and his personality was complex and multifaceted.

Zhang Fengyi's performance focuses on showcasing the character's heroic spirit and military talent, but his portrayal of the character's "cunning" traits such as political maneuvering and intrigue is insufficient, making the character seem one-dimensional.

Actors such as Bao Guoan in CCTV's version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and Chen Jianbing in "New Three Kingdoms" have made their roles closer to the historical prototypes by studying historical materials in depth and imitating details of historical figures (such as expressions and language).

Zhang Fengyi's performance leaned more towards "heroism," which differed from audience expectations.

The audience found it very jarring; this was completely different from the Cao Cao they had imagined.

What's particularly funny is that Zhang Fengyi's Cao Cao has absolutely no foresight, starting a major war just because of a woman, as if it were child's play.

It's probably because Wu Baige treated historical films like gangster movies.

Killing people, stealing women, brotherhood – isn't that the essence of "A Better Tomorrow"?
There's also Zhou Yu from the Liang Dynasty.

Tony Leung's acting skills are well-known; he has won numerous awards, and every role he has played is a classic.

However, Zhou Yu in "Red Cliff" did not become a classic.

Of course, this is not because Liang Chaowei's acting skills are bad, but because his appearance is refined and reserved, and his temperament is more like a gentleman, which is quite different from the historical image of Zhou Yu as a general who was "heroic and imposing".

Some viewers felt that his portrayal of Zhou Yu lacked the heroic spirit of the historical figure and appeared too weak and scholarly.

The scenes between Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang in the film were criticized as being "a clash of titans," lacking the magnanimity and breadth of vision of the historical Zhou Yu, and presenting him as too stubborn, resulting in a one-dimensional character.

This cannot be blamed on the actors who played Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, because it was entirely due to Wu Baige's drastic alteration of the plot, which resulted in a lack of three-dimensional character portrayal. In addition, the Hong Kong and Taiwan actors' insufficient interpretation of the historical weight exacerbated the audience's dissatisfaction with the role of Zhou Yu.

(End of this chapter)