Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 144 Let Brigitte Lin Take Her Place (Please Subscribe)

Zhang Shuai'an lay on the sofa, his scalp suddenly feeling itchy.

The film hadn't even started shooting when the male and female leads withdrew from the project.

Where else can we find such a perfect match of male and female actors?

Zhang Shuai'an stroked his chin, beginning to consider whether there were any suitable actors.

A moment later, Yu Sijia came in again and asked Zhang Shuai'an, "Boss, what problem have you encountered?"

"There is a problem," Zhang Shuai'an replied. "Debona is pregnant, and Xie Xian needs to stay in Hong Kong to take care of her. Neither of them plans to star in 'Blood Simple.' We're short two actors now. Can you help me think of any suitable replacements?"

Yu Sijia asked, "What are your conditions?"

Zhang Shuai'an replied: "Male actors should be at least 35 years old and under 45 years old. They should have a bit of a gangster look, be good at acting, not too handsome or too ugly, and not too thin or too fat."

Hearing these conditions, Yu Sijia sat cross-legged on the sofa and, like Zhang Shuai'an, pinched her chin and began to think.

"For actresses, they should be between 25 and 35 years old, have a certain level of acting skills, have a somewhat heroic look, be beautiful, and most importantly, have expressive eyes that can convey a lot of information."

Zhang Shuai'an then stated his requirements for actresses, "There are quite a few male actors in their thirties." Yu Sijia had a few images in mind and said, "For example, those with a chivalrous air, like Ti Lung and David Chiang. They've always played heroes in martial arts films, and they've been trying to change their image in recent years."

"They're not good enough." Zhang Shuai'an considered for a moment and immediately shook his head: "They're still in their prime, and they can still act in martial arts films for a few more years. When people see their faces, their first reaction is that they are heroes, not other characters."

Although Ti Lung has reduced his output recently, he still has a steady stream of martial arts film contracts. He'll have to wait a few more years before he falls on hard times. By then, he'll be balding.

Jiang Dawei is only thirty-three years old and doesn't yet have that sense of vicissitude.

"And what about Qin Pei?" Yu Sijia asked. "He's 35 this year, but he looks older than his age, like he's over 40."

"That's fine. Do you have anyone older?" Zhang Shuai'an felt that the age limit might be relaxed for the role of the bar owner.

For example, a May-December romance setting could provide a better explanation for the female protagonist's infidelity. Being older, he'd inevitably be less capable and unable to satisfy his younger wife's needs. The younger wife then turning to a younger, more energetic man at a bar would then seem more logical.

"What about Qiao Hong?" Yu Sijia suggested.

"Who is that?" Zhang Shuai'an was quite unfamiliar with the name.

"Oh, you don't even know Qiao Hong?"

Yu Sijia looked at Zhang Shuai'an with considerable surprise: "He was born in 1927 and started making films in the 1950s. He was a full five feet eleven inches tall (about 180cm), and was known as 'The Lion' back then. He starred in—"

Yu Sijia rattled off more than a dozen movie titles, but unfortunately Zhang Shuai'an had never heard of any of them.

Seeing her boss's still blank expression, Yu Sijia had no choice but to continue, "You've heard of King Hu's 'A Touch of Zen,' haven't you?"

"I've heard of it, and I've even seen it," Zhang Shuai'an replied.

Yu Sijia replied, "That makes things easier. He'll play a monk in it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuai'an vaguely remembered it.

Zhang Shuai'an quickly realized that this guy was the actor who played the father in "All's Well, Ends Well 97".

There's a famous scene in this movie, "All's Well, Ends Well," where Stephen Chow and Christy Chung enter an elevator, and several women call him "husband," causing Christy Chung to misunderstand. In the end, a South Asian man also calls him "husband."

This guy's looks and acting skills are fine; the only problem is his identity.

Qiao Hong's father was a veteran of the Kuomintang and held a fairly high-ranking official position. During the Korean War, he worked as a translator for the US military.

However, this guy's talents are truly amazing. He can ride horses, box, and fly airplanes, and he also has language potential, speaking multiple languages, including various dialects.

Zhang Shuai'an instructed, "Let's decide on Qin Pei first, and keep Qiao Hong as a backup. You can also look for other suitable candidates."

Yu Sijia took out her notebook and wrote it down.

Zhang Shuai'an asked, "What about actresses? Don't you have any good candidates?"

Yu Sijia replied, "Actually, there's one downstairs."

"Who are you talking about?" Zhang Shuai'an asked back.

Yu Sijia said with a smile, "You two seemed to be having a great time chatting downstairs. I saw it all from upstairs."

Zhang Shuai'an asked, "You mean Brigitte Lin?"

"Yeah, she must be almost thirty. She's beautiful, has a bit of a heroic air about her, and is a good actress. She's also looking to change her image, so it all fits together!"

"Of course not!" Zhang Shuai'an shook his head.

That's the truth. When he was planning to plagiarize "Blood Simple," he really didn't consider Brigitte Lin. Deborah Lee and Angie Chiu were his first choices.

However, Zhao Yazhi was already several months pregnant at this time, so it was obviously impossible for her to participate in the filming.

To his utter surprise, Debona was also pregnant.

At this point, Deborah wasn't showing yet, so they could have finished filming quickly.

However, Xie Xian was over forty years old when he had this bloodline and did not want to take any risks whatsoever.

There are indeed many young and beautiful actresses, but those who possess both a heroic spirit and acting skills, as well as some market appeal, are extremely rare.

Brigitte Lin is indeed a good choice.

Anyway, she was planning to change her career path anyway. If she hadn't interfered, she would have co-starred with Zhang Guozhu and Qin Xianglin in a romantic thriller called "Love Killing" this year, but unfortunately, the box office and reviews were just so-so.

Zhang Shuai'an's script for "Blood Simple" is clearly a level above "Love Massacre." Winning over Brigitte Lin wouldn't be difficult at all.

By evening.

Jackie Chan has finally finished all his courses and returned.

"Anzai, don't stay cooped up in your room, come out and let me introduce you to some new friends."

Jackie Chan knocked on Zhang Shuai'an's door.

Zhang Shuai'an was revising the script when he heard Jackie Chan's words, so he went to open the door.

"I'm revising the script now, it'll be finished in a little while," Zhang Shuai'an replied.

Jackie Chan walked in slowly, smiling, and said, "Is this the script Mr. Zou mentioned that you wrote specifically to win awards?"

"Yes!" Zhang Shuai'an nodded.

Jackie Chan asked with concern, "How are the preparations going? Do you need any help?"

"Everything was almost ready. But I just received a call that the originally planned male and female leads can't participate."

Zhang Shuai'an sighed and said helplessly, "So some parts of the script need to be revised again. After we find suitable actors, we'll probably have to make another minor revision."

Jackie Chan suddenly became interested: "Can I take a look at the script?"

Zhang Shuai'an casually handed over the script.

Jackie Chan watched it intently, and after more than ten minutes, he shook his head: "It seems I'm not destined to participate either; this kind of role is completely unsuitable for me."

"Haha, it would be strange if it suited you." Zhang Shuai'an said with a laugh, "Brother Long, just stay in your position as the world's number one action superstar and stop thinking about acting in art films."

"I'm an actor first, and an action actor second," Jackie Chan said, somewhat unconvinced. "You have to write an art film script for me someday, and I'll win an acting award to prove it to you."

Zhang Shuai'an shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

Jackie Chan suddenly said, "Hey, Elsa from your script seems like a good match for a new friend I'm going to introduce to you later."

"You mean Brigitte Lin?" Zhang Shuai'an asked back.

"Huh, you know her?" Jackie Chan was a little surprised. In his memory, Zhang Shuai'an and Brigitte Lin should not have any connection.

Zhang Shuai'an replied, "She came here this morning with Ms. Deng Lijun and Qin Xianglin, and we chatted for a while."

"That's even better." Jackie Chan clapped his hands and asked Zhang Shuai'an for a script: "After dinner, I'll help you persuade Brigitte Lin; I guarantee she'll act in your film!"

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