The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

"Click".

Li Xu closed the latest actor resume.

The sound was exceptionally crisp and jarring in the already quiet studio.

It's been seven days, and he still hasn't found a suitable male lead.

Li Xu sat in the main seat, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, making a dull "tap, tap" sound.

Sitting opposite Shen Ao, he crossed his legs and remained silent, constantly fiddling with a Zippo lighter in his hand, making a crisp metallic sound as it opened and closed.

Seeing this, Li Deyuan, who was sitting to the side, sighed.

Logically speaking, he was just an assistant director. With Li Xu, the main director, and Shen Ao, the executive director, both in the studio, it wasn't his place to speak about choosing the male lead.

However, Li Xu had already interviewed many candidates in the past week, and he was not satisfied with any of them. The atmosphere in the studio was tense every day, and he couldn't sit still any longer.

"Director Li, time waits for no one."

"The five million from Teacher Liu's side arrived yesterday, and the eight hundred thousand brand placement contract from Yili has also been signed. The money will come in next week. In addition, there are several small brands we negotiated with before—we now have a total of six and a half million in real money in our account."

"Furthermore, Professor Zheng also relayed a message that Director Han, who is in charge of the support program at China Film Group, is available next week. He wants us to bring the preliminary cast list and budget to discuss the project. Since they're investing money, they need to know exactly when we can start filming, right?"

"If the male lead can't be cast, everything else is just empty talk."

Upon hearing this, Li Xu slightly raised his gaze and finally spoke: "Deyuan, do we have a few more male lead candidates who are available for auditions?"

Seeing this, Li Deyuan pushed over a small stack of actor information. Li Xu saw the faces of young male stars in the film and television industry and their accompanying information, many of whom had been marked with an X.

"Director Li, you rejected several well-known actors before."

"There are five left now: Chen Xiao, a sophomore in the second semester of her second year at the Central Academy of Drama, and Huang Xuan, a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy. Both of them participated in the casting for director Li Shaohong's Dream of the Red Chamber, and I heard their performances were pretty good."

"Then there's Zhang Luyi from the Central Academy of Drama, Zhang Yi who just gained some fame because of 'Soldiers Sortie,' and finally Zhang Qun from the Drama Center. Teacher Mu sent him here, saying that he was a very good actor and his appearance was also acceptable."

"As for the rest, there aren't many options. Director, we can't exactly cast complete newcomers or pick from the extras, can we?"

"Chen Xiao, Huang Xuan, Zhang Luyi, Zhang Yi, Zhang Qun..."

Li Xu repeated the names in a low voice, knowing in his heart that they might not be any better than those who had been eliminated before.

"Let's try these five last."

Shen Ao's lips twitched slightly, but he remained silent.

Based on his understanding of Li Xu, the male lead, Du Minghao, needs to be good-looking, have good acting skills, and also have that mysterious "feeling"—it's uncertain whether these five people can pull it off.

-

The auditions that followed over the next few days unfolded in an atmosphere that, in Shen Ao's view, was "just as expected."

The first person interviewed was Zhang Luyi. He was a skilled actor, but Li Xu quickly rejected him because he was too "acting".

The second person to be interviewed was Zhang Qun, a stage actor recommended by Mu Deyuan.

This person is only in his early twenties and has considerable acting talent. When he reads the script, he is exceptionally emotional. However, he is too theatrical and lacks the kind of natural expression required for film shots, making it difficult for the audience to connect with him.

The third auditionee, Huang Xuan, is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy and possesses a unique calm demeanor.

Li Xu directly suggested that he should act in more serious dramas, semi-serious dramas, and period dramas in the future, as the role of a famous singer with depression was not suitable for him.

As for Chen Xiao, Li Xu was very satisfied with his face, but his acting skills were the most raw, so he was eliminated the fastest.

The last one is Zhang Yi.

When it was his turn, Shen Ao and Li Deyuan had almost given up hope—this man had an ordinary appearance and his temperament was completely unrelated to that of a music star.

Only Li Xu still had patience.

"Hello everyone, my name is Zhang Yi, and I just finished playing Shi Jin in 'Soldiers Sortie'."

After Zhang Yi entered, he bowed slightly.

He was not tall and was thin, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd, but he spoke with a steady voice and his eyes held a kind of unassuming resilience honed by life.

Li Xu remembered his information; his resume was very simple. He had worked in the military drama troupe for many years, performed in many stage plays, but had very few film and television works. He had only recently gained some fame because of "Soldiers Sortie".

"Have you read the script excerpt?" Li Xu asked.

"I've seen it."

"I had five minutes to prepare for the scene where Du Minghao learns he has been diagnosed with anxiety outside the psychologist's clinic."

Zhang Yi nodded, walked to the side, and closed his eyes.

He didn't pace back and forth, nor did he mutter anything; he simply stood there quietly, his breathing gradually slowing down.

Five minutes later, he opened his eyes: "It's ready."

Li Xu gently raised his hand, signaling him to begin.

The studio where the interview took place had no corridor, so Zhang Yi stood in the center of the empty studio.

He first looked up at what was in front of him, as if looking at a non-existent "clinic sign," and a variety of complex emotions gradually surfaced in his eyes.

Then he walked to a bench and sat down. His fingers very slowly pulled something out of his pocket and brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully—it was a virtual medicine bottle.

He stared at the instructions written on the "medicine bottle" for a long time, so long that Shen Ao almost thought he had forgotten his lines and was about to remind him.

But at that moment, Zhang Yi suddenly tugged at the corner of his mouth and a smile appeared, but before the smile could take shape, it twisted into an expression that was even uglier than crying.

There are no lines.

Zhang Yi unscrewed the "bottle cap," poured out the "pill," tilted his head back, and made a swallowing motion.

Adam's apple bobbed.

After doing all this, he remained in the tilted-back position, his eyes fixed on the top of his head, motionless.

Watching the performance, Li Xu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clench his hands on his knees.

Zhang Yi's acting skills are truly remarkable!

There are no lines, no intense emotions, and not even many facial expressions, but it is precisely this ability to portray the complex psychology of all inner pretense and persistence collapsing.

Seeing this, Shen Ao and Li Deyuan sat up straight and held their breath.

"good!"

A few seconds later, after Zhang Yi snapped out of his acting state, Li Xu praised him for the first time during a role audition, saying, "Zhang Yi, you're very good!"

If it weren't for the slight doubt about his appearance, he would have almost blurted out, "Zhang Yi, the role of Du Minghao is yours."

But it was this slight doubt about his appearance that prevented Li Xu from making a real decision.

"Thank you, director."

Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Li Xu's praise.

Although Li Xu is young, and although this is only a low-budget film with an investment of tens of millions, it is still a big screen film, and he is going to be paired with Liu Yifei. He values ​​this opportunity very much.

"Zhang Yi, please go back and wait for news. If it is confirmed to be you, I will definitely notify you within three days."

Li Xu nodded and, ignoring the glances from Shen Ao and Li Deyuan beside him, told Zhang Yi to leave without giving a definite answer.

As soon as Zhang Yi left and the door closed, Shen Ao couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped up, his voice becoming somewhat excited: "Director Li, let me tell you, Zhang Yi's acting is absolutely superb! His facial features can be fixed with makeup and styling, don't you think?"

However, Shen Ao's excited tone came to an abrupt halt when he saw Li Xu's calm gaze.

Li Xu slowly shook his head, sighed, and said, "The problem you mentioned is the biggest problem."

"I believe Zhang Yi can portray the male lead Du Minghao's depression, inner wounds, and complex psychology when facing the female lead Song Qing, which I want him to do well, but he is not handsome enough."

"However, the others are also unqualified, so we may need to look again."

Hearing that Li Xu was going to reject Zhang Yi's last choice and was going to continue looking for someone else, Shen Ao became really anxious.

His voice suddenly rose: "Still looking?"

"Zhang Luyi, his looks are alright, right? You say he's too much of an actor."

"Chen Xiao, isn't he handsome enough? And his charisma is enough to play a big star in the music industry, right? You say his acting skills aren't good enough."

"Zhang Yi's acting is good enough, but you say he's not handsome enough! Even Wang Leehom came before; he's a big singer and handsome enough, yet you're still not satisfied with his acting!"

"Tell me, who else is this handsome, talented, and has the qualities of a singer? How about I find you Jay Chou? Even if he agreed, you'd still find fault with him, wouldn't you?"

"Li Xu, how many actors like you can be found in China?"

In the end, after being tormented by the painful casting process for so long, Shen Ao was pushed to the limit and even yelled that he didn't care about being the director anymore!

Faced with Shen Ao's fury, Li Xu neither refuted nor became agitated.

He just sat quietly, his gaze conflicted and hesitant.

He was certainly aware of the situation Shen Ao was referring to.

Actors who are handsome, talented, and possess the charisma of a top singer are extremely rare in China.

There are almost no actors willing to star in his low-budget film with an investment of around ten million yuan, and whose salaries are also not high.

But Li Xu was indeed unwilling. He had a perfect idea in his mind and enough directing ability, but he just lacked a qualified male lead actor.

After a brief silence, Li Xu suddenly spoke up: "Shen'ao, give me a little more time. I just don't want to settle for less."

As he spoke, Li Xu turned his gaze to Li Deyuan: "Deyuan, do we have any other candidates? Newcomers are fine, comedians are fine, and those who haven't made movies before are also fine."

"In short, give me a maximum of three more days, and we'll try again. If it still doesn't meet the requirements, then we'll consider Zhang Yi, Chen Xiao, Zhang Luyi, or Wang Lihong, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Li Deyuan glanced at Shen Ao, who was standing beside him, his face full of anger but remaining silent, and said in a low voice, "Director Li, we have almost finished selecting all the people who have volunteered to invest."

"You didn't approve of any of the suitable young people from Beijing Film Academy, Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, or even Beijing People's Art Theatre, or even the top students recommended by Teacher Mu."

"Our team needs to be paid every day. The lead actor's casting is uncertain, so we can't work on storyboarding, staging, costumes, and props in detail. The crew is burning through cash every day. We also need to pay deposits for locations and schedule equipment rentals..."

At this point, Li Deyuan's voice deepened, "Director Li, everyone is waiting for us to finalize the male lead."

"I know you have high standards. This film is your debut work, a labor of love, and we can't compromise on it. But could we perhaps... lean a little closer to reality?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xu's heart skipped a beat.

Listening to the realism and sincerity in Li Deyuan's words, and feeling Shen Ao's expectant gaze waiting for him to relent, he experienced for the first time the difficulties of pursuing film art.

All viewers want to see good actors, and all directors also want good actors.

But no one can ignore the cost of capital, the quality of the actors that can be found, and the opinions of the investors.

If Liu Yifei hadn't stopped pressuring them, the pressure would have been even greater.

Carrying inner pressure.

Li Xu slowly got up and walked to the whiteboard in the studio that was covered with analyses of movie characters.

In the center of the whiteboard were three words heavily circled with a pen: Du Minghao.

Countless lines extend from this name, connecting to various keywords: anxiety disorder, stage fright, self-loathing, delicate exterior, empty core, longing for touch and warmth...

Li Xu's finger traced the keywords on the whiteboard, finally settling on the eight words "exquisite outer shell, hollow core".

Under the pressure of reality.

Even someone as dedicated to art as Li Xu.

At this moment, I can't help but start to consider whether, if there is really no one else to choose from, I should choose Chen Xiao to keep the "exquisite shell" and Zhang Yi to keep the "empty core", or choose Zhang Luyi who has a part of both, or even Wang Leehom, a big star in the real music scene.

But his deep-seated passion for art made it difficult for him to make a decision and settle for less, watching helplessly as his debut film became a flawed project that was "okay," "watchable," and "acceptable."

Just as Li Xu was struggling in distress.

"Ring ring!"

His cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang, piercing the stagnant air in the studio.

Li Deyuan glanced at the caller ID, a hint of relief in his voice: "Director Li, it's Ms. Liu calling. Should we answer?"