Huayu: Just started as a stagehand, but the director's comeback system

After the auditions at the Beijing Film Academy, the film crew of "Black Coal, Thin Ice" officially wrapped up filming.

Jiang Huai didn't rush to edit the master tapes Ning Hao brought back. Instead, he directly dragged Ning Hao along to the auditions at the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

It is indeed a bit harsh to expect a new actor to carry a movie on their own based solely on their looks.

After visiting two schools, Jiang Huai only settled on Tong Liya, who was newly enrolled at the Central Academy of Drama this year.

Compared to Jiang Yiyan, Tong Liya has a more elegant appearance, but the final interview will depend on their understanding of the script.

Jiang Huai didn't intend to drag things out for too long. Even if only two people met his requirements, he didn't go to the nationwide audition for non-film and television schools and went straight to the second round of interviews.

The second round of interviews was held at Yihuai Media. To generate buzz, Jianghuai spent money to hire many reporters outside the company. As soon as the interview results were released, they would launch a massive publicity campaign.

The interior of Yihuai Media wasn't very large, and the two people who walked into the company amidst a group of reporters' flashing lights were both a little nervous.

Jiang Yiyan didn't have the time to look at the Xinjiang girl beside her. Even though the other girl was indeed prettier than her, she was only one step away from success and dared not have any other thoughts.

"Tong Liya, please come in first."

With only two people, Jiang Huai would definitely give Jiang Yiyan more time to prepare, in order to save face for Beijing Film Academy.

Even if she was not as good as Tong Liya later on, Jiang Huai had enough excuses to explain to Beijing Film Academy.

"Don't be nervous, drink some water and calm down first."

Jiang Huai looked at the girl in front of him with Korean-style makeup. No matter what, she had definitely read the script carefully.

The original script for "Beauty Inside" described the scenery as being from South Korea, but Jiang Huai changed it to Shanghai.

The only thing Jiang Huai didn't change was the description of the female lead's appearance in the script. He felt that the current Korean-style makeup would better highlight the female lead's aura.

"Thank you, director. I can begin now."

Tong Liya took the bottled water handed to her by Xing Aina, took only a small sip, and after taking a deep breath, indicated that she had adjusted her state.

"Okay, give me a demonstration of the female lead's expression when she first finds out that the male lead transforms into a different person every day."

As soon as Jiang Huai finished speaking, Tong Liya began her performance. With many years of experience in musical theater, Tong Liya had excellent control over her expressions.

First came the surprise as she slowly stepped back, then the disbelief that followed. Even without any lines, her emotional shift was palpable.

"Okay, you can soften your expression a bit, don't overdo it. Now, act out the female lead's decision to break up."

This time, the question wasn't asked by Jiang Huai, but by Xing Aina, who was sitting next to Ning Hao.

Jiang Huai firmly believes that women are the main consumers of a romance film, so he wanted to hear Xing Aina's opinion during the interview, since she understands women better than the two men.

"Okay, Director Xing."

When Tong Liya heard the request, she felt that this performance would be difficult for a girl who had never been in a relationship. After thinking about it for a while, she could only do what she had seen in the movies.

A tear naturally rolled down her cheek as Tong Liya stared at the air in front of her, imagining that her soon-to-be-broken boyfriend was standing there.

Her slightly trembling hands conveyed a sense of struggle and obsession. The performance ended when Tong Liya pulled her hands away.

It's unclear how Xing Aina views this performance, but Jiang Huai feels that she at least has a natural talent.

"Okay, you can go out and wait for the results now."

After writing an excellent evaluation in his notebook, Jiang Huai asked Tong Liya to leave and called Jiang Yiyan in.

Jiang Huai did not direct Jiang Yiyan's performance; he was merely an audience member, watching how she fulfilled Ning Hao and his wife's requests.

The other person has acted in several TV series, and compared to Tong Liya, they are definitely more experienced.

However, the performance was a bit too contrived, and it lacked the natural charm of Tong Liya.

After the two of them left the meeting room, Jiang Huai first asked Ning Hao to give his opinion.

"Director Jiang, I personally feel that Tong Liya is stronger, and she is also more beautiful."

Both are relatively newcomers, and Ning Hao believes their acting skills are not up to par. He will wait until filming begins to provide guidance on whoever he chooses.

Given that they were all roughly equal, Ning Hao favored Tong Liya more, at least because her exotic charm was more attractive to him.

After Ning Hao finished speaking, Jiang Huai didn't offer any comments and instead asked Xing Aina to give her evaluation.

"Director Jiang, Ning Hao and I have similar opinions; Tong Liya is indeed more suitable."

Compared to Ning Hao's focus on appearance, Xing Aina focused more on the two people's temperament.

As the female lead who needs to carry the film through its later stages, she must have that kind of self-confidence deep down.

Xing Aina saw this confidence in Tong Liya. If the two of them were thrown into a crowd, Tong Liya would definitely be easier to spot than Jiang Yiyan.

"Okay, then let's cast Tong Liya as the female lead. Sister Xing will give her a lot of guidance during this time."

Seeing that Ning Hao and his wife shared the same idea, Jiang Huai directly decided on the final result: Tong Liya would play the female lead, and Jiang Yiyan would play the male lead's appearance when he first met Tong Liya.

After calling the two people waiting outside in, Jiang Huai directly stated the final result.

At the same time, they also presented two pre-prepared contracts.

This was made clear in the notification after the first interview: if you act in this movie, you must sign with Yihuai Media.

Both of them had agreed beforehand, so they had no objections now. After a quick look, they signed their names.

Tong Liya signed an eight-year contract because she got the lead role, while Jiang Yiyan signed a regular five-year contract.

After handing the complete script to Tong Liya, Jiang Huai glanced at the dejected Jiang Yiyan beside him, but didn't offer any comfort. In the entertainment industry, if someone doesn't have a background and can't even accept being eliminated like this, then they're not suited for this place.

With the female lead chosen, the male lead became much simpler. Jiang Huai had already decided to cast some first- and second-tier male actors and some veteran actors in the industry.

It doesn't matter how many people actually get to act; casting a wide net will always yield some.

After Tong Liya and Jiang Yiyan had composed themselves, Jiang Huai personally led them out to face the reporters.

Those who came today had all received payment, so there was no question of any difficult words. Instead, they praised Jiang Huai for his discerning eye and said that Tong Liya perfectly fit the role of the movie's female lead.

Jiang Huai was used to these kinds of simply praising interviews, but Tong Liya and the other person did seem a little flustered.

Jiang Yiyan, who had just composed herself, was so angry she felt like she was grinding her teeth to powder. Even though she was only one step away, she had now become the scrap she once was.