China Entertainment Times 1999

Chapter 64: Winning the Male Lead

When talking about Sun Wukong, the image of the six-year-old boy always comes to mind first.

Although Teacher Six later became a laughing stock by repeatedly marketing "Monkey King" just to make money, his performance was still impeccable.

However, the Monkey King in "Journey to the West" is very different from the Monkey King in the 86 version of "Journey to the West", and it is even more different from the image in the original work.

It is later said that Sun Wukong has become a Buddha and has great wisdom. His intelligence level is the ceiling in this drama, and he is no longer the scratching monkey in "Journey to the West".

So after careful consideration, Lin Xuan gave up the idea of ​​imitating a six-year-old boy and instead wanted to play a different Sun Wukong.

After searching for a long time in the course list, I finally found a suitable course.

[Half Demon, Half Buddha: Performance Techniques of Fighting Gods and Buddhas (Price: 8000)]

This course has 32 hours and can be completed in about four days.

…………

In the past few days, Lin Xuan has been interviewed by several magazines and TV stations.

The content is actually pretty much the same, just a few sentences repeated over and over again.

But as the Beijing TV interview aired, Lin Xuan's true appearance was exposed on TV for the first time, causing quite a stir.

Many magazines have reprinted it, and the photos have been posted on online forums.

The audience who watched the show were amazed by his appearance.

On the other hand, I was also moved by his inspirational story of coming from a poor background and being proactive.

The two complemented each other, and Lin Xuan's popularity began to rise rapidly.

Many television and media magazines have extended invitations to him for interview opportunities.

Wang Jinhua realized that this was an excellent publicity opportunity.

So she screened all the invitations, selected a dozen high-value targets, and then took Lin Xuan to fly across the country.

It was often the case that yesterday I was recording a program in a provincial city in the south, and today I would fly to Shanghai to be interviewed by a magazine, which gave Lin Xuan the feeling of being a trapeze artist.

Wang Jinhua also helped him make appointments with several fashion magazines, focusing on costume photos.

She has also been following up on the matter of starring in TV series.

At the beginning, the big boss really wanted to withdraw his capital and leave the company, but no matter how Wang Jinhua tried to persuade him, it was of no use.

But as "Journey to the West" is being discussed more and more.

The big boss was a little hesitant, thinking that with so many people paying attention to this drama, if it were filmed, it would be easy to sell.

So the key question is who to play Sun Wukong.

The big boss’s first choice is naturally Liu Xiaolingtong.

However, the crew's finances are tight now. If the salary of a six-year-old child is paid, then even if the drama can be completed, there will be no money for special effects in the end.

Moreover, Liu Xiaolingtong was originally unwilling to appear in the show, and now that the show has attracted so much criticism, Teacher Liu, who cherishes feathers, must be even more reluctant.

Wang Jinhua took the opportunity to recommend Lin Xuan, which shocked the big boss and suspected that she was joking.

Wang Jinhua did not give up and told him about Lin Xuan's advantages.

Good looks...well, good looks are not required to play Sun Wukong.

Let's talk about acting skills. Lin Xuan has starred in CCTV dramas, and his acting skills are definitely up to par.

Then talking about his martial arts skills, Lin Xuan once played a supporting role in Yuan Heping's "Little Li Fei Knife", and Director Yuan praised him many times.

Then there's the bargain. Lin Xuan specifically told Wang Jinhua that as long as he was the starring role, the salary would be whatever he wanted.

The most important thing is popularity!
This was originally Lin Xuan's weakness, but with his continuous appearance on the show in the past few days and his popularity rising, this weakness no longer exists.

After listening to the summary, the big boss seemed to make sense.

He is a little interested, but he is only responsible for investment. Whether the actor is suitable depends on the opinions of the chief director, producer, and screenwriter.

So after finishing the last recording of the program, Wang Jinhua and Lin Xuan flew back to Qin Province to prepare for the audition for the male lead.

…………

This audition is different from the past. Lin Xuan has to put on costumes and makeup for the audition.

When he was ready, he came to the room of chief director Li Yuan.

In addition to the director, there are also screenwriter Qian Yanqiu, producer Wang Lin, representatives from provincial stations, and big bosses.

The five people frowned when they saw his makeup look.

Lin Xuan is tall, while Sun Wukong should be thin and flexible. Neither Liu Xiaolingtong nor Cao Rong are tall.

Several people exchanged opinions with each other, and the other four felt that it was too high.

Only Qian Yanqiu supported Lin Xuan and asked them not to dwell on Sun Wukong's past image.

The Sun Wukong in the sequel script has become a Buddha, smart and wise, which is much different from the original version. There is nothing wrong with being taller and more powerful.

Lin Xuan cast a grateful look at him.

Old money is still interesting enough.

After listening to it, the others thought about it a little and felt it made sense, so they skipped this question for the time being.

Chief director Li Yuan said: "You have read the script, just pick a few paragraphs and act them out."

Lin Xuan nodded, thought for a while, and decided to play Duan Wenxi first.

This is the plot of Monkey King II causing trouble in the Heavenly Palace and quarreling with the Jade Emperor.

He doesn't have Cao Rong's Hong Kong accent, and he enunciates clearly when reading his lines.

He clamped the sound slightly to distinguish between Monkey King's voice and Qiao Ling'er's.

When he performed, several people paid attention to the expressions on his face and body movements.

After observing for a moment, they were all a little surprised.

Lin Xuan's performance is not like that of a six-year-old child, he completely imitates the movements of a monkey.

Not like Cao Rong, who had a stiff expression and shook his head.

Rather, it is somewhere in between, finding a balance between movement and stillness.

After the theatrical performance ended, director Li Yuan asked curiously:
"Why do you want to play Sun Wukong like this? I thought at first that you would imitate the performance of a six-year-old child." Lin Xuan explained: "The Monkey King in the original story has a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, and is wild and untamed.

In the sequel, Sun Wukong has become a Buddha, and the character is smart and wise, so he definitely cannot imitate a six-year-old boy.

I chose to interpret this character with a half-demon, half-Buddha understanding. "

After some explanation, the four of them understood what he meant.

Then, Lin Xuan picked up the stick on the ground and performed a martial arts show.

His kung fu foundation is not bad, and he has also undergone special training these days.

In the blink of an eye, he used the stick in his hand to move like a tiger and a tiger, moving freely and smoothly.

At the end of the performance, the four people applauded excitedly.

This stick technique is so beautiful!
Qian Yanqiu was also surprised and asked: "You played Sun Wukong very well and very vividly. Have you practiced before, or is this the result of the surprise training in the past few days?"

Lin Xuan explained: "I just started practicing in the past few days."

"Great!"

Qian Yanqiu gave a thumbs up in admiration, and the others also looked surprised.

If Lin Xuan wasn't lying, then his learning ability was a bit unbelievable.

After the audition ended, he left the room and went out to rest, allowing the four of them to discuss slowly inside.

Through the audition just now, he has shown his amazing ability and is fully qualified for this role.

Under the current predicament of the crew, there is no second candidate more suitable than him.

So after several people discussed it, they decided to let him play the role of Sun Wukong.

Lin Xuan was called back to the room and learned that he had got the role. He expressed his gratitude to them excitedly.

Now that the starring role has been confirmed, a new question arises.

Should Qiao Linger be replaced?
Li Yuan first asked Lin Xuan what he meant.

He thought about it and decided to continue playing Qiao Ling'er.

First of all, Sun Wukong's face is covered with hair, and today's TVs are not the big-screen TVs of later generations. If the audience can see it, there will be ghosts.

Secondly, Monkey King and Qiao Ling'er don't have many scenes in the same frame, so they can be shot separately and then edited together.

If that doesn't work, you can also use Sun Wukong's stand-in.

In "Journey to the West", the six-year-old children also used a lot of stand-ins due to injuries, but many viewers didn't notice.

The chief director also knows that it is not technically difficult for one person to play two roles.

Mainly because I was worried that Lin Xuan would have too many roles, which would affect the performance of the main character.

But seeing that he insisted, the director team agreed.

The next step is to discuss the issue of on-site directors and who should be found to fill this gap.

There is no shortage of well-known and good directors in the Mainland to film, so it is very difficult to find them temporarily.

After several people discussed it, the provincial station and director Li Yuan finally made concessions.

He was originally filming in the provincial capital with Qian Yanqiu, but now he was going to discuss it with the provincial station.

He directed the drama there by himself, while Qian Yanqiu was in charge of "Journey to the West".

No one has any opinions on this decision.

Qian Yanqiu has been a director and a screenwriter, so he can shoulder this responsibility.

As for action directing, which is relatively simple, producer Wang Lin said that he knows a lot of people and can help the crew with questions.

All the mess left by Cao Rong was repaired, and the big stone in everyone's hearts finally fell to the ground.

The big boss was also very happy and went out with a smile to discuss the salary issue with Wang Jinhua.

Lin Xuan continued to stay in the room, talking to them about Monkey King's appearance and revising the script.

The original Monkey King's costume is ugly and tacky.

That silver-white armor was even more ugly to a new level.

Lin Xuan thought of a later game and planned to refer to their Monkey King style.

There is also the issue of the script.

Now that Qian Yanqiu has become the director and screenwriter, the second version of the script must not be used again.

Poor old Qian has to start writing scripts again.

First of all, those scenes that Cao Rong deleted indiscriminately, which seriously affected the unity of the context and the context, must be made up.

When later generations read "Journey to the West", many people did not understand Ayinavar's sudden rebellion.

In fact, it was because when Cao Rong deleted the script, he deleted the scene where he was seduced and controlled by the Black Lotus Envoy.

Of course, Lao Qian's original script also had many problems.

He may be used to writing novels, so he used many magnificent words and phrases when describing important scenes.

This is certainly possible in a novel because the reader can figure it out.

But to be made into a TV series, a scene with just a few words often requires tens or millions of special effects to produce.

The crew's funds are limited, so many areas need to be modified.

When the conversation was almost over, Lin Xuan stood up and left.

First go to change clothes and remove makeup, and then find Wang Jinhua to sign.

The contract benefits have been communicated, and Wang Jinhua is not as open as the lion.

Considering that the crew was short of funds and would need money for special effects in the later stage, she only paid 10 yuan for the film.

Lin Xuan is also quite satisfied. With these [-], the system will be upgraded after the show ends.

　Please read!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)