This actor needs more money

"Director Cheng, you are an expert in the industry. Which one do you think is better as the second female lead?"

In the next room, after all the girls had finished auditioning, Zhang Yi asked Cheng Xiaodong.

Without exception, the answer each of them received was to go back and wait for news.

Without offending anyone at all, Cheng Xiaodong said: "I think it's all good."

Zhang Yimou said helplessly: "I really want to hear your opinion, not just to be confused."

"That's Zhang Ziyi." Cheng Xiaodong said while spinning his pen: "Everyone has witnessed her performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

"There's nothing to say about her acting skills or skills. Anyway, in terms of martial arts and figure, she is the best among those who have come."

Nodding thoughtfully, Zhang Yimou continued to ask: "Where is Gong Li?"

"Gong, Sister Li's performance is relatively restrained and does not suit the martial arts style. Another reason is that her age does not match her. The maid of Can Jian must be younger."

"Asking her to play Tony Leung Chaowei's maid doesn't quite make sense in terms of her status. Although she doesn't care, we can't take it seriously."

The second female lead is a maid-like character and cannot be too old. Although Gong Li does not look older, she is still a bit disharmonious compared to Liang Chaowei, Zhang Manyu and others.

After all, she is an international movie queen, so she asked Gong Li to be Zhang Manyu's partner, which is not very reasonable for her position.

"It makes sense, then just follow what you said and choose Zhang Ziyi." After thinking for a few seconds, Zhang Yimou made a decision.

Cheng Xiaodong rolled his eyes and remained silent. He knew that Zhang Yimou was deliberately trying to blame him.

It was my first time filming a martial arts film, and I felt unsure. My ex-girlfriend came here to support me and was willing to condescend to play the second female lead. Who could be so cruel as to keep doing this?

After asking the martial arts instructor for his opinion, he turned around and held a press conference and said that Zhang Ziyi was the one chosen by the martial arts instructor and it was none of his business.

The pot was clearly thrown away.

"Director Zhang, Director Cheng."

As soon as the two finished chatting, Ding Xiu came in and looked at the layout of the room. It was no different from an ordinary audition scene.

There was a chair in the middle, and several swords hung on the weapon racks next to it.

Judging from the crooked placement, Zhang Ziyi and the others had used it.

After sitting down, Ding Xiu said: "Do you need me to improve my skills? I can also use swords."

"No need." Zhang Yimou raised his hand to stop him: "I have already seen your skills. I only have one question for you, how do you treat martial arts masters."

Ding Xiu said without hesitation: "If you are referring to the masters in the ancient world, my answer may disappoint you."

"No matter which dynasty it is, it is illegal to beat people with kung fu. There are only two types of people who can walk around the world with a knife and a sword. One is a soldier and the other is a thief."

The same was true in the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who dared to go shopping with a knife would be slapped down by a police officer before he even reached the street.

I will take you to the Yamen later and identify you as a murderer and bandit. Dozens of unsolved cases will be settled.

What, you said you were wronged?

Normal people who run around in the streets with swords.

Just like today, you try to walk around the streets with a spray gun. When you enter the police station, you say you are a good person and see if people believe it.

Zhang Yimou's voice came out after a while: "So the martial arts people are not good people?"

Right in front, Cheng Xiaodong behind the desk winked at Ding Xiu.

Ding Xiu acted as if he hadn't seen it and replied to himself: "You can say that, after all, who can become a master without blood on his hands? Only the person involved knows how much of it is a heroic act and how much of it is paid to do things. .”

When King Xin Zhu Youjian took office, the Ming Dynasty was already in turmoil, the court was in chaos, and eunuchs were rampant.

The civil society is also in a mess, with either severe drought or floods, disaster relief is not in place, and there are uprisings from time to time. Robbery and murder are commonplace.

If you walk in the alley at night, there may be five or six beggars who are as thin as bamboo poles and want to touch you.

In this kind of environment, there are few warriors who are not stained with blood.

There are even some martial arts people who are engaged in the killing business. They will do anything as long as they are paid money. They are of low character and have no lower limit.

When it was over, after hearing Ding Xiu's answer, Cheng Xiaodong turned his head to the side, held his forehead and remained silent.

He is a martial arts instructor, and Zhang Yimou has discussed the martial arts design with him many times, including the character's personality.

He knew the answer Zhang Yimou wanted, but Ding Xiu obviously answered wrongly.

Seeing that Ding Xiu was about to be sent away, Cheng Xiaodong said, "What do you think of the saying that a great hero serves the country and the people?"

This is what the old man wants.

This sentence comes from The Legend of the Condor Heroes, which Ding Xiu had read. After filming Xiaoao and Yitian, he looked for Jin Yong’s remaining novels and read them.

My favorite is Wei Xiaobao, the winner in life.

However, I admire Guo Jing's courage. The two of them lived in different eras, but their environments were very different.

He thought about intercepting and killing Zhao Jingzhong, and thought about the battle in which one man and one horse fought against a group of Tatar cavalry.

"There is no such thing as a hero. In the face of the hatred of the country and the family, a man's blood is nothing more than his blood."

Zhang Yimou clenched his fists, with a straight face without any expression, just like the invigilator during the exam.

"You should go back first. We will notify you as soon as we have the results as to whether you can be selected."

"grateful."

You will be notified if you are selected or not. The old man is quite disciplined in his work. Unlike some crews, there will be no success after the audition.

If I wasn't selected, I wouldn't even bother to make a call. I'd have to wait at home every day. Finally, when the crew turned on the film, they'd find out that they hadn't been selected. This would have wasted a lot of time.

"Brother Shan, it's your turn!"

Back next door, Ding Xiu stood by the door and shouted, which frightened Zhen Zi Shan.

After saying that, Ding Xiu walked straight into the elevator without staying.

Ten minutes later, Zhen Zidan came out of the elevator, took a few deep breaths, and recalled his performance just now. There was nothing wrong with it, and he was quite satisfied.

Walking to the hotel lobby, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Brother Shan, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Ding Xiu walked towards him.

Feeling nervous, Zhen Zishan was even more nervous than when he had just auditioned in front of Zhang Yimou: "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing. Our competition is not over yet. You said before that we would reschedule the fight another day, but we didn't even leave a phone call. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to find me when you turn around."

"Did I say that?" Zhen Zishan's heart trembled.

"I told you." Ding Xiu said with a smile: "I am very interested in modern fighting, and you are an expert in this field, so we are not allowed to communicate."

"Don't worry, give me a few days, and after I understand the rules of fighting, I will compete with you in fighting."

"No need."

After seeing Zhao Wenzhuo's tragic situation, Zhen Zidan was really scared.

How can a person fly away with just one move? The 1.8 meter tall man almost fainted. It's unscientific.

In Ding Xiu's words, it's better to hold back.

If he didn't hold back, he would be killing someone.

"Don't you need me to be familiar with the rules of fighting? That's okay. The rules of fighting are indeed quite troublesome. I'm a little restrained when I fight, and I'm afraid I won't be able to stop."

Donnie Yen: "..."

What I specifically said is that there is no need to fight.

"Brother Xiu."

"Um?"

"There were a lot of people inside just now."

"Then what?"

"I may not have said something clearly." Zhen Zidan said solemnly, "I'm going abroad soon, so I may not have time to communicate with you in the short term."

Ding Xiu said: "Then let's hurry up and make an appointment as soon as possible."

"The main reason is that I don't have time. I can't miss the schedule."

"It's okay, it probably only takes a few minutes. I'm quick."

"I don't have time for a few minutes. It's too late. My flight is going to be late. I won't say anything anymore. That's it for today. I'll contact you later. Goodbye. No need to send me off."

…

In the audition room, the last interviewer left, Zhang Yimou lit a cigarette and took a heavy drag.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Cheng Xiaodong said: "These people are all good. Everyone can fight. If you look through the entertainment industry, it's hard to find anyone who can fight better than them."

"Wu Jing's shooting skills are flexible, Zhao Wenzhuo's is thick, Zhen Zidan is a bit messy, and his aesthetics are not so good. He prefers actual combat. It's a pity that he doesn't have Ding Xiu."

Shaking the ashes from his cigarette, Zhang Yimou said: "I've seen Ding Xiu's performance, and it was even more powerful than them... Wu Jing, the four of them, was eliminated first. Their baby faces and costumes were not serious enough."

"Choose one of the three." Cheng Xiaodong stared at Zhang Yimou closely and said, "Who should I choose?"

"Who do you want to choose?"

"It's definitely Ding Xiu. In terms of martial arts, he beats Zhao Wenzhuo and Zhen Zidan. Let's not talk about his appearance. You know, because he is a newcomer and his salary is low. He is at least dozens of dollars cheaper than the other two. Ten thousand."

In 1995, Donnie Yen's net worth skyrocketed to 5 million thanks to Jingwu Sect, and it is even more expensive now.

Zhao Wenzhuo is also not cheap. He signed with Xu Laomo's company when he debuted. With Xu Laomo's support, one martial arts film after another was released, and he has great potential to succeed Li Lianjie.

His salary is not as high as that of Donnie Yen, but it is not low either.

Ding Xiu is a newcomer, at least as new as these two, and his salary is not much higher.

Sighing, Zhang Yimou said: "The crew is not short of money. Li Lienjie gave tens of millions, so there is no shortage of these millions."

"Compared with Donnie Yen and Zhao Wenzhuo, he is a bit younger and not so stable. I'm afraid I won't be able to handle the role of male number four Changkong."

The Hero crew has a total investment of 30 million US dollars, and the domestic exchange rate is 1:8, which is 240 million US dollars.

Not short of money.

Li Lienjie's salary was US$3 million, which converted to US$24 million, which was a friendly price.

Compared with his net worth of nine million dollars in Hollywood, it is already a bargain.

Others like Zhang Manyu, Liang Chaowei and others also cost about one million US dollars.

Compared with the salaries of these people, the amount of money earned by the male lead is nothing.

Cheng Xiaodong was stunned for a few seconds: "Director Zhang, you haven't read Ding Xiu's information yet."

"I haven't seen it, what's wrong?"

On the table, Cheng Xiaodong pulled out Ding Xiu's resume from a pile of resumes: "I have worked with him, and his acting is very good. In addition, he just came back from Cannes, and he won the Un Certain Regard Best Actor Award for his first movie. .”

Zhang Yimou was surprised: "I heard that someone in China won the award this time, but I didn't expect it to be him."

One concern is that the best actor is not the best actor, but it is still very good. Especially for newcomers, it is the first movie in their lives, which is not easy.

At least it shows that the actor is talented.

"The drama "A Chinese Ghost Story" starring him will be aired at the earliest by the end of the year, or at the latest by the beginning of next year. It will definitely be a hit by then and the popularity is not bad."

"He has also just finished filming Jin Yong's drama The Heaven and the Dragon Sword, which will be broadcast next year."

Cheng Xiaodong added another sentence.

This time it is necessary to have seniority and popularity, and if the old man still finds fault, there is nothing he can do.

After flipping through Ding Xiu's resume, Zhang Yimou said: "It's him!"

The investors of this drama are foreign companies, and the main market is also overseas. The people who support the movie are Li Lianjie, and Liang Chaowei and Zhang Manyu from Hong Kong Island are supporting it.

Li Lianjie's appeal in the mainland is even stronger than abroad, and his name is the box office.

Zhang Ziyi and Ding Xiu are the top two.

However, Zhang Yimou's crew, even if it is an additional role, is not something that ordinary people can play.

The acting skills are passable, the appearance is suitable, the martial arts are beautiful, the character can be mastered, and the character is well-known.

Ding Xiu meets the first few criteria, but his popularity in the latter part is probably not that high, but since there are two dramas to be broadcast next year, this is not a problem.

Of course, the most important thing was what Ding Xiu said during the audition that made him like it.

"There is no such thing as a hero. In the face of the hatred of the country and the family, men are just bloody."

What he filmed was a bloody story.

…

"Where have you been? The phone can't be reached, and no one answers the knock on the door."

The morning after returning from the audition for the Hero Crew, Ding Xiu came back from outside and saw Qin Gang squatting at the door of his house.

Facing Qin Gang's question, Ding Xiu said: "Run."

"Let go, it's impossible." Qin Gang said: "Your eyes are so red and you smell of alcohol. Wait, why do you still smell of perfume? Is this you dreaming of Paris?"

"Fuck, can you smell this?"

"Old Qin, you are awesome. In ancient times, there was a saying that you could identify a woman by smelling her fragrance. I thought it was a legend. Ask again and see if you can tell which girl it is."

"Don't talk nonsense, I have a wife." Qin Gang said righteously: "Please explain first, why are you going there?"

Taking out the key from his trouser pocket and opening the door, Ding Xiu said, "I, Ding, act like someone else, why do I need to explain to others."

"Brother, we are one and the same now. We are both prosperous and prosperous. Don't mess around."

"Don't worry, I'm just too hot to sleep at night. I'm going to dream about Paris to escape the heat, sing, drink, etc."

"You stayed away all night?"

"I was drunk, I just woke up."

He was really drunk. He spent the first half of the night drinking and singing with four or five girls. Who could stand it after a few hours?

But all he ate were vegetarian meals.

I wanted to have something meaty, but my wallet wouldn't allow it and the manager wouldn't do it either.

He wanted to show off his face, but they almost threw him out.

Qin Gang wanted to guess whether I believe it or not, but this is no longer important.

"You didn't give your name, did you?"

"Heh, you think I'm stupid. I'm a public figure after all. I gave you your name."

"I lost it!"

Ding Xiu entered the house and came out after a while carrying a basin to wash his face and brush his teeth.

"Why are you looking for me so early in the morning?"

"Good thing, the hero crew passed the audition and came here to let you know."

Qin Gang couldn't suppress his excitement when he mentioned this matter.

"How much is the salary?" Ding Xiu took a sip of water, put the toothbrush in his mouth and started gargling.

He only cares about money.

When he gets the money, he will go to Paris and ask for that male manager who looks down on others.

He had to be asked to dance on stage once, take off his clothes, and sing "Dancer's Tears" while dancing.

PS: Sorry, it’s been a few minutes since I finished. The next chapter will be updated at 5 p.m.