Chapter 256 – Chen Fengchen’s Anger

“No, no! He can’t do it!”

“Director Chen, why can’t he do it? Our Yanliang spent a lot of effort into observing the countryside for this film and endured a lot of hardship! Could you please give him some guidance? Maybe he can pull it off?”

“Even with guidance, it’s useless! There’s a flaw, one word: pretending! Do you understand? He portrays the roughness and vulgarity of a rural person, but deep inside, there’s resistance. What kind of Xu Sanduo do we want? From appearance to the very core, he must have that sense of inferiority that poverty-stricken rural children possess. It’s something the environment shapes, something that cannot be erased! So his performance, anyone with a discerning eye can see he’s pretending. His pretending is too obvious, it’s beyond redemption!”

Chen Fengchen once again sent off an actor who had come for an audition with his agent, but then he unleashed his suppressed anger on his assistant and the crew members.

“What kind of actors are these?”

“Where did they come from?”

“They act like sh*t, what was the point of your preliminary screening?”

“Did you receive money? Huh?”

This furious and thunderous scolding caused everyone below to remain silent and dare not even breathe.

In fact, it wasn’t entirely because of the actor’s problem. Chen Fengchen was furious because, during this time, he had been juggling the post-production work for “The Great Chu Palace” and the task of assembling the crew for “Soldier Assault”. He was also feeling frustrated because he couldn’t find the Xu Sanduo he had in mind.

As for other roles, it was relatively easy to handle. If Xu Sanduo couldn’t be found, there was no way this movie could be made!

Chen Fengchen remembered the backup plan he had made: “Where did Little Ruan go? The self-introduction videos of the new actors that I asked him to review before, why has there been no news for more than a week?”

Assistant Ruan hadn’t been slacking off before, but he didn’t want to appear too diligent. He was afraid that after presenting the screened videos, he would be scolded by the nitpicking Chen Fengchen. But now, even if he was unlucky, he could only grit his teeth and run over with his laptop: “I’m here, Director Chen. I saw that you were quite busy before…”

Without much nonsense, Chen Fengchen waved away Assistant Ruan and started opening the screened audition videos one by one. Although he was getting older, he was no worse than younger people in using these high-tech products!

The more he watched, the darker Chen Fengchen’s forehead became.1

If the actors recommended by talent agencies and entertainment companies earlier were pretending to be farmers, then in Assistant Ruan’s videos, 60% to 70% percent were actors played by farmers!2

Clearly, he was afraid of his anger, so he went to find some actual farmers to “self-recommend”! While these farmers do have a rustic charm, their acting skills are truly unbearable to watch!

Chen Fengchen has walked more roads than the rice he has eaten3. How could Chen Fengchen not see through Assistant Ruan’s little thoughts?

However, he would save his scolding for later! Chen Fengchen still held back his anger and diligently opened the videos one by one. When he was almost at the end, he saw one labeled “Actor Geng Sha, Audition Act 9, Scene 7.”

Geng Sha, this name was quite unique. Chen Fengchen took a closer look before clicking on it.

In the video, there appeared a silly-looking man, who wasn’t very tall and has a dark complexion, similar to the previous farmers. He seemed young, although not as young as Xu Sanduo, but he should still be just an immature rural child.

Someone off-camera delivered lines to him, “Do you want to become a soldier? Little brother?”

Chen Fengchen saw this child named Geng Sha look timidly at the camera, unsure if it was acting or real, and then said somewhat hesitantly, “I want to.”

“Why?”

In the video, Geng Sha’s mouth moved, he lowered his head and hesitated for a moment before saying in a very small voice, “After becoming a soldier, my dad won’t call me a b*str*d son anymore. He won’t be able to kick me or hit me, and I won’t hear what he calls me anymore.”

This Mandarin, filled with dialect accents, made Chen Fengchen feel a sense of familiarity and warmth, causing him to pause his action of closing the video. Chen Fengchen hesitated for a moment and decided to continue watching.

Geng Xia, who appeared on the computer screen, made a head scratching gesture. Normally, Chen Fengchen was repelled with this kind of meaningless small gesture, but when Geng Xia raised his head, revealing his ordinary and simple face, coupled with this gesture, it unintentionally moved his heart.

Chen Fengchen’s eyes became serious.

“I graduated from junior high school, and my teachers said I studied diligently, for real. Cheng Cai graduated from high school, but he didn’t study well. In junior high, he always copies my notes.” Geng Sha seemed to be talking about his own glorious deeds, and he straightened up his chest a little.

In this section of the script, Xu Sanduo confided his innermost thoughts to Shi Jin, which was a key plot point. It was essentially a monologue for the protagonist.

“I have a lot of courage. Cheng Cai and the others tried to scare me in the cemetery, but they didn’t scare me. Sometimes I pretended to be scared, just so they’ll stop. I’m not afraid to watch pigs being slaughtered. It’s… it’s just… it’s just…” Geng Sha was trying hard to defend himself, just like when he was being ridiculed at in the film and television base. He clumsily and earnestly explained to others that he was not stupid.

In the end, due to his low level of education, he stumbled over his words. This was also part of Geng Sha’s real experience. He fully embodied the kind of unpretentious tension, excitement, and annoyance that Xu Sanduo should have in this situation.

Chen Fengchen couldn’t help but be captivated by Geng Sha’s authentic performance, and his left hand clenched into a fist.

“Not enough, show me more, a little more!” Chen Fengchen called out from deep within his heart.

In the scene, the narrator exchanged a few lines with Xu Sanduo. Shi Jin’s words made Xu Sanduo happy, so Geng Sha also showed a smile. His smile always gave people a carefree feeling, and his mouth must have been grinning to the extent that his gums were almost visible!

“At my house, there’s a dish called Stir-Fried Pork with Bamboo Shoots!” Geng Sha’s silly smile and the silly conversation revealed his changes.

Previously, Geng Sha had indeed shown his inherent inferiority when trying to present himself. But now, due to Shi Jin’s kind conversation, Geng Sha seemed to have let go of his guard. The strong sense of simplicity in their conversation made Chen Fengchen feel comfortable.

Especially Geng Sha’s smile, it made Chen Fengchen suddenly felt that this short boy was not so ugly. His soul was beautiful!

It was like Xu Sanduo!

“He is my Xu Sanduo!” This thought startled Chen Fengchen himself. It should be known that even when a famous star came to audition for his roles, Chen Fengchen would still put them through a series of tests and would never say that he would make a decision after just a few glances.

But Geng Sha did gave him that feeling!

It seemed a bit unreasonable…

After all, he was a great director, and Chen Fengchen quickly calmed down.

“I want to meet this actor. You have half a day to find him!” Chen Fengchen called over Assistant Ruan, and the ecstatic expression on his face had long disappeared, and he spoke with authority.

Assistant Ruan couldn’t figure out what was going on, nor did he know what Chen Fengchen wanted to do exactly. However, he agreed with a trembling heart and quickly ran out to find Da Bin, saying, “Hurry up and call Geng Sha over. I’ll give you two hours! Two hours, I want to see him!”