Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 816 - 531: Sincere Words (Part 3)

Whether it’s mainland or Hong Kong and Taiwan, whether it’s the mother in "My Parents" or Jing Qiu in "Love under the Hawthorn Tree," whether it’s the mute girl in "Kung Fu" or the teacher in "CJ7," including "One Second" or those actresses in "Youth," all possess a certain "pure" and "innocent" character image.

The rare exception is Kang Wen. He seems not to fancy such women; he prefers those sexy, bold, with a hint of a tough demeanor, like Ning Jing in "Sunny Days" or Zhou Yun in "The Sun Also Rises."

Anyway, in the current broad environment of Chinese-language films, if an actor is a bit thoughtful and seeks artistic expression, they will almost inevitably clash with the old-school directors.

Especially the older generation of directors, who are very reluctant to have their authority challenged.

"Xiao Jing could shoot more storytelling films; she’s more suited to those emotionally intense roles than I am," Zhou Yun said. "Her acting style is more realistic than mine."

By ’realistic,’ it means more relatable to life.

Zhou Lan nodded and said, "I think the same, but I’m not very willing to let Xiao Jing act in life dramas. If she acts in life dramas now, she basically can’t play the female lead. The mainstream audience for life dramas doesn’t favor actresses of her age; she’d mostly play a supporting role for the lead, as an enemy or a relative, as a cameo appearance, like in ’Xiao Min’s Family’ or ’Life Faction.’ Such life dramas don’t have room for Xiao Jing. I’d rather help her take on some comedy or suspense movies, or youth romance or period drama series."

"That’s good too," Zhou Yun nodded, "These genres fit her current age."

"But as you know, she got a Lingjun Award nomination for ’Behind the Scenes,’ and I don’t want her to waste this starting point. If she can use this starting point to establish herself in the film industry, then she should. Even if it means more supporting roles, she should build a foothold in the film industry," Zhou Lan said, "Getting into TV from film is easy, but getting into film from TV is much harder."

"Keep both hands on it," Zhou Yun said, "The key is what type of movies you want Xiao Jing to act in. If you want her to keep acting in mainstream, commercial films, it’s really about boosting fame and accumulating box office. If you want Xiao Jing to win more awards, then she must act in films by great directors. We still care a lot about directors here domestically. But if that’s the case, Xiao Jing wouldn’t have much time to shoot TV dramas."

Zhou Lan: "Honestly, I still hope Xiao Jing can maintain her current momentum. She has gained some recognition. If at this point she dives entirely into the film industry, if several roles in a row don’t make an impact, she might lose her chances. I still hope she mainly shoots TV dramas, and if good film scripts or roles come along, then let her do movies. What do you think?"

"I... I can’t decide on this matter; you should ask her what she thinks," Zhou Yun said, "Whatever choice you make, you have to respect her personal opinion."

Zhou Lan sighed, feeling troubled: "It’s worrying."

"Don’t worry, it’s a happy problem you’re having," Zhou Yun said with a smile, "My suggestion is when you don’t know what path to take, don’t worry about the path. Focus on the scripts, on the projects, choose what benefits Xiao Jing the most, which script is the best, which project has the highest success rate — choose that. Planning ahead can’t compare with the real uplifting effect a good play has on an actor."

These are Zhou Yun’s heartfelt words.

She now has the luxury to indulge, even Director Kang Xin’s new series is waiting for her schedule, all because she’s solidly achieved, making others willing to accommodate her, willing to wait for her schedule, everyone believes she’s worth waiting for, worth embracing.

As long as Wang Jing can deliver a few great performances, the industry will truly remember her, not just for being Zhou Yun’s junior, not just for following Zhou Yun and shooting "Behind the Scenes," and luckily getting a Lingjun Award nomination.

Zhou Lan nodded: "Got it."

"How is Zeng Lili doing over there?" Zhou Lan asked again.

"She’s about a week from wrapping up," Zhou Yun sighed. "Lily is very dedicated. Filming is almost unaffected, but I often see her shedding tears alone, and it’s difficult for me to watch."

"Ah," Zhou Lan said, "I hope her husband’s surgery goes well."

—

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