thefictionvixens Chapter 33 was disliked.
Chapter 33 was disliked.
At that time, perhaps no one except Xu Ke believed that Zhang Manyu could play the role of Jin Xiangyu well.
What is Zhang Manyu's image now?
Jade Girl!
She debuted after winning the first runner-up title in the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1983 and has always been known to audiences for her pure and lovely image.
She later switched from Shaw Brothers to Golden Harvest, maintaining the same persona.
In the Police Story series, she also played a beautiful but decorative role.
If there was any change, it was after I collaborated with Wong Kar-wai on the film "As Tears Go By".
But that was a breakthrough in acting skills; it didn't change his public image much.
It has to be said that Wong Kar-wai is quite capable; he's very good at training actors.
Zhang Manyu, Zhang Guorong, and Liang Chaowei all reached their peak acting skills after working with Wong Kar-wai.
Zhang Manyu, in particular, showed the most obvious change.
Before "As Tears Go By," she was just a loud, pouty, and glaring pretty girl.
In the Hong Kong film industry, there is no shortage of beautiful but talentless actresses.
After starring in "As Tears Go By," she seemed to have unlocked her full potential, and her acting became much more nuanced and layered.
This attracted the attention of many Hong Kong New Wave directors, leading to her starring in several high-quality films.
Last year, she won the Best Actress award at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards for her role in Stanley Kwan's "Three Women's Story".
This is her first acting honor.
This year, she won Best Actress at the 9th Hong Kong Film Awards for her role in "The Bare-Socked Girl".
In just two years, Zhang Manyu has rapidly risen to prominence in the film industry, becoming one of the most accomplished actresses.
This is why investors hate Wang Jiawei so much, while big-name celebrities flock to him.
Actors can win awards for their movies.
Even if they were tortured to the point of death by Wong Ka-wai, or even made fun of, they were happy to do it.
Although Zhang Manyu has already forged her own path, the character Jin Xiangyu, with her bold, daring, charming, and seductive personality, is a stark contrast to her own personality.
Even Brigitte Lin hesitated to go.
It's no wonder that Ng See-yuen opposed Cheung Man-yuk playing the role.
After all, they invested real money in it.
Therefore, one has to admire Tsui Hark's vision; it was he who overruled objections to cast Zhang Manyu as Jin Xiangyu in the original timeline.
Xu Ke is the best Chinese-language director at filming women, bar none.
The female characters he portrays are all very distinctive, leaving a deep impression on the audience, and he has created countless classic roles.
Even someone like Yang Baobei, who can only stare blankly, can still create a representative work on the screen.
"Since you also approve of Zhang Manyu, then it's her. I'll go talk to Wu Siyuan later, and he'll have to agree whether he wants to or not."
Tang Long didn't respond. It wasn't that he was arrogant; he just had a good relationship with Wu Siyuan.
Many classic films, such as the "Once Upon a Time in China" series, "New Dragon Gate Inn", and "Green Snake", were collaborations between the two of them.
One person directed and the other produced, and they worked together seamlessly.
"Director Xu, what about the other actors?"
Hearing this, Xu Ke gave Tang Long a strange look and replied:
"Mo Shaocong was the first choice for the role of Cao Shaoqin for both Wu Siyuan and me, but he declined."
"If you refuse, then refuse."
In the original timeline, because Cai Ziming was shot and killed, Li Lianjie withdrew from the show and ran back to the mainland. Mo Shaocong, fearing that he would be affected by the incident, also chose to withdraw from the show.
Unexpectedly, the inertia of history is so strong. "New Dragon Gate Inn" was released ahead of schedule, but the incident didn't happen, and he still chose to refuse.
"By the way, why did he refuse?" Tang Long asked casually.
"He thinks you're not famous enough and doesn't want to play a supporting role for you."
Holy crap!
Is he very famous?
"Hey, he's really quite popular. Two years ago, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Horse Awards for his role as Lai Xi in 'The Last Eunuch in China,' and his acting skills have been widely recognized."
Tang Long was speechless.
Compared to Mo Shaocong, he is indeed lagging behind in every aspect.
But he debuted late; he's only made two movies so far, while Mo Shaocong has already been in the industry for ten years.
Xu Ke saw that Tang Long's face was slightly flushed and burst into laughter.
Since getting to know this young man, I've found that he always seems calm and collected.
He always had a clear understanding of the discussions surrounding "New Dragon Gate Inn".
This made Xu Ke feel frustrated; he felt inferior to a young man.
Seeing Tang Long suffer a setback and his defenses crumble, I finally felt a sense of relief.
Tang Long took a deep breath and then asked:
"Mo Shaocong declined, so who are you planning to invite?"
"We haven't found a suitable candidate yet. Eighth Master did recommend his disciple, Zhen Zidan, but he's not as famous as you. Wu Siyuan and I are both a bit hesitant."
Donnie Yen debuted quite early. Due to her mother's connections, she joined the Yuen Clan as soon as she arrived in Hong Kong and was heavily promoted by Yuen Woo-ping.
However, by the mid-to-late 1980s, his kung fu comedy style had become outdated, and several films starring Donnie Yen failed to make any waves.
It wasn't until last year, when he starred in "Royal Warriors 4: Witness", that he gained some fame with his eye-catching fighting moves.
Tang Lung has only acted in two movies, but he has generated a lot of discussion. In terms of fame, he is no less than Donnie Yen, who has been in the industry for six years.
But hearing these words from Xu Ke always made him feel a little hurt.
"Director Tsui, how about Donnie Yen? He might not be as good as Mok Siu-chung in dramatic scenes, but he's definitely got it in action scenes."
In the end, it's you and those two female leads who will carry the film's box office.
"Alright, we really can't delay any longer."
This was the first time Tang Long had offered advice on casting, and Xu Ke had to give him face.
When are we leaving for the mainland?
"We should go there after the Lunar New Year. We'll first build a set in a Hong Kong studio and shoot indoor scenes. We'll start filming on December 25th and have a blessing ceremony."
It's December 10th now, and there are still two weeks until filming starts. The cast hasn't been finalized yet, so the schedule is a bit tight.
However, both Wu Siyuan and Xu Ke are industry veterans, and after reaching a consensus, the preparations progressed quickly.
Tang Long didn't know how Xu Ke persuaded Wu Siyuan, but in the end, Zhang Manyu was invited to play the role of Jin Xiangyu.
Tang Long's Zhou Huai'an, Brigitte Lin's Qiu Moyan, and Donnie Yen's Cao Shaoqin.
Supporting actors such as Liu Xun, Wu Qihua, Xiong Xinxin, and Xu Jinjiang have also taken their places.
With the launch of the "New Dragon Inn" project, the production team released character stills, which quickly attracted the attention of the media.
Whether it's Tsui Hark, Brigitte Lin, or Zhang Manyu, they are all figures who generate a lot of buzz.
Tang Long's "The Blade" had just finished its run, and audiences and the media still remembered him.
The four are collaborating on a new martial arts film, and although filming hasn't started yet, it has already generated considerable anticipation among some viewers.
During this period, Tang Long has been preparing for the role of Zhou Huai'an.
He knew very well that he was far inferior to Leung Ka-fai in dramatic scenes, so he made up for it in action scenes.
When writing the script, he added more action scenes for the male lead.
But "New Dragon Gate Inn" is not "The Blade," and the dramatic scenes are equally important.
Even if he can't act as well as Leung Ka-fai, at least he can't be a complete failure.