National First-Class and Third-Class Actor

Lin Chuan found an actor he admired, but he didn't invite the other party to join the crew right away.

After all, the other party was the head of the acting department at Jianghai City Film Academy.

Lin Chuan wasn't entirely sure he could persuade him to play the role of the perverted grandfather in Happy Family.

After all, people have their pride.

Those as open-minded as Old Master Ji were ultimately a minority.

Lin Chuan secretly resolved to proceed step-by-step and first test the waters.

Lin Chuan first greeted the department head:

"Director Hou, hello, I've truly admired you for a long time. I really loved your performances in Migratory Birds and White Clouds Far Above."

Director Hou's real name was Hou Yunlai.

Before becoming the head of the acting department, he had naturally acted before.

And his acting was outstanding.

It's just that he had only played righteous characters.

For example, advisors who died for their beliefs, aloof artists, simple farmers, and so on.

People of Director Hou's generation were generally more conservative, valuing their reputation, and worried about being typecast.

Director Hou's personality was also like that.

He had also appeared in some highly-rated television dramas.

And he had made cameos in box-office hits.

But only Migratory Birds and White Clouds Far Above were his proudest works.

However, due to the subject matter, these two works were not well-known to the public.

And Lin Chuan, as a directing student, could actually name these two works and specifically praised Director Hou's acting.

What did this show?

It showed that this was a young director with vision and talent!

Director Hou's demeanor relaxed. The slight wariness that had arisen earlier due to Lin Chuan's gaze vanished.

The first glance Lin Chuan gave Director Hou had made Hou Yunlai uneasy.

In that instant, Director Hou inexplicably felt like he was being treated as prey.

Thinking about it now, it wasn't about being prey. It was the excitement of a "fan" meeting an "idol."

Thinking too much, thinking too much, I was overthinking it.

Director Hou smiled and replied to Lin Chuan, "White Clouds Far Above only grossed a little over five hundred thousand. It's kind of you to remember it."

Lin Chuan smiled, "I also heard about it from my roommate, Ren Hang. He really likes your movies and has watched them over a dozen times in the dorm!"

Ren Hang?

Director Hou frowned.

He searched his mind for the image of this name.

Oh, he remembered. He was Lin Chuan's roommate, a slightly dark-skinned, very sunny and handsome young man.

Before, Director Hou always felt that beneath Ren Hang's handsome exterior, there was a hint of foolishness.

Director Hou had even reprimanded him once for Ren Hang and another roommate installing a homemade air conditioner in their dorm.

He didn't expect this young man to have hidden depths.

Director Hou originally wanted to get to know this young man who directed Balloon this time.

Seeing that Lin Chuan not only remembered his proudest works but also that his roommate was his fan.

His mood immediately brightened considerably:

"I've seen your Balloon too. It was a brilliant and bold film! After watching it, I had nightmares for several days."

Director Hou laughed heartily.

He didn't hide the fact that he had nightmares after Balloon.

Instead, he treated it as a compliment.

After all, if a horror movie isn't scary, then it's truly terrifying.

Director Hou continued, "When you were filming Balloon, the school didn't provide you with any help. Now that you're filming a new movie, you're prioritizing casting from our school. On behalf of the school, I thank you."

Director Hou bowed to Lin Chuan.

Before Lin Chuan could help him up, he said earnestly, "If there's anything the school can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask. Although my position isn't high, I'll do my utmost!"

Director Hou's heartfelt words moved Lin Chuan greatly.

"To be direct," Lin Chuan said, getting straight to the point.

"To be honest, there's a character in Happy Family that I've been struggling to find someone for. The moment you appeared, I had the perfect candidate in mind."

Director Hou pointed to his own nose.

"The candidate you're talking about... couldn't possibly be me, could it?"

Lin Chuan nodded and said sincerely, "I believe this role is perfect for you!"

Director Hou agreed to Lin Chuan's request. "Alright, I'll make a cameo appearance then."

He had told Lin Chuan earlier that if Happy Family needed any help from the school, they should just ask. It wasn't an empty promise.

A small request like a cameo appearance was naturally no trouble at all.

In fact, Director Hou's involvement wasn't just a simple cameo.

As the Director of the Performing Arts Department, Director Hou had considerable skill in performance guidance.

If the actors had any acting questions, Director Hou could also provide timely answers.

Lin Chuan seized the opportunity. "Since that's the case, let's sign a contract!"

With that, he produced the contract and a pen.

Director Hou was taken aback, surprised by Lin Chuan's formality.

He vaguely felt like he was being tricked.

However, looking at Lin Chuan's sincere eyes, Director Hou didn't say anything else. He took the pen and quickly scribbled his name.

Handing the contract back to Lin Chuan, Director Hou even made a joke:

"Director Lin, I'll need your care on set from now on. Even this old bone wants to make a name for itself."

"Oh, Teacher Hou, you jest."

That afternoon, Lin Chuan called Ren Hang.

"Hello, if you have nothing to do today, watch Migratory Birds and White Clouds Far Above. I'll check them later."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'? Watch them quickly!"

"Okay."

With the casting for the eccentric grandfather settled, Lin Chuan found his thinking process suddenly opened up.

He needed an actor who could exude a sense of warmth, do something that would harm the protagonist, yet not make the audience feel annoyed.

Such a character might be hard to find elsewhere.

But in a university, wasn't it a perfect place to look?

He could find them among the faculty!

Most teachers lived in ivory towers, untouched by the harsh realities of society, and their interactions were often tinged with a certain naivete.

Moreover, based on Lin Chuan's experience studying at Jianghai Film Academy, the teachers there generally had a high caliber. Perhaps because they lived in an ivory tower for so long, they carried a degree of idealism.

Many teachers also had high levels of approachability and were well-regarded among the student body.

With his idea clear, Lin Chuan began to select actors from the faculty list who would be suitable for the roles in Happy Family.

His search yielded results.

For the uncle who was addicted to smoking, Lin Chuan found his own class advisor, Ma Wei, to be very suitable.

Ma Wei was plump and often troubled by not receiving students' assignments.

Even when he got angry, the students knew he was a responsible advisor who cared about their well-being.

For the crying aunt, Lin Chuan approached the art teacher, Xu Xiu.

Like most art teachers, Xu Xiu was tall with a small, pale face, possessing a strong artistic flair.

Xu Xiu's art skills were undeniable, but her psychological resilience was not great.

Once, because a student's artwork was too ugly, she burst into tears in class.

She felt that teaching students with such poor drawing skills made her unworthy of being a teacher.

Later, the student voluntarily explained that they were just auditing the class.

They promised they would absolutely not say they were Xu Xiu's student after leaving.

Only then did Teacher Xu Xiu stop crying.

These two teachers initially refused.

But after Lin Chuan brought up Director Hou and played the emotional card, both teachers agreed to Lin Chuan's request.