Reshaping Life (Showbiz)
Chapter 33

Page 33

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For many actors, wrapping a production was merely the end of one job, with more engagements waiting in the future. For a crew, the wrap of many actors only marked a temporary end to their collaboration. With so many actors on set, everyone's schedules differed; people coming and going, parting and reuniting, was perfectly normal.

But for fourteen-year-old Lu Heng, Autumn Dew White was the first film he had appeared in since debuting. What was more, during filming, Director Fang had raised the difficulty and his expectations of Lu Heng on his own initiative because he cherished talent. Though it had honed Lu Heng's temperament and acting skills, whenever he thought of the criticism and pressure the young boy had endured... even Director Fang, old as he was, felt rather embarrassed.

He felt guilty, as though he had bullied a child.

So, on the evening of Lu Heng's wrap day, Fang Kaizhi specially gave the crew half a day off. Everyone finished early and returned to the hotel to hold a wrap party for Lu Heng.

Most of the scripts Lu Heng had taken on in his previous life had been commercial action films. He had never worked with Fang Kaizhi, who only made art films. Thus, he had never known that Director Fang, whose demands on set were so strict they bordered on nitpicking, could be such a considerate and emotional person.

At the wrap party, Fang Kaizhi handed Lu Heng an internal Autumn Dew White poster that he had specially instructed the post-production staff to make.

There were two posters, both exquisitely designed in layout and color. One was a "grand reunion" poster featuring every actor, laid out somewhat like a family portrait and composited by the post-production staff using materials provided by Director Fang. The other was an individual poster centered on the first performance of young Han Lusheng, played by Lu Heng, with the rest of the main cast arranged behind him.

During the official distribution and promotional stage of a film, a poster like this would never pass the publicity department's review. But Fang Kaizhi had never intended to use it for promotion or to attract viewers. He only thought that Lu Heng was so young, filming his first movie, yet had spent more than three months studying Peking Opera alongside the entire crew. He had clearly been playing only a minor extra, yet Fang had "made things difficult" for him for so long.

After putting in so much, who knew how many of his shots would remain in the final cut? No matter what, the child had not had it easy. Giving him a poster of his own could be considered a keepsake.

"This is the first production of your life, and you performed exceptionally well." Fang Kaizhi gave Lu Heng a thumbs-up, ruffled his hair as though coaxing a child, and said with a smile, "Keep this poster as a memento. I hope that in your future life, no matter what script you take on or what role you accept, you will treat yourself as the most important person and give it your all in playing your role well."

"Scripts divide actors into leads and supporting roles, but life does not. Xiao Heng, remember this: always treat your own life with the same effort you would give to playing the lead."

Fang Kaizhi's earnest guidance was clearly well-intentioned. Looking at the exquisite poster in his hands, Lu Heng was so moved that tears nearly burst forth.

Honestly, Director Fang truly deserved to be a great director of art films. Why did he have to make things so sentimental?

Lu Heng blinked, and his pitch-black eyes shimmered with moisture as he looked at Fang Kaizhi.

The longer one stayed in the industry, the more one understood how rigid its hierarchy was. Status, seniority, popularity, influence... Before many films released posters, they would confirm with the lead actors' management teams the size and proportion of each actor's image on the promotional poster, their placement in the layout, and so on. Every insider knew what these seemingly trivial details meant to an actor.

Many actors spent their entire lives acting without ever having their image occupy the most prominent position on a film poster.

Compared to them, Lu Heng was undoubtedly fortunate. In his previous life, he had always been an undisputed lead by virtue of his own abilities. In this life, thanks to Director Fang's thoughtfulness, he had unexpectedly received the first film poster of his life as well.

No one attending the wrap party had expected Director Fang to have such a trick up his sleeve, and they all looked over in surprise.

Best Actor Liu Jiawei poured himself a glass of juice, raised it to Lu Heng, and said with a smile, "You're a great kid. You're talented and willing to work hard. I believe you'll definitely succeed."

Lu Heng thanked him with a smile and drained the cola in his glass in one gulp.

Rong Xiu also came over and hugged Lu Heng. He had prepared a wrap gift for him as well: a set of Peking Opera clay figurines, complete with sheng, dan, jing, mo, and chou roles, packed inside a small box. They looked delicate and adorable. "A little gift for you. If you ever come to Hong Kong to film, Brother Rong will take you to an amusement park..."

After several months together, everyone had become quite close. On top of that, although Lu Heng was young, he was sensible, considerate, and polite. Huaxia Imperial Entertainment was strongly backing him, and he had considerable potential himself. For all sorts of reasons, many people had prepared wrap gifts for Lu Heng. Even Yue Sennan had prepared a notebook for him.

"These are some insights and experiences I've summarized over my years of filming." Yue Sennan smiled gently. "This is for you."

Ever since Yue Sennan had recovered and returned to the crew, he had become much more low-key. Every day, he worked hard at filming. Whenever he had free time, he treated everyone to food and drinks. His professional attitude and approachable behavior quickly won everyone's favor. No one discussed Yue Sennan's loss of composure at the opening press conference anymore. On the rare occasions someone brought it up, they all felt that Zhao Miao and Wei Linxuan had simply caught him at the wrong moment. Yue Sennan was, after all, a first-tier star with a name in the industry. Being mocked and ridiculed like that in front of the media, reporters, and the entire crew—keeping it in showed restraint, but failing to do so was understandable too.

What man did not have a temper?

Yet Yue Sennan, who had successfully redeemed his image within the crew, had never spoken to Lu Heng. During the period when Fang Kaizhi had kept making Lu Heng redo takes, Lu Heng had sought advice from everyone on the crew except Yue Sennan. The two had no interaction on set, yet Yue Sennan had given him such a valuable gift at his wrap party.

Lu Heng was especially surprised.

Seeing Lu Heng's undisguised astonishment, Yue Sennan laughed. He reached out and patted Lu Heng on the shoulder. "The bad blood between Huaxia Imperial Entertainment and me is something between us adults. It has nothing to do with a child like you. As for the audition, I truly hadn't thought things through. Brother Yue really wants to make it up to you."

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