Zuo Lengchan, Here I Come

Fei Bin and Ding Mian didn't play these roles for very long, but they did so much more than Hou Renying.

Zuo Lengchan is a semi-villainous character within the righteous path, and also holds the authority of the leader of the Five Mountains Alliance. Consequently, such characters appear frequently throughout the story.

Ren Woxing was the former leader of the Sun Moon Cult, a major evil boss, so ruthless and cunning was to be expected.

It's easy to find leading men for positive roles, but it's hard to find actors who can convincingly portray a leader of a sect. And indeed, during the nearly two weeks of intensive filming, Wen Yishan still had many characters who hadn't arrived and filming hadn't even begun.

"How could someone my age possibly portray a forty-year-old, let alone a sixty-year-old!"

"You may not watch many movies and TV shows. It's very normal for production crews to use young actors to play elderly roles. The old villainous character that was very popular was played by young people in their twenties!"

"Where are they? Quickly find an experienced actor like them!"

"He was killed in a car accident, we can't call him!"

Looking at the gentle-looking Zhang Xuezhou, Wen Yishan couldn't understand why such a person could be so frightening when he got angry and acted fierce.

But movies and TV dramas need this kind of character. Even if the character's eyes are only shown briefly in a few shots, it is enough to leave a deep impression.

This is the finishing touch, the finishing touch that brings the dragon to life.

If a few supporting characters are outstanding, it's impossible for the main character not to be outstanding as well.

Zuo Teng portrayed Lin Pingzhi exceptionally well, and if you add a few memorable supporting characters, this drama will definitely fulfill the above objectives.

Wen Yishan doesn't seek massive success in film and television; he only hopes to complete this mission safely and smoothly.

His boss said all the right things, but also mentioned the negative consequences.

If things go well, he can become a leading man in film and television; if things go wrong, he can forget about making a living through acting for the rest of his life, and may even face potential retaliation.

Wen Yishan has been spending all his time on the set of "Swordsman" lately, even relying on drugs to stay awake while studying the script day and night and continuing to film.

Correspondingly, Wen Yishan also regarded this film and television series as a lifelong pursuit.

Suddenly realizing that a certain character in his mind had overlapped with his own, he almost knelt down and begged to play the role.

In front of film and television actors, he is a high and mighty figure, but in front of these second and third generation rich kids, Wen Yishan's status and position are insignificant, and he even has to rely on these people for his livelihood.

Wen Yishan's plea was genuine.

"But... am I really suited for villainous roles?"

Zhang Xuezhou considers himself a fairly sunny young man, but he never expected that he would be seen as a villain by others.

"Tsk tsk, that fierce look in your eyes makes me tremble. It wouldn't be bad to make some money with a role like this," Zuo Teng chimed in.

"Perfect!"

Wen Yishan nodded repeatedly and bowed deeply to Zuo Teng in gratitude.

"Have you forgotten what you're training for?" Zuo Teng reminded him, "The penetrating power in your eyes is far greater than that of ordinary people; your fierce and menacing expression can easily intimidate others!"

"So that's how it is!"

Even without using the Kunpeng Fighting Technique, Zhang Xuezhou's mental strength remained.

He's alright when he's mild-mannered, but once he gets angry, he undoubtedly gives off a certain intimidating aura.

For Wen Yishan and others, this is the kind of restrained ruthlessness that actors need.

"What a pity, I've always wanted to play a righteous character," Zhang Xuezhou said sheepishly.

"What kind of righteous person is Hou Renying?" Zuo Teng retorted. "The book describes him as almost committing the most heinous acts!"

"This is at least a legitimate sect!"

Zhang Xuezhou offered a rebuttal.

He looked at the character of Zuo Lengchan, then at the character of Ren Woxing.

With Wen Yishan's repeated assurances, he had no problem choosing roles, and age could be achieved through facial makeup.

In movies and TV dramas, many characters inevitably engage in fighting and killing, and there is a common saying that the older the character, the stronger their abilities. However, it is impossible for movies and TV dramas to cast a group of elderly men and women in their sixties and seventies to play these roles.

Correspondingly, these roles are mostly played by actors specializing in character portrayals or through makeup.

It's normal for many actors in their fifties or sixties to be young people in their twenties; only actors of this age can truly capture the physical strength and high skill of the characters in the novel.

After putting aside his worries, Zhang Xuezhou began to seriously select roles.

He joined the production team relatively late, and there weren't many positive roles available for him to choose from. He was left with roles for which he couldn't find suitable actors for the time being.

"Who appeared for longer, Ren Woxing or Zuo Lengchan?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Ren Woxing appears more frequently in the later stages, but his screen time is shorter than that of Zuo Lengchan!"

"Then I'll play Zuo Lengchan!"

Considering the profit distribution in film and television productions, Zhang Xuezhou ultimately requested a villainous role that would require a slightly longer playing time.

"This Zuo Lengchan is from a prestigious sect, and he's even the leader of one, but he didn't do anything good in the novel and harmed quite a few people," Zuo Teng sighed. "You've picked all the villains from the righteous sects, what were you thinking?"

"What were you thinking? I just picked this one randomly," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I feel you're quite a good fit for these characters?"

What does that mean?

"A traitor within the righteous path, hypocritical and sanctimonious..."

"How dare you talk like that? Your own character ends up being a villain too!"

Zhang Xuezhou, dissatisfied with Zuo Teng's remark, stopped the other party from continuing to express himself.

He flicked his long, snow-white robe and then discussed the filming schedule with Wen Yishan.

Only after learning that the other party could fully cooperate did Zhang Xuezhou feel relieved.

Zhang Xuezhou is a typical example of someone who won't work unless there's a benefit in it. After learning from Zuo Teng that he was eligible to participate in profit sharing, he naturally became more responsible and tried his best to make the most of his abilities.

"Young Master Zhang truly lives up to his prestigious family background; he played this role admirably!"

After the actor playing Linghu Chong trembled three times, he finally managed to express his disdain as a young hero by glancing sideways, while avoiding looking at Zhang Xuezhou, thus getting the scene of 'Linghu Chong unleashing his divine power to beat up the two heroes of Qingcheng' over.

Wen Yishan didn't support the lead actor, but instead gave Zhang Xuezhou a round of applause.

As for the next act, which is "Lin Pingzhi's revenge and killing Hou Renying", Wen Yishan just lets these second-generation rich kids from the capital fight each other.

Hou Renying's role in the small theater was not significant; he mostly just appeared on screen or said a few sarcastic words, and his role did not reach the point where he occupied a major part of the play.

If things go quickly, filming the role of Hou Renying can be completed in half an hour.

The character that truly comes into play is Zuo Lengchan.

This requires makeup and a near-seamless photoshoot.

Knowing that Zhang Xuezhou could only come for filming every seven days, Wen Yishan had no choice but to make many preparations in advance, so that he could participate in the filming as soon as Zhang Xuezhou arrived and try to finish filming all at once.

"And then there's Ren Woxing, Dongfang Bubai, Feng Qingyang..."

Some characters' problems have been resolved, but others' problems are more difficult to solve.

Similar to Zuo Lengchan, Ren Woxing holds a high position of power and possesses unparalleled martial arts skills. Dongfang Bubai combines femininity and masculinity, and ordinary actors simply cannot portray the corresponding demeanor. As for Feng Qingyang's ethereal and otherworldly master, capturing that sense of freedom is also a difficult task.

This gave Wen Yishan a real headache, as he felt that among the pretty boys popular in the film and television industry today, there was simply no way to find the distinct characters described in the book.