Chapter 35: Introduction

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Dai Jia’s acting was good and Gu Jiaer was clearly satisfied with her performance during the filming at the Imperial Productions base. Dai Jia’s looks and other qualities were obviously suitable for the character, and she performed well.

“Didn’t Director Gu praise her back at the Imperial Productions base?”

Jiang Se’s question seemed to have invigorated the girl.

Judging from her outer appearance, Jiang Se was not someone who would actively seek out gossip. When she showed interest in this topic of conversation, the girl said pointedly, “She did perform well, and she had good chemistry with Yuyi on set as well. However, her character is different from yours…”

She did not finish her sentence, but Jiang Se could understand what she meant. Dai Jia was not the only one that Gu Jiaer praised. He had praised her too.

However, in the end, Dai Jia was dismissed from the cast while Jiang Se remained because besides Gu Jiaer taking a special interest in her, it was probably like what the girl had said—that Dai Jia’s character had scenes with Hang Yuyi.

Jiang Se could vaguely remember that the director began filming Zhao Ruoyun’s scene at first. However, due to Zhao Ruoyun not being able to deliver, Gu Jiaer was infuriated, and they had filmed Dai Jia’s scene instead. He had been satisfied with Dai Jia’s performance.

When Dai Jia earned Gu Jiaer’s praise, she must have offended Zhao Ruoyun.

The two of them had scenes with Hang Yuyi. One of them was the ex-girlfriend while the other was the current girlfriend. When the film was aired, the audience would surely compare their performances.

Jiang Se had also been there when they filmed those scenes. Dai Jia gave a solid performance although she was only a newcomer. If the film was aired like this, it would certainly affect Zhao Ruoyun in some way.

After all, there was only one female lead in the cast. Dai Jia’s performance outshone the female lead too much. Also, she had displayed her wonderful skills after the filming of Zhao Ruoyun’s scene. Therefore, it was inevitable that Zhao Ruoyun would take this personally.

In comparison, although Jiang Se had performed well, she had no mutual scenes with Hang Yuyi. She did not play a major role in the entire film and could not be compared to Zhao Ruoyun.

At most, she would be able to stand out as a conspicuously brilliant new actress after the film was aired.

When Jiang Se thought about this, she gave herself a mental warning. ‘It happens. There are cases whereby the actors are switched out at the last minute as well.’

It was not early anymore. The other members of the cast and crew slowly filled the set. When the makeup artists and stylists arrived, Jiang Se changed into her costume and got herself styled. By the time she came out, the executive director had already led a team of people to another site for filming.

The actress who replaced Dai Jia was a full-bodied woman. She dressed sexily and appeared to be much older than Dai Jia.

From the aspect of their outer appearance, Dai Jia was undoubtedly much better than she was. It took her several NGs to get the simple take of her making a phone call right. This confirmed Jiang Se’s impression of her.

Jiang Se boarded the plane with the other extras. When they took their places, the director made a gesture, and Hang Yuyi and Zhao Ruoyun also went to their places.

After breaking up with his girlfriend, Zhou Rongshen was pressured by his parents to settle down. When he boarded the plane, his eyes appeared slightly dejected.

Hang Yuyi had a good grasp of the character Zhou Rongshen. He completely conveyed Zhou Rongshen’s expression of feeling the pressure from his job and his family.

He was wearing a neatly ironed shirt with his blazer hung over his shoulder while he carried his work bag in one hand. Wang Qianqian, who was rushing to board the plane, ran into his back.

Wang Qianqian covered her face. This was their first meeting.

The two leads had clearly rehearsed this scene in the Imperial Productions base back then. Although the first take of the scene where Wang Qianqian, played by Zhao Ruoyun, ran into Zhou Rongshen did not meet Gu Jiaer’s expectations, all they needed was a second take.

The other characters went to their respective seats. Before the plane took off, Miss Zhang, played by Jiang Se, began introducing their destination, Paris, in French.

Compared to her performance in the Imperial Productions Base back then, Jiang Se undoubtedly appeared more proficient in her acting skills this time. She had practiced her scenes for two days back at home. However, she barely made it halfway through her script when Gu Jiaer frowned. He raised his hand to signal for a cut.

“Director.” Jiang Se jogged up to him.

Gu Jiaer spoke frankly, “It’s too obvious that you’re acting. You were more natural back then. I’ll give you a minute to think about this, and we’ll resume.”

He waved his hand, and Jiang Se retreated to her spot.

During the test run, she remembered France as Pei Yi had described it. She saw the blue skies, the white clouds, the castle, and the vineyard.

She found the feeling she was looking for. When she recited her lines again, she managed to pull the listener into her world. Her mellow voice was moving, but she retained her uniquely cold tone. Still, her voice contained a hint of lightness and liveliness which tugged at the audience’s heart. She made the listeners’ hearts fly toward their destination, Paris, before they were even there.

When she was finished with her lines, Gu Jiaer did not give her the signal to stop, so she did not stop.

She seemed to have turned into the air stewardess, Miss Zhang, now. Before the takeoff, she made the passengers feel the atmosphere of Paris with the charm of her words. Aside from the arts, Jiang Se mentioned the architecture and the sceneries as well.

The scriptwriter glanced at the script. He reminded softly, “Director Gu, these lines…”

Jiang Se had already finished with her lines long ago and was winging it as she went. However, Gu Jiaer did not tell her to stop.

“She’s on a roll. Just have post-production cut out the unwanted parts.”

When Jiang Se finished, Gu Jiaer nodded. Then, he told her to recite her lines from the second half of the film. With this, Jiang Se’s screen time in “Pretense to Reality” was over.

The director was already moving on to the next scene. The script supervisor came and made some arrangements with her to record some lines in Mandarin. “These lines are meant to be added into the story after this.”

When the film was aired, besides Jiang Se’s French lines, which were the main focus, they would play an excerpt in Mandarin in the middle as well.

The script supervisor was a young man. When he was finished with his business, he pulled a chair over and chatted with Jiang Se, “This time, we’re working with Ruiqiao Media Corp. They’re involved in another movie production and are looking for an actress. Are you interested?

“There won’t be much screen time. All they need is a shot of your back while you’re playing the piano. However, the director is Zhao Rang who’s well-known for his fussiness. He auditioned several people, but they did not give him the vibe that he was looking for.”

Jiang Se had performed well in “Pretense to Reality” and was good with lines as well, so Gu Jiaer was very satisfied with her. With her talent and looks, she would most probably make it big in the future.

This was a simple gesture, but the script supervisor was intending to use this as a show of goodwill as well.

After all, since they were in the same industry, it would not hurt to have some connections.

Moreover, the film that Ruiqiao Media Corp invested in needed an actress who would not be showing her face. The director, Zhao Rang, had high standards. A few actresses had auditioned for the role but failed. He wanted the actress to not show her face, yet he wanted her to be able to move the audience with her back as well.

This was quite a demanding requirement. Many of the actresses who were initially interested in the film backed off when they learned about this.