She wasn't a harmless little white rabbit, but rather a beautifully patterned venomous snake, capable of delivering a fatal bite when least expected.
Jiang Ling's portrayal of this subtle yet deadly danger was impeccable.
Beautiful!
Truly breathtaking, a textbook example.
In the subsequent scenes, Jiang Ling sailed through them in one take, flawless throughout.
Even the occasional retakes were due to supporting actors' poor performances, leading Director Huang to call for cuts.
During the mid-day break for lunch.
Xie Tingfeng sat beside Huang Jing, eating his boxed meal.
After a few bites, Xie Tingfeng suddenly asked, "Director Huang, what do you think of Jiang Ling's acting? Is her talent overhyped?"
Huang Jing, picking up a piece of steamed chicken with ginger and scallions, replied leisurely, "Isn't it obvious whether her talent is overhyped? You've been acting for so many years, don't you have a sense of it yourself?"
Xie Tingfeng was silent for a moment before saying, "Indeed, her acting is really good, so good it's almost unbelievable. She looks so young, it shouldn't be like this!"
"Throughout history, in every field, there have always been geniuses, and the acting industry is no different. Heaven has given her such beautiful looks, and also bestowed upon her such remarkable acting skills. It's clear she was born for this profession."
Xie Tingfeng gave a wry smile. "I'm thirty-three this year, almost a decade older than her, yet I can't even match half her skill. Thinking about it makes me incredibly ashamed. Old Huang, you really are something. Why did you have to invite her to act? Do you know the pressure I feel acting opposite her?"
Huang Jing chuckled, "If I don't give you some pressure, how will you improve? Many of your contemporaries from the Hong Kong film scene have won numerous awards. It's rare to encounter such a talented performer, you should learn from her, strive to act in good films, and win a major award next year."
"To have such a good actress willing to play a supporting role in your drama, Old Huang, your influence is quite significant, isn't it?" Xie Tingfeng teased with a smile.
"Influence my foot, it costs money!"
Huang Jing pouted and scoffed, "Do you know how expensive it is to hire her? For a supporting role like Jiang Yuyan, who wouldn't even qualify as the third female lead, it cost me a fifth of my entire budget. Thinking about that large sum being transferred from my account makes me feel like my heart is bleeding."
A top-tier star undoubtedly brings immense traffic and a massive fanbase, but their salaries are also astronomically high.
Especially for someone like Jiang Ling, who possesses both stunning looks and exceptional acting skills, her market rate is so exorbitant it's as if her parents disowned her.
Although Jiang Ling was hired for this production to play merely a supporting role.
And Jiang Ling, mindful of the limited budget for this drama, had told him to offer whatever he felt was appropriate without any specific demands on the salary.
However, after much deliberation, Huang Jing still transferred over ten million to her personal studio's account.
He had starred in too many bad films in the past few years, damaging his reputation considerably. Consequently, few investors were willing to back his new production, "Little Fish and Flowers." After much effort, he only managed to secure a budget of just over fifty million.
With one-fifth of that gone, and after deducting costs for the main cast, extras, filming, and special effects, there wasn't much left for post-production promotion and operations.
Despite this, signing Jiang Ling was a huge bargain for Huang Jing.
After all, in the current market, the salary for a top-tier star is at least fifty million.
Even for a supporting role, no one would agree to it without a guaranteed thirty million.
That's how insane the pricing for top-tier stars is.