"You're the one!"
Without a second thought, the big-bearded director made up his mind, deciding on Jiang Ling to portray the role of Tianshan Tonglao.
Even if Jiang Ling was unwilling at this moment, he would pester her until she agreed to take on the part.
Just then, Jiang Yuxue, an actress in the crew playing Abi, walked out. Upon seeing Jiang Ling, she froze.
"You, you... aren't you..."
The big-bearded director looked curiously at Jiang Yuxue, "What? Do you know her?"
Jiang Yuxue said with a dark expression, "She's Jiang Ling, the 'little flower' who hits the trending searches every few days. How could I not recognize her?"
Seeing that Jiang Ling spoke through gritted teeth, clearly showing extreme dislike, Jiang Ling was taken aback for a moment before recognizing her as Jiang Yuxue, the sister of Best Actor Jiang Yulei.
When the original owner was at the peak of her fame, Huohua Media had spent a huge sum of money to acquire a major IP, preparing to launch her in the film industry and make a hefty profit.
To this end, they not only invited the newly crowned Best Actor Jiang Yulei to play the male lead, but also enlisted a host of established and rising actors to play supporting roles, providing their backing.
However, the audience criticized the female lead's terrible acting skills, and the box office was a complete disaster. An investment of over a hundred million yuan only recouped twenty million, resulting in substantial losses.
Jiang Yulei was also heavily implicated, his reputation severely tarnished, and he fell into a slump from which he still hadn't fully recovered.
After his brother had worked hard for so many years, finally becoming a Best Actor, and because of you, he was back to square one. How could a sister not hate and resent you?
Jiang Ling felt a wry smile.
This was the original owner's misdeed, and she couldn't escape the blame even if she wanted to.
"What did you say? She... she's Jiang Ling..."
The big-bearded director's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
He didn't have a good impression of the "little flowers" and "little idols" in the industry.
He was usually too lazy to pay attention to their entertainment gossip and didn't know what Jiang Ling looked like.
But he had often heard colleagues complain about how terrible Jiang Ling's acting was, claiming that even watching her perform for another second was an extreme torture to the eyes.
Yet, the weathered look in her eyes and her aged, steady voice just now had already revealed an extremely profound acting skill.
If this was considered bad acting, then there would be no veteran actors in the film and television industry.
"You... you are really Jiang Ling?" the big-bearded director asked, disbelief coloring his tone.
"Yes!" Jiang Ling nodded, "I want to play the role of Tianshan Tonglao. Director Zhang, do you dare to use me?"
If it had been before, hearing Jiang Ling wanted to play Tianshan Tonglao, the big-bearded director would have refused without a second thought.
He would rather follow the old formula, imitate previous remakes, and cast experienced middle-aged actors, never a traffic star with poor acting skills and a bad reputation.
But now, seeing Jiang Ling's perfect portrayal of Tonglao's appearance, eyes, and tone, matching the original work so well, it would be a shame to refuse.
The big-bearded director hesitated for a moment, then nodded heavily, "I dare!"
Although there were widespread rumors about Jiang Ling being difficult, unprofessional, and altering scripts,
This industry was full of truth and falsehood, and all sorts of messy affairs. Who could guarantee their own purity?
When he cast actors, he only looked at their acting skills and suitability for the role.
As for how the actors behaved in private, as long as it didn't affect the filming, he didn't care much about it.
Jiang Ling smiled, "Thank you, Director Zhang!"
The big-bearded director's face turned serious. "Before we sign the contract, let's be clear. When you film my productions, no diva behavior, no stand-ins, and no cutout acting or mouthing '123.' If you act like you did before, don't blame me for not giving you face."