In the drama "Huan Kong," the character Hailong is akin to Empress Chun Yuan in "The Tale of Chun Yuan Fragrance," a perfect woman of both talent and beauty, astonishingly gifted.
But as netizens lamented, Chun Yuan could do everything, except stay alive.
Hailong was the same. When the male and female protagonists of "Huan Kong" first appeared, Hailong had been dead for many years, yet she remained a lingering psychological shadow for countless women throughout the film and an unforgettable "white moonlight" for all the powerful figures.
All disputes originated from her, all hatred stemmed from her. In the end, the truth of her death was revealed, driving the villain who adored her his entire life to madness and despair before he died.
Without her, the male protagonist would not have been fiercely retaliated against by the villain.
Without her, the male protagonist could not have defeated the villain and achieved ultimate victory!
It can truly be said that Hailong was both her strength and her downfall.
The difference was that the Empress Chun Yuan in the drama never truly appeared, existing only in the memories of the Emperor, the Empress, Consort Duan, and others.
Although Hailong in "Huan Kong" also lived in memories, the male protagonist's memories had revealed her true appearance.
Hailong's talent was peerless, her beauty unmatched, but what was most unforgettable were her eyes, which held the spiritual essence of mountains and rivers, yet also carried a faint hint of misty sorrow.
Therefore, the actress playing this role had to meet three conditions.
First, she had to be beautiful, of the caliber that could topple nations, otherwise, there would be no convincing power.
Second, her eyes had to possess spiritual energy.
Eyes are the windows to the soul; only with spirited eyes can one be a true beauty. Dull eyes would at best make someone a beautiful vase.
Third, this actress's acting skills had to be excellent.
Film was different from television dramas. In eighty to ninety minutes, a vast amount of footage had to be accommodated, with essence condensed into every moment.
Hailong in the male protagonist's memory appeared for only five seconds, a mere turning glance in a qipao.
To establish a perfect, ethereal character image within a mere five seconds demanded a greater test of acting skills than for any other character in the film.
Dong Haisheng searched for a long time but could not find a satisfactory actress.
Some were beautiful but lacked acting prowess.
Others had good acting skills and were also attractive, but their eyes lacked spirit.
Or perhaps, their eyes had spirit and their acting was acceptable, but their looks were only average.
Beauty, acting skills, and spirited eyes had become an almost impossibly perfect triangle to satisfy simultaneously.
Just then, someone recommended Jiang Ling and showed Dong Haisheng the scene of Jiang Ling's blackening eyes, a performance that would be recorded in textbooks.
Upon seeing it, Dong Haisheng slapped his thigh vigorously, "It's her! This is the perfect Hailong portrayer I've been looking for."
Immediately, Dong Haisheng instructed his assistant to contact Liuyun Media, to inquire about their fee quotation and when she could join the crew.
In fact, according to the general process of selecting actors, the crew should first contact the acting agency of the actor to ask if they had availability.
After all, top-tier stars had schedules packed full, working consecutively for the entire year with hardly a few days of rest.
To cast them, one had to inquire months in advance, otherwise, with a full schedule, it would be impossible to adjust.
Without sufficient availability, even with the best film and the highest offer, it would be difficult to proceed.
Dong Haisheng had no such concerns. Hailong's scenes were only a few seconds long.
With Jiang Ling's capability, she could easily fit it in within half an hour, so there was no issue of availability.