Director Wang was at his wit's end with Wang Lili's words.
Director Li, standing beside him, hesitated to speak.
Wang Lili knew when to quit while she was ahead. After saying her piece, she snorted and turned back to her dressing room, vowing not to come out unless her scenes were being filmed.
If Director Wang hadn't made up his mind by the deadline, Wang Lili decided she would just leave. Let them deal with it.
After all, this production crew was a bunch of losers, and they wouldn't dare to do anything to her.
Wang Lili grew more smug by the second.
Director Wang was in a terrible mess outside dealing with Wang Lili's antics. He wanted to lash out, but his anger would only get halfway out before he choked it back, feeling like something was stuck in his throat.
Director Li approached Director Wang to discuss the matter. "Why don't we just replace the actress? This Wang Lili, although she's popular now, is incredibly demanding. Our budget is mid-range, and if we keep indulging her like this, the production funds will run out sooner or later."
"Easier said than done. Do you know who Wang Lili's boss is? It's Mr. Huo." Director Wang lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "If it weren't for the fact that Wang Lili is Mr. Huo's person and no one dares to cross her, do you think anyone would humor her?"
Director Li frowned in frustration. "This can't go on. Even if we don't want to offend Mr. Huo, are we going to film this show or not? Are we going to keep filming scenes twice when they could be done in one take, just like Wang Lili said?"
Director Wang remained silent, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.
Many of the minor actors started complaining:
"Seriously, making the entire crew's atmosphere so bad because of her. Our crew used to have such a good vibe, and it's always Sister Wang causing trouble."
"Wang Lili is a big shot connected to Mr. Huo. Mr. Huo is the richest patron in the entire entertainment industry. Be careful what you say, or Wang Lili might hear you and make you regret it."
The minor actor pouted dismissively. "I'm just stating facts, not lies. Anyone here knows it. As for whether Wang Lili is Mr. Huo's person, so what? I don't plan on staying in the entertainment industry long-term. I'm just here during summer and winter breaks to earn some extra cash as an extra. A hundred yuan a day is good income, and I'll save it for spending money later. Who wants to do this long-term?"
Other extras who were also working part-time nodded in agreement. More than half of them were just doing this as a side gig and had no intention of pursuing a career in entertainment, so they spoke without reservation.
The remaining extras, adhering to the principle of not causing trouble, lowered their heads and quietly retreated to a corner to play on their phones.
Director Wang looked around, feeling the tension in everyone. He cleared his throat and beckoned. "Alright, alright. Let's film other scenes first. Qi Yu, we'll shoot your scene next. Hurry up and get ready. Remember to hit your marks. If you have any questions, ask them now before we start shooting. Don't say you're unclear after we begin."
Perhaps it was because he was so flustered by Wang Lili that Director Wang wasn't speaking very politely.
Qi Yu didn't mind. She walked over obediently, indicated that she understood, and quickly took her position. The moment Director Wang called out, "3, 2, 1, action!"
Qi Yu's expression immediately changed.
Standing on the prop-made rockery, she effortlessly and with little effort portrayed the scene of a villainous supporting character on the brink of blackening.
Director Wang watched the entire process from behind the camera. Only after the scene was completed did he slowly turn around and exclaim, "Cut!" with a tone of satisfaction.
Qi Yu looked at Director Wang, asking how her performance was and if it needed to be redone.
Director Wang was extremely pleased. Waving his hand, he said, "Your grasp of the blackening was fantastic! Yes, that sense of despair, but not too much despair. And your eyes needed to be like a dying candle flame, becoming dim and hollow. Your comprehension is outstanding, child. I definitely chose the right person."
Director Li also couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"Even though it's just a villainous role, and it might not seem particularly important, whether a villain is portrayed convincingly and well significantly impacts the fate of the entire story."
Think about it, no matter how righteous and inspiring the protagonist is, if the villain's acting is obviously fake, the anticipation for the plot will drop by more than half.
Therefore, both protagonist and antagonist roles are crucial, especially for scenes where they interact, which are of utmost importance.
Qi Yu showed a shy expression. "Director Wang, please don't praise me too much. I didn't act that well. I mostly just watched a lot of similar dramas. Before coming here to film, I watched many shows and stayed up all night just to find the right feel."
Director Wang's face lit up with satisfaction. He then turned to the other extras. "See? Even for a small role, you need to delve into the character's psyche. Even if it's just a housewife buying groceries, you need to think about how to make the character stand out, how to make them memorable, instead of just repeating meaningless actions every day to earn that hundred yuan."
The extras all nodded along vaguely to Director Wang's words.
Normally, if an actor were to be replaced, they would definitely have some complaints and whisper behind their backs.
But ever since Qi Yu joined the crew, both the staff and other ordinary extras had received golden bracelets from her without exception.
Having accepted her gifts, they didn't mind Director Wang using Qi Yu as a positive example.
After being praised by Director Wang, Qi Yu didn't become arrogant. Instead, she treated everyone to food and drinks.
The cost of the food and drinks was all paid for by Wang Lanqing, who had exchanged gold for it.
Seeing Qi Yu navigating the situation so smoothly, Wang Lanqing sighed and shook her head, unable to understand. "Why is Sister Qi Yu so interested in being an actress?"
In Wang Lanqing's opinion, being an actor was very tiring and involved a lot of trouble. Most importantly, facing the camera and playing different roles didn't seem that interesting.
Si Qing raised an eyebrow and looked in Qi Yu's direction. "It's not strange at all. From what I know, my sister probably thinks this line of work pays quite well."