Chapter 140: Acting Showdown

Chapter 140: Acting Showdown

The scene where Ji Chongyang and Luo Ying become friends unfolds in a calm and serene atmosphere.

While "Reversal City" features many thrilling sequences, a movie cannot rely solely on exciting scenes to engage the audience. It must have an ebb and flow. The scene Lu Xu is filming today clearly falls into the "relaxation" category.

Mu Lang places great emphasis on the camera work, emphasizing the subtlety in the actors' performances. Objectively speaking, even though Lu Xu thinks Zhao Yifan's performance is quite good, the latter still had to retake the scene multiple times.

In a TV drama, these could even be considered highlight scenes showcasing acting skills.

Of course, the shooting schedules and efficiency are worlds apart. The time it takes to shoot a two-hour movie could be used to film an entire 40-episode TV series.

"Take it slow in this scene, don't rush, take your time," Mu Lang said, looking at Lu Xu and Zhao Yifan. "Leave room for the audience to imagine."

Having already starred in three movies, Lu Xu found Mu Lang to be the first director who actually directs the scene on set.

But to be honest, the director's explanations were somewhat abstract and impressionistic. He doesn't dissect the script in detail or provide explicit instructions, leaving it entirely up to the actors to interpret and internalize.

To make matters worse, he would always add, "Got it?" which only added to Lu Xu's confusion.

He could only say that he roughly understood the effect the director wanted.

The original script's dialogue had already been heavily condensed, but after the movie officially started shooting, Lu Xu received a new script with even more simplified lines. He didn't even understand the meaning of the phrase "improvise as you see fit" in parentheses.

It must be said that Mu Lang is indeed a director with a very distinctive personal style and unique vision.

Seeing Lu Xu still going over his lines just before shooting, Zhao Yifan shot him a subtle and knowing glance.

"Has Lu Xu only worked with rookie directors before?" he asked his agent.

The agent nodded, "For movies, yes."

"No wonder."

He knew it. Lu Xu must have worked with too many rookie directors. Rookie directors' sets are always very free, allowing a "big star or leading actor" like Lu Xu to perform however he wanted without interference.

But with a big director, it's different. Big directors set the framework in advance, and actors can only dance in shackles within the confines of the director's vision.

When Mu Lang announced the official start of shooting, Zhao Yifan gave Lu Xu a rather subtle look.

In this scene, Ji Chongyang thinks he's passing on information without anyone noticing, but the next moment, someone in the gang casually brings it up in conversation. Ji Chongyang is filled with panic, unsure if the news has leaked or if there was a mole testing him.

At this moment, Luo Ying appears and shields him from this disaster or impending danger.

Luo Ying is not a high-ranking member of the gang. Although Ji Chongyang has never seen him before, Luo Ying looks very disheveled in his first appearance, with whip marks on his temple, neck, and chest.

Luo Ying is one of those rebellious and unyielding figures in the gang.

The two originally had no connection, but at some point, as if guided by fate, their eyes meet in a moment of silent understanding.

...

Having played Ji Chongyang for a while now, Zhao Yifan is very confident in his portrayal of the character. In this first meeting scene, right from the start of shooting, he conveys Ji Chongyang's inner panic while trying hard to hide it beneath a calm exterior.

For this shot, Zhao Yifan believes he's giving it his all, pouring every ounce of his energy into the performance.

Ji Chongyang is not naturally suited for gang life or the harsh realities of the underworld, and capturing the character's emotions isn't easy. But today, perhaps because it's his first scene with Lu Xu, Zhao Yifan feels his emotions are fully engaged.

Outside the monitor, Mu Lang's brow furrows almost imperceptibly as he scrutinizes the performance.

However, he didn’t say anything; after all, Lu Xu was already preparing for the scene, so it wouldn’t be right to suddenly pull him aside.

Then—Mu Lang's gaze landed on Lu Xu's performance at this moment.

On camera, Luo Ying had a stubborn, lone wolf-like face, full of defiance. He stood out starkly in a gang filled with lustful expressions.

Their eyes met.

In that instant, his gaze seemed to pierce into Ji Chongyang’s soul—a tremor like capturing prey, a thrill from their acting clash, visible even to bystanders.

It was just eye acting, no dialogue, yet Luo Ying’s character shone through in that moment.

He was different—he’d planted a seed in Ji Chongyang’s heart.

"Cut."

The scene ended in a flash, but Mu Lang called ‘Cut’ even faster.

Zhao Yifan and Lu Xu both snapped back to their neutral expressions.

Mu Lang gestured for Lu Xu to come closer: “Dial it back a little here. Check the script for how it’s written.”

“Don’t get it? Ask me or the screenwriter. Use your character analysis and think it through again.”

“No big deal. Just fix it when you review.”

With that, Mu Lang waved him off, letting Lu Xu return to mull over the script.

Watching Lu Xu walk away with a frown, Zhao Yifan couldn’t help but feel a spark of satisfaction.

Clearly, he wasn’t the only one who thought Lu Xu’s acting hype was overrated.

How could Lu Xu, with just a few years of experience, nail the character?

Mu Lang gestured again, summoning him over.

Zhao Yifan noticed the director frowned at Lu Xu but was far gentler with him.

Only—“This take didn’t work. We’re doing it again.”

To Zhao Yifan, ‘again’ hit like a thunderclap, leaving him speechless.

He’d been playing Ji Chongyang for ages and felt he had the character down pat.

Then the director dropped the bomb: “Later, Lu Xu has a scene. Watch how he does it first.”

Zhao Yifan was stunned: ‘...’

Why? How is this fair?

...

“Overacted again,” Mu Lang sighed. “He had this issue early on, and we fixed it, but now it’s back.”

Luo Kun sighed. “Take your time with him.”

Mu Lang rubbed his temples, finally confiding in his old partner: “It’s fine on its own, but side by side, it doesn’t measure up.”

Zhao Yifan's performance, when viewed in isolation, is naturally above the acceptable standard, but when compared to Lu Xu's performance, the gap becomes apparent—his portrayal of Ji Chongyang lacks depth.

It can only be described as shallow; there's no sense of depth.

Although it can be corrected, it would certainly require a significant amount of time and effort, and Zhao Yifan himself would need to be very cooperative.

The scene between Lu Xu and Zhao Yifan was postponed until both actors got into the right mindset.

They started by filming Lu Xu's scenes with other actors.

Upon closer examination, in the movie "Reversal City," the scenes between Lu Xu and Zhao Yifan are relatively few.

As soon as Lu Xu's scenes started filming, Zhao Yifan's face fell, and his dislike for Lu Xu was barely hidden. Everyone on set probably noticed.

However, with Mu Lang at the helm of "Reversal City," and Lu Xu's popularity and recognition on par with Zhao Yifan's, there was no indication that Lu Xu was being ostracized in the "Reversal City" crew.

At this moment, Lu Xu was portraying Luo Ying in a different light.

The stubborn, working-class attitude had disappeared, and despite having the same face, Luo Ying did not overtly show the arrogance of a gang boss—which Zhao Yifan had expected from Lu Xu.

Yet now, what appeared before him was a bottomless pit.

It was like staring into an abyss.

Mysterious, seemingly non-threatening, but with the slightest lapse in attention, he could devour everything in an instant.

Clearly, Luo Ying fits the mold of a leader—aloof, self-possessed, even rational, but lacking human emotion.

But that's fine; he can portray a more humane side—to add intrigue to the game.

At that moment, Lu Xu's gaze locked with his.

The other was acting, but under such a gaze, Zhao Yifan felt as if he were genuinely intimidated.

Luo Ying was quietly instructing his subordinates, his gaze still calm and detached.

Zhao Yifan couldn't help but ask himself, which is more terrifying: the thuggish gang leader, or the gang boss Lu Xu is portraying?

He couldn't say it out loud, but deep down, he knew.

...

Lu Xu noticed that in the subsequent filming, Zhao Yifan stopped glaring at him at last.

He didn't care at all about what Zhao Yifan thought. After Director Mu Lang gave him feedback, Lu Xu focused solely on the script.

The scene with Zhao Yifan undoubtedly required cooperation from both sides to complete.

Although Zhao Yifan no longer glared at him, his expression remained gloomy throughout, as if Lu Xu had wronged him. Lu Xu didn't care about Zhao Yifan's attitude; as long as the performance was good during filming, that was all that mattered.

However, Zhao Yifan was not like that.

In fact, after being directed by Mu Lang, his performance was worse than during their first scene together.

Now it was Mu Lang's turn to look troubled.

He had given Zhao Yifan enough time, hoping the actor could adjust his state in time, but Zhao Yifan's performance kept deviating further from his expectations.

As the co-star, Lu Xu didn't say much, nor did he adopt a hostile attitude like Zhao Yifan.

His behavior has been rubbing other crew members the wrong way.

Zhao Yifan's constant retakes were making everyone else work harder. The cinematographer's eyes were burning from staring at the monitor, and the props had to be set up repeatedly. Yet Zhao seemed angrier than anyone else about it.

Who really had the right to be angry here?

Among actors in their thirties and forties, Zhao Yifan is known for being very strict with himself, but this wasn't the right way to be strict with himself.

"You need to really think this through," Mu Lang's expression turned serious as he emphasized to Zhao Yifan once again, "I mean really think about it."

He could tell that as the NG takes continued, Zhao Yifan was getting more and more worked up.

"Maybe telling him to learn from Lu Xu struck a nerve," Luo Kun concluded.

Mu Lang: "...Is that really where his motivation should be coming from?"

"I wasn't wrong."

Lu Xu really is a great example to follow.

...

After several NG takes for the same scene, Zhao Yifan was completely lost, losing his grip on the character more and more. The more he struggled, the more anxious he became. Seeing Lu Xu in the distance, calm and composed, just made him feel worse about himself.

How could Lu Xu grasp the director's intentions so well?

What was he missing here?

Zhao Yifan could naturally sense that Director Mu Lang was growing more and more dissatisfied with him, but he was struggling to really become Ji Chongyang.

He thought he had it under control, but in reality, he didn't.

As the filming progressed, Lu Xu kept knocking it out of the park, and everyone in the crew could see it. Both Director Mu Lang and screenwriter Luo Kun were warming up to Lu Xu more and more.

Zhao Yifan didn't want to dwell on it further. If he did, it would get into the whole talent thing, and he absolutely refused to admit that his talent was inferior to Lu Xu's.

That day, it was still a scene between Lu Xu and Zhao Yifan.

To Zhao Yifan's relief, this time he managed to avoid getting chewed out. Mu Lang was somewhat satisfied with his performance.

However, there were more things that made him unhappy—

Luo Ying completely dominated the scene between Ji Chongyang and himself.

When Zhao Yifan suddenly realized this, he became aware that he seemed... to have been led into the scene by Lu Xu!

The moment their eyes met, the right expression just came to him, and his lines just rolled off his tongue.

After the scene ended, Zhao Yifan rewatched it repeatedly. He could see for himself that in the previous NG takes, he'd been trying way too hard and it showed. This time, however, he was relaxed and natural from start to finish.

And all because Lu Xu had been guiding him through it!