Jeff and Lan Li walked side by side, weaving through the raucous crowd of the party.

Surprisingly, Lan Li didn't talk much, didn't twitter, couldn't wait to get close, or expressed himself, nor did he flatter himself to express his respect and urgency, as if he had really come to a party, occasionally chatting about the waves of the two days on the beaches of Venice, or the different brands and vintages of rum.

However, it is these seemingly random topics that Jeff has been able to gain from time and time again, and learn all the facts that he has never heard of. This is very incredible for Jeff, who has been rolling in Hollywood for many years, and is a high-ranking and powerful real power figure in Warner Bros., his knowledge and background are already extraordinary, but the conversation with Lan Li still benefited a lot.

This kind of conversation is lighthearted and engaging. It's just a short ten minutes, and Jeff actually breeds a kind of intimacy in his heart, the profound knowledge, calm temperament, elegant manners, and profound heritage, hidden under the handsome skin, inadvertently, people are attracted and impressed.

There are countless actors in Hollywood, with more than 600,000 registered actors, and the number of amateur actors, college students, Broadway performance lovers, and ordinary people with dreams of being actors is even greater. However, not every actor can be the protagonist, especially in commercial films.

To become the protagonist of a commercial movie, in addition to acting skills, in fact, the most important thing is the so-called image, not only appearance, not just temperament, but a kind of charm and aura that makes the audience feel the light of the protagonist. It can be simply and crudely understood as "the aura of the protagonist or the aura of the overlord", which is a bit vulgar to say, but it does exist in real life.

When selecting the actor of a commercial blockbuster, one of the most important links is to let the actors stand in front of the camera and show the most ordinary, life, and natural non-performance state, to see if they have enough ability, enough charm, and enough aura to attract the audience's attention. It can be understood as whether it can be accepted by the audience, it can also be understood as whether it can attract a specific group, and it can also be understood as whether it is suitable for the setting of the male protagonist of the movie.

How to understand is just one way, and the core meaning is still the same.

Hollywood after a hundred years of precipitation, the vigorous development of commercial films has been nearly half a century, on the positive side, the major film companies are well aware of the operation of commercial films, they can easily select suitable actors for the market to take on the role; negatively, the major film companies have formed an inertia, the selection of actors has a consistent aesthetic standards, the same type of actors can often become the protagonists of commercial films, and then derived a large number of vase-style idol actors.

But no matter how you put it, "some people are born to be the main character", and this is true in Hollywood.

For example, in "Thor", Tom Hiddleston was not able to become Thor because the audition director thought he did not have the temperament of a superhero;

In addition, John Krasinski missed "Captain America", Jake Gyllenhaal missed "Spider-Man" and "Batman", and of course, Tyler Kech won two blockbuster roles in "Super Battleship" and "Alien Battlefield" in a row, which is a continuation of the same truth.

It's not easy to be the protagonist of a movie, it's even more difficult to be the protagonist of a commercial movie, and it's even more demanding to be the protagonist of a superhero. Brain to make up, Nicolas Cage's version of "Superman" may be more intuitive.

This is also the reason why auditions for commercial blockbusters are so complicated and difficult. Rounds of screening, auditions again and again, in fact, the test is not the actor's acting skills, but more of the actor's temperament and aura, if necessary, as well as the fit between the actor and the role, the chemistry between the actor and other actors, for example, in the movie version of "Cinderella", the love call index of the two protagonists, which is extremely important for commercial films.

They keep auditioning, keep changing interviewers, keep switching different audience perspectives, keep changing the audition theme, including today's audition, all for the same purpose, they need to see if the actor has the temperament of a super commercial blockbuster actor.

Lan Li's outstanding performance in independent art films is obvious to all, and Lan Li's excellent performance in "Fast and Thrill/Emotion 5" also proves the market value. However, a super commercial blockbuster, and also a leading actor, this is a completely different thing Temperament, charisma, solid acting, and a wide audience, all of which do not guarantee the success of a super commercial blockbuster, George Clooney's "Batman and Robin" is the best counterexample of the golden words that the whole of Hollywood believes.

Before today, Lan Li had already gone through layers of auditions, Jeff himself had watched the audition video, and also listened to the opinions of other interviewers, most of them were praised, and some were picky. As far as Jeff himself is concerned, he is actually more inclined to Brad as the leading actor of "Edge of Tomorrow".

Commercial blockbusters, choosing newcomers and choosing the front line, this has its own pros and cons. Jeff briefly skimmed through the script of "Edge of Tomorrow", such a sci-fi movie, the overall style is closer to "Blade Runner" and "source code", not referring to the art style, but to the box office prospects. Therefore, if you want to boost the box office, it is a wise choice to use a top line like Brad.

Not only that, but it can be seen from the script of "Edge of Tomorrow" that there are strict requirements for the battlefield, visual effects, mechanical equipment, and so on. This means that costs are rising. Now on the project schedule, the budget is estimated at 100 million US dollars, but what kind of work can be filmed at this 100 million cost, Jeff expressed doubts, but he has no way to make an accurate judgment until the director and the main producer are confirmed.

Here's where the advantage of choosing Brad comes in. First, the budget can be increased, if Brad plays the leading role, the cost of 150 million is basically no problem, but if it is Lan Li, it is extremely difficult to increase, and it may even be reduced;

However, Jeff is the type who dares to promote new people and is keen to promote new people, and he has a strong confidence in his vision, even if he is desperate. Ben Affleck, Christopher Nolan, it's all the same. So, Jeff decided to open up the possibilities.

Choosing a party as an audition occasion is itself an audition assessment.

Originally, Jeff wanted to see how Lan Li was socializing and adapting at the party, but the actual effect was far beyond expectations: Lan Li and Brad collided head-on, which could not be said to be sparkling, but the short confrontation made people look away. Jeff admits that he likes Lan Li, quite a bit. The kind of quality in Lan Li, not Brad Pitt, not Tom Cruise, not Harrison Ford, is really indescribable, but admirable.

Now, Jeff is also a little curious, what kind of style will Lan Li have when he starred in a sci-fi commercial movie like "Edge of Tomorrow"? What would it be like for Lan Li to play the leading role in a super commercial blockbuster?

"Wow, I've been drinking whiskey for so long, I never knew there were so many tricks hidden in it. Jeff left the wine cabinet and walked to the couch next to him and sat down.

Although Jeff was not invited, Lan Li also sat down diagonally opposite, "Wine tasting, wine tasting, many times, the focus is on the word 'tasting', otherwise it is drinking." But not everyone has the patience to calm down and taste wine, after all, what we need is the numbness of alcohol, not the beauty of the tip of the tongue. ”

This made Jeff laugh heartily, he liked the way Lan Li spoke. Confident and proud, elegant and calm, but not condescending, there is always a little black humor or self-mockery between the lines. This kind of conversation always makes people feel happy.

"So, is that why you want to star in a commercial movie?" Jeff said, seemingly stiff but not obtrusive, "taste the charm of popcorn." ”

Lan Li didn't answer, but gently tucked his chin and smiled lightly. For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze, and Jeff's smile couldn't help but pause slightly, and he looked at Lan Li in surprise, casting a confused look, which made Lan Li suddenly realize, "Oh, this is a question? I thought it was a joke." ”

Jeff was stunned for a moment, and then chuckled. Lan Li always has a way to control the pace of the conversation, even when facing the top bosses in the industry.

There are countless answers to this question. I'm sure you won't want to hear a press conference-style answer. Lan Li shrugged, "The truth is, that's one of the reasons why I love being an actor. Experience different characters, experience different lives, and even experience different worlds. To be honest, I used to fantasize about playing the ...... vampire," Lan Li chuckled at Jeff's stunned look, "It's not the 'Twilight Zone' genre, it's a romance movie, it's the genre of 'Night Vampire'." You know, to truly explore immortal life is to make time lose its original meaning. ”

Personally, he loved 2013's "Love Forever" because it explored more possibilities for vampires, and of course, movies like "Blade" and "Dark Tales" were also quite interesting.

"Besides movies, what other occasions can I experience the difficulties and shackles of the continuous cycle of time?" Lan Li likes the movie "Edge of Tomorrow", not only because it is excellent popcorn, but also because the character has experienced a theory that is impossible to feel in real life, and the transformation and growth of that kind of mentality is very interesting.

Jeff lifted his chin slightly, "Actually, I'm more curious about the press conference-style answer. ”