novellhall Chapter 11 Audition Discussion
Chapter 11 Audition Discussion
The next morning, Chen Nianbei walked out of the guesthouse with his backpack.
As dawn broke, the film and television base was still asleep, with only a few early-rising crews preparing for their morning shoots.
He waited at the intersection for ten minutes before the bus slowly drove by.
The 2012 Beijing suburban bus had hard plastic seats and fine scratches on the windows.
Chen Nianbei found a seat by the window and sat down, placing her backpack on her lap.
The car started moving, and the scenery outside the window began to recede.
The mountains of Huairou, the trees of Huairou, and the antique-style buildings of Huairou are gradually fading into the distance.
He closed his eyes, and the script of "Thunderstorm" began to play in his mind.
He knows this show very well.
I performed it more than once in my past life, and especially when I became immersed in drama later on, it was a repertoire that I had to practice.
He has thought about every role.
Zhou Puyuan's despotism and hypocrisy, Fanyi's repression and madness, Zhou Ping's cowardice and struggle, Sifeng's innocence and tragedy...
Especially Zhou Ping.
This role is difficult to play.
He is not a villain in the traditional sense, but a pitiful yet hateful young man struggling in a feudal family and distorted emotions.
Cowardly and selfish, yet occasionally flashes of humanity.
If he doesn't act it out properly, he'll just be a scumbag.
Only by portraying the character in depth can the audience see the complexity of human nature in that era.
Chen Nianbei mentally reviewed Zhou Ping's key scenes.
The dialogue between the first scene and Fanyi reveals a tangled relationship where one wants to escape but cannot break free.
In the third act, his confession to Sifeng is sincere yet tinged with selfishness.
The final scene's collapse tears away all pretense and escapism, revealing the most naked fear and despair.
He understood the emotional moments of every scene and the subtext of every line of dialogue perfectly.
The car was bumping along, and he leaned against the window, half asleep and half awake, as those lines flowed automatically through his mind.
……
Classroom of the Department of Performing Arts, Taipei Film Academy.
The morning classes had just ended, but the students didn't rush to leave. Instead, they gathered in small groups to discuss the topics.
"How are your preparations going?"
"I'd like to try out for Zhou Chong; that role is relatively simpler."
"I want to try Lu Dahai; he has explosive power..."
Naza sat by the window, looking down at the newly printed excerpts from the script of "Thunderstorm".
The girl sitting next to me leaned over and asked, "Naza, which role do you want to try out for?"
"Four Phoenixes, please."
Naza said, "Or Fanyi, but Fanyi is too difficult, I might not be able to handle it."
"Sifeng is quite good. She has a lot of screen time and a complete emotional storyline."
The girl paused, then lowered her voice, "But the competition is definitely going to be fierce. There are at least five or six people in our class who want to try for the fourth position."
Naza nodded without saying a word.
She flipped to Zhou Ping's scenes, looked at the lines, and suddenly thought of Chen Nianbei.
He said on the phone yesterday that he could arrive at school at noon.
I don't know if I'll make it to the casting call this afternoon.
"Oh, right."
The girl suddenly remembered something, "Who do you think should audition for the role of Zhou Ping?"
Several classmates around him turned around.
"Zhou Ping is not easy to play. He needs to have... how should I put it, he needs to have the air of a noble young master, but also a sense of weakness."
"I think Wang Hao could give it a try; he's usually quite solid in his acting."
"But Wang Hao is too handsome, Zhou Ping needs to have a bit of a feminine look."
"What about Li Rui? He played Fang Dasheng in 'Sunrise' last time, and the reviews were good."
Everyone started discussing it animatedly.
Naza, listening, suddenly interjected, "Chen Nianbei should also be able to try."
After he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence.
The students exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat subtle.
"Chen Nianbei? He's not back yet, is he?" a boy said.
"I'll arrive at noon today," Nazar said.
Even if I come back...
Another girl carefully chose her words, "I'm not saying Chen Nianbei is bad, but his previous professional level... those who know, know."
"that is,"
Some people agreed, saying, "A character like Zhou Ping requires a lot of inner drama. Chen Nianbei used to struggle even with her lines."
Naza opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
She recalled the calm tone in Chen Nianbei's voice when he said "the director said it was good" on the phone yesterday.
I remember watching him act in Huairou, that boy pinned to the church floor, his eyes filled with humiliation and anger.
But she can't tell her classmates these things right now.
Even if I told them, they wouldn't believe me.
"I just said it offhand."
Naza smiled, put away the script, and said, "Let's go eat. We still have casting this afternoon."
Several students got up and walked out, and the conversation had turned to what dishes were served in the cafeteria today.
Naza walked last, took out his phone, and sent a message to Chen Nianbei:
"Where are we? Casting is at 2 PM. The teacher asked us to prepare a scene for our target role in classroom 201."
send.
She looked at her phone screen and suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.
I wonder what kind of expressions those classmates will have when Chen Nianbei performs.
……
On the bus, Chen Nianbei was awakened by her phone vibrating.
He opened his eyes, and outside the window was the familiar scene of Beijing's urban area.
High-rise buildings, traffic, and pedestrians hurrying along the sidewalk.
There are still seven or eight stops to the school.
He opened Naza's message and replied, "Almost there, about half an hour."
Then keep your eyes closed.
I wasn't sleeping; I was mentally replaying the scene of Zhou Ping.
He decided to try the scene where Zhou Ping and Fan Yi confront each other in the living room.
That was the scene where Zhou Ping's personality was most fully displayed—
Faced with Fanyi's questioning and attempts to persuade him to stay, he wanted to leave decisively, but hesitated because of his inner cowardice and guilt.
The dialogue contains lies, escapism, and occasional flashes of genuine sincerity, but in the end, all are suppressed by fear.
This complex layering is exactly what showcases his acting skills.
The train has arrived at the station.
Chen Nianbei picked up her backpack and got off the bus; the autumn sun was a bit too bright.
He stood at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy, looking at the familiar school gate, feeling as if he had been transported to another world.
He smiled and walked into the school gate.
As I passed by the teaching building, I heard the sound of rehearsals coming from inside.
The atmosphere of final exams is already very strong.
Chen Nianbei didn't go back to the dormitory; she went straight to the cafeteria.
There weren't many people in the cafeteria at this time. He got a meal and found a corner to sit down.
They gave that hair a place.
I had only taken two bites when I heard a familiar voice:
"Chen Nianbei!"
Looking up, I saw Naza walking over with a tray, a smile on her face.
"Sit down." Chen Nianbei took a bite of rice.
"Are you prepared for the audition this afternoon?"
"I've made some preparations."
Chen Nianbei asked casually, "And you? How's your casting preparation going this afternoon?"
"I'm going to try out the Four Phoenixes."
Naza said, "But the competition is quite fierce; many people in our class want to try."
She paused, then looked at Chen Nianbei: "What about you? Which role would you like to try?"
"Zhou Ping".
Naza's eyes lit up: "I knew it!"
"What do you know?"
"I just felt you would try Zhou Ping."
Naza lowered his voice, "But... just now in the classroom, I told my classmates that you might try Zhou Ping, but they didn't really believe me."
Chen Nianbei smiled: "That's normal."
"Aren't you angry?"
"What's there to be angry about?"
Chen Nianbei said, "I really didn't act well before."
Naza looked at him and suddenly realized that this person was really different.
If it were the old Chen Nianbei, upon hearing her classmates' doubts, she would either be indignant or pretend not to care.
But now, he truly doesn't care.
That composure wasn't feigned.
"You should perform well this afternoon."
Naza said earnestly, "Let them see."
"Yes." Chen Nianbei nodded. "You too."
The two buried themselves in their food.
The cafeteria TV was showing entertainment news, and it happened to be an interview with an actor from a popular TV series.
Naza looked up and suddenly said, "Chen Nianbei, will you become famous after 'Battle of Changsha' airs?"
Chen Nianbei thought for a moment: "Not necessarily. This drama is a serious one, so it may not be very popular, but the word-of-mouth should be good."
"That's fine too."
Naza said, "Having a well-received project will make it easier to get roles in the future."
Chen Nianbei did not respond.
He knew Nazar was right, but he also knew the realities of this industry.
Sometimes, luck is more important than ability.
After finishing their meal, the two walked together toward the teaching building.
On the way, I ran into a few classmates. When they saw Chen Nianbei, they were all stunned for a moment, then smiled and greeted him.
"Nianbei's back?"
"How's life on set?"
Good luck with the casting this afternoon!
They were all very friendly, but their eyes held a hint of curiosity and scrutiny.
Chen Nianbei responded politely.
When I got to the door of classroom 201, there were already quite a few people inside.
They discussed the topic in small groups, each holding a script.
Teacher Li hasn't arrived yet.
The classroom fell silent for a moment the instant Chen Nianbei walked in.
Everyone looked at him.
There was curiosity, scrutiny, suspicion, and a couple of well-meaning glances.
Chen Nianbei remained calm and found a seat at the back.
Naza sat down next to him and whispered, "It starts at 2 PM, in order of student ID number. What number are you?"
Number twelve.
"It's still early."
Nazar checked the time. "There's still an hour left. Do you want to get ready a bit more?"
"Let me look at the words."
Chen Nianbei said that when she opened the script, her eyes fell on Zhou Ping's lines.
Outside the window, the autumn sunlight filters through the sycamore leaves, casting dappled shadows on the desks.
The classroom gradually returned to the sound of discussion.
But people kept glancing in Chen Nianbei's direction.
He felt those gazes, but didn't look up.
Simply run your finger lightly over the words on the script and silently recite them in your mind:
"I haven't wronged you, I haven't wronged anyone..."
Zhou Ping's lies, Zhou Ping's escapism, and Zhou Ping's pitiful sincerity.
He has everything ready.