novellhall Chapter 253 Junior Sister, Please Guide Me [5000]
Chapter 253 Junior Sister, Please Guide Me [5000]
Chapter 252 Junior Sister, Please Guide Me (Christine Appears Online) [5000]
The most difficult role to cast in the script for "The Ancient One" was not the Ancient One.
After all, they immediately chose Chen Xun as the most suitable actor after reading the script.
On the contrary, the casting of Karuru was problematic.
This role has such a huge range!
In the early stages, she is an innocent and pure Tibetan girl with light in her eyes and love in her heart.
During the middle of the story, she experiences the death of her mother and is misled into black magic, causing her eyes to become complicated.
Later, he completely turns to the dark side and becomes a Voidwalker. His temperament should be evil, but not Iowa. He should have a tragic sense of "I am not wrong, it is the world that is wrong".
Director Yates auditioned more than thirty actresses.
Young actors can't capture the depth of later performances.
Those with good acting skills tend to be older and can't portray the girlishness of the early episodes.
Some can handle the dark side, but their appearance isn't pure enough.
If the characters don't have enough contrast, there won't be anything interesting to watch.
The casting director has practically plucked all his hair out.
That afternoon, Chen Xun was scrolling through his phone during a training break when he saw Christine's new Instagram post.
She filmed GG in Iceland, wearing a long white dress and standing in front of a glacier, her hair blowing in the wind, her smile as pure as snow.
The caption for the photo reads: "The sky here is so low you feel like you can touch it."
Chen Xun stared at the photo for a few seconds.
A thought suddenly popped into my head.
He put down his phone and went to Yates's temporary office.
"David, I have an idea about Karuru's candidate."
Yates, who was looking at actor profiles, looked up and said, "Speak."
"Christine."
Yates paused for a moment, then asked, "Your girlfriend?"
"right!"
Chen Xun handed her his phone and showed her the photo: "Look at her like this, pure, ethereal, and youthful. When she debuted, the media called her an angelic face."
He then dug up a clip from one of Kristen Stewart's early low-budget thrillers: "Look at this again, she plays a possessed girl, and the scene where she turns evil, the change in her eyes is very natural."
Yates took the phone and looked at it carefully.
Kristen's face is photogenic.
She's not your typical Hollywood sweetheart; she has a touch of Scandinavian coolness, but her smile is incredibly warm.
This sense of contradiction perfectly matches Karuru.
"But can she handle her Tibetan background?"
"You can learn it."
Chen Xun said, "Moreover, we are not looking for real Tibetan actors, but for those who can portray that feeling. Christine has a strong learning ability."
"More importantly—"
Chen Xun paused for a moment: "We are a real-life couple. In the movie, Gu Yi and Karuru are senior and junior disciples who eventually become enemies. This projection of a real-life relationship will increase the movie's buzz."
Yates' eyes lit up.
As a director, he understands the value of generating buzz all too well.
Have you spoken to her?
"Not yet, I'd like to get your opinion first."
"I think we should give it a try!"
Yates stood up and paced around the office.
Chen Xun nodded: "I'll call her now."
He went down the hallway and dialed Christine's number.
It rang five times before I answered.
"Hey, baby!"
Christine's voice, carried by the sound of wind, with the backdrop of Icelandic glaciers, said, "I just finished filming, it's freezing! How's it going over there?"
"good."
Chen Xun leaned against the wall: "There's something I want to discuss with you."
"There's a character in 'The Ancient One' named Karuru, who is the Ancient One's junior sister. She eventually turns evil and becomes a villain. The director thinks you're suitable and wants you to audition."
There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"I'm playing a villain?"
"Yes, and he's the main villain, with a lot of screen time."
Chen Xun gave a brief overview of the character.
After listening, Christine remained silent for a few seconds.
"You mean we play martial arts siblings in a movie, and it ends with us fighting to the death?"
"right!"
"And they're a couple in real life?"
"right!"
Christine laughed softly: "This is hilarious. Send me the script, I want to see my scenes with you."
"I've sent it to your email. We'll see how it goes during the audition!"
"certainly!"
Christine said seriously, "I don't want people to say I got the role because of my boyfriend. I'll be ready as soon as I get back to Los Angeles."
Three days later, Christine flew back to Los Angeles.
I didn't go home, I came straight to the photography studio.
She was wearing simple jeans and a white T-shirt, without makeup, and her hair was tied in a ponytail, making her look a few years younger than her actual age.
The moment Yates saw her, he knew what was going on.
This state does indeed resemble Karuru's early game form.
The audition took place in a makeshift performance area.
Yates selected three excerpts:
Earlier, Karuru asked the Ancient One, "Can magic cure my mother's cough?"
The performance should be innocent, with a touch of stubbornness.
After her mother died in the middle of the year, she held her ashes and said, "I was wrong—I was wrong to use the wrong method."
At this moment, Karuru is desperate, yet secretly harbors madness.
The final scene is after he turns to the dark side, in the mirror space he says to the Ancient One: "Yao, you are too clean, but this world is dirty."
These three classic shots really put the actors' skills to the test.
But Chen Xun believed that Christine would be fine.
After all, he started out by absorbing Christine's attribute ball.
Christine sat in the chair, closed her eyes, and regulated her breathing.
A minute later, Christine opened her eyes.
His eyes changed!
She was no longer the slightly lazy, playful girlfriend she usually was, but a Tibetan girl with the sunshine of the plateau and a sense of worry in her eyes.
"Can magic cure my mother's cough?"
She spoke very softly, but every word sounded like a plea.
Yates nodded.
Next is the second paragraph.
Christine had no props, but she was holding the air as if she were holding an urn.
His body trembled slightly, and his voice shook: "I was wrong—I was wrong to use the wrong method."
After she finished speaking, she raised her head.
There are tears in her eyes, but behind those tears lies the beginning of her downfall.
Yates sat up straight!
He had never worked with Kristen Stewart before and didn't have a strong impression of her, who was famous for her role as Bella in the Twilight series.
This time, he was truly amazed.
This couple is such a Hollywood drama queen!
He has such great acting skills at such a young age!
Just then, Christine stood up.
The scene we're about to perform is the final one, showing the character after he turns to the dark side.
She took a few steps, turned around, and looked at the Ancient One in her imagination.
His expression was calm, even with a slight smile, but his eyes were completely dark: "Yao, you are too clean, but this world is dirty."
She didn't scream; instead, she seemed to be stating a fact.
That sense of self-righteous evil sends chills down your spine.
Just then, a golden attribute orb fell from her body:
[Character's evil aura +12]
Chen Xun absorbed it directly.
He has a clearer understanding of Karuru's role in the script.
The performance has ended.
Christine blinked, returning to her usual self: "Is it okay?"
Yates applauded.
"very good!"
He stood up: "Especially the third part, that feeling of 'I'm not wrong' is very difficult to act. Many people would act it out as hysteria. You acted it very restrainedly, but it was even more terrifying."
Christine breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chen Xun.
Chen Xun gave her a thumbs up.
"But there are still some details that need to be adjusted."
Yates said, "For example, accent. Although you don't actually speak Tibetan, you need to have the rhythm of that highland language. And body language. Tibetans have distinctive walking and sitting postures."
"That's no problem!"
Christine readily agreed.
She was looking forward to acting with Chen Xun.
"OK!"
Yates made the decision: "This role is yours. Let your agent talk to Marvel about the contract."
Christine's eyes lit up, and she ran over to hug Chen Xun: "We can finally film together!"
Chen Xun chuckled and patted her on the back: "It would be embarrassing if you couldn't keep up with my acting!"
"Who's afraid of who!"
That evening, Marvel officially tweeted: "Welcome Kristen Stewart to 'The Ancient One: Shadow of Vishanti'! She will play Karuru, the Ancient One's junior sister and greatest adversary, a real-life couple facing off on screen!"
The accompanying images are Christine's audition photos and character concept art.
This tweet went viral instantly.
Comment section: "Are Chen Xun and Christine acting opposite each other? Or are they villains?"
"The idea of real-life couples killing each other in a movie is so compelling!"
"Kristen Stewart's face is perfect for playing innocent young girls, but playing a villain? I'm a little curious!"
"Trailer: CP fans and villain fans are going to fight after the movie's release!"
"Marvel knows how to play the game! This has generated tons of buzz!"
It also became a trending topic on Weibo in China:
#ChenXunChristineCollaboration#
#Real-life couple playing mortal enemies#
The discussion surrounding it even surpassed that of previous news reports about filming in Qinghai.
"This casting is brilliant! Kristen Stewart's face truly has that fallen angel vibe!"
"Chen Xun recommending his own girlfriend? Won't people say he's showing favoritism?"
"Upstairs, Christine passed the audition herself. The official announcement has already been made, and her acting skills are indeed good."
"Looking forward to it! I want to see how they act opposite each other!"
"I suggest doing multiple takes for kissing scenes (lol)."
Of course, there were also dissenting voices: "Has Hollywood started relying on connections now?"
"Kristen Stewart has always made low-budget films. Can she handle suddenly playing a Marvel villain?"
"Waiting for it to crash and burn."
But these voices were quickly drowned out.
Marvel released video clips of Kristen Stewart's audition.
It's the edited, best part.
Especially the performance after the character's transformation to the dark side, the instant the eyes change, it gives people goosebumps.
"That's pretty good acting!"
"I underestimated her before, thinking she was just a pretty face."
-
-
"That face is so deceptive. It looks so innocent when it's playing a pure character, but it's terrifying when it turns evil."
"Chen Xun has a sharp eye!"
One hour after the video was posted, Christine's Instagram followers increased by 300,000.
She posted a new update: "It's an honor to join the 'Ancient One' family. Karuru is a complex character, and I will do my best. @Chen Xun, please give me your guidance during filming, senior brother."
Chen Xun forwarded: "Junior sister, please give me your guidance."
The comment section was filled with "Ahhh!"
"This interaction! It's so sweet!"
"A real-life couple playing senior and junior classmates—I'm totally shipping this!"
"But they're mortal enemies in the movie! This sweetness hides a knife!"
"Never mind, let's just kowtow first!"
[Key supporting character Karuru confirmed to be played by Christine]
[Impact of rating: Audience expectations rise significantly]
[Project's overall rating has been upgraded to B—]
[Note: The on-screen showdown between real-life couples is expected to boost the film's buzz by over 30%]
With the lead actors confirmed, the film is ready to officially begin shooting.
The responsibility of training Christine fell on Chen Xun's shoulders.
Christine stood in front of the mirror in the training room, trying that damn handprint for the third time.
The index finger is bent, the thumb is pressed down, and the wrist is rotated.
It looks simple, but if the angle is slightly off, the whole gesture will change.
"wrong!"
Chen Xun's voice came from behind: "Lower your wrist by five degrees, imagine you are holding a bowl of water, and the water cannot spill."
Christine gritted her teeth and continued to adjust.
In the mirror, she was wearing a loose gray training uniform, her hair was haphazardly tied into a bun, she had no makeup on, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
She looks nothing like a Hollywood star; she looks more like an unlucky student being tormented by her coach.
"Still not right!"
Chen Xun walked behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror: "Imagine you're guiding energy. Even if there's no magic in reality, your mind has to keep up!"
Imagine a warm current flowing through your fingertips.
Chen Xun used his hands to help Christine make the correct gesture.
"Easier said than done!"
Christine muttered a couple of times in a coquettish tone.
But I still closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
This time the gesture is correct!
Chen Xun nodded: "Keep it up, keep your breathing in, one cycle every three seconds."
The training room was quiet, with only the sound of the two breathing.
This is a private training room specially arranged by Marvel. It has a high level of confidentiality and doesn't even have windows.
This is to prevent paparazzi from taking photos and leaking the plot.
"Take a five-minute break."
Chen Xun glanced at the clock on the wall.
They have been practicing for two hours.
Christine immediately collapsed onto the cushions, like a dehydrated fish: "This is much more tiring than filming action scenes. At least when filming action scenes, I know what I'm doing. This is all based on imagination."
That's why you need to practice.
Chen Xun handed her a bottle of water: "Karuru is not a warrior, she is a mage. Her power comes from her will and hand seals, not her muscles."
Christine took the water, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and stared at him: "How do you know so much?"
"Marvel specifically hired XZ's sorcerer to conduct the training!"
Chen Xun sat down next to her.
"You've done an incredibly detailed job."
Christine turned to the side, supporting herself on her elbow: "She can even control details like lowering the wrist by five degrees."
She then understood why her boyfriend's films were consistently box office hits in Hollywood.
It is precisely this extremely demanding attitude that has enabled him to create so many classic roles.
Even Christine, who has very high standards for herself, admires this.
After all, producers won't increase your pay just because you put in so much effort.
"The script is the skeleton, and the actors are the flesh."
"Furthermore, Karuru's hand seals are different from the Ancient One's. The Ancient One's hand seals are of the Vishanti lineage, orthodox and radiant. Karuru's hand seals will later incorporate dark magic, giving them a slightly sinister quality."
He demonstrated a black magic hand gesture.
The angle of the fingers' bend is strange, and the direction of the wrist's rotation is also against human nature, but the whole gesture exudes an ominous beauty.
Christine was stunned.
"How do you even know this?"
"To study villains, you must first understand them."
Chen Xun put away the hand seals: "Come, I'll teach you the first black magic hand seal, the starting posture of Void Touch."
"When you make this gesture, you should be thinking about taking. White magic is about service, and black magic is about plunder."
Christine sat up and began to study diligently.
She is indeed talented.
She has nimble fingers, learns quickly, and her temperament is surprisingly compatible with Karuru.
This time, I successfully reproduced the correct gesture after only a few practice sessions.
Just as Chen Xun was about to praise her, he suddenly saw a purple attribute orb fall from her body:
[Character understanding depth +8]
Chen Xun's mind raced, and he directly absorbed the attribute ball.
A slightly cool sensation flowed into my brain.
Fragments of Christine's understanding of the character Karuru.
The obsession with saving my mother, the anger towards the rules of the world, and the emptiness after falling into depravity.
These understandings are very real and insightful.
Chen Xun looked up at Christine: "What were you thinking when you made that gesture?"
I miss my mom.
Christine lowered her voice: "When she was sick a few years ago, I also thought that if there was any way to save her, I would do it no matter the cost."
Chen Xun remained silent for a few seconds.
"Remember this feeling."
"Karuru's starting point was love that was willing to sacrifice everything, but when love went astray, it became an obsession, and when the obsession went astray, it became evil."
Christine nodded, her eyes serious.
In the following training sessions, the attribute balls dropped even more frequently.
When Christine makes a standard white magic hand seal, she will receive [Gesture Accuracy +6].
When she imitated Chen Xun's dark magic hand seals, she dropped the item "[Villain Aura Grasp +10]".
When she attempted to portray Karuru's despairing and mad state in the middle of the game, she dropped [Emotional Level Expressiveness +12].
Chen Xun provided guidance while silently absorbing the information.
These attribute orbs integrated everything he had learned in the dungeon.
After all, Chen Xun's experiences in the game were real, but to present the best possible performance during filming, some changes were definitely necessary.
During a break in training, Christine suddenly asked, "What if I can't get out of character after filming is finished?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's like I kept playing Karuru, and by the end I hated you. Even after the movie was finished, I still hated you."
Christine was clearly joking.
Chen Xun thought for a moment: "Then let's decide on a code word as a security term!"
"signal?"
"You get distracted as soon as I mention pineapple pizza."
Christine paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Why pineapple pizza?"
"Because you hate pineapple pizza."
Chen Xun laughed: "You said that putting pineapple on pizza is a crime against humanity, so as soon as you hear that word, you'll definitely jump out of character and scold me."
"That makes sense!"
Christine nodded, then winked. "What if you can't get out of character?"
"You said Nolan's movies are too long."
"Haha! This is great!"
The two burst into laughter.
Training continues.
The afternoon session focused on body language and the sense of age of the characters.
Karuru will portray a character ranging from a teenage girl to a Voidwalker who is hundreds of years old, a huge age span.
Makeup can't solve all problems; you have to rely on your body language.
Chen Xun taught Christine little by little the knowledge of "action aesthetics design" that he had absorbed from Yuen Woo-ping's team, combined with his observations of Karuru in the dungeon.
"During my teenage years, I walked with a light step, small strides, and liked to turn my head to look at things."
"In the middle stage, the pace becomes heavy, the shoulders lean forward slightly, and the burden becomes overwhelming."
"Later, after he turned evil, he walked almost silently, as if floating—because he no longer completely belonged to this world."
Christine followed along and practiced.
She is a good student.
No complaining, no half-heartedness, and if you make a mistake, start over.
Attribute balls continue to drop:
[Age-sensitivity and body language control +15]
[Character Temperament Transformation Techniques +18]
[Ability to maintain emotional intensity in long takes +10]
Training continued until evening, and Christine was so exhausted that she sat on the ground, leaning against the mirror and panting.
Christine is truly dedicated.
The two of them trained for more than eight hours today.
[Key supporting character Karuru's character compatibility increased to 85%]
[Expected performance effect: Grade A]
[Project's overall rating upgraded to B]
[Reward: Trendsetting progress +2% (current total 7%)]