RNP Chapter 25 Jiang Xinlan joins the crew, Lin Wan
Chapter 25 Jiang Xinlan joins the crew, Lin Wan
The filming location for "The Wind Rises in Chang'an" is Jiangcheng Film and Television City, where the ancient Chang'an city set is set up in a magnificent manner.
Upon arriving at the film set, one could see staff from various groups working tirelessly, production assistants running around with walkie-talkies, and filming equipment and machinery everywhere.
Jiang Xinlan had just dragged her suitcase to the door of the dressing room when she heard the assistant director yelling and cursing inside:
"Lin Wan! What's wrong with you? You've filmed a simple kneeling scene eight times and still haven't gotten it right! Are you out of your mind? If you don't want to film, then get out! There are plenty of people who want to play this maid role!"
"I'm sorry, Director Zhang, I'm so sorry. I'll film it again, this time it'll definitely be right..."
A woman's voice, trembling with sobs, came out.
Jiang Xinlan was reminded of herself back then, and couldn't help but push open the door and go in. She saw a little girl dressed in a coarse cloth maid costume in the corner of the dressing room, bowing her head and apologizing to the assistant director.
The little girl was extremely beautiful, with curved eyebrows and eyes, fair skin, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes that were bright and watery. Even without makeup, she was much more eye-catching than many heavily made-up female celebrities in the entertainment industry.
At this moment, her eyes were red and her face was covered in dust, making her look especially pitiful.
She is Lin Wan, who plays Qinghe, the personal maid of the female lead Chu Yu, in "The Wind Rises in Chang'an". She is also the female supporting character with the most screen time in the entire series.
When Assistant Director Zhang saw Jiang Xinlan enter, his expression instantly changed; his anger transformed into a fawning smile.
"Oh my, Teacher Jiang is here! Please have a seat! I've already reserved the best spot for you at the makeup studio! Makeup artist! Come quickly and do Teacher Jiang's makeup!"
He was a completely different person from when he was cursing Lin Wan.
Jiang Xinlan nodded slightly, not responding to his words, but instead looked at Lin Wan, who was still standing in the corner, and said:
"Director Zhang, Qinghe is the character who has the most scenes with the female lead in the whole series. If you scold the actress like this, she will be in a bad mood when filming their scenes together, which will affect the progress of the entire scene."
Director Zhang was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Xinlan to speak up for Lin Wan, and quickly smiled apologetically:
"Yes, yes, Teacher Jiang is right. I was too hasty. Lin Wan, why don't you thank Teacher Jiang?"
Lin Wan was also stunned. She raised her red almond-shaped eyes and looked at Jiang Xinlan, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Teacher Jiang! Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome." Jiang Xinlan smiled gently at her.
"Try to calm down. We'll be acting together later, let's cheer each other on."
She knows all too well what it feels like to be publicly humiliated by a director.
For the past six years, she has often worked as an extra and stunt double, been scolded by directors, scorned by lead actors, and harassed by assistant directors.
She knew what it felt like to be isolated and helpless, and she also knew how embarrassed Lin Wan was at that moment.
In the past, she had no power to resist, but now that she does, she wants to share the burden with others after getting soaked in the rain herself.
Director Zhang dared not scold Lin Wan any longer and slunk away.
Everyone in the dressing room had left. Lin Wan walked to Jiang Xinlan's side and bowed deeply again.
"Teacher Jiang, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have been scolded by Director Zhang all day, and I might have even lost my role."
"It's okay, I was just telling the truth." Jiang Xinlan pulled her to sit down in front of the vanity mirror and handed her a tissue.
"Hurry up and wipe your tears. You'll be putting on makeup and filming soon, and your eyes won't look good if they're swollen from crying."
Lin Wan took the tissue, wiped her tears, and gave Jiang Xinlan a sweet smile, revealing two shallow dimples that made her look exceptionally lively and beautiful.
"Teacher Jiang, my name is Lin Wan, you can just call me Wanwan. I've heard so much about you. The scene of you auditioning was all over the place in our crew, and everyone said you acted so well, you were practically Chu Yu herself! I admire you so much!"
The little girl's eyes shone with undisguised admiration, sincere and fervent, without a trace of pretense.
Jiang Xinlan couldn't help but laugh:
"You're exaggerating. This is also my first time playing the female lead. We'll have to learn from each other when filming in the future."
The makeup artist came over to do Jiang Xinlan's makeup, and Lin Wan sat quietly beside her, occasionally handing Jiang Xinlan something, showing exceptional thoughtfulness.
During a break from makeup, Jiang Xinlan chatted with her and learned that Lin Wan was a professionally trained actress.
She had excellent grades in college and signed with a company after graduation, where she acted in several dramas.
She has good acting skills, is beautiful, has formal training, and has a company to support her. Logically speaking, she should have become famous long ago.
Even if they don't become famous, they'll still have some recognition, so they won't be completely unknown and flop without a trace.
Strangely, every time her drama is about to become a hit and she is about to become famous, all sorts of unexpected things always happen.
You might not believe it, but I really have a lot of bad luck.
Lin Wan shook her head with a wry smile, her tone full of helplessness.
"In my first drama, I played the fourth female lead. Just before it aired, the male lead's career collapsed, and the drama was taken down without even making a splash."
"For my second drama, I finally landed the second female lead role, but a week before filming was scheduled to start, the investors ran off with the money, and the project was canceled."
"Another time, I was cast as the third female lead in a big-budget drama. But the day before I was to start filming, I was hit by a car and broke my leg. I had to quit the role. But the character became a huge hit, and the actress who played the role became an overnight sensation."
Lin Wan counted on her fingers, becoming more and more aggrieved as she spoke, her almond-shaped eyes welling up with tears again:
"Qinghe in 'The Wind Rises in Chang'an' is a role I worked hard to get, and I really cherish it. But for some reason, everything went wrong after I joined the crew."
Either the equipment malfunctions during filming, or I get yelled at by the director.
"I acted perfectly fine in that kneeling scene just now, but the camera suddenly crashed. We filmed eight takes and still couldn't get it right, and Director Zhang even yelled at me."
Jiang Xinlan found it all outrageous.
Lin Wan's experience was as if she were under a curse; every time she was about to succeed, something unexpected would happen, causing her to squander her good fortune.
Despite being beautiful, having good acting skills, and being a professionally trained actress, she has become a minor actress, even playing small supporting roles with trepidation.
"Don't take it to heart," Jiang Xinlan patted her hand, comforting her.
"Your luck will always change eventually. With such good acting skills and good looks, you're bound to become famous."
"Thank you for your kind words, Teacher Jiang!" Lin Wan immediately smiled again, revealing two sweet dimples.
"I'm already so happy to be able to act with you! Please teach me a lot in the future!"
The two chatted and quickly became acquainted.
Jiang Xinlan discovered that Lin Wan was cheerful and outgoing, without the guile and scheming typical of people in the entertainment industry. She was sincere and a very likable young woman.
After they finished their makeup and changed into their costumes, the two had become friends and even made plans to go out for a meal together after filming was over.