"Wah..." A young actress began wailing loudly right after her audition.
Gilbert and Nolan exchanged a glance, both feeling helpless this was the third time this little actress had cried.
She was only seven years old. During her performance just now, she forgot her lines. That wasn't a big deal adult actors forget lines all the time and still carry on performing.
The problem was, after she forgot her lines, she got nervous, and once she got nervous, she couldn't act. Then she started crying.
Although the young actress's mother tried her best to comfort her, the girl was hard to calm down, and the audition ended up stuttering along, almost unable to proceed.
Whether in Hollywood or here, child actors are always the hardest to handle.
You can't scold them the way you might with adult actors if they give a poor performance. You absolutely mustn't scold children otherwise things could get really messy.
Of course, one good thing here compared to North America is that there's no children's protection association causing trouble. But that's a good thing only for the crew, not for the children.
They finally managed to calm the little actress down and send her out, so the next audition could proceed.
In the child actor's waiting room, Ms. Liu held a water cup and was carefully reminding her daughter, "Qian Qian, don't be nervous when you go in later.
Just follow what Mommy taught you—greet them first and then introduce yourself."
As she spoke, Ms. Liu pulled out a photo—it was a studio portrait of Gilbert. If Gilbert were to see this, he'd be more than a little embarrassed.
You're collecting my headshots? That's kind of like secretly crushing on me…
Pointing at the photo, Ms. Liu said, "Especially Gilbert, the director. If he takes a liking to you, landing the role won't be a problem."
Thanks to her mother's long-term coaching, Qian Qian was quite poised. Compared to the other child actors, her mentality was definitely better.
She nodded. "Don't worry, Mommy. I'll do my best."
"Mm…" Ms. Liu nodded firmly.
Just then, Qian Qian's name was called from the audition list. Ms. Liu watched her daughter walk into the audition hall with eyes full of hope.
When Qian Qian entered the audition hall, she immediately saw the people seated at the front.
One of them was a foreigner she recognized Director Gilbert. Another, whom her mother had asked around about, was named Christopher Nolan the film's lead director.
Then there was Jackie Chan, who, she had heard, would be performing alongside the children.
Following her mother's guidance, Qian Qian politely greeted everyone and then introduced herself.
Based on her previous experiences, the directors at this point would usually say a few words of praise, like how cute or pretty she was.
But what caught Qian Qian off guard was that Gilbert and Nolan didn't show any expressions. They just whispered a few words to each other and then signaled for the audition to begin right away.
Still, that was understandable. These were big Hollywood directors; they didn't need to rely on connections within the Chinese film and TV industry, nor did they have any reason to.
So Gilbert didn't have to give face to anyone's godfather it was all strictly business.
Qian Qian took the script in a daze and, as instructed by the assistant director, spent five minutes preparing. But the sudden shift in attitude left her mind a little scattered.
After all, she wasn't an adult actor. Even with all of Ms. Liu's teachings, it was still hard for her to keep a steady mindset.
And auditions, much like a driving test, are all about mindset.
No matter how well you practice driving, if you're anxious during the test, you won't perform well. The same goes for auditions—any small change can mess up your performance.
That's what happened to Qian Qian this time. Jackie Chan Adventures was a modern setting, which wasn't Qian Qian's strength. And her performance came off too stiff and proper she didn't capture Jade's mischievous and quirky personality.
After the performance ended, Gilbert first had the assistant director escort Qian Qian out, then closed the door to discuss.
This was a lesson learned last time, they critiqued a young actress's performance in front of her and ended up making her cry, forcing them to call in her mother to smooth things over.
So now, they'd learned their lesson not to give feedback in front of child actors anymore.
Mrs. Liu was waiting outside. When Qianqian came out, she quickly asked, "How did it go? Did Director Gilbert say anything?"
Qianqian shook her head and replied, "He let me leave after I finished performing. He didn't say anything directly."
"Well, that makes sense. Maybe it's because the kids are too young, and it's not appropriate to say things in person," Mrs. Liu analyzed.
She then asked, "How was your performance?"
Qianqian answered honestly, "I was a little nervous. It wasn't what I imagined an audition would be like, so I panicked and didn't do very well."
Mrs. Liu was an impatient person. "How could you be nervous? How many times have I told you, the most important thing in an audition is your mindset. Mentality is everything."
Qianqian shrank her neck. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't do well."
"It's okay," Mrs. Liu looked around at the other child actors who also seemed nervous and waved her hand, "It's alright, the other kids are nervous too.
Qianqian, you're so pretty. As long as your performance was decent, I'll ask your godfather to pull some strings. We should be able to land the role."
"Mm!" Qianqian nodded vigorously, beginning to look forward to the moment she would get the part.
Since childhood, there hadn't been a single thing she wanted that she couldn't get!
Unfortunately, this time Qianqian was bound to be disappointed.
After Qianqian left, Gilbert discussed with Nolan and Jackie Chan: "What do you two think of this little actor's performance?"
"The girl is definitely pretty, but her acting lacks feeling! If it were a period drama, maybe she'd be more suitable," Jackie Chan was the first to give his opinion.
Nolan added, "Her level is not even as good as the last kid who cried. Isn't she older? I don't recommend choosing this actress."
To Gilbert, the "Fairy Sister" had a certain filter. After all, Zhao Ling'er from Chinese Paladin in his previous life was like a goddess in his heart.
But that kind of filter didn't affect Gilbert's judgment. He was a mature director now, not some impulsive youth.
From a professional standpoint, setting aside age, the Fairy Sister couldn't even pass the acting bar.
So after combining everyone's opinions, Gilbert simply crossed her off the list—three strikes, and she was out.
Mrs. Liu still had no idea her daughter had no chance. She was still pinning her hopes on Qianqian's godfather pulling some strings to secure the role.
But that was all in vain, and those connections weren't so easily called upon either.
Even if the godfather was someone powerful with influence, it meant nothing to a billion-level tycoon and a top Hollywood director.
In Gilbert's production, if he didn't want someone, not even Bill Gates could force a person in—let alone some so-called godfather.
How much money does he even have? How many people can he buy?
After Qianqian's audition, it was time for Gilbert's "favorite" Yang Mi. But at this time, she was still little Yang Mi.
She had a bit of spirit and actually captured some of Jade's character. Her chemistry with Jackie Chan was decent too, so she was put on the backup list.
The other child actors born in the 90s didn't perform particularly well, but age was on their side. Among them, Yang Zi and another child actor named Wang Jiaqi were both placed on the backup list.
Gilbert had never heard of the name Wang Jiaqi—perhaps the kid didn't continue acting after growing up.
That was very common. Like in Qin Shi Huang, the child actor who played the young Ying Zheng—Weng Feiran—was simply the perfect choice.
That kind of precise gaze and expressions conveyed the unique temperament of young Ying Zheng growing up in a foreign land and carrying a special identity—sinister, cold, and proud, like a dragon lurking in the abyss, waiting for the storm to rise.
That kind of depth in characterization, along with his naturally stern aura and powerful presence, allowed Weng Feiran's portrayal of young Qin Shi Huang to transcend the limitations of his age, delivering a performance with maturity and authority beyond his years.
It's especially worth mentioning that Weng Feiran was actually brought to the set by his mom just to "experience life," but was instantly picked out by the director.
So he ended up playing young Ying Zheng during summer break—a true legend of the strongest summer job ever.
Unfortunately, Weng Feiran never acted again and went into the civil service track, staying far away from showbiz.
If Gilbert was right, Weng Feiran had just finished playing young Ying Zheng.
It's a pity Jade couldn't be changed into a boy. Otherwise, Gilbert would've loved to have the actor for young Ying Zheng in the role.
.....
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