862 Replacing Older Actors

Qin Guan was quite confident about "Crazy Stone". Reassured by the Ornamental Column Awards, he tried to increase the box office even more.

I am an actor who doesn't need help from others, I don't need to promote myself shamelessly during the ceremony. Being a quiet, handsome guy works better for me. People will think of me as a noble hermit.

He was right. His presence during the ceremony earned unanimous praise both in terms of acting skills and social behavior.

The experienced directors, who judged an actor based on their initial impression, had loved Qin Guan.

They thought he was a peaceful boy that concentrated on his acting skills every day, but was not that good at being sociable.

The producers thought Qin Guan spent too much time in the business circle and didn't care about the complicated affairs of the entertainment circle. He could just as well work for his firm and turn down their money.

They still liked the actor though, because he paid no attention to fortune or fame.

Qin Guan contacted Director Zhang and headed to the Hengdian base again.

The film industry was developing slowly. A lot of people made a living on it. The film base in Hengdian was the best one in the industry. It spent a lot on promotion and tried its best to help film crews, so it had become the first choice for any independent film shooting. One could find everything they needed there, including labor workers, figurants and other professionals.

As the film industry in Hong Kong and Taiwan suffered, Hengdian in the Zhejiang Province was flourishing.

Qin Guan joined the crew early. Zhang Yimou had to compete against Chen Kaige during the next year, so he had decided to be really careful about his work.

When Qin Guan arrived, that day's scenes had already been finished. The basic structure of the imperial palace was a copy of the palace in "Emperor Han Wu".

Zhang Yimou was concentrated on beating his opponent. According to reliable resources, Qin Guan had been involved in a lawsuit between Chen and the local government of Yunnan Province. Thus, as soon as Qin Guan reached Hengdian, Zhang talked with him about his character and asked him about the details of the case.

As a dedicated actor, Qin Guan didn't have any problems with his role. When they finished their discussion about it, Zhang began beating about the bush.

Qin Guan smiled. "What do you want to know, sir? I will speak without reserve."

"I heard that you and Jiang Wen saw the situation at Tianchi. Tell me about that."

Qin Guan became serious. "It looks the same as in the pictures. Jiang Wen and I happened to be around when the locals negotiated with the crew. They didn't have a smooth discussion. I just got a general idea about the situation and provided them with some legal service. I also donated a sum of money to the local villages so they could restore the environment to its original state and make up for their loss in tourism."

"If Chen paid them for the damages, they would be happier though. Plus, it would also save me some money."

Director Zhang fell silent. He was a director who maintained a good relationship with the government, so he had his own baseline. What Qin Guan had done had helped him. The more the audience disliked "The Promise", the more popular his own film would be. The two films would be in theaters during the same period after all.

Zhang suddenly recalled that Qin Guan had turned down offers from some fur brands and patted his shoulder approvingly.

These days, kind people were harder to come by, let alone rich kind people. He hoped Qin Guan would stay on the right track.

The two of them had a pleasant talk. Some people felt unhappy about the importance the director attached to Qin Guan though. Younger actors succeeded older ones. The rising young man put great pressure on older actors, who saw the prime of their careers slip by.

Among the main actors, Gong Lee and Chow Yun-Fat were the best. The other two actors were Ni Dahong, who was aloof from his recent international success, and Jay Chou, who was a greenhand.

The cause of the uncomfortable feeling in Chow's heart was clear.

His value in Hollywood used to be 12 million dollars, but his box office record had been really low. Eventually, he had experienced a box office flop and ended up unemployed.

Meanwhile, Qin Guan had started out as a figurant with a salary of 10 dollars per hour and become a star worth dozens of millions. After "The Da Vinci Code", he had really stood out among other actors. Now agencies and famous directors were all after him.

The difference between the two actors was a few decades. Chow had suffered both ups and downs, while Qin Guan had risen all the way to the top. There was a huge gap between them!