Chapter 4: Casting

The next day.

After finishing his classes, Cheng Sheng found Zhang Yang and Teacher Yang Chao and handed the list of movie roles to them.

Once they had the list, the two of them took Cheng Sheng to see the principal.

The principal had already learned about Cheng Sheng’s plan to shoot a blockbuster yesterday.

An investment of one hundred million!

That was a very rare occurrence in the country.

He hadn't expected a student still in school to be able to secure such a massive investment, which left the principal feeling a mix of pleasant surprise and anxiety.

The surprise, of course, was that his student was capable.

The anxiety.

If the movie turned out to be a flop, it wouldn't just damage the school's reputation; it would make it difficult for future graduates of the school to secure investments.

Overall, the principal was very supportive of Cheng Sheng. After all, the investment money was already in hand, so there was no turning back.

The four of them discussed the filming logistics in the principal's office.

Because this was Cheng Sheng’s first time directing a movie, and a blockbuster at that, the school offered its full support. Whether it was assembling the crew or casting actors, the principal gave the green light for everything. He also promised to help coordinate with the military; as soon as filming began, the military would quickly move onto the set.

Costumes and props were no problem at all.

Now, only the actors remained.

The list submitted by Yang Chao left the principal both happy and hesitant.

Out of the hundred-plus actors, there weren't many students who fit these roles. While he hoped his students would join the crew for internships, with such a large investment, it was better to be cautious. It was best to choose actors who fit the physical appearance of the characters.

After the final discussion, they removed the roles for older characters that weren't suitable for students. The school was allocated half of the roles, while the other half would be open for public auditions.

The discussion concluded.

Posters for the crew’s recruitment and auditions appeared on the bulletin board at the Central Academy of Drama.

In the following days, the school helped assemble the crew.

Cheng Sheng spent his days wandering around the acting department under the guise of selecting actors.

This was the benefit of having connections; he could delegate all the trivial matters to others.

As for the news that Cheng Sheng wanted to make a movie, the outside world didn't think much of it.

A rookie director plus a historical film—such movies were highly likely to bomb.

Cheng Sheng was a junior with zero directing experience; daring to film a historical movie was practically asking for death.

Among the great directors of the past, who had ever succeeded with a historical film?

Most of them had sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Of course, not being optimistic about Cheng Sheng’s directing didn't stop them from wanting to participate in the film.

After all, if the movie flopped, it was the director and producer’s problem. What did that have to do with them, the actors?

The roles Cheng Sheng gave to the school were mostly for younger characters. As for the older ones, if teachers wanted to play them, that was fine, or they could be filled through auditions.

The two most important roles were Zhangsun Wuji and Princess Pingyang Zhao. These were major supporting roles and the objects of the students' competition.

"Yaya, which role are you choosing?"

On campus, Wang Zhi asked Tong Yaya.

Both Wang Zhi and Tong Yaya were freshmen in the acting department last year. Upon hearing that Cheng Sheng was making a movie and holding auditions on campus, they signed up without a second thought.

However, because there weren't many female roles in the movie, Cheng Sheng didn't open the role of the female lead, Empress Zhangsun, to auditions, but he did open the role of the second female lead, Pingyang Zhao.

Almost all the girls in the acting department were aiming for the role of Pingyang Zhao.

"Of course it's Pingyang Zhao. This is the second female lead," Tong Yaya said excitedly.

"But I heard the second female lead has a lot of fight scenes. It’s going to be very tough," Wang Zhi said, hesitating.

Without martial arts training, filming fight scenes was indeed very grueling.

"The school is giving even us freshmen a chance this time, so why be afraid of a little hardship?" Tong Yaya was determined. To become famous, she didn't mind suffering.

The Central Academy of Drama did not have a written rule prohibiting students from taking acting jobs.

However, for freshmen and sophomores, school teachers usually didn't encourage taking jobs during their studies. For juniors and seniors, provided it didn't affect their academics and they had the consent of the school and their class teachers, they could take on appropriate roles.

This time, because Cheng Sheng provided so many roles, the school gave the freshmen a chance.

The students were practically fighting tooth and nail for this opportunity provided by the school.

Although they weren't optimistic about Cheng Sheng as a director, these students who hadn't graduated yet wouldn't pass up a chance to be on the big screen.

On the day of the auditions.

The school specially cleared out a classroom to serve as the audition venue.

Cheng Sheng, Yang Chao, Zhang Yang, and two other assistant directors served as the interviewers.

Originally, Cheng Sheng didn't plan to participate in this, as he was busy enough communicating with the cinematographer, makeup artist, prop master, costume designer, and so on.

But because it was the first day of auditions, Yang Chao insisted that Cheng Sheng show his face.

For the selection of supporting roles, Cheng Sheng didn't require the actors to have great acting skills; he only required one thing: that they fit the character's appearance and temperament.

With the simulation panel, even if these students' acting skills were lacking, he could make them perform at the level of a movie star during filming.

Therefore, Cheng Sheng’s primary requirement for actors was that they fit the character's look and temperament.

At the audition site.

Yang Chao glanced at Cheng Sheng, exchanged a greeting, and then the group quickly got to work.

Because there were many people auditioning, they set the audition schedule based on the roles.

Today, they were auditioning for the second female lead, Pingyang Zhao, and her husband, Chai Shao.

"Hello, teachers. Hello, Director. I am auditioning for the role of the second female lead, Princess Pingyang Zhao."

The first person to enter was Zhang Xinyi, a female student from the Class of 2001 Acting Department. She wasn't shy at all, boldly introducing herself before handing her resume to Yang Chao.

*Er Jie!* (Second Sister!)

Seeing this person, Cheng Sheng recalled memories from his other self. In the other timeline, Zhang Xinyi had done quite well in the entertainment industry, and "Er Jie" was her nickname.

According to her career path, she seemed to be graduating this year, and right after graduation, she landed her first TV series, *Wind Blows, Clouds Move, Stars Stay Still*.

Yang Chao looked at Zhang Xinyi, picked up her resume, and asked, "What is your take on the character of Pingyang Zhao?"

"Pingyang Zhao is..."

She was indeed someone who would make it big in the future. Just based on the way Zhang Xinyi spoke with such eloquence, Cheng Sheng couldn't help but admire her.

"Alright, have you practiced martial arts? Can you ride a horse?"

Cheng Sheng interrupted.

Princess Pingyang Zhao had fight scenes in the film and even rode a horse onto the battlefield.

"I’ve practiced dance, so my physical flexibility is very good," Zhang Xinyi said.

"Can you show us?" Cheng Sheng continued.

"Certainly, Director," Zhang Xinyi said.

Following that, Zhang Xinyi performed a folk dance.

Yang Chao and Zhang Yang nodded secretly; her physical fitness was indeed good. Although she hadn't practiced martial arts, based on her flexibility, the fight scenes shouldn't be a problem.

Cheng Sheng waited silently for her to finish her performance and said, "You can go out now. If you are selected, we will notify you."

"Thank you, Director. Thank you, teachers."

Zhang Xinyi’s expression dimmed as she bowed to Cheng Sheng and the others.

Although Cheng Sheng hadn't rejected her, she felt her chances were slim.

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(End of chapter)