166: Chapter 166 The Five Beauties' Eyes Were So Burning They Were Almost Melting

"Teacher Lin, I've read the script over and over a dozen times, and I've started to get a feel for Guo Xiaoshuai's personality. But I'm really not confident; I don't know if I can meet your requirements."

"How about… I perform a short scene for you right now, and you can give me some feedback?" Old Guo rubbed his hands nervously.

Lin Chen shook his head. He took Dilraba's fair, delicate hand, which was resting on his leg, into his palm and toyed with it, his tone calm:

"Old Guo, you have stage experience; you definitely won't have any issues with performance basics like blocking and delivering lines. As for camera presence and micro-expressions, once filming officially begins, I'll polish those for you from behind the monitor. But that's not the most critical part."

Old Guo asked humbly, "Then what is the key?"

"The key is, do you understand this character? Can you merge yourself with Guo Xiaoshuai?"

Lin Chen looked straight into Old Guo's eyes, his voice deep and forceful: "The reason I insisted against all opposition for you to take on this lead role isn't because you're good at Crosstalk, but because I saw value in those bitter experiences from your early years! You, Old Guo, are no heaven-sent star; you climbed up from the very bottom, step by step!"

"So, in this world, no one understands what it means to be 'down and out' better than you! No one understands better than you the feeling of being crushed under the heel of reality, yet still desperately protecting that faint glimmer of hope in your heart! And 'old boys' is precisely a story about being down and out and about dreams!"

Old Guo shuddered, nodded thoughtfully, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

Lin Chen continued, "As long as you can truly step into Guo Xiaoshuai's inner world and project your own experiences into it, those so-called professional acting techniques won't matter at all."

Upon hearing this, even Huang Bo, who was sitting across from them, nodded in deep agreement.

In the eyes of industry insiders, "acting" is actually quite metaphysical; there's simply no way to judge it with quantified scores.

You can't say someone's acting is a 90, and someone else's is a 60. That's unscientific.

Whether a character can resonate is certainly important, but it's limited by too many objective factors: the director's guidance, the refinement of the script, the support of costumes, makeup, and props, and even the chemistry with fellow actors.

It is a comprehensive art.

This also explains why some award-winning actors and actresses occasionally deliver disastrous performances in terrible films.

Because the role doesn't fit them—even a god couldn't save it.

Conversely, some amateurs who have never studied acting, or even extras pulled off the street, can deliver textbook-level, stunning performances in front of the camera, provided the role perfectly matches their own traits.

This is what's known as being "gifted by heaven."

...

There is no such thing as absolute omnipotence in this world.

Even those god-level skills provided by the system have their ceilings.

You wouldn't expect the system to grant you the ability to give birth, would you?

Actors are the same. "Chameleon" actors are, after all, a rarity; the vast majority of actors have their own comfort zones and limitations.

It's just like Singing; no matter how impressive your whistle register is, it might not sound good if you try to sing heavy metal rock.

Therefore, "role-actor fit" is the soul of casting.

When an actor's traits perfectly overlap with a role, it's no longer acting; it's living.

The moment they stand in front of the camera, they are the character.

Old Guo's history of struggling at the bottom in his early years is a perfect match for the character of Guo Xiaoshuai.

This is the confidence behind Lin Chen's insistence on casting him.

"Old Guo, what kind of person is Guo Xiaoshuai? You have to dissect him, break him down, and analyze him. You need to experience his arrogance during his youth, and his numbness and compromise after being beaten down by life. You need to experience his struggle—how he seems to have accepted his fate, yet the fire in his heart reignites the moment he hears a familiar melody!"

Lin Chen guided Old Guo patiently, "Once you've fully grasped this character, you can project that version of Old Guo—the one who performed like a monkey in a glass display case just to get a full meal—into the role. The more you two have in common, the more breathtaking your performance will be on camera!"

Coaching actors and helping them build a sense of conviction in their roles is one of the most fundamental skills for a director.

In this regard, Lin Chen, possessing master-level directing skills, was absolutely operating on another level.

He not only knows how to deconstruct a script, but also how to use the most straightforward, resonant language to inject the soul of a character into an actor's mind.

As Lin Chen provided his insightful analysis, not only was Old Guo listening, mesmerized and suddenly enlightened, but even the veteran actor Huang Bo was nodding repeatedly, his eyes full of admiration.

As for the five beauties of the Lin family sitting nearby, their gazes towards Lin Chen were so intense they could almost melt a person.

Their husband could cook, Sing, perform magic, and tell ghost stories. While they thought these were impressive, they were different fields, so they just enjoyed the spectacle.

But acting was their profession!

Precisely because they were professionals, they understood all the more clearly just how terrifyingly skilled Lin Chen's seemingly casual "coaching" really was!

Insiders know the ropes. At this moment, the five women's adoration for Lin Chen had reached a blind, absolute peak.

"Knowledge gained from paper is always superficial; ultimately, you have to realize this role yourself. I'll teach you a simple, old-school trick: go back and handwrite a character biography for Guo Xiaoshuai. The more detailed, the better—include everything, from what kind of cigarettes he smokes to which leg he leads with when he walks."

"Also, doesn't Guo Xiaoshuai run a barbershop? While we aren't shooting these next few days, go find a hole-in-the-wall roadside barbershop and experience life there for a few days. It will definitely have miraculous results."

Old Guo nodded repeatedly, convinced and impressed, like a primary school student humbly asking for guidance: "Don't worry, Teacher Lin, I'll get that done tomorrow."

Old Guo kept his stance very humble now. He didn't put on any airs as an elder just because Lin Chen was young and lacked seniority.

On the contrary, he cherished this opportunity immensely.

He was a shrewd man; to be able to build the Deyun Society into such a powerhouse, his vision was naturally quite high.

He knew very well that no matter how much one stirred things up in the world of Crosstalk, there was a limit to how far it could go.

The Deyun Society had reached a bottleneck; to take it to the next level, he had to branch out and expand the scope of their operations.

And the film industry was the perfect springboard.

"Teacher Lin, what about me? What about me? How should I find the feel for my role?"

Guo Qilin, who had been huddled to the side, silently stuffing his face, saw his father's sudden enlightenment. He quickly put down his chopsticks and came over with a cheeky grin to ask for advice.

He was playing the younger version of Guo Xiaoshuai in the film.

Lin Chen glanced at him. "Did you ever go to school?"

Guo Qilin scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. "I did go... but I didn't finish. I dropped out after junior high to perform Crosstalk."

Lin Chen nodded. "That's enough. Your school must have had those bullies who were always causing trouble and picking on classmates, right?"

Guo Qilin nodded repeatedly. "Oh, there were plenty. We had a few in my class."

"Try to recall their typical demeanor and the way they looked. Just mimic that. The younger Guo Xiaoshuai was a street punk who feared nothing."

"Go back and write the character biography with me!" Old Guo picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and commanded with the air of a strict father.

Since his father had spoken, Guo Qilin didn't dare refuse; he nodded vigorously with a bitter expression.

The enjoyable dinner lasted until nine in the evening. After exchanging pleasantries and saying their goodbyes, everyone got into their respective cars and headed home.

Nine o'clock at night might be time for older folks to wash up and go to sleep.

But for these young people grinding away in the entertainment industry, the nightlife was just beginning.

The five stunning, top-tier starlets of the Lin family naturally had no intention of sleeping.

In the van on the way back, Liu Shishi leaned against the car window, watching the dazzling night view of Beijing outside. She suddenly turned her head, her big, watery eyes blinking as she looked at Lin Chen. "Husband, are we going straight home now?"

Lin Chen chuckled. "Where else would we go if not home? Don't tell me you all want to go clubbing?"

Liu Shishi leaned forward, her body pressing softly against Lin Chen's arm, and suggested coquettishly, "Husband, it's still early anyway. How about... we go catch a midnight movie?"

Watching a movie was a mandatory quest for any couple in love. Liu Shishi had been keeping it in mind.

She had been jealous for a long time after Lin Chen took Tong Liya out alone for shopping and a movie last time.

She had to make up for it this time. Even if it meant the whole family going together, it still counted as watching one together!

Lin Chen turned to look at the other four women and saw that their eyes were also sparkling with eagerness.

He smiled dotingly. "Alright, since you all want to go, let's go. Boss Yang, I'll leave the ticket booking to you."

"As you command, my dear husband!"

Yang Mi readily pulled out her phone and opened the ticketing app. "Alright, what genre do you want to watch?"

The five women immediately began chattering like sparrows. Finally, after a majority vote, they settled on a 10 p.m. showing of the suspense thriller, "The Poison Master."

The film's lineup was quite luxurious. The director was Jin Li, famous in the industry for crime thrillers, and the leads were national-level powerhouses like Sun Honglei and Zhao Wei.

Yang Mi chose a private cinema only two streets away from their apartment and booked a VIP couple's suite.

When they arrived, it was just past 9:30. Yang Mi told the driver to head back and not wait for them; after the movie, they could just take a walk as a family to digest their meal.

While waiting for the movie to start, the six of them—fully disguised with sunglasses and masks—strolled around the nearby pedestrian street.

"Oh! Husband, look! They're selling Häagen-Dazs! I want some, I want some!"

Passing by an ice cream shop, Dilraba became rooted to the spot as if hit by a freezing spell.

She gripped Lin Chen's arm tightly, jumping up and down like a spoiled little girl. Her impressive assets swayed with her, causing passersby to glance over repeatedly.

Lin Chen looked at her helplessly. "Just a moment ago at dinner, you polished off an entire king crab by yourself. Do you still have room for ice cream?"

Dilraba shook Lin Chen's arm, arguing confidently, "Oh, Husband~ you don't understand! We girls have two stomachs. Ice cream goes into the other one; it doesn't take up any room at all! Come on, let's go, let's go~"