novelnext Chapter 1345 Uh
Chapter 1345 Uh
Chapter 1345 Uh
"Annyeonghaseyo~"
As Lee Sung-kyung entered the meeting room, she smiled sweetly at the main cast members and introduced herself generously: "I am actress Lee Sung-kyung from YG Entertainment. I am honored to participate in this audition. I am auditioning for the role of Oh Bong-yi..."
Appearing before Chi Jingyuan and his group was a tall, slender young actress with a very distinctive appearance.
This was the first female artist to walk in after the male main roles had finished their auditions, when the female roles began to be auditioned. Upon seeing Lee Sung-kyung standing in front of him, with her outstanding figure and distinctive face, Ji Kyung-won, whose expression was calm, raised his eyebrows slightly.
Ji Kyung-won didn't know much about Lee Sung-kyung, but her appearance was quite striking.
He looked down and flipped through her information. Lee Sung-kyung debuted in 08, which was quite early. However, she debuted as a model and tried many different paths in her early career, working as a model and a singer. Later, she officially debuted as an actress and starred in several TV dramas, but she never seemed to make much progress.
...Chi Jingyuan had heard of this woman's name before, but not in any professional context. He had only heard of her in discussions about male topics such as "good figure".
However, last year, Lee Sung-kyung rose to fame with her role as Kim Bok-joo in the drama "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo". In addition to the likable character, her popularity also increased due to her on-screen pairing with Nam Joo-hyuk, and she finally made a name for herself in the industry.
But since then, he hadn't heard of any of her works. Ji Kyung-won checked the records and found that after Kim Bok-joo, she had participated in several dramas, but all were minor cameo roles, completely unremarkable. No wonder Ji Kyung-won had never heard of her.
However, the information says that she will also play an important role in a movie for the first time in the middle of this year, but the movie has not been released yet, and judging from the cast of the movie, Ji Kyung-won probably doesn't think it's a movie of a high standard.
It can be said that Lee Sung-kyung has been in a hiatus for almost a year since Kim Bok-joo's popularity exploded at the end of last year.
However, after seeing that her agency is YG, Ji Kyung-won understood a lot more... YG has good fashion and music resources, but its film and television resources are only average, and it is slightly inferior to SM Entertainment now.
And her appearance... Chi Jingyuan glanced up again.
She's too tall. Ji Kyung-won's first impression of her was that she was tall. Standing there, she seemed even taller than Chou Tzu-yu. According to her profile, she is 1.75 meters tall, which is a bit too tall even in flat shoes. This height limits the male actors who can act with her.
If Chi Jingyuan weren't short, she would have been rejected outright based on her height alone.
Lee Sung-kyung seemed to have been watching Ji Kyung-won the whole time. Just as Ji Kyung-won looked over, she happened to look over as well, and their eyes met in mid-air... Ji Kyung-won noticed that this woman's pupils didn't seem to be pure black, but rather amber. He didn't know if it was colored contact lenses or natural, but it was quite memorable.
After a brief exchange of glances, he smiled and nodded slightly to Lee Sung-kyung, appearing quite natural, while she grinned and stared at him for a while.
"Please perform the scene from Act 8 of the script, where Wu Fengyi learns of her grandmother's death..."
After the self-introductions and initial understanding, the director Ahn Gil-ho, who was hosting the audition, put forward the performance requirements. Ji Kyung-won looked at Lee Sung-kyung, who was preparing her expression and starting her audition, but his attention suddenly wandered and he became a little distracted.
In fact, Ji Kyung-won felt that Kim So-hyun was quite suitable for the role of Wu Fengyi, as she fit the character's description well in terms of both acting skills and appearance.
In terms of popularity, Kim So-hyun, a former child star, is one of the most well-known young actresses today.
Not only him, but the other main members of the production team also felt that she was very suitable.
After the audition invitation was extended last time, Ji Kyung-won called Kim So-hyun privately to discuss the matter because of their close relationship.
Unfortunately, it was learned that Kim So-hyun had just terminated her contract with her former agency and was in talks with a new company. She currently has no plans to appear in any dramas.
Moreover, because she trusted him, the young girl even told Chi Jingyuan about the progress of the negotiations. She said that although the negotiations with the new company were almost finalized and a new personal company would be set up specifically for her, the new company already had a clear and specific plan for her career development. Next, they would further solidify her 'fresh and healing' image and star in more films with this style to emphasize this personal label.
However, the violent and bloody film "The Spy" (rated 19+) was not in the new agency's plans... But when Kim So-hyun heard that Ji Kyung-won had invited her to audition, she was very excited and really wanted to work with Ji Kyung-won. She even took the initiative to ignore the agency's plans and insisted on auditioning.
But of course, Chi Kyung-won wouldn't let her do that. Her agency has a complete career plan for its artists, so how could he possibly rely on personal connections to get someone to act in a show?
What if this show flops? We'd all be at a loss for friends, and it would be incredibly awkward.
And it's not like she's indispensable anymore... so unfortunately, Kim So-hyun had to miss out on "The Spying Game" this time.
If Kim So-hyun can't come, then Lee Sung-kyung becomes the most suitable candidate in a sense.
Although Lee Sung-kyung has been on hiatus for almost a year, and the popularity of "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" has largely dissipated, she is still the most well-known among all the candidates.
Moreover, aside from her height, her appearance fits the character perfectly, and her acting skills... are also fine.
For Lee Sung-kyung, her own limitations have prevented her from getting good roles, resulting in a long period of inactivity. Her company also lacks good film and television resources, so being able to collaborate with Ji Kyung-won this time is a very rare opportunity.
After Lee Sung-kyung, the auditions of the other candidates did not leave a deep impression, and the main creators talked to them but did not offer much advice.
Next up was the audition for the role of Choi Hong-joo.
"Next up... Lim Yoona, formerly of Girls' Generation, best known for 'You Are My Destiny' and 'The K2'."
Before the auditioning actors came in, producer Lim Soo-yeon began to briefly introduce the next artist's information, and Ji Kyung-won's ears twitched slightly as he heard that familiar name.
"...Her previous work, 'The King in Love,' was only moderately successful, receiving low praise from both industry insiders and audiences. Her suitability for the role was given relatively low weight in the evaluation, but, but..."
It's clear that the huge flop of the previous drama had a significant impact, as even the producer specifically mentioned it. However, after finishing her sentence, Lim Soo-yeon paused for a moment before changing the subject: "But Yoona and Kyungwon are from the same agency, SM."
Upon hearing this, Chi Jingyuan's smile faltered, and he felt a little amused... Judging from the producer's tone, it seemed that Yoona's previous works and roles had only had a negative impact, and her influence on casting was less than that of someone from the same agency as him.
...I wonder what kind of expression Yoona will have when she hears this.
After giving a brief explanation, Lin Xiuyan looked at Ji Jingyuan and asked curiously, "I heard that Jingyuan and Yoona are quite close friends?"
"Inside."
Upon hearing his name, Chi Jingyuan snapped out of his reverie and, sensing the slightly strange gazes from the director, writer, and producer around him, nodded in response: "We've known each other for many years; we're very close friends."
"..."
Seeing Chi Jingyuan's straightforward response, the main cast members exchanged glances.
"Annyeonghaseyo~"
A moment later, Lim Yoona walked in, her high heels clicking as she greeted everyone warmly. Her neat short hair, paired with a khaki autumn outfit and a friendly smile, made her look elegant and poised.
"Yoona noona is here."
Unlike before when he had kept a low profile and remained mostly silent, this time Chi Jingyuan didn't shy away from their familiar relationship and took the initiative to greet him: "Aigoo, Noona seems to be very well prepared."
Although Ji Kyung-won genuinely felt that Yoona was incredibly unlucky and kept his distance from her during collaborations, he still considered her a friend and felt obligated to take care of her.
As for whether there's a chance to collaborate... well, that depends on what others think.
Moreover, Yoona seemed very well prepared today. Her short hair, clothing, and even makeup clearly reflected the character's personality, and she looked every bit the elite TV anchor.
"Inside……"
Seeing that Ji Kyung-won took the initiative to greet her, Im Yoon-ah also seemed very happy. Ji Kyung-won took the opportunity to chat with her familiarly for a few minutes, showing an unusually close relationship.
However, the directors and writers next to them were not surprised... After all, they all came from SM Entertainment and were all idols, so it would be strange if they didn't get along.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ji Jingyuan didn't say anything more. Producer Lin Xiuyan began to host the audition: "You've all read the script, right? Now, please have Lin Yun'er perform the sixth scene, the scene where Choi Hong-joo discovers clues and begins to suspect that her boyfriend is a psychopathic killer... You have one minute to prepare."
As the producer announced the audition details and Yoona began preparing, Ji Kyung-won immediately perked up as well.
Although he had been a fan of Yoona's acting for many years, he had only ever seen her performances on television broadcasts. Those were all things shown through the lens, through editing and filters, which made them seem somewhat distorted.
This was truly the first time that he had the opportunity to observe his seniors' performance so privately, up close, and naturally... Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but feel a strong sense of anticipation, and he felt excited all over.
One minute later...
"Action!"
Yoona took a deep breath, nodded, walked to the center of the room, closed her eyes, and tried to get into the mood.
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze tried to convey a sense of unease. She unconsciously rubbed her fingers together, walked to the location of her imagined home, and picked up a picture frame that did not exist.
Her expression was somewhat sad, with three parts surprise, three parts fear, and three parts disbelief. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and the corners of her mouth turned down. An exaggerated, cartoonish, and beautiful expression of sadness appeared before everyone. But in addition to this, her eyes were wide open, as if she had seen a monster with a human head and a snake's body appear before her.
hiss~
Chi Jingyuan gasped in surprise. The performance, the details, the expressiveness... it certainly lived up to his expectations.
Next, according to the script, Choi Hong-joo expresses her doubts and sadness about her boyfriend, which should be the point of emotional outburst.
The next second, Lim Yoona took a step back and covered her mouth with her hand. After a few seconds, tears welled up in her eyes. Her wide eyes were filled with a shock that overturned her worldview, a deep-seated sense of unfamiliarity and fear towards something familiar.
...Of course, this is from Chi Jingyuan's perspective, viewed through a lens of censorship.
However, Yoona's tears came very quickly, and technically she was completely competent. Even Ji Kyung-won was amazed by it, as he himself couldn't do that level.
...All I can say is that the senior truly lives up to his reputation.
Go ahead and learn it.
After the performance ended, the conference room fell silent. The senior actor had demonstrated his acting skills, and Ji Kyung-won saw what he wanted to see, as did the other main cast members.
Yoona wiped away her tears, smiled, chatted with the producer for a few more minutes, then bowed and took her leave. Soon, the entire conference room fell silent again.
Compared to the silence just now, which might have been due to being stunned by the acting, this silence seemed somewhat eerie.
how to say……
Ji Jingyuan sensed that the director Ahn Gil-ho, the writer Choi Ran, and the producer Lim Soo-yeon were all secretly watching his expression.
That look in their eyes... it seemed they were waiting for Chi Jingyuan to give his evaluation and set the tone for the audition. If he said it was good, they would immediately give him face and say it was good too, so everyone would be happy.
If he says something negative... then they won't have to lower themselves to say things against their conscience.
Sensing the meaning behind their eyes, Chi Jingyuan felt embarrassed and speechless.
He knew that, given the poor reception of Yoona's previous drama, "The King's Love," the production team would never have considered her for an important role. The audition would have been a mere formality before she was passed over. That's how cruel the Korean entertainment industry is; once a drama flops, it takes a long time to get another chance.
Unless someone in power speaks up and voluntarily provides resources... like right now.
Chi Jingyuan knew what the producers were thinking, but... if it were any other production crew, one that had nothing to do with him, he would have said against his will, based on their friendship and his authority on the set, "She's great, let's go with her!"
But this time, "Spying" is equally important to him as his first original series in collaboration with Netflix. His senior's performance was rather mediocre, and he really didn't know how to praise it.
...It's not that the senior's performance was bad, but it wasn't great either. It was just in line with the senior's usual level. The performance was obviously exaggerated and theatrical, a common problem for idol actors. There's not much to say about it.
It's impossible to become a master of acting after just one audition... but it does meet everyone's expectations.
The director, writer, and other key members of the production team were watching Chi Jingyuan's expression. Chi Jingyuan, on the other hand, was somewhat embarrassed. He kept his eyes down and remained silent, pretending to be pondering some philosophical questions. The entire conference room suddenly fell silent.
After a long pause, it was the paper doll Lin Xiuyan who finally spoke:
"Yoona's performance... was truly impressive. Her appearance was also outstanding. No wonder she was once a top idol and is an excellent artist from the same agency as Kyungwon."
"Her, she... let's look at the next one."