2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 76 Niche Character Actors
It's less of a plan and more of a career development plan for Su Manqing.

This is Chu An's true calling.

To put it bluntly, the scriptwriting relies entirely on plagiarism, the actors are just dabbling, and the financing and production team management depend on advanced industry insights.

But when it comes to making career plans for an artist, Chu An is no longer sleepy.

This is exactly what a real agent should be doing!!

To put it bluntly, even without the 200 million, Chu An would be eager to package a domestic actress and get her into Hollywood.

It's still quite challenging.

so.
Chu An now hopes even more than Su Manqing that she will take a longer-term view and choose the third option.

However, Su Manqing was clearly unaware that the third plan was different from the first two.

A question flickered in her beautiful eyes. "Teacher Chu, I don't quite understand."

"If I get this role and the film is well-received in the European and American markets, wouldn't that be considered establishing a foothold in Hollywood?"

He laughed and said, "Based on my understanding of the European and American markets, they value commercial viability. As long as a film has market value, film studios will keep coming to us."

Snapped!
Chu An snapped his fingers, knowing Su Manqing would think the same way. In fact, most domestic movie stars share the same idea: as long as they have the opportunity to act in Hollywood, they have the opportunity to establish themselves.

Looking around, he said, "Wait a minute."

He pushed over a whiteboard that he had used during the day's meeting with Lu Mingze, erased the contents on it, and prepared to give Su Manqing a lesson.

Seeing this, Su Manqing cooperated, taking advantage of the moment to take off her coat and sit down lazily, exuding elegance.

As for Lin Wanxing and Tong Meng, they each found their seats and sat down to see what different opinions Chu An had.

Just as Chu An's little classroom was about to start, Lin Wanchen, dressed neatly in a sharp suit, was about to enter.

That's Su Manqing, Young Master Lin's goddess, okay? Our first meeting has to be formal.

Seeing his pathetic state, Chu An quickly locked the door with a click.

"Huh?? Huh?!?!" Young Master Lin was completely flustered, gripping the doorknob tightly. "Chu Shikuai! Open it for me!"

Chu An: "Open my ass! Go back to sleep!"

Lin Wanchen was anxious. He knew as soon as Su Manqing entered the hospital. Was it easy for her to get all this done?
"Just let me in and listen, okay?"

Chu An: "It's a trade secret! We're in the same industry, so it's really not convenient."

Young Master Lin was furious, and every word he uttered was impossible to broadcast.

Chu An returned to the whiteboard and started showing off.

Looking directly at Su Manqing, her aura was not weak at all. She made a conclusion first, "Even if you make 100 films like this, you won't be able to gain a foothold in Hollywood."

Su Manqing was even more puzzled, "Why?"

Chu An shrugged. "Even if you play this role perfectly, you still won't get into the inner circle."

Holding up two fingers, he said, "Chinese movie stars in Hollywood actually serve only two purposes."

"First, kung fu action stars satisfy some viewers' curiosity about the mysterious Chinese kung fu."

"Second, telling Eastern stories from a Western perspective corroborates their stereotypical view of Asian culture and the Eastern face they present."

With resounding conviction, "In the past, now, and for a long time to come, the function of Chinese film stars in Hollywood will not change."

Su Manqing, "..."

Upon closer reflection, it does seem to be true.

"Your summary is very accurate."

Chu Anxin said, "Of course it's in place!"

The two timelines differ only in details, but their overall timelines are largely the same.

What the journey of Chinese movie stars to overseas markets was like in another time and space is what it was like in this time and space.

From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from Chow Yun-fat to Jet Li, they all made a brief living in Hollywood by relying on kung fu films.

(Except for Bruce Lee)

The same applies to female stars, including Zhang Ziyi, the two Bingbings, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, and so on.

Although Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi's "Memoirs of a Geisha" is not an action film, it still meets the second requirement: Westerners telling an Eastern story.

Michelle Yeoh started out as an action star, and her Oscar win came after she had already made her mark.

And then there's Joan Chen, needless to say.

Chu An had also learned a little about this current time and space, and the general direction was the same.

In Chu An's own words, they are all Asian "character actors".

To be fair, we can't entirely blame others for not giving us a chance; we just belittled ourselves!
Moreover, it wasn't the first time that this group of actors collectively ventured into Hollywood.

The trend has been somewhat unhealthy ever since the fifth generation of directors insisted on using the local flavor of China to win international awards.

At the beginning of China's opening up, that group of directors were so eager to prove something to the West that their films were almost pandering.

This makes the domestic film and television industry inherently lack confidence.

At the turn of the century, the domestic film industry fell to its lowest point amidst the constant trial and error of the reform wave, leading a large number of filmmakers to regard Hollywood and the three major European filmmakers as the ultimate standard.

This led to situations like Su Manqing's, where people would rush into projects even for low pay or at the cost of losing money.

From a later perspective, the methods and approaches were somewhat indescribable.

Even knowing they were only playing minor roles, they still blindly rushed into it.

Chu An continued to "brainwash" Su Manqing:
"A top-tier superstar going to work as a character actor for someone else?"

Not only did Su Manqing look uneasy, but Lin Wanxing and Tong Meng were also worried for Chu An. Those words were too harsh.

Little did they know, something even worse was yet to come!
"Moreover, both kung fu elements and Asian themes are niche in the West. So, you are still a niche type of actor."

Su Manqing's face turned green, her imposing chest heaving, but she couldn't utter a single word.

If it weren't for the slight interest in Chu An's third plan, he would have stormed off in anger.

Chu An, "Most importantly, he's also a niche, character actor who's easily replaceable!!"

"I—" Su Manqing was about to cry, her voice trembling, "Am I, Su Manqing, really that worthless in your eyes!?"

Seeing this, Chu An finally calmed down a bit. "Don't rush! Calm down! Violence won't solve anything!"

It was the murderous intent in Su Manqing's eyes that made Chu An feel a little guilty.

She said somewhat weakly, "Let's stick to the facts. You're a woman, so you don't have the same market as male stars, and the audience doesn't remember you. They can just find any Asian face and replace you."

"Add to that, add to that."

Su Manqing gritted her teeth, "Add what?!"

Do you think I, Su Manqing, am someone you can easily replace?!
Chu An's gaze drifted to the ceiling, and he changed the subject, saying, "They're all face-blind and can't appreciate stunning beauty. To be honest, you and Sister Tong Meng look no different to me."

Su Manqing, "..."

She was flattered in secret, and her stunning beauty came out.

But Tong Meng didn't feel so good.

What do you mean?
Were you scolded?

Chu An said, "So, the decision is yours! Are you going to keep asking for roles without any strategy, or are you going to change your approach and just go for it!"

The dilemma was left to Su Manqing. She understood Chu An's words: either use his plan, as he said, "break in," but on the condition that she give up the role she was so eager to pursue.

Alternatively, one could become a niche character actor, even though such roles are easily replaceable.

After pondering for a while, he sighed softly, "I think I don't want to become a niche character actor!"

Chu An breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, which meant that Su Manqing was still sober. He was really afraid that this older sister would act impulsively and only care about getting into Hollywood, ignoring everything else.

Su Manqing looked at Chu An with amusement. She was really curious about what this little boy, whom Tong Meng had praised so highly, had that he could send her to Hollywood in a respectable way.

"Now, can you tell me about your third plan?"

Upon hearing this, Chu An spread his hands and said, "I haven't decided yet."

"What!?" Su Manqing's tone has completely changed. She's even belittling me into a niche, character actor, and you're saying you still haven't decided?
Her voice grew colder, "Is Teacher Chu toying with me?"

Chu An, on the other hand, was quite self-righteous.

"Come on!! Just half an hour ago, you went from being a goddess to a client."

"If someone just opens their mouth and gives you a feasible career development plan, then I think you should be suspicious that Mengjie and I are setting you up."

Su Manqing, "..."

Okay, that seems to make sense.

"Then, Professor Chu, when can you give me the plan? I'm in a hurry."

Chu An also lost his temper, questioning his brother's professional abilities?
"How about this?! Three days!!"

"Within three days, I'll come up with a way for you to break into Hollywood."

“If you can’t come up with a solution, then you can continue being a character actor. I don’t want the 200 million.”

"Don't worry!! Even if you don't fight for that role, the production team will have to actively try to get you!"

Su Manqing, "..."

Instead of feeling relieved, I got even angrier.

What do you mean by continuing to be a character actress? You've already insulted her so much, she can't take this role anymore for the sake of her reputation!
He pulled his coat over his shoulder, flashed a professional smile, and said, "See you in three days!"

As they were talking, they were about to leave.

Chu An, "Come back!"

Su Manqing frowned. "Is there anything else?"

Chu An took out a notebook and pen, sat down leisurely, and looked at Su Manqing with a smile, "Let's be professional and do career planning. I need to get your detailed information, right?"

President Chu's request is perfectly reasonable!

He's trying to sell a living person, shouldn't he at least know the person's detailed information?
This step is involved in everything from talent agencies signing new artists to public relations firms creating marketing plans.

Su Manqing paused, instinctively asking a question that unconsciously weakened her tone, "How...how detailed?"

Chu An smiled lewdly, "Of course it's as detailed as it gets."

Su Manqing suddenly didn't want to continue.

She strongly suspected that Chu An's preliminary investigation was not for developing a plan, but rather to satisfy his curiosity about gossip.

"Can I not do it? Everyone knows my situation, right?"

Chu An: "No, the internet only shows what people know about you. I need to know the real you. This is very important!"

Su Manqing struggled for a while, but finally sat back down. She comforted herself, saying it was all for her career.

But before he could speak, he suddenly turned to Tong Meng and shouted, "You!! Get out!"

Tong Meng was completely dumbfounded. "I'm your best friend!! What secrets can't I know?"

.

(End of this chapter)