It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 20 Rebellious Girl?
The acting department of Beijing Film Academy, the large break room on the 4th floor.

After pushing open the door and walking in, Lü Rui went straight to Wang Jinsong.

This is the class teacher of the 02 Acting Department, who will be enrolling soon, and also the chief examiner for this round of art exams.

He also made a cameo appearance in "Gone Girl," receiving only a token fee for his work.

Therefore, Lü Rui's visit this time can be considered as returning a favor.

"Good morning, Teacher Wang."

"Haha, you're here so early?"

Wang Jinsong greeted him very politely and led him to the other art exam teachers, giving a brief introduction:

"You all know the Silver Bear winner for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, right? I'm calling him over to set the tone and show those art students the strength of our Beijing Film Academy."

It's no exaggeration to say that every teacher at the Beijing Film Academy knows Lü Rui right now.

Xie Xiaojing strolled around carrying the Silver Bear trophy, telling everyone she met that she could retire with honor, which made the other department heads and teachers extremely envious!
After exchanging greetings, Lü Rui immediately asked, "Teacher Wang, is there anything I can help you with?"

He wasn't here to act like a big shot, and favors aren't repaid like that. He had to give Wang Jinsong face properly so that Wang Jinsong couldn't find anything to criticize.

"It's nothing. You can just sit next to me and give these art students some feedback on their performances from a director's perspective, and offer them some suggestions."

"Okay." Lü Rui nodded in agreement.
At 8:30, the art exams officially began.

Lu Rui sat to the side, not in a hurry to speak, but prepared to observe the situation first.

He doesn't quite understand the standards for the entrance exams for performing arts programs; he needs to familiarize himself with them first.

But he soon discovered that the standard was actually quite simple.

Just four words.

—Good-looking!
For example, Zhu Yawen and Huang Bo performed in the same group.

The former got a high score, while the latter, although performing quite well, received a score from the art exam teacher that was significantly lower than the passing mark.

When Lü Rui discovered this, he felt somewhat helpless.

"No wonder people keep saying that Beijing Film Academy produces stars and Central Academy of Drama produces actors."

Judging solely by looks, with acting skills secondary, isn't this just a way to select celebrities?

When filming "The Vanished Lover," Jiang Wen would often mention his experience of being rejected during the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy, which was full of resentment.

In 1979, after graduating from high school, he confidently applied to the Beijing Film Academy.

However, the Beijing Film Academy replied to him with encouragement because he was ugly and had a poor voice, telling him to "focus on your work and studies."

The following year, he applied to the Central Academy of Drama instead.

During the exam, he recited a passage from Chekhov's "The Chameleon," and based on his outstanding performance, he was strongly recommended for admission by teacher Zhang Renli.

Zhang Renli believes that his other shortcomings can be made up for through training, but his humor is a quality that is hard to come by.

Later, Jiang Wen became a renowned film master, while the Beijing Film Academy was criticized for "judging by looks and not by talent"!
Unfortunately, even with this lesson learned, the Beijing Film Academy still does the same thing:
"Why are you hitting me? Why are you hitting me!"

"Next up, Liu Yifei."

Suddenly, the teacher's voice rang out from the doorway.

Lu Rui looked up and saw a pretty figure walk in.

Taking off her down jacket and setting it aside, Liu Yifei calmly walked straight to the center of the art exam stage.

"Teacher, I'm ready."

Wang Jinsong nodded with a smile: "Begin your performance."

Beside her, Lü Rui observed her with great interest.

Fifteen years old is actually not young anymore.

The neighbor's daughter has just come of age; this is the young Duan.

Her slender figure standing there perfectly embodies the meaning of graceful and elegant!
To Lü Rui's surprise, Liu Yifei actually played a "rebellious girl" scene.

He recognized the name of the movie, his mind raced, and finally a movie title popped into his head.

Anne Hall

This is a 1977 film, in which Diane Keaton won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 50th Academy Awards for her role as Annie Hall.

Liu Yifei is imitating Diane Keaton's performance!

She tossed her long hair casually, a sneer playing on her lips, deliberately loosened her collar, put her hands in her pockets, and strolled around the room with a leisurely gait.

When her "parents" scolded her, she suddenly exploded, stomping her feet and roaring, "You don't understand me at all!"

His voice carried the unique awkwardness and stubbornness of adolescence.

Several art exam teachers nearby nodded in approval!
Then, she grabbed her "schoolbag" and slammed it to the ground, scattering her books. She then turned around abruptly, her shoulders heaving violently, her eyes filled with a complex mix of anger and resentment.

That rebellious spirit, from body language to subtle facial expressions, was a precise replica of the classic, making Lü Rui secretly give him a thumbs up.

Which marketing account is writing these smear articles?

This performance was great! Why would anyone need to use connections to get into the Beijing Film Academy?
Are you kidding?

After the performance, Liu Yifei stood still, bowed slightly, and said, "Teacher, my performance is over."

"it is good."

Wang Jinsong responded with satisfaction.

As is customary, the next step is to ask some questions, mainly focusing on the candidate and assessing their ability to present themselves comprehensively.

This step was handled by Wang Jinsong himself, since he was the one selecting the students.

However, at this moment, he suddenly turned to look at Lü Rui and said, "Why are you just sitting there without saying a word, Lü? Why don't you ask the questions this time? What do you say?"

Being suddenly called out caught Lü Rui off guard for a moment.

He had just been thinking about casting for "Mystic River," which needed a teenage actress to portray the role of a "rebellious girl," and Liu Yifei... Coming back to his senses, he asked curiously, "Why did you choose to play a 'rebellious girl'? There are clearly better acting styles that can better showcase your appearance and bring out your strengths, so why didn't you choose that type?"

Liu Yifei blinked, clearly not expecting Lü Rui to ask the question from such a angle.

She tilted her head and thought for a moment before answering seriously: "Actually, I think that appearance is only one aspect of an actor. It's not that being beautiful necessarily means having your own temperament and style."

There are so many beautiful women in China, and people like me are actually quite common, so I wanted to show something different from others.

Everyone ages, and appearances inevitably decline, but acting skills only deepen with experience. This is the foundation and basis of an actor's success.

"it is good!"

Several art exam teachers applauded.

Lu Rui nodded with a smile, but he was secretly thinking to himself.

Are there many beautiful women in China?

Is this a common occurrence?
Girl, do you have some kind of misconception about your own looks?

The questioning didn't end there. Next, Lü Rui focused on the topic of "rebellious girl" and asked several more questions.

Liu Yifei was well-prepared and answered almost fluently.

This pleased Lü Rui greatly.

She's a promising talent with a thorough understanding of acting. If she's properly developed and doesn't go astray, she can definitely become an excellent actor, not just a mere star.

……

Throughout the morning, Lü Rui saw many familiar faces.

Besides Zhu Yawen, Huang Bo, and Liu Yifei, he also met architectural masters Jiang Yiyan, Liu Jing, Luo Jin, Zhou Yang (the Three Holy Mothers), Li Dani, Qi Kui, Lu Fangsheng, and others.

Each face looked youthful and innocent, gradually overlapping with the figures in my memory.

"Alright, that's enough for this morning."

At noon, Wang Jinsong announced that the art exams were temporarily over and would continue in the afternoon.

Lu Rui was about to say he would come over in the afternoon, but Wang Jinsong said, "You don't need to come in the afternoon. You're quite busy, so I won't take up your time."

"It won't cause any delays, anyway, the directing department hasn't started classes yet," Lü Rui quickly explained.

"Haha, I know, it's okay, you don't need to come in the afternoon, just show your face in the morning."

Lü Rui didn't continue to be modest: "Alright, if anything happens, Teacher Wang, just call me. I'll be there whenever you need me."

Wang Jinsong nodded and said, "Okay, you too. If there's a suitable role for me, just call me anytime. I'm best at cameo roles, haha."

After the conversation ended, Lü Rui went downstairs to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

Now that the art exams no longer need him as a recruit, he can continue his work on translating Mystic River into Chinese.

However, to his surprise, he bumped into Liu Yifei as soon as he stepped out of the teaching building!

It seems this girl was waiting for him on purpose?
As soon as she saw him come out, her eyes lit up, and she ran over with her thermos in her arms.

"Director Lü!"

Lu Rui looked at her in surprise, "Why haven't you left yet? Didn't your art exams end a long time ago?"

"I've been waiting for you."

"wait for me?"

"Mmm." Liu Yifei tilted her head up and nodded earnestly, her ponytail swaying as she did so, her adorable appearance was very endearing.

"Wait for me? Wait for me for what?"

"Would it be convenient for me to get your contact information?"

Lu Rui became interested and teased her with a smile, "You've been waiting all morning just to get a phone number?"

Liu Yifei shook her head slightly: "Not entirely."

"Ok?"

Are you writing a new script?

"Huh? How do you know?"

Liu Yifei winked mischievously: "Is there a 'rebellious girl' character in the new script?"

Lu Rui immediately realized that, if nothing unexpected happened, his previous questions had revealed too much information.

"Your little brain is quite sharp."

"Hehe." Liu Yifei immediately pulled out her phone and asked expectantly, "Could you give me a chance to try?"

Lü Rui did not refuse and gave her his phone number.

After Liu Yifei entered the message, she called back specifically.

Seeing the phone in Lü Rui's pocket buzzing, she excitedly clenched her little fist and whispered, "Yay!"

I have the director's phone number now! I've successfully taken my first step towards becoming an actor.

"I'm so awesome!"

She was so excited that she blurted out what was on her mind.

Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she quickly waved to Lü Rui: "Goodbye, Director Lü. My mom is waiting for me to come home for dinner. If there's a suitable role for me, please remember to call me. I'll prepare for the audition seriously."

"Well, pay attention to safety on the road."

Lu Rui was just about to ask her for directions when he worried that the young girl might encounter bad people while traveling alone.
But the next second, the door of a Mercedes-Benz S500 not far away slowly opened, and the driver, wearing white gloves, personally opened the rear door. After Liu Yifei got in, he gently closed the door for her.

Okay.

She's actually quite wealthy!
(End of this chapter)