Chapter 88: Overthinking It

At the sight of how hard Li Shuangmu had tried to urge her to come and watch the filming, Chu Luoxi felt a little awkward. So that was it—they had been waiting for her here all along.

Were they hoping she would give the two young actresses some guidance? Yet they had not said it outright. What if she had failed to notice it herself?

“So that’s what you mean. Director Li really never scolded us like that, but what does that matter? We were NG the whole time!” Zhu Xueshuang reflected for a moment, her beautiful eyes clouded with confusion, and a touch of embarrassment rose from the bottom of her heart.

Before joining the crew, she had been full of confidence, ready to show her talent. Yet after nearly two months, she had nearly lost faith in herself.

Chu Luoxi did not know whether to laugh or cry. “That’s because you’ve never seen what a director looks like when he loses his temper. There’s no reason left in him at all. His temper turns fierce, and he goes straight for the jugular—hitting exactly where it hurts. You’re both from Imperial Film, and that alone is already a golden calling card. If your performance were truly poor and failed to meet expectations, Director Li certainly would not spare you just because he was being kind. He would seize on that weakness and strike hard.”

She was speaking the truth, absolutely not slandering the director. Some people needed pressure, and directors often liked this direct kind of blow: once you felt the pain, you understood the stakes, and then you would think carefully before acting.

“So what you’re saying is, our performance was not below the director’s standards?” Zhu Xueshuang felt even more confused. “Then why do our takes keep ending in NG?”

“Exactly. Xiaoxi, explain it more clearly. Xiaoxue and I have been struggling over this for a long time. If this goes on, I’m going to start wondering whether I’m really suited to be an actress, whether I can even act at all.” Liu Yujia’s little face scrunched up, still as direct and impulsive as ever. If it had been Zhu Xueshuang asking, she would never have put it so plainly, even though she felt exactly the same.

In fact, Zhu Xueshuang’s feelings ran even deeper than Liu Yujia’s. After all, she always thought more than Liu Yujia did; once she fell into a mental knot, she could not easily get out. Moreover, the two of them had not done badly in school, yet once they took the stage themselves, the difference became so stark that self-doubt was almost inevitable.

“It’s not that you can’t act anymore, and it’s not that you’re below the director’s expectations. It’s that you’re thinking too much.” Chu Luoxi spoke unhurriedly, waiting for the two of them to absorb her words before going on. “Perhaps you’re too eager to do well, so eager that you forgot what I told you before: this is an idol drama. And the premise of an idol drama is the image, not the acting. Many times, even good acting has to give way to the visual effect.”

“Do you know why Director Li didn’t try to provoke you? Because in terms of performance, you had no problems. You were perfectly in line with the identity of students from Imperial Film. But that was not what Director Li wanted. More precisely, it was not what an idol drama needed.”

“You’re still newcomers, just starting out in the industry. You cannot yet merge acting and visual appeal seamlessly. That is another, higher level entirely. So if he had to choose one, Director Li would rather have the image.”

“Yuchi Hao already follows the idol route. Every movement of his has been trained, so of course he fits the visual demands of an idol drama very well. Leaving acting aside, he would NG far less often than you two.”

Hearing this speech with mouths agape, Zhu Xueshuang felt as though she had been suddenly enlightened. “No wonder you always told us before that acting in an idol drama doesn’t require too much thought, and that we shouldn’t take this experience too seriously. Um... so we really were just overthinking it?”

“Of course. Because you made it too complicated, you kept assuming the problem lay in your acting, so you focused even more on how to act, and in the end you only trapped yourselves in a dead end.” Chu Luoxi raised an eyebrow. “When I told you not to take this experience too seriously, I meant that you shouldn’t be too attached to this particular style of performance. It won’t work in every crew. Sharpening your acting skills is the proper path.”

“Every kind of drama has its own distinctive features. A lot of things cannot be applied universally. By now, you should understand what makes an idol drama special, shouldn’t you?”

“Mindless acting—do you mean it like that?” Liu Yujia asked in surprise. She recovered much faster than Zhu Xueshuang. She had always been carefree and bold, not especially concerned about such things. She would only feel upset for a while when they came up, so her mood could change very easily.

“Mindless acting doesn’t mean you really stop using your brain. Don’t swing to the other extreme. It just means you shouldn’t think too deeply. And usually, watch Yuchi Hao more. Maybe then you’ll know what kind of performance looks the most beautiful. Acting comes second in this.”

Chu Luoxi analyzed it calmly. Acting and visual appeal were not something you mastered in a day. Newcomers inevitably had to give priority to one side. And for an idol drama, the actors had almost no choice at all.

Image and camera presence could not be said to be the same thing, but they were closely connected. For instance, Chu Luoxi had made cameo appearances in two dramas, both of them remarkably beautiful, and part of the reason was that she knew how to place her most beautiful side before the camera. That depended on talent, yes, but also on training. The more roles one played, the more naturally one would come to understand it.

“Mm-hmm, I get it now.” Zhu Xueshuang’s eyes curved in a smile, and there was a sense of sudden clarity about her. The little confidence that had been battered almost out of existence rose again, making her whole person seem brighter.

“Pfft—well, I think I get it too,” Liu Yujia said with a grin. It was hard to tell whether she really understood or only thought she did. Still, since Zhu Xueshuang understood, there was no need to worry anymore...

“There’s one more thing...” Chu Luoxi hesitated, then went on. “Xiaoxue, you’re being far too accommodating toward the male lead. As the female lead of the entire drama, your performance does not need to cater to anyone. The more distinct your own style, the better. Do you understand?”

“You mean...” Zhu Xueshuang thought it over, seeming to grasp it but not quite certain, and asked cautiously. In truth, she had long had a vague feeling about this, but had never been able to put it into words.

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Chu Luoxi nodded. “It’s true this drama exists partly because they wanted to promote Yuchi Hao, but a television series only takes shape through everyone’s effort. There’s no need at all for everyone to revolve around him. Besides, the script has already given the male lead many bright spots. That is his ability. If you keep thinking this way, then as the female lead, you will end up as nothing more than a foil.”

“Xiaoxue, do you want the character you worked so hard to portray to have no distinctiveness at all? Do you want the audience to remember her only dimly, if at all? The script already leans toward the male lead. If you still do not dig out the highlights of your own role and make yourself stand out, then taking on this idol drama would have been a mistake. It would bring you no benefit whatsoever.” Chu Luoxi warned her earnestly.

“Yuchi Hao got this script because of his background and ability. But once the crew is formed, everyone should rely on their own merits. As long as no one is deliberately suppressed, you can absolutely enrich and sharpen your own role within the limits available to you. The basic setup is already at a disadvantage. No one says you must obediently play the foil to the end. A television drama is not something one person can carry alone. As long as you grasp that proper measure, you can make the audience accept you to the greatest extent, remember you, and even become your fans...”