Laura had also performed this scene in a previous shoot. Donald's performance was still good at that time, but he did not have the same passionate feeling as this time.
It's not that Donald wasn't passionate; to be precise, Laura wasn't even qualified to be a prop.
The focus of the camera was on Donald, and his infectious hoarse roar also attracted everyone's attention to him, but Cesare noticed the tied-up Jiang Se.
She was hanging on a wire in the air, which must have been uncomfortable. Laura had also filmed this scene before. The difference between her and Jiang Se was that Laura did not stop filming when she was about to be burned by fire.
Cesare was still very impressed by the filming of that scene, and he still remembered Laura's expression and body language.
When the filming was going on, Jiang Se was also on the set. She finished performing a scene and took a rest on the set.
Laura did not have a smooth time filming this scene. She was scolded and cried by Cesare several times. Jiang Se also observed on the scene later and watched Laura film it several times before passing it.
Cesare originally thought that Jiang Se had seen the filming of this scene and witnessed Laura passing away after being scolded by him and crying. She should have been inspired by it. In the same scene and the same scene today, she should unconsciously imitate Laura's last performance of passing away in order to win Cesare's favor.
But she adopted a completely different acting method from Laura. When Laura was filming, her expression was sad and helpless, and her body was instinctively tense and struggling, acting out Lanny's panic and worry, as well as her fear of facing death.
On the contrary, Jiang Se did not learn from her. Instead, he hung vertically in the air and relaxed himself.
Cesare noticed that her expression was panic and uneasy at first, but as Donald read out his lines, Jiang Se quickly calmed down like a comforted young animal.
What impressed Cesare the most was that her eyes were not on the extras below like Laura, but on Donald from beginning to end. Every time he shouted a line, her expression was like that of the onlookers, with some admiration and wholehearted trust. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed, as if she had found her spiritual home and transcended the physical pain.
It can be seen that in her mind, her understanding of the role of Lanny is completely different from Laura's.
In this scene, Jiang Se's performance is completely different from Laura's. She is more like a listener to Andre. She is not in a hurry to show herself, but is Andre's most loyal believer.
On the set, in addition to the extras who played the roles of church members and civilians, who set off Andre at that time, Jiang Se's performance undoubtedly made Andre's image more distinct.
At this moment, Jiang Se's performance may not be as eye-catching as Laura's in the eyes of many people, but Cesare has to admit that Jiang Se is much smarter than Laura, and uses a different acting method, which makes him more impressed.
She knows clearly when to try her best to show herself and when to be a qualified "supporting role".
In the original novel, the author did not describe in detail the performance of the character Lanny at this time, but instead focused on Andre, describing how he suppressed the curse, deceived the public, and hid his ambitions under a righteous and gentle appearance.
Although she ended up being sacrificed like Shireen, the difference between Lannie and Shireen was that she was coaxed by Andre and voluntarily stepped onto the altar.
When the town fell, it was Andre who saved her, extended a hand to her and pulled her out of despair, which made her have a strange admiration and dependence on Andre in her heart. She believed in Andre's words wholeheartedly, and even agreed to sacrifice herself without complaint when he asked her to be a sacrifice.
So later when she found out that Andre had deceived her, her soul degenerated and turned into the most evil thing, unable to redeem herself.
Compared with Laura's performance, Jiang Se was much smarter than her. Cesare looked at the girl who was fanatically worshipping him in the camera, took a deep breath and frowned.
The assistant's cell phone vibrated and a fire was started under the altar. The girl in the camera had no lines at this time. She was still acting as Laura's stand-in, but she was using body language, trying her best to show Lanny's attachment to Andre and the world.
This complex emotion of her instinct to get close to Andre and her desire for life is much deeper than Laura's fear.
Jiang Se's deep understanding of the script has become a great advantage at this time. Her performance in just a few minutes is much better than Laura's.
Good actors should not be distinguished by their nationality, age or the number of awards they have won. Laura may be an actress with superb acting skills, but the same scene will be immediately different when performed by different people.
Laura lost not only because of her cowardice in refusing to go on stage, but also because of the accidents that occurred during the filming, which caused her to lose Cesare's favor and support.
It’s just that one treats this as a job, while the other gives it his all and puts in a lot of effort.
"Mr. Cesare..." the assistant called softly from the side, and Cesare waved his hand, signaling him not to speak.
Jack was looking at this scene anxiously from a distance, and Cesare was already signaling the pyrotechnician to prepare to light the pyrotechnics.
"It's Mr. Borgia calling. He says he has something important to tell you."
Cesare stared at the camera with a serious expression:
"Don't interrupt the filming. Tell Carlo that I will call him back personally after this scene is finished." He paused for a while before moving his eyes away from the two leading actors on the set.
"I will have an important decision to tell him then."
The fire on the set had been lit, and Donald sped up the speed at which he recited his lines.
At this time, Jiang Se's feet were already on fire. Several stunt actors who were also hung up next to her tried their best to show struggle and pain. She was meek and motionless at first, keeping her eyes in Andre's direction. As Andre chanted the spell, she seemed to realize that something was wrong. She subconsciously widened her eyes and a look of horror appeared on her face.
She seemed to have heard some incredible sound, and her body began to tremble violently. Her expression was a little confused at first, and then she shook her head in disbelief.
Jiang Se did not make any sound during this scene, but expressed her inner feelings purely through subtle changes in her expression. She heard the content of Andre's spell, and her expression was distorted and filled with anger.
The flames engulfed her, and her face was distorted in the firelight. The next moment, Cesare raised his hand, and as the scene ended, the fire extinguisher sprayed powder, surrounding her completely in smoke and powder.
"very good."
Jiang Se was still coughing. After the crew put out the fire, someone lowered the wire first, and someone below opened his arms to catch her so that she could land safely.
"How are you?"
Someone asked, and Jiang Se closed his eyes and nodded.
She still looked very embarrassed, but the filming of this scene was much easier than when she played the role of Shireen being sacrificed. The thorough preparations meant that as long as she controlled her fear of fire during the filming, the filming went smoothly.
Donald's assistant came up with his coat and put it on him. Before he went down the stairs, he turned around and glanced at Jiang Se. She was still coughing, but because of the fire extinguisher powder all around her, her face was flushed red.
Her agent covered her mouth and nose with a wet towel to prevent her from inhaling more smoke.
After removing the restraints on her body, she had to go backstage to remove those restraints.
Donald stood for a moment and then walked towards Cesare. He knew what had happened previously.
In front of the camera, Donald was holding a cup of hot water and watching his own performance. He did not miss Jiang Se behind him, nor did he miss the expression on her face at the time and saw her subtle movements.
"What do you think?"
Cesare asked him a question. He paused while drinking water, and after a long while, he nodded and replied softly:
"very good."
He had performed the same scene twice, so he could naturally feel which one was better.
Donald and Laura work together, each with their own charm, as if neither of them has given up and wants to attract the audience's attention, making this scene, which should have been a climax of the play, seem mediocre and without any highlights.
In cooperation with Jiang Se, because of Jiang Se's performance, Donald's performance became the absolute protagonist in this section of the plot, making the plot more eye-catching.
“She’s very smart.”
Donald smiled, took a sip of hot water to drive away the coldness in his body, and smiled:
"He is also very good at seizing opportunities and convincing you."
Jiang Se's retreat in front of the camera at this moment is much smarter than Laura's desire to perform. Suppose one day, this scene is presented in front of the audience at the same time, and Laura's fear and anxiety are clearly shown. When watching this scene, the audience will have a certain degree of acceptance of the following plot psychologically.
On the contrary, Jiang Se's different performance not only enhances Donald's charm in the performance and becomes his "foil of ambition", but her ignorance and simplicity will make the audience's hearts clenched for her.
The two performance styles capture the audience's psychology differently.
So in this special "audition", Jiang Se has completely crushed Laura.
Cesare sighed and agreed with him, "If I hadn't seen this audition, wouldn't it have been a lot less trouble?"
He muttered something to himself, Donald put down the cup and pulled his clothes:
"I think so, but my friend, I think you may feel very sorry that you missed the real Lannie in your heart."
Cesare was delighted when he heard this and nodded:
"Yes, although I would feel very troubled if I saw this scene, it would be a great pity if I didn't see it."
The novel "Prisoners" has a different weight in his heart. It took him many years just to adapt and conceive the novel. For each character in the novel, he hoped to choose truly appropriate characters as much as possible.
Cesare's phone vibrated again, and his assistant held the phone with a helpless look on his face.
This time Cesare did not refuse to answer the call. He took the phone and glanced at Donald, a man with fire extinguisher powder on his head and wrapped in a down jacket. He was holding a cup of water and watching the previously filmed footage on the camera.
"I think convincing Carlo will be much easier with your participation."
After he said this, he thought he would have to spend some time to drag Donald into the water, but before Cesare could say anything more, Donald nodded:
"Yes."
Cesare held the phone and smiled.
Fortunately, the filming time of the movie was not long. Because Laura caught a cold during the filming, there were actually not many scenes filmed about her.
If the lead actor needs to be changed at short notice, the only trouble would be with some scenes involving Shireen.
We need to find someone new to play this role, but it may be too late.
The winter in Modena is almost over, so we just need to finish filming this scene first, and then find the people, and then reshoot this scene next year.
It might cost extra money, but after seeing Jiang Se's performance, Cesare felt that it was all worth it.
The process of persuading investors was not very smooth, because Carlo Borgia flew to Modena the next day after receiving Cesare's call.
The head of the investment company had a serious expression on his face, and he was accompanied by people from Huandao Company. The filming of "God's Redemption" has been suspended. The total investment budget of this drama exceeds 200 million US dollars. The reason why the film crew hired Laura Brown was not only because of her agency's strong connections and her outstanding acting skills, but also because of her popularity in Hollywood.
When investors invest large sums of money, they have to consider the subsequent recovery of funds.
Although Jiang Se is famous in China, she is not very well-known in Europe and the United States. After the movie was released, in addition to Cesare's name supporting "God's Redemption", the fame of the male and female leading actors was also needed to stabilize the box office. Compared with Laura Brown, she is at a great disadvantage in this respect.
The film market in Europe and the United States is different from that in China. The revenue of a film is not entirely supported by the box office. There is also subsequent on-demand, peripheral and TV broadcasting rights, and the production and sales of DVD and Blu-ray discs. All of these require the appeal of the main actors and directors, as well as the charm of the film itself.
The film is currently being filmed, and the investors are not clear about how the results will be after filming. Cesare's sudden desire to change the female lead will bring immeasurable risks.
The investors were dissatisfied with Cesare's request, but surprisingly, the male lead Donald chose to stand on Cesare's side, believing that Jiang Se was more suitable for the female lead in the play.
After the special "audition" that day, although Cesare did not make a clear statement, the crew suspended filming and alerted the investors, which was already a good result.
Jiang Se stayed in the hotel waiting for news while also contacting people in China.
Huaying has already contacted Borgia and Huandao Company. Nie Dan sent a message to Jiang Se, telling her not to panic. After they have reached an agreement with the two companies, they will most likely fly abroad and try their best to keep the opportunity that Jiang Se has won. (To be continued)