The importance of hair to women can be imagined. For a top movie star like Jiang Se, who is at the peak of her popularity, it is not an easy task to ask her to shave her head.
It was not easy to shoot "Criminal Suspect" until now. Most of the shooting has been done, and Jiang Se's scenes have been mostly shot. It is now a critical moment, and Huo Zhiming's stubborn temper cannot flare up at this time.
If he insisted on making Jiang Se shave his head and caused unpleasantness, Jiang Se might go on strike, which would be a scandal for the crew, because the investors coming from Jiang Se might also withdraw their investment, affecting the filming progress of the movie, and the release would be even further away.
Huo Zhiming's reputation is already bad enough, and if he offends Jiang Se, it may be even more difficult for him to survive in this industry in the future.
What's more, since Jiang Se joined the crew, she has had a good temper and a positive attitude. She is very rigorous in every filming and can tolerate Huo Zhiming's strange temper. During the filming process, the cooperation between the two was smooth because of her tolerance.
If a fight breaks out now, it will not do Huo Zhiming any good.
"Director Huo, how about we reschedule this scene?"
The assistant director was still asking for Huo Zhiming's opinion. Huo Zhiming narrowed his eyes, bit his upper lip with his teeth, and looked serious.
"Call Jiang Se over."
He pondered for a while, then suddenly spoke. The assistant, who knew his character well, looked embarrassed and hurriedly stopped him:
"Director Huo, this isn't a good idea. If we change the scenes that have already been scheduled, it will affect the filming progress of Criminal Suspect."
The assistant director looked puzzled, but Huo Zhiming seemed to have made up his mind and ignored his assistant's attempts to stop him.
"Call Jiang Se over here. There are some changes to this scene. I want to talk to her about it."
Tao Cen had a smile on his face as he looked at Huo Zhiming's two assistants who were sweating profusely. Jiang Se in the distance seemed to have vaguely sensed that something was wrong. She should have noticed that the atmosphere was different at this moment.
When she saw Tao Cen's gaze, she also looked at Tao Cen calmly, and then naturally looked away.
At this moment, Tao Cen really wanted to know, was her calmness related to the fact that she knew that Huo Zhiming valued her more and was willing to guide her in "Criminal Suspect", so she relied on this point to be so calm and composed, instead of worrying as much as herself
She really wanted to know whether Jiang Se and Huo Zhiming, whose relationship was one willing to teach and the other to learn seriously, could maintain the current filming atmosphere after it broke down.
When Huo Zhiming got stubborn and asked Jiang Se to shave off her long hair that she had grown for several years just for a shot like this, how would Jiang Se react
Her face might change drastically and she might flatly refuse.
She is also in talks for a shampoo endorsement, and since Tao Cen was able to find out this information, Xia Chaoqun would definitely not hide it from her.
Shaving her head meant she had to say goodbye to the French shampoo brand for this film segment.
She has to hide away from people for a while, otherwise it will affect her beautiful face.
"God's Redemption" will be released worldwide at the end of December. For a heavyweight epic blockbuster like this, the investment company is a well-known foreign consortium, and the director is Cesare. There will be a wave of hype before the film is released.
Jiang Se will fly around the world with Cesare to promote the upcoming "Salvation of the Divine", the original novel of this movie became famous after Cesare was about to shoot it.
Tao Cen had also read the English version of this novel. Because she worked in the same company as Jiang Se, she knew more about it than others.
Jiang Se plays the heroine Lanny in the novel, a girl who is extremely weak when she first appears. Her early image has been described in the book, with waist-length hair like vines, wrapping around her delicate body. When Andre rescued her, he saw her eyes that were full of panic but still as bright and clean as gems. At that moment, Andre felt that she was innocent and beautiful like an angel.
If she shaved her head for "Criminal Suspect", during the promotion period from October to December, her hair would at most be below her ears, which is a far cry from her current image.
Cesare's move of kicking out Laura in the middle of filming and replacing the heroine with Jiang Se was extremely risky, so the news that Jiang Se would play the role was released to the public from the beginning of the filming, but it was never announced that Jiang Se eventually replaced Laura and became the heroine of the film, having a lot of rival scenes with Donald.
Once the news spread, using Chinese actresses to kick out Hollywood sweethearts was already a very dangerous move. No one knew the external rejection of the European and American markets better than Tao Cen.
In addition, if the image of this Chinese girl does not match the mysterious and pure appearance of "Lanni" in the play, how can Cesare convince the dissatisfied believers and save the movie "Salvation of God"
No matter how high Jiang Se's starting point is when entering the European and American markets, if her first big-budget movie fails, how can she get back on her feet
Putting aside these external factors, no matter how dedicated Jiang Se is, she is still a woman. Few women are willing to shave their heads for a shot, especially artists.
If she rejects Huo Zhiming, then her harmonious relationship with Huo Zhiming will naturally be affected.
When in Huo Zhiming's heart, Jiang Se is no longer the dedicated, obedient and motivated actress, will he go to great pains to focus the camera on her, making it difficult to distinguish the primary and secondary roles of the character "Su Yi"
Similarly, whether Jiang Se agrees to Huo Zhiming's request or not, her momentum will suffer a blow, and that will be the time for Tao Cen to take advantage of the victory and pursue the opponent.
The two assistants looked helpless, but Huo Zhiming was determined. When Jiang Se came over, he glanced at Tao Cen, and finally his eyes fell on Huo Zhiming:
"Director Huo, you called me?"
"Next scene, I have a question for you."
Huo Zhiming took a deep look at Jiang Se:
"In the next scene, you were supposed to play the role of 'Su Yi' who was shaving his hair, but we all overlooked a big problem." He pointed at Jiang Se's hair that was still dripping with water:
"That's the hair."
Hair is a big flaw, especially when it comes to the case of the man in the ventilated hotel in the plot. Long hair is not conducive to action. For a cautious woman like Su Yi in the plot, it is a mistake that should not be made.
Jiang Se licked his lips and looked at Tao Cen who was smiling at the side. He was filming this scene today. When Tao Cen appeared, Mo Anqi said that her expression seemed to have bad intentions.
"I want you to focus on your hair in the next scene. Can you cut your hair?"
As Tao Cen expected, Huo Zhiming made this request: "It would be best if I could shave it off."
His character is actually very easy to understand, but his weakness is his pursuit of perfection in filming. The staff around him who heard this were all shocked, and the assistant director also widened his eyes and opened his lips, unable to recover for a long time.
Many people were thinking at this moment: Is Huo Zhiming crazy? He made this request.
Who is Jiang Se? She is the top actress in China. When she joined the crew of "Criminal Suspect", her lines and screen time were not as good as Tao Cen. Now Huo Zhiming asked her to shave her head for such a role. This is not just harsh, it is clearly embarrassing others.
"Director Huo, this can be put on with makeup..."
The assistant director had a headache and winked at Huo Zhiming's two assistants. Only then did everyone realize the meaning of what Tao Cen had said earlier.
It has been heard for a long time that Tao Cen and Jiang Se are not on good terms. Although the two do not appear to be close, they treat each other with respect. The assistant director never thought that in the competition between the two, Tao Cen would be able to grasp people's hearts and use Huo Zhiming's personality traits to suppress Jiang Se.
"You have also read the script of Criminal Suspect and know the character of Su Yi." Huo Zhiming waved his hand and gestured to signal everyone not to speak, while instructing:
"Change the shooting at 2 o'clock to 2:30. The crew should get ready. Jiang Se will come out with me for a walk."
He rolled up the notebook in his hand and put it in his coat pocket, while motioning Jiang Se to follow him.
Assistants such as Mo Anqi and Chen Shan also heard what Huo Zhiming said before. They were anxious and angry. Everyone had different expressions, some were angry, some were anxious, and some were watching the show like Tao Cen. However, Jiang Se calmed down after the initial surprise.
She nodded and motioned Mo Anqi to get her a coat. Although she was wearing clothes under her bathrobe, she still put on a coat. Then she followed Huo Zhiming and left.
"Sister Tao, do you think it will be useful?" Song Yi asked Tao Cen in a low voice under the gazes of the people around him.
Whether it will be useful or not depends on what Jiang Se chooses. Whether she agrees or not, her mood should be affected a little. As long as it affects Jiang Se's mood, Tao Cen will win this time.
Unless she doesn't care about her image, her hair, her endorsements, and the next movie to be released.
Tao Cen shook his head, thinking that was impossible.
But for some reason, when she thought of Jiang Se's calm expression before, she felt that something was wrong.
When Jiang Se followed Huo Zhiming away, he glanced at him. That look seemed to see through all his tricks, which made Tao Cen grit his teeth.
"Whether it's useful or not." She clenched her palms and shook her head, shaking off the look in Jiang Se's mind that made her extremely uncomfortable:
"Man proposes, God disposes. It has been done, and we just have to wait for the results."
The area around the set has been cleared and surrounded by security guards from the "Criminal Suspect" crew. The large number of staff members guarding the set prevents fans from getting close to the crew and disrupting the filming.
But even so, the area was still surrounded by fans and media who refused to leave.
When Jiang Se and Huo Zhiming came out, the fans outside the isolation zone suddenly became agitated. Some people screamed Jiang Se's name and waved their arms desperately, trying to get Jiang Se's attention.
Huo Zhiming has seen this situation countless times since Jiang Se joined the crew.
She is a very popular star and is well-liked by everyone. Not only her fans like her, but even Huo Zhiming likes her personality very much.
"You are a good kid. You became famous at a young age, but what is precious is that you still maintain such good qualities." She is serious and rigorous when filming and does not let her guard down just because she has become famous. It is a proud thing for her fans to have such an idol.
"The two assistants beside me always praise you when they mention you. They admire you very much." Huo Zhiming looked at the young men and women in the distance who were shouting Jiang Se's name, and his eyes softened: "I also had a little fame in my early years." But when he was popular, most fans were reserved. They would be happy if they asked him to sign, shake hands or take a photo. It was rare for them to encounter such an enthusiastic scene. The feeling of being sought after by applause and flowers was indeed fascinating.
Jiang Se was still waiting for him to get to the point. "You've been filming the character of Su Yi for such a long time, you should be very familiar with it." Huo Zhiming glanced at her. She put her hands in her coat pockets, listening to him with a smile. She didn't resist strongly to his previous request. It was unclear whether she was waiting for his patient persuasion or had already made other ideas.
"From the perspective of Shen Xunran, she had a grudge against Wu Chunhe from the beginning to the end, and she also had the intention to kill Wu Chunhe. The death of the Paifeng Hotel had nothing to do with her." Huo Zhiming and Jiang Se talked about the plot, like an old policeman in "Criminal Suspect" analyzing the case with his colleagues:
"The scene was destroyed, and the results of the police investigation had nothing to do with Su Yi." In other words, in the plot, Su Yi and the case of the death in the Paifeng Hotel were two different things from beginning to end. To connect her with this case, in addition to Shen Xunran, played by Tao Cen, the most important thing is to rely on the director's heavy arrangements, using little clues to connect these related things to make the audience suspicious.
The same intention was behind Su Yi's action of shaving his leg hair in the plot, but compared to shaving his leg hair, the implication of shaving his hair is obviously stronger.
"Do you think it is necessary to shoot this scene like this?" She thought of Tao Cen's confident expression and wanted to laugh, but she carefully controlled the smile.
Some were angry at Tao Cen's scheming, but some looked down on her for using such a cheap trick to suppress others.
The reason why Tao Cen resorted to this method was that in her heart, she had a ruler that measured herself as the same person as her, so the moment she saw herself, she showed an expression as if she had obtained a magic weapon to win.
But she might be braver than Tao Cen imagined. She knew the consequences of doing so, and she understood that her assistants might strongly oppose it. She also knew that Xia Chaoqun's shampoo endorsement might be shattered because of her willful behavior.
But she was somewhat moved. She wanted to see that when what Tao Cen thought was impossible became possible, when her courage turned into desperate determination, and when this state of mind could be connected with Su Yi in "Criminal Suspect", Tao Cen's little plan might not go as expected.
Maybe she will perform better than Tao Cen imagined, and this "Criminal Suspect" may eventually have a clear distinction between the main and the secondary, allowing Tao Cen to become her stepping stone and help her climb the ladder to success. (To be continued)