Chapter 1819: The Cunning and Treacherous Zhao Fusheng

How do you invite an Oscar-winning actor to play a villain?

Waiting online, pretty urgent.

If WeChat existed at this moment, Old Jiang's Moments would probably look like this.

Or, if he went to a forum to post a thread, it would also look like this.

No way around it—at this point, he was truly out of ideas.

As a director, after getting the script, Jiang Wen began to conceive the structure of the entire film in his mind, just like a writer, after having inspiration, would build the story framework of the entire novel.

Every character, every scene, would appear in his mind.

And for the character of Huang Silang, from the very beginning, Jiang Wen thought of Fat Brother.

In his view, no one other than Fat Brother could convey the essence of Huang Silang.

This was no joke.

Villain roles, especially in big-budget films like this, also required skill.

Take *The Rock* for example: the leads were Sean Connery and Nicholas Zhao Si—ah, Nicolas Cage. But the villain was the renowned Ed Harris.

That guy was no ordinary man—twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, including for the classic film *The Truman Show*, yes, the one hailed as the most expensive art film ever, which won Jim Carrey a Golden Globe.

After that, Ed Harris directed and starred in a film, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

By the way, he was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and appeared in a series of classic films such as *A Beautiful Mind* and *Enemy at the Gates*.

An actor like that playing the main villain in *The Rock* shows how seriously the director took the film.

Of course, it also had to do with his personal friendship with that guy Michael Bay, since Ed Harris had previously acted in Michael Bay's films.

But regardless, getting a big-name actor to play a villain required a price that was not easily paid.

"So, what do you think I can come up with?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Jiang Wen and said irritably.

Jiang Wen spread his hands: "I don't know, but I just feel like you should have an idea. You're always full of clever tricks, aren't you?"

Zhao Fusheng wished he could kick him out—this guy really didn't know how to chat.

"Does your family know you talk like this?"

Zhao Fusheng glared at Jiang Wen and said crossly, "If this film weren't invested by Future Film and Television, I really wouldn't let you direct it now."

"Hahaha!"

Old Jiang laughed heartily, utterly delighted.

Clearly, seeing Zhao Fusheng in a tight spot was an especially satisfying thing for him.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered with this guy. After thinking for a moment, he said to Jiang Wen, "Have you contacted Uncle Ge?"

"Uncle Ge?"

Jiang Wen was taken aback, then shook his head: "I haven't even settled things with Fat Brother, so why would I send an invitation to him?"

In his mind, although both Fat Brother and Uncle Ge were important roles, Fat Brother's role was harder to resolve, so his attention was focused there; he hadn't considered Uncle Ge's side at all.

In other words, Zhao Fusheng's question caught Jiang Wen off guard.

"It's simple."

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and explained to Jiang Wen, "First, send an invitation to Uncle Ge, telling him that you've already invited Fat Brother, and together with yourself, the three of you will co-star in a film."

"And then?"

Old Jiang stared at Zhao Fusheng, dumbfounded.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Then, of course, tell Fat Brother that you've already invited Uncle Ge, and now only he is missing."

"Huh?"

Jiang Wen was completely stunned, staring at Zhao Fusheng in disbelief. Clearly, Zhao Fusheng's maneuver had thrown him for a loop.

This scheme was way too deep!

Jiang Wen could even imagine how Fat Brother or Uncle Ge would react upon receiving such an invitation.

Of course, they would accept!

Are you kidding? Three Best Actors performing together on the same stage—for any actor, that's an irresistible apple. Even knowing that in literature there is no first, and in martial arts there is no second, there would inevitably be comparisons, but who wouldn't want to act against a worthy opponent?

That's the obsession of an actor!

Even Jiang Wen himself, to be honest, if the actors in his mind weren't Fat Brother and Uncle Ge, wouldn't have been so excited about this film.

There are too many good stories in this era.

But how to carefully tell a good story to the audience is no easy task.

It requires constant effort from the director, constant effort from the actors, and even the lighting and cinematography crew must work together.

"But, wouldn't that be a bit..." Jiang Wen hesitated, looking at Zhao Fusheng. After all, this was tantamount to deceiving the other party. If it got out, it might offend people.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "Later, after the contracts are signed, just tell them that when you wanted to invite them, you were at a loss, and then you discussed it with me, and I came up with the idea. What do you think they'll think?"

"That goes without saying, of course..."

Jiang Wen said casually, but before he could finish, he froze.

Yes, if he had tricked them himself, the two might have held a grudge.

But what if it was Zhao Fusheng?

Two actors being tricked by a super-rich man—that was an honor for them!

In other words, imagine Ma Xiaoyun inviting martial arts actors to participate in his film—no matter which one, those invited would feel honored.

After all, that was the famous Daddy Ma!

If he thinks highly of you, he'll invite you; he'll scheme for you.

That saying is no joke!

Some people are just so lofty; their status and position are right there.

Just like Uncle Han San in the Chinese film and television circle—his status is transcendent; a casual word from him can decide the future of a group of people.

Zhao Fusheng undoubtedly now had that qualification.

Especially with Future Group's continuous cooperation with Samsung and CJ, and Alibaba about to go public and complete its IPO, Zhao Fusheng, with an exposed net worth of over $5 billion, had undoubtedly stood among the very top of China's wealthy.

Under such circumstances, if he told Fat Brother and Uncle Ge that it was Zhao Fusheng who came up with the idea to invite them in this way, the two would definitely be flattered.

Moreover, they would even proactively expose this matter to the media to show off their status.

"Got it?"

Seeing that Old Jiang didn't continue speaking, Zhao Fusheng knew he must have understood his intention.

Sure enough, Old Jiang nodded: "I understand!"

He truly understood—the principle behind Zhao Fusheng's scheme was here.

"Good that you understand."

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "I won't show up personally anyway. Everyone knows your relationship with me, so you can go ahead and use my name to do things. Not just the lead actors, but other actors too. But you have to use the names of Fat Brother, Uncle Ge, and yourself. Three Best Actors joining forces—hmm..."

"I understand."

Jiang Wen nodded: "Later, I'll say I got the inspiration from you. Anyway, no one will think it's embarrassing, right?"

"Bingo!"

Zhao Fusheng gave a thumbs up and praised Jiang Wen: "Sure enough, you're a cunning and shameless Old Jiang, already applying it on the spot. Impressive! Truly impressive!"

Jiang Wen's old face reddened. He had just thought of that after hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, and now he was being mocked by this guy.

Blinking, Old Jiang said innocently, "I'm doing this for the film's promotion. Think about it—when this news gets out, it will definitely attract media attention."

Zhao Fusheng was speechless, watching Old Jiang talk nonsense with a straight face. He suddenly felt that compared to this guy, he was as pure as a little white flower.

But on second thought, Old Jiang wasn't wrong. Film promotion is all about whatever works.

The promotion strategies of those WeChat Moments and self-media accounts in later generations were largely the same—as long as there was a gimmick, nothing was off-limits.

Even the marriages and romances of the lead actors, as long as they benefited the film's promotion, were invariably used as gimmicks.

In comparison, Old Jiang's approach seemed pretty decent.