Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 222 - 223: 24K Pure New Director

Chapter 222: Chapter 223: 24K Pure New Director

The entire script revolves around the themes of "unmarried mother," "single mother," and "young mother," revealing a societal phenomenon that cannot be ignored: the increasing number of young girls becoming mothers without being married.

It delves into the difficult situations faced by a young, unprepared, and even incapable mother.

Five girls, five different choices and destinies.

Zhang Yingru wasn’t sure if the director was sincerely interested in her, so she received the entire script, which included not only her role but also the parts of the other four characters.

After reading through the entire script, He Jinxia was filled with emotions and sympathy.

Fate is unpredictable and playful; it’s hard to say whether it was their mistake or society’s. If blame must be assigned, it’s only because they were too young at the time.

Young people always think their choices are right but don’t realize that they will suffer the consequences of those choices later in life. Yet, because they are young, it’s hard to judge them.

Youth, after all...

Looking at the script, He Jinxia made a solemn phone call to Luo You, expressing her desire to act in the movie "Eighteen Years Old Sky."

Luo You, unsurprised, said, "I felt you might be interested in this movie, so I took it down from the company’s mission tower for you."

He Jinxia paused, "Mission tower?"

Luo You then realized he hadn’t explained these things to He Jinxia and hurriedly said, "Just like when you were a singer doing gigs, wait, you mean you’ve never been to the company’s mission tower?"

Now even more confused, He Jinxia carefully asked, "Is that on the first floor of the company?"

Luo You: "... Third floor, alright, it seems you really haven’t been to the mission tower. Zhang Yingru did alright in this regard; she probably snatched the gigs from there and then took you along."

He Jinxia frowned slightly, a hint of bewilderment flashing in her eyes, "So what exactly is the mission tower?"

Luo You: "It’s a place exclusively for announcing tasks for artists, owned by the company. Many tasks require stars, but some places can’t afford the big names; they just need a few minor celebrities to make an appearance, so they choose to post tasks in Tonghua Entertainment’s mission tower.

Artists who meet the requirements can audition, and if they succeed, the task becomes theirs. That’s the general process of the mission tower; do you understand?"

He Jinxia nodded slightly, intrigued, "I really didn’t know there was such a place in the company; I’d love to check it out."

Luo You smiled, "There’s nothing difficult about that. When you come to the company next time, I’ll take you there. But let’s return to the topic of the script.

"Eighteen Years Old Sky" was posted in the company’s mission tower by a new director. Initially, many stars were interested, but eventually, they all withdrew."

He Jinxia had a bad feeling about the fact that it was a new director...

The script was good, but could a new director handle such a heavy topic?

From the other end of the phone, Luo You, as if knowing He Jinxia’s thoughts, sharply said, "Exactly, everyone doesn’t believe that a new director can handle it well.

Moreover, the director is an absolute newcomer, a 24K pure newbie who has never directed a movie before, oh, though he did direct a four-minute music video once. I’ll send it to you in a moment.

Another point is that the offered price was too low, sticking to the minimum wage level for stars. Rumor has it that a second-tier celebrity also wanted to do it, but no deal was reached because of the low price, and I heard that the director does not accept any outside funding."

He Jinxia coughed lightly and asked, "How much?"

Luo You didn’t hide it from her and straightforwardly said, "Considering your status as a second-tier star, they’ll probably offer you fifty thousand yuan."

He Jinxia furrowed her brows. This wasn’t just low—it was exceptionally, incredibly low.

This was different from when she did "Chen Xiaohui, Go Forward!" Although the pay she received for "Chen Xiaohui" was also low, it was higher than this, and moreover, the production team had provided her with free weight loss services, she had a large role, and she could foresee the film becoming a hit once released.

But with this film, not to mention five leading ladies, she also had to worry whether the director would do a poor job, ultimately leading the film to flop terribly.

It was somewhat troublesome.

He Jinxia knitted her eyebrows and fell silent.

On the other end of the phone, Luo You quietly waited.

After a while, He Jinxia spoke up, her tone still serious, "I still want to act."

Luo You asked, "Are you really sure you want to perform? The pay is low, the director is inexperienced, and it goes without saying that the film won’t be a blockbuster. I know the script is quite good, but it’s not a commercial film, it cannot bring you great popularity.

"Most importantly, the director is a novice. Can you guarantee that after you put all your effort into acting, he will be able to present the best effects on screen? Aren’t you afraid that all your hard work will be in vain?"

Each of Luo You’s rhetorical questions heavily impacted He Jinxia’s heart. She had considered every point he mentioned.

Yet in the end, she still firmly held on to her own thoughts, "Brother Luo, I’m just an actor. Encountering a good script is my fortune, and giving my all to perform each role well is what I ought to do. As for other things, they are not for me to consider."

She didn’t even know how she had the courage to say that. She was an actor, but other members of the team weren’t, and it wasn’t right to disregard them just to satisfy herself.

But ultimately, she couldn’t let it go.

Luo You on the other end of the phone was silent for a while before finally coughing lightly, his voice carrying a hint of laughter, "Then congratulations, the role is yours!"

He Jinxia was stunned.

Luo You added, "I spoke with the director today, and he mentioned some changes to the script. They’ve reduced the five female leads to three because they really couldn’t find actors to fill the roles. The director had only found two, and continuing to delay wasn’t an option, so they decided to cut down from five to three.

"I hinted that you might take part, and the director was very excited, saying you could choose whichever role you wanted to play, and he was willing to increase your fee."

Pausing there, his words carried a hint of cunning strategy, "After all, by cutting two roles, their budgets can be allocated to you, and I’m confident I can double your fee, if not more."

At this point, He Jinxia finally came back to her senses and asked in a low voice, "Brother Luo, were you just teasing me?"

Luo You shook his head, even though He Jinxia couldn’t see it, but it didn’t stop him from making the involuntary gesture.

"No, I was seriously discussing the pros and cons with you. I agreed for you to take it partly because the shooting period is short – after finishing this one you can move on to another. We’ll pick a commercial film for the next project, which can completely make up for any losses.

"Another point, you’re right. You’re an actor, and it’s important to be clear about your role in the industry. I don’t understand the pursuit of an actor, but I understand yours. As your agent, I would never force you to act in a film you don’t like."

Finally, Luo You sighed deeply, "Jinxia, you’ll understand in the future how rare it is to come across a film you like and actually manage to secure it, especially as you become more popular and busier."