"So in the current situation, Xu Youyou's reputation has been severely damaged."
Liu Rulan spoke with a hint of melancholy.
"It can only be said that they marketed Xu Youyou too aggressively, leaving her with absolutely no way out when faced with such a problem."
Ultimately, it's because Xu Youyou rose to fame through online popularity, and her backer, Haohan Entertainment, elevated her to an absolute level, shaping her into a flawless goddess without leaving herself any room for maneuver. Once this persona collapses, it easily triggers a backlash from fans who find it unacceptable.
This is mainly because everyone makes different choices. If Xu Youyou and the others had guided their fans properly from the beginning, perhaps more people would have taken a more calm approach to this matter.
But clearly, it's too late now; Xu Youyou is a prime example of what not to do.
"So she's still using Su Shengxi for marketing, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and Su Shengxi agrees to that?" Xiao He continued to ask.
“I’m not too sure about that.” Liu Rulan shrugged. “I only know that ‘Qing Guang Ru Chu’ is the first work after Xu Youyou’s incident. In order to attract more viewers, they started to market it by associating it with Su Shengxi, and also to whitewash their image among fans.”
Actually, it was initially just about using Su Shengxi for marketing, but Yiman was unlucky because she and Su Shengxi were a couple in the drama, so she was also dragged out for marketing as well.
Xiao He asked in confusion, "What's there to whitewash?"
"There's nothing we can do. Compared to her two ex-boyfriends, fans are more accepting of Su Shengxi." Liu Rulan shrugged, her expression playful. "One is a young, top-tier male idol, and the other is an older playboy. Compared to him, fans are naturally more accepting of the former. Some fans are even calling for Xu Youyou to get back together with her ex-boyfriend, because they can't accept her current boyfriend."
Xiao He's lips twitched: "They're being chosen as imperial concubines, and they can just change them whenever they want."
Sure enough, once you enter the entertainment industry, you'll see all sorts of strange and bizarre things, and hear all sorts of seemingly fake opinions.
"It's quite interesting that Su Shengxi has been able to remain silent about this matter."
Xiao He rested his chin on his hand.
“That’s normal. No matter how much fans dislike Xu Youyou’s current boyfriend, they can’t deny one thing: he’s really rich, incredibly rich,” Liu Rulan said.
Bundled marketing is at most annoying, but if it offends a wealthy tycoon, it's not worth it.
"It's really strange, though, that all the rich people over there are flocking here lately."
Xiao He muttered to himself.
It's like this on Director Feng's side, and it's like this on Xu Youyou's side too. I just don't know if there's some kind of connection between the two sides... Maybe we can investigate it later.
"Alright, just keep an eye on this. It's their business anyway, as long as it doesn't affect our show's broadcast." Liu Rulan placed a stack of scripts on the table in front of Xiao He. "During the time when 'Shining Stars' is airing, you can take a look at the latest scripts. However, most of the production teams that are able to start filming recently are of average quality. Take a look and see if there are any that interest you."
She then skillfully separated the scripts and introduced them one by one: "These two are the male leads, these three are the second male leads, this one is a special script offer, and you can take a look at the rest first."
Xiao He first looked at the two male protagonists that Liu Rulan had mentioned.
Perhaps because he had previously played Shen Jue and Mu Ze, these two scripts were respectively a period suspense drama and a modern suspense drama.
Xiao He glanced through them but wasn't very satisfied.
This historical suspense drama mainly revolves around solving cases. It consists of many episodic episodes, in which the protagonist and his friends participate in the investigation and eventually find the real culprit.
The protagonist of this script is the type with extremely high martial arts skills, but his character is relatively upright, which is too different from Xiao He's goals.
The protagonist of the modern suspense drama felt like a carbon copy of Mu Ze. The beginning was alright, but Xiao He didn't like the ending. It felt like the screenwriter dragged their feet for a long time and ended up with a huge mess.
Xiao He doesn't lack points now, so he doesn't think it's necessary to act in this kind of thing. He already has some fame, so it's not unreasonable for him to cherish his reputation, right?
Finally, Xiao He sighed, shook his head, and put both scripts down.
Unfortunately, this is the predicament many villain actors face today.
Ultimately, villainous protagonists are few and far between. Most protagonists circulating in the market are still in the realm of absolute justice or, even if they are unjust, they will be whitewashed and become just. If Xiao He wants to play a villainous protagonist, he will have to wait for an opportunity.
And this kind of opportunity doesn't come around all the time. For example, Xiao He's first role as the second male lead in "Law of the Jungle" was due to perfect timing, location, and people. It's not certain that such an opportunity can be replicated next time.
However, it is gratifying that there are now many outstanding villainous characters on the market. Even if they are not the real protagonists, as long as they are played well, their fame will not be inferior to that of the protagonists, and may even overshadow the protagonists' glory. For example, Mu Ze, played by Xiao He.
Therefore, sometimes the role's positioning is not important; what matters is the character's design and the plot portrayal.
Seeing Xiao He's reaction, Liu Rulan knew he wasn't interested in either of the two male leads, so she didn't dawdle and directly pulled out the rather special script she had mentioned earlier and gave it to Xiao He: "Since you're not satisfied with the main character, take a look at this one. I've already looked into the recent suspense dramas for you, but they're basically just pretentious gimmicks. They're probably only good in the trailers after they're filmed, and besides, you're not even a main character. I think this special script is more suitable for you than those others."
Xiao He casually took it, then raised an eyebrow, "An offer for a cameo role?"
Guest roles are characters with limited screen time and few scenes. These characters usually just make an appearance and serve to assist in the narrative; they are commonly known as plot devices.
How to put it? Even if this kind of character were directly deleted or replaced, it wouldn't affect the overall narrative rhythm. They're just tools to add gimmicks and topics to the movie.
Many movies like to invite big-name stars or actors to make a cameo appearance in their films, and then shamelessly promote these cameo roles as main characters to lure audiences in. As a result, audiences sit there for two hours, and the cameo roles may not even have a single minute of screen time.
Of course, there are also production crews that genuinely invite actors to make cameo appearances, simply because of a role or actor. However, this is rare nowadays, and most of these are manipulated by capital, mainly to send their own financial backers in to "gild their resumes."
But the one Xiao He has now is a bit different. This director is very ambitious and actually wants to make a series of movies, inviting actors to sign contracts for cameo appearances in the series.
A cameo role in a series means that Xiao He will play all the related appearances of this character afterward. It is equivalent to Xiao He signing a future acting contract for this character to ensure the continuity of the character in subsequent films, rather than just appearing in one movie.
Currently, film series are relatively rare in China, and film series that have formed a complete worldview system are even rarer. This field is currently a very new and large market in China.
The fact that this director dared to set his sights on this opportunity shows that he must have considerable ability and skill.
