Chapter 1167: Chapter 1167: Because It’s Very Similar
——"If it weren’t for the fact that the filming of this drama took place before the public opinion battle, I would have thought that the screenwriter was specifically satirizing that incident. It’s practically a portrait of Hannah herself."
The drama "Suzy" actually faced many problems before shooting began.
When the complete screenplay was handed over, many of the already confirmed actors and artists chose to decline, pointing out the problems with the drama.
The most critical issue was the unclear love story between the male and female leads. As netizens said, if it weren’t for the last scene, no one would have guessed that the king of the neighboring country, who had been battling the female lead all along, was actually her official love interest.
The two fell in love while fighting each other on the battlefield; the male lead admired the female lead’s talent in leading troops in war, so when he learned of her being harmed, he led his army to breach the capital of the Great Kingdom of Landon. Faced with the thrown within his grasp, he chose to fake his death and leave.
Just like the choice the female lead made in the beginning.
It was precisely because of this that the two met again and eventually joined hands to wander the world together.
Such a love story, if highlighted, could indeed be quite interesting, but the screenwriter and director valued the development of the female lead’s personal career even more, showcasing her valor and talent, which were second to none among men in that era.
This was the reason many investors and actors refused to participate, and no one was optimistic about the drama.
They found it too monotonous and boring, suggesting that maybe with some changes, they might accept it.
For example, by focusing on the love story between the female lead and the king of the neighboring country on the battlefield, depicting their love so deep that they couldn’t bear to be apart. Or after the female lead returned to her country, she would boldly show-up the emperor and ministers, and then wildly advance with a golden touch and exceptional growth.
To this, the screenwriter only had one response: "Refuse to radically modify, for mental and physical health’s sake."
And then...
The screenwriter was unwilling to make changes, and the director was at a loss. Just when the screenplay was about to be abandoned, Hannah arrived.
At that time, although Hannah had high popularity and buzz, she was still active as a pop idol. Despite the success of "Fairy," what drew more attention was her performance on stage.
So the director was quite conflicted.
Because of the identity of the character Suzy, they required the actress playing the female lead to be able to ride horses and wield a sword, and to perform in fight scenes herself as much as possible to reduce the use of stunt doubles.
This requirement was complained about by the agents of many actors.
They mocked them for not having sufficient funds yet daring to make such high demands, thinking it would be strange if anyone agreed to perform.
Hearing these demands, Hannah didn’t say anything and went straight to the audition site.
The site was a horse riding club, owned by the director himself.
The audition wasn’t long; it took almost only half an hour before the director confirmed Hannah.
Only it ended a bit awkwardly, as he implied, given their financial situation, they couldn’t afford a high salary...
Without finishing his sentence, the implication was clear.
Some popular actors or pop idol artists commanded such high salaries that it could take up half of the entire production budget.
It was ridiculously high.
After hearing this, Hannah patted the head of a docile horse beside her and said with a smile to the director, "It’s alright, I can bring funds into the production."
The "funds" Hannah spoke of was actually all of the salary she earned from the period of "Fairy."
At the time, Jack Stewart didn’t quite understand why Hannah decided to take on this drama.
While "Suzy" had a well-written screenplay, it indeed lacked competitiveness when considered on its own.
Hannah replied, "Because it’s very similar."
Similar to what?
Jack Stewart was confused, but he didn’t ask any further.
