At nine in the morning, the filming of Flying Swords of Dragon Gate began as scheduled.
This was director Tsui Hark’s next big project following Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.
And on top of that, they had brought in Jet Li and Xun Zhou to play the lead roles.
So they didn’t even need to put out any announcements.
The reporters from all the major platforms smelled the story and showed up on their own.
The set on opening day was incredibly lively.
Of course, after the director Tsui Hark and the two leads, the person the reporters were most interested in was the main villain of the film.
After all, besides the lead actors and the director, the villain’s acting is also extremely important when judging whether a drama is good or not.
Especially since Flying Swords of Dragon Gate could almost be considered an all-star movie.
So ever since the project was announced, the casting for the villain had been drawing a lot of attention.
“Director Tsui Hark, I see that the male and female leads are both here. So where’s our villain?”
Down in the audience, a reporter from Penguin Entertainment had been waiting for a while. He noticed that they had already introduced more than half of the cast, but still hadn’t mentioned the villain. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask.
Normally, for an important role like the villain, they would bring him out right after introducing the leads.
It’s not only simple and clear, but it also sets up the conflict and creates a sense of destiny.
But today, they had been waiting for so long without seeing him, and they found it very strange.
Hearing this, director Tsui Hark just smiled slightly.
Remembering the message Jiang Nian had sent him this morning, he picked up the microphone. “Everyone, please settle down. Our actor will be out very soon. Just wait a little longer. Trust me, he will definitely give you all a surprise!”
As soon as he said that, the crowd below started buzzing with discussion.
Clearly, his mysterious attitude had made everyone very curious.
But the most curious of all were Jet Li, Xun Zhou, and the others standing on stage.
Although they were the leads of the show, they didn’t actually know who would be playing Yu Huatian.
Out of curiosity, or maybe just to liven up the atmosphere,
Jet Li picked up his microphone, looked at Tsui Hark, and said, “Director, that’s not fair, is it? We’ve come all this way, and you won’t even tell us who’s playing the main villain? Don’t you think that’s a bit much? Don’t you all agree?”
Seeing someone starting to tease the director, and that person being one of the leads,
the reporters below immediately jumped on the bandwagon and started making noise.
Xun Zhou and the others also chimed in, enjoying the excitement.
Tsui Hark wasn’t bothered by it at all. He just spread his hands with a helpless, amused look. “Hey, don’t blame me. There’s nothing I can do about it. This was all Yu Huatian’s idea!”
As soon as he said that, a wave of surprised murmurs came from the audience.
An actor’s idea? Now that was rare.
The crowd stirred a bit.
Jet Li picked up the thread and joked, “What’s going on here? A big-shot director like you, getting bossed around by an actor? Be honest, did he get some dirt on you or something?”
“Exactly, exactly. Big director, this isn’t like you at all!” Xun Zhou chimed in.
Tsui Hark seized the moment and played along cleverly, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. He said doing it this way would get more buzz, so I just went along with it.”
Xun Zhou caught the joke and ran with it. “That naive? Are you a college student or something?”
“Hahaha.”
The place erupted in laughter.
And right in the middle of their laughter,
Tsui Hark received a text message.
It was from Jiang Nian: “I’m ready. I can go on stage anytime.”
Seeing this, Tsui Hark breathed a sigh of relief inside.
Finally ready.
If Jiang Nian had dragged it out any longer, who knows what the reporters would have been whispering about.
He definitely didn’t want the production to get hit with some negative press like “Unknown actor throws diva tantrum and tells the director what to do” before they even started filming.
He tucked his phone back into his pocket, looked at everyone, and broke into a smile.
“Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting. Weren’t you all curious earlier about who’s playing the villain?”
“Well now, let’s welcome Yu Huatian to the stage!”
As his voice trailed off, everyone turned to look at the side of the stage.
Jiang Nian knew it was his turn. He didn’t waste any time, adjusted his state a little, and then walked confidently out from backstage, making his debut on stage!
“Whoa!”
The moment they saw Jiang Nian, whether it was the reporters or actors like Jet Li,
only one thought crossed everyone’s minds.
Their wait had been worth it. So, so worth it.
Because right then, Jiang Nian was wearing a white robe and slowly walking onto the stage.
He moved with an easy grace, his posture elegant, his bearing regal.
His made-up face was extremely fair, but he didn’t look effeminate at all. Instead, he gave off a sense of aloof, cold beauty.
His phoenix eyes were soft, but hidden within that softness was cruelty and decisiveness.
Especially when he stood on stage and looked down at everyone.
Everyone who met his gaze couldn’t help but shiver, a chill running down their spines.
Eight words involuntarily popped into their heads: “A sovereign descending upon the world, looking down with contempt upon all living things!”
That was the only thought in their minds, and at the same time, it was the most accurate reflection of the character Yu Huatian!
As the main villain of the drama, a powerful eunuch whose influence shook the court and the countryside,
he possessed an ambition so immense that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine it!
His methods were brutal, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals.
And now, Jiang Nian had perfectly portrayed all of that.
So much so that when people looked at him, it felt like they had traveled straight into the drama.
Their surroundings were no longer a film set, but the eunuch’s palace.
And what they held in their hands weren’t microphones, but tributes being offered up!
Seeing how stunned everyone was,
Jiang Nian laughed inwardly.
All the trouble he’d gone through to put on makeup before the opening ceremony was for this very reason: to shock the world!
Judging by people’s reactions, it was clear that Jiang Nian’s plan had been a huge success.
So he picked up the microphone, cleared his throat, looked at everyone, and then revealed a faint smile. “Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Nian, the actor playing Yu Huatian.”
Hearing this, everyone finally snapped back to reality, and then erupted in noise!
They looked at Jiang Nian in disbelief.
Then they all pulled out their cameras and started frantically taking pictures of him!
Because Jiang Nian’s performance was just too stunning!
It was one thing to show up in character at the opening ceremony, but to perform it this well, with nothing to criticize?
If there was any flaw, it was probably that none of them had ever heard of this person before.
“Wait a minute!”
“Never heard of him?!”
Someone caught onto that issue, their pupils contracting.
Then they looked up at Jiang Nian and said, “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Jiang, but could I ask you a question?”
Jiang Nian looked over, his cold eyes showing no hint of anything else. His gaze landed on the reporter and lingered there for a moment before he said, “Go ahead.”
The reporter was overwhelmed by the pressure of his demeanor. He swallowed hard and said, “May I ask, are you a newcomer? I don’t mean any offense, it’s just that before today, I haven’t heard anything about you in the entertainment industry.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present immediately turned to look at Jiang Nian in unison.
