The Best Director

Hey, Rachel!” Wang Yang greeted cheerfully, petting Danny who refused to leave his side, and asked through the phone, “Good evening, am I disturbing you?” After hearing Rachel say no, he got straight to the point, “Here’s the thing, you know I’ve got plans for a new movie called ‘MIT-21-Team.’ There’s a character in it that’s perfect for you, one of the three main characters, so I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in auditioning?”

As he spoke, different images of Rachel flashed in his mind. She was versatile on the big screen, suitable for playing the mean girl or bad girl at school, as well as sweet and kind ones; she could play a crazy vulgar woman and also an elegant and intellectual beauty; and that clever and cunning image in ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ perfect for a genius female detective.

Of course, the elfin Zoe Deschanel and the elegant, scholarly Anne Hathaway were also great, but he preferred the cunning Rachel, because he was somewhat nostalgic for ‘Paranormal Activity.’

Oh!” Rachel responded softly, without much surprise.

If any other dream-chasing girl had received this invitation, she would have been screaming with excitement, about to faint with joy. What did being the lead actress in a Magic Yang movie represent? It was indescribable; after all, Magic Yang had created one Hollywood star after another, national youth idols whose popularity soared, even established stars like Natalie became even more popular.

These girls were now the main force among Hollywood’s younger generation of actresses, with extremely high popularity among movie fans and naturally also extremely high commercial value for film producers; they were not short on movie offers, others would fight to invite them to shoot films. Apart from the lead actresses, it was the same for some of the bigger supporting roles. Anne Darren, who was originally unknown, received new supporting role offers after ‘Sweetheart’ and saw her acting career on a bright path.

What role?” Rachel asked in a very calm tone, which actually seemed somewhat abnormal – even an ordinary director’s invitation would usually be met with a “thank you” said with a smile by any actor. She seemed to realize this and, looking at the bustling, brilliant night cityscape outside, let out a laugh with a “wow” and repeated, “What role?”

Well, a smart, stubborn, and calm genius female detective,” Wang Yang casually flipped through the script, giving a simple overview, “It’s a true story, her name is Beverly Griffin, only she’s older in reality, and I’ve made her younger here. She’s a detective hired by the casinos in Las Vegas, specifically to deal with a group of genius gamblers, which is the MIT Blackjack Team…”

After listening to his rough introduction, Rachel was full of interest. Where did he find this cool and fun story? Although she won’t be playing the cool big sister leading the MIT team, the role of the female detective was still full of charm… but she turned around, leaning on the railing, looking up at the night sky, and smiled, “Yang, Beverly Griffin sounds really interesting and challenging, I quite like it. But can I think about it?”

Of course, as you wish!” Wang Yang nodded with a smile, vigorously scratching Danny’s neck, changing the subject, “Where are you now, Toronto? Or Los Angeles, New York?” Rachel on the other end said, “I’m in Los Angeles now, on the balcony of a hotel, I’m attending a charity event.” Wang Yang uttered an “oh,” thinking of his own engagements, and said, “I’ve also been invited to many events, both charity and commercial, but I’m as busy as a spinning top, spinning and spinning…”

He didn’t care much for commercial events, rejecting them without a second thought; if it was for money, it would be the stupidest waste to spend time on commercial gigs. As for charity events, he tried to make time to occasionally participate or organize them, like a children’s fan meet-and-greet the other day, which had been a lot of fun. But these days, he was back to being busy because he needed to ensure there were no scheduling conflicts during filming, so he had to lock in the lead actors for ‘MIT-21-Team’ first.

Then there was the post-production work for ‘The Hangover’ to start, with only three months left until Christmas and just two months until the publicity stage of activities and interviews, not as relaxed in scheduling as ‘District 9’; and at the same time, to supervise the production of ‘Prison Break.’ ‘MIT-21- Team’ would not start filming until the beginning of next year; fortunately, this time he didn’t have to wait for Natalie to be on break, she said, “I’m already familiar with college life, missing a few days is okay; and my studies are fine. Skipping classes is what bad girls do? I love that.”

Thinking of all this, Wang Yang added with a laugh, “Rachel, the filming will start early next year, how about that?” Rachel’s voice came through crisply laughing on the other side, “Big director, you really are impatient.” Wang Yang, playing with Danny’s ears for fun and hearing her words, immediately laughed and said, “No, no, I’m not. Have you ever considered that if I were impatient, you would have been scolded terribly by me on set, scolded till you cried.”

Wow, that’s scarier than a prawn!” Rachel showed two sweet dimples on her face, kicking her feet lightly, and said with a proud tone, “But why? My acting is so good.” Then came Wang Yang’s serious voice from the phone, “McAdams, I need to remind you, it’s because the director behind the camera is doing well. If I were impatient, I would’ve done poorly, and then without my guidance, you would also perform poorly, so you would be scolded.”

I get it now, that seems to be the logic,” Rachel smiled gently, and suddenly she made up her mind. She had begun to miss the “YOUNG set”; during “High School Musical” she spent her time wallowing in self-pity, but not anymore. She said to her phone with a smile, “Yang, I’ll join Beverly’s audition.”

Wang Yang was taken aback, puzzled, he said, “Huh? You’ve decided so quickly?” Her cheerful laughter came through the phone, “I’m impulsive! Wang Yang happily slapped Danny’s head and laughed heartily, “That’s fantastic!” In reality, her audition could be considered just a formality. It wasn’t their first collaboration, and he knew very well what her temperament and appearance were like. Rachel had also made rapid progress in acting. Though she wasn’t as naturally gifted as Natalie, she was far from an ordinary muggle.

So what exactly is the story about? Here’s a thing, I’ll be acting opposite Natalie Portman! How exciting!” Rachel’s eyes narrowed, truly feeling a surge of excitement. To act alongside someone with such remarkable acting skills was like a boxer facing another boxer. And… She gazed toward the brightly lit skyscrapers in the distance and said half-jokingly, “I’ve heard enough of Yang+Natalie. The Yang+Rachel duo isn’t bad either, right? Back then, we scared so many people, but now everyone is talking only about Juno.”

Annie, you’re not certain to get the role,” came Wang Yang’s teasing “reminder” from the other end. Rachel smiled and furrowed her brows, laughing helplessly a few times, her dimples deepening. She said, “Alright! Yang, you’re always so harsh. So now, is it me who’s after the role? Alright, as you command, Mr. Magic!” Saying this, they both burst into laughter.

After chatting for a while longer, they finally ended the call. Rachel’s hand holding the phone dropped, and she let out a sigh. An audition for a female detective? She looked at the starry night sky and became lost in thought.

Wait! I’m here for the audition for your movie, is it still possible to audition now?” “In principle, it is possible.”…

What! Magic Yang is inviting me to audition for the male lead?” Sitting on the living room sofa, Daniel Wu’s face was full of surprise as he gaped, somewhat disbelieving what his agent was telling him over the phone. He questioned, “You mean that Young-Wang? Magic Yang? Oh my god, I get it…” He held the receiver askew on his neck and scribbled down Magic Yang’s contact number.

Magic Yang, a 22-year-old, was the leading Chinese-American director, Hollywood’s Magic Director, and the boss of the up-and-coming independent film company, Flaming Films… In America, he was the pride of all Chinese and Asian communities, and also extremely popular in white society; even though he wasn’t seen in Hong Kong, he was a renowned idol there, with many of Hong Kong’s entertainment stars falling short of his popularity.

When Wang Yang visited Hong Kong during the last World Cup, the whole of Hong Kong was abuzz with excitement. Rumors had it that Jackie Chan had tried several times to invite him for a meal without success, hence there were some dissenting voices within the circle, criticizing the Hollywood director for his arrogance and disdain for Hong Kong cinema. But Daniel Wu did not agree with these opinions, believing that everyone had their preferred way of life and the right to live it as they desire. One cannot call another arrogant simply because they prefer tranquility.

In his teens and early twenties, he had enjoyed complexity, ardor, and liveliness; but now, at age 28, he found himself gradually craving a quiet, plain, and simple life, no longer fond of noisy parties and socializing. He just wanted to live ordinary days happily with his girlfriend Lisa and his good friends.

He had watched some of Wang Yang’s interviews. The magic director had said, “Actually, I’m not as ‘sunshine and rainbows’ as everyone thinks. My first days at USC were crazy, I did everything you could imagine, except for drugs. So, I wasn’t exactly in good standing with the authorities there, and that might be one reason they didn’t trust me later on. But I quickly grew tired of it and realized that lifestyle wasn’t what I wanted, so I said goodbye to it, ‘forever never to see again!”‘

He could deeply relate to what Magic Yang had described, a sort of “sudden enlightenment” akin to that in Buddhism. Perhaps it was just that Magic Yang had matured early, which is normal for an unprecedented director. He had great affection and respect for the Chinese-American pride, San Francisco’s pride Magic Director Wang Yang, and he loved Magic Yang’s movies. If “District 9″ could help bring science fiction back to the Oscars, that would be incredibly cool.

But what movie was Magic Yang auditioning him for? Daniel Wu furrowed his rugged brows, his first thought being a martial arts film, and he couldn’t think of anything else. It was rumored that Magic Yang practiced martial arts from a young age. However, he didn’t want it to be a martial arts film. He didn’t want to be typecast as an action star who only did martial arts movies, which was also why he avoided such roles in Hong Kong, a deliberate evasion.

But the male lead in a Magic Yang film? Daniel Wu took a deep breath and dialed the number, his heartbeat quickening with excitement. This was an irresistible invitation, and he was eager to be in a Hollywood blockbuster! He had grown up watching them. However, he would never take on any lackluster stereotype roles for Asians; but this was Magic Yang, he thought he wouldn’t need to worry about that.

Hello, Mr. Wang? This is Daniel Wu.” As soon as the call connected, Daniel Wu cheerfully initiated the conversation with a laugh, and then he heard the enthusiastic voice from the other end, “You are Daniel? Hey, buddy! Hey, buddy!” He also spoke in his broken Cantonese, laughing, “Long time no see! We, the jianghu brothers and sisters, should never stand on ceremony!” Daniel Wu immediately laughed heartily and replied in his not-so-fluent Cantonese, “No problem, Yang, are you looking for me to audition?”

To Wang Yang’s surprise, the agents at CAA were so efficient, but then again, since Daniel Wu was a contracted artist of CAA, it was probably just a matter of a few phone calls. He picked up the remote control and turned down the volume on the TV before responding with a laugh in English, “Yeah, that’s right, are you interested?” When he heard Daniel Wu ask if it was a Kung Fu film, he shook his head and laughed, “It’s not a Kung Fu movie, I’m not planning to shoot any live-action Kung Fu films for the time being.”

He didn’t want to shoot Kung Fu martial arts films, not because he didn’t love Kung Fu or didn’t have ideas for fight scenes. He just didn’t want to be typecast as a Kung Fu film director. Perhaps the idea was strange, but he felt that only if he couldn’t blend in would he go make a specific Kung Fu movie.

This is a high-IQcrime movie, well, there’s actually no crime, you know Jeff Ma? He’s the prototype for the male lead, a student from MIT, smart, smart, smart, a social type of Chinese-American, very proud and competitive, always eager to challenge everything, cynical, likes to legally break the rules and make those high and mighties suffer; cunning, cool…”

Listening to these character descriptions, Daniel Wu’s interest and confidence surged rapidly. He thought to himself that he was indeed a social type of Chinese-American; did founding the Chinese Martial Arts Society in college count? And he was very clear on what cynical people were like because he himself had been that kind of person a few years ago—cynical, selfish, rebellious, sharp-tongued… As for being highly intelligent and cool? That, he could act out.

He was brimming with excitement and confidence that he could nail this Chinese-American role, and once Wang Yang finished speaking, he readily replied with a laugh, “Then I’m ready to audition anytime, I’m actually in San Francisco right now.” And a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles only took a little over an hour.

That’s great!” Wang Yang instantly felt joyful too, as settling on the casting sooner would allow him to start editing ‘The Hangover’ earlier, and… he clenched and waved his fist, licking his lips and laughing, “That’s—just- great, haha! Dude, I’m waiting for you!”

Until the conversation ended after a while, Daniel Wu still felt a bit puzzled, wondering why Magical Yang’s laughter sounded somewhat eerie and strange. Unable to understand, he merely chuckled and immediately excitedly called his girlfriend. With eyes widened and unable to suppress his excited emotions, he laughed and said, “Lisa, oh my God, I have incredible news to tell you! Magical Yang wants me for a movie audition, for the lead role! Yeah, it’s Wang Yang!”

Lisa on the other end was excited for him too, “Daniel, sweetheart, congratulations! Wow, you must seize this opportunity! Oh, but it’s okay, just do your best, I’m here supporting you…”

The two talked excitedly for a while before gradually calming down. Daniel Wu suddenly remembered a question he had forgotten to ask Magical Yang, “By the way, do you know who Jeff Ma is? The character I’m going to audition for is based on him.”

Jeff Ma? He is!” Lisa felt a glimmer of recognition flashing through her mind but just as she was about to say something, she hesitated. She pondered and said, “Hm, it rings a bell, I think I heard… my dad mention him.” Her father was the president of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Earlier in the year, Magical Yang was filming ‘The Hangover’ there, and she wanted to get an autograph but didn’t make it because she was busy with her modeling work in Hong Kong.

“I’ll look it up online.” Daniel Wu stood up to go check, laughing, “This is so exciting, it’s not a Kung Fu movie, unbelievable…”

The audition was set up in the screening room at Flame Films headquarters, where both Jeff Ma and Beverly Griffin had their solo auditions that day, but Rachel hadn’t arrived yet.

In the spacious and bright screening room at the moment, Wang Yang in a T- shirt and loose pants and Daniel Wu in a shirt and jeans sat comfortably on the sofa, chatting and laughing about something; Joshua stood behind the sofa, massaging Wang Yang’s shoulders like a servant.

He had been hired as an assistant producer for “MIT-21-TEAM,” following his stint as a set assistant for “The Hangover,” he officially began learning how to produce from Yang, naturally starting from the very bottom as a small assistant tasked with serving tea and water, and he would be fully involved and learning throughout these auditions.

Joshua pounded his broad shoulders with vigor; at 20 years old, it was time to get serious about his career. But he felt that his natural talent for acting was lacking, so he shifted his goal from winning the Best Actor Oscar to Best Picture, which seemed even cooler! He definitely didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps and deal with real estate, constantly babbling about houses and clients. He’d rather be killed.

And there were no suitable positions available at Flame Film; he did want to become a director, but obviously, he wasn’t “Magical Joshua,” so he had to take it slow. His goal was to completely ditch the odious title of assistant by the time he was 25, or maybe 26, or 27…

Joshua, I don’t need it,” Wang Yang glanced back at Joshua and then at Daniel Wu, continuing to talk about his childhood martial arts training, laughing, “The earliest you wanted to learn Kung Fu was before I was born, right?”

Daniel Wu spread his hands and, recalling the passion from over twenty years ago, sat up straight and said with a smile, “At that time, I was 6 years old. My grandfather took me to Chinatown to watch ‘Shaolin Temple,’ you know, Jet Li’s first film. My grandpa told me, ‘Daniel, this is real Chinese Kung Fu!’ Wow!” He let out a sigh of admiration and continued animatedly, “It was so impressive! I was instantly stunned and thought, ‘I’m Chinese, I should learn Kung Fu!”‘

What a familiar scene!” Wang Yang excitedly threw punches in the air, and a whooshing sound immediately filled the space. He laughed and said, “I was also 6, but I didn’t watch it on the big screen. That day my grandfather took me to meet old man Wu, he used to be the head chef of our family restaurant, and also a partner or something. I thought he was just an ordinary old man, but who would have thought… wow, at his age he could still punch so vigorously, what was that, Chinese Kung Fu?! It looked so cool, and I was like, ‘I want to learn, I want to learn!\'”

Then you learned from Master Wu?” Daniel Wu looked envious, truly wishing he could have learned Kung Fu back then! But he shook his head and said, “After watching that movie, I was determined to learn martial arts, but my mom wouldn’t allow it; she was afraid I’d start fighting brutally if I did, so she forbade me from learning.” He frowned, shrugging his shoulders, “Later, it wasn’t until I was 11 that I formally began learning Northern Style Long Fist.

Hmm, Northern Style Long Fist…” Wang Yang’s eyes lit up immediately, he sized up Daniel Wu’s sturdy physique, his black pupils gleaming with an insatiable hunger, the expansive, ferocious Northern Style Long Fist, 17 years of martial arts foundation, an equal stature and weight… Thinking of his own idea, he couldn’t help but laugh, “My mom had the same worry, and I didn’t disappoint her, indeed I started fighting as soon as I learned Kung Fu.”

Fu.

Joshua continued to pound on his firm shoulders with a puzzled voice, “I want to ask why there’s no Mexican Kung Fu? If my grandpa had said to me back then, ‘Joshua, this is Kung   Fu.\'” He spoke in a gruff voice, then heaved a

sigh and said, “Then I’d have learned it and could have beaten those bastards to a pulp.” Wang Yang patted the hand on his shoulder and laughed, “Hey, bro, it’s all in the past. Nowyou’re safe with two Kung Fu experts looking out for you.”

Amidst the trio’s laughter, Wang Yang asked with interest, “Daniel, do you still practice your punches?” Daniel Wu nodded and made a fist-starting posture, saying, “Even if I’m too busy to catch my breath, I make time to punch. You must understand it has become a habit, I feel uncomfortable if I don’t practice for a day.” He raised his eyebrows with a smile, “And I maintain my physique by practicing my punches.”

I understand that one hundred percent.” Wang Yang leaned against the sofa with his arms crossed, a slight smirk on his lips. Besides feeling discomfort from not practicing punches, he also felt uneasy if he didn’t fight… Today, he wore loose pants to facilitate sparring. He asked earnestly, “Do you have actual combat ability, or is it just martial arts performance?” After all, some practice modified sequences for performance only, and even with 17 years of training, they would just be slightly better than ordinary people without real combat experience.

No, I think I have real combat ability,” Daniel Wu said with a slightly mischievous smile, biting his lower lip—he wasn’t just good at martial arts performances! Inside, he felt a bit strange, as this wasn’t a Kung Fu movie, so why was Magical Yang so interested in his martial arts? But he also vaguely sensed Magical Yang’s intentions and couldn’t help feeling a thrill, “Like you, I grew up fighting, beating those who called us ‘Chink’ and were racially discriminatory. I also practiced Mantis Boxing, Drunken Boxing, Taekwondo, Boxing…”

When he worked as a bar bouncer in college, the others were 90 kilogram rugby players, but the one patrons least dared to provoke was him. Anyone who did ended up face-down on the floor; his record was knocking down three big guys at once.

Good! Very good!” Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh heartily, feeling very satisfied. This guy was exactly to his taste! He stood up, still laughing, and walked toward the camera, saying, “Let’s do the screen test first!”