Chapter 1486: One of Us

Compared to most actors, Wang Qiang's greatest strength in Zhao Fusheng's eyes was his simplicity.

This simplicity was not just about his personality, but also his attitude toward acting.

For example, if Wang Qiang was filming a scene and the director wasn't satisfied with his performance and asked him to do it again, the kid would redo it over and over without any complaint, unlike some actors.

In this regard, Zhao Fusheng thought he was very much like Da Tiantian.

Although the public called Da Tiantian the queen of bad movies, Zhao Fusheng knew that she would genuinely cry and feel upset if she couldn't act well. She wasn't good at acting, but her attitude was absolutely correct. As for many other artists, like the eight-million-per-face cutout female model, they wouldn't admit they couldn't act and would be particularly arrogant about it.

People are different.

"Alright, don't overthink it anymore." Seeing that Wang Qiang had been convinced, Zhao Fusheng smiled and said, "The company has its plans. You just focus on acting well."

He paused, thought of something, and looked at Wang Qiang. "Although you're not an idol, you still need to pay attention to personal matters. If you fall in love, remember to report to the company in advance."

"I know, I know. Bro, don't worry." Wang Qiang nodded repeatedly.

He wasn't stupid; he understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "If you meet a girl you like, tell your sister first. Let her help you screen her. Don't agree to just anyone. You're a star now, big or small, understand?"

Wang Qiang nodded. "I understand. The circle is too chaotic now, all kinds of people. A few days ago, there was an actress in our crew who was said to be pregnant..."

Pregnant?!

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then laughed. "Your crew is quite something."

"You bet. Let me tell you..." Seeing Zhao Fusheng interested, Wang Qiang shared the gossip he knew.

Although he was an honest man, he was still just over twenty, lively and young. He couldn't talk about things on his mind with others, but now that he had a chance to chat with Zhao Fusheng, he held nothing back.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't one for gossip, but hearing Wang Qiang talk about the circle's gossip was a rare treat. Since Fan Baobao hadn't returned yet, he treated it like listening to stories.

"Really? They had something going on?"

"No way, that's possible?"

As Wang Qiang narrated, Zhao Fusheng was repeatedly shocked. He really didn't know that the film and television circle had become so chaotic.

According to Wang Qiang, the circle was now rampant with under-the-table rules, almost exactly like the Chinese film and TV circle in Zhao Fusheng's memory.

"Bro, I'm really grateful to you and my sister. Without you, I'd be bullied badly now." Wang Qiang said to Zhao Fusheng word by word.

He was simple but not stupid. He knew very well who was good to him and who wasn't.

He would never forget the days when he was an extra outside the Beijing Film Studio. He sometimes dreamed of how he was treated as an extra.

And the more he remembered, the more grateful he was to Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao.

Without Zhao Fusheng, he didn't know what he would be doing today, let alone becoming a lead actor.

More importantly, as an "old hand" who had struggled in this circle for years, Wang Qiang knew that having backing and not having backing were two completely different things for an actor.

Take himself, for example. Without his brother-in-law Zhao Fusheng backing him, not to mention getting so many acting opportunities, even entering a crew could get him into trouble.

Wang Qiang had seen with his own eyes a "clueless" supporting actress being told "cut" over thirty times by the director, a girl just over twenty, forced to tears.

In the end, it was said that the supporting actress's agency showed some attitude to the director, and that was the end of it.

But Wang Qiang had never encountered such things himself.

The directors were all very nice, even the producers came to greet him. At first they were cautious, but after getting familiar, they would ask how he met Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng.

At first, Wang Qiang didn't feel much, but in recent years, he truly realized how much influence his brother-in-law had in this circle.

"Kid, stop being sentimental." Zhao Fusheng glared at Wang Qiang. "We're family. No need for formalities."

He really meant it. Fan Baobao had few friends in the circle, and although Wang Qiang came from a humble background, he was genuine, not the kind to be hypocritical.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng himself wasn't born into nobility, so he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Identity and bloodline theories are the most ridiculous things in the world.

...

...

When Fan Baobao and Mother Zhao returned and saw Wang Qiang there, they were very happy. Fan Baobao chatted with him for a long time, and Mother Zhao cooked a big table of dishes. Everyone ate happily.

Seeing it was getting late, Wang Qiang took his leave.

Of course, before leaving, he promised Zhao Fusheng that he would seriously consider his suggestion.

"What suggestion did you give Xiaoqiang?"

Fan Baobao overheard their conversation and asked Zhao Fusheng after Wang Qiang left.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and recounted the day's events, finally saying, "I think he's very suited for a comedy route. What do you think?"

Comedy?

Fan Baobao frowned slightly, thought about it, and had to admit that Zhao Fusheng's words made sense.

People often say that an actor should be a chameleon, able to play any role.

Actually, that's wrong.

An actor has roles they are suited for and roles they are not.

For example, you can have Zhang Jiayi play a middle-aged man, that's fine, but if you have him play an emperor, does it seem right?

Wang Qiang is like that. Playing a comic small-time character is a natural fit, but if you have him play a serious white-collar worker or an emperor or general, would the audience accept it?

So, the most important thing for a good actor is to choose the right positioning.

Fan Baobao was an insider, so she naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

"So you're planning to promote him?" Fan Baobao asked casually after thinking.

Obviously, if he wasn't planning to heavily promote Wang Qiang, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't have arranged it this way.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "At Future Film and TV, for directors, Ning Hao and Old Jiang are enough. Among the actors, there are many with potential, but Wang Qiang is the most suitable for a comedy route. Besides, he's one of us, so we can trust him."

That was the truth. Zhao Fusheng had no intention of making a wedding dress for others. He would never work hard to make an actor famous only to have them jump ship to another company.

In later generations, many people didn't understand the so-called slave contracts of经纪 companies, thinking they were inhumane and a classic example of capitalists exploiting poor artists.

But from another perspective, if经纪 companies didn't do that, once the stars they spent huge resources to promote became famous and chose to leave, who would bear the loss?

The term "slave contract" originally came from Korea. Korean entertainment companies train artists starting from the trainee period. Simply put, they select a group of kids to enter the company, provide various training, and give them a monthly allowance.

This money, averaged per person, isn't much.

But the problem is that not every trainee can successfully debut as a star.

For example, spending ten million to train ten people, and only one of them debuts, the cost naturally falls on that one person.

If the contract is short and the artist leaves after two years of fame, the company can't even recover the training costs. Who would they cry to?

Moreover, knowing it's a slave contract, are those stars or their parents stupid?

Whether it's Little Sheep or Canadian Cannon King, or that football-loving youth, including Zhao Fusheng's fellow townsman earlier, in the end, it's because they became famous and were dissatisfied with their income, so they chose to quit the group and return to China.

To put it bluntly, China has deep pockets and is easy to fool.

It's the same in China. Didn't the Golden Eagle Queen also sign a fifteen-year contract with Da Mimi's company? Why sign such a long one?

Heh, if it weren't long, what if they ran away and jumped ship?

Everything in this world has a price. If you want to shine in public, you have to suffer in private.

If Wang Qiang didn't have this relationship with Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao, why would Zhao Fusheng give him the opportunity?

In the end, it's because he's one of us, so Zhao Fusheng could confidently let Ye Jing promote him.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng also trusted Wang Qiang's character.

People often have a special feeling for old friends from humble beginnings. Compared to friends who add flowers to brocade, those who stay with us in our low times are always worth caring about.

"By the way, you can play a role then." Zhao Fusheng suddenly thought of a character in "Detective Chinatown" and said to Fan Baobao with a smile, "If you're willing."

"Really?"

Fan Baobao suddenly became interested. For Zhao Fusheng to mention it specifically, it seemed this role must be important.

Looking at his enthusiastic wife, Zhao Fusheng suddenly hoped that years later, she wouldn't be shouting about killing her husband.