Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Display
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
If Sun Qiming had asked about acting skills, Jiang Se would have felt unconfident about herself. However, foreign language was a compulsory subject for her and she had learned it since young.
She nodded. “I’ve taken a few foreign language classes since I was a kid, so I have no problem speaking a few lines in simple English.”
Sun Qiming was slightly surprised to hear this.
The people behind him wore similar expressions. It was clear that nobody expected Jiang Se to be anything more than a bimbo.
Sun Qiming glanced at the information file and made a gesture for her to say something.
If Jiang Se really did know English, she would most likely be cast as the character Miss Zhang.
She recounted her experience as the cast of “Rescue Mission” in simple English. Sun Qiming nodded, appearing pleased.
“Your image and bearing fit one of the film’s characters very well.”
When Jiang Se had said that she could speak English, Sun Qiming and the others thought that she had only learned it in school or taken some classes outside, at most.
However, when she opened her mouth to speak, he discovered that she had exceeded his expectations by a large margin. Even though she merely spoke a few simple sentences, the language did not sound awkward coming from her.
However, there was also the possibility that she had rehearsed this part beforehand.
Sun Qiming took out the page concerning the air stewardess, Miss Zhang, from the information file. He passed it to Jiang Se through one of the crew members.
“Try these lines.”
Jiang Se took the paper and naturally saw the character whose “image and bearing” fit very well with hers, as mentioned by Sun Qiming.
This character did not seem to have many parts in the entire film. She merely made two appearances from the beginning until the end. Her lines had clearly been split into two. It must have had something to do with connecting the plot.
Sun Qiming’s current request was an actual test. It was different from when she had been like a duck being driven onto a perch during the filming of “Rescue Mission” in Shen Villa.
Besides having to perform under the stares of a dozen people in the meeting room, the lines in the script Sun Qiming gave her were written in Chinese. If her claim of being able to speak English was a bluff or if she had prepared her self-introduction beforehand, she would naturally have no luck with the “Pretense to Reality” cast.
Also, she was not in costume yet. She was wearing simple clothes and would be performing solo. This would not be like the experience of filming “Rescue Mission” in Shen Villa, whereby Gao Rong’s lines came first and helped her get into character.
Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for her to get into character. A real newbie would feel flustered and frightened.
This was also what Sun Qiming wanted to test.
If she had been in the “Rescue Mission” cast, been spoken favorably of by the best actor, Liu Ye, and was praised by Zhang Jingan, she might have difficulty getting into character, but she would not be overwhelmed by the atmosphere in this meeting room.
Jiang Se glanced through Miss Zhang’s lines in the script. She would be introducing the 20th arrondissement of Paris. She could not help but ask, “France? Will I be speaking in French?”
She gave Sun Qiming another unexpected surprise. Sun Qiming found himself leaning forward when he asked, “Do you know French as well?”
Jiang Se nodded slightly. “A little.”
She was currently in need of money and needed to land this role. At this current moment, Jiang Se would not be shy to showcase all of her strong points.
Sun Qiming snapped his fingers loudly. “In that case, you should get ready. We’ll begin when you’re done.”
When he finished, he readjusted his sitting posture and said no more.
Silence fell upon the meeting room. The only audible sound was the soft hum from the air conditioner outlets above their heads.
Jiang Se lowered her gaze to the script in her hands. She closed her eyes.
The character she would be portraying was a worker in the service industry. As she recalled the memories of her encounters with air stewardesses, she remembered how they talked and presented themselves.
She softened her eyes and curled her lips. When she reopened her eyes, she appeared gentle. Her young girl’s smile was sweet, and her eyes were clear. Even though she knew that she was only acting, her smile seemed to radiate, causing her eyes to brighten up as well.
She tucked her long hair behind her ears, revealing half of her facial contour and her slender graceful neckline. When she opened her mouth to speak, her lines were automatically translated into French.
She did not seem affected or awkward. She was incredibly natural.
Under the stares of many, every movement of her limbs seemed refined, as if this was a scene under Gu Jiaer’s direction that had been surgically cut and edited.
Even when Jiang Se lowered her head to look at the script, she made the action seem natural for her character.
Her tone was soft and gentle. The unique French accent sounded slightly romantic from her. Yet, there was also a hint of the haughtiness of a French woman.
The impression she gave them was more than her light about having taken a few classes before.
Quite a number of the people present there felt as if they were not sitting in a meeting room in Huaxia’s imperial capital. Instead, they felt as if they were in France and listening to her explain about France’s local history at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.
Even though the others did not understand what she said, this did not hinder them from being pulled into her world.
At that moment, her outstanding looks became her bonus trait and strengthened the effect she had on the others.
When Sun Qiming looked at her again, he no longer treated her as a bimbo. He was now convinced that Jiang Se had been praised by Zhang Jingan by name and that she had played a character in “Rescue Mission”.
There were some flaws in her display. Her tone and the way she carried herself did not resemble a service personnel working with an airline. Instead, she resembled a young lady from a rich family who was used to being waited on.
However, a blemish did not obscure a jade’s luster. She quickly got into character. The transition of her expressions was natural and there was nothing awkward about it. Also, she did not seem to have any stage fright.
The most important part was that her French was good just as she claimed. The emotion she conveyed was what Gu Jiaer had been looking for.
As for her overly noble bearing that did not fit the character of a person working in the service industry, it became an advantage in the film instead of a disadvantage.
Gu Jiaer was shooting an aesthetic film. He was looking for an actress instead of an actual air stewardess. Jiang Se’s looks and bearings were great. They added value to the film which was a good thing.
The only thing that worried Sun Qiming was that this newcomer was too beautiful. Her temperament was excellent as well. The scenes in which she would be appearing involved the male and female leads. When that time came, the female lead, Zhao Ruoyun, might even pale beside her.
However, Sun Qiming could not think of any single point why he should not use Jiang Se. He had a feeling that he had probably stumbled upon a gem.
When Jiang Se finished reading her lines, he stood up.
“Very good. Someone will contact you to go over the details soon. See you in the cast.”
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