Best Actor Vs Best Actor

When Han Yuan participated in a talk show, the host asked directly, “Mr. Han, I heard that you will be starring in the gay-themed movie “Uncontrollable” directed by Wang Yi. Is that true?”

Although Han Yuan was a well-known celebrity, he was not a very relaxed person when he was not in front of the camera, nor was he very good at speaking, so he rarely participated in various variety shows, and only occasionally participated in pure interview programs like this one.

Most of the hosts knew his personality and never beat around the bush, because many times, he basically couldn’t understand those words that were rich in meaning. “Yes, the movie is already in the preparation stage and will be ready to start shooting soon.”

The host then asked, “Mr. Han, please forgive me for being frank, but it is said that Director Wang wanted to ask you to make a movie about homosexuality more than ten years ago, and I remember that you directly refused at that time. I still remember the reason you refused at that time. You said that every man has a hidden homosexual complex in his heart, and you were afraid that you would be affected, so you refused to take this type of movie. Why don’t you think so now, or is there another hidden reason?”

Han Yuan nodded honestly and said, “I did say that back then, and I still think so now. But after so many years of acting, I have acted in almost every type of movie and played all kinds of roles, but I have never touched this kind of subject matter. For an actor, deliberately avoiding it is inevitably a kind of deficiency. I am a person who easily gets too deeply into the role. I didn’t dare to try it before because of this, but I think all these years of experience are enough for me to control myself well. People should still challenge themselves. I am not young anymore. If I don’t try it again, I am afraid I will regret it. Of course, the most important thing is that this is a very good script, and I believe Director Wang can present a wonderful story for us.”

Han Yuan chuckled softly, and at the end he did not forget to promote the upcoming movie.

“What kind of story is it?” the host asked.

“For this, please go to the theater to watch it when the time comes.” Han Yuan kept the suspense very seriously, which was unexpectedly cute.

The host continued to ask, “I heard that the other leading actor in this movie is Lu Yan, who just won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Is that true?”

“Yes.” Han Yuan adapted well to this kind of question and answer.

“I also heard that it was Mr. Han who took the initiative to recommend Lu Yan to Director Wang, hoping that he could play this role, is that right?”

“right.”

“I wonder if you can tell me what considerations led you to make this decision?”

“Of course it’s because he’s suitable.” Han Yuan smiled. “We worked together once before, and he’s a great actor. And I think he’s very suitable for this role.”

“At the same time, he is also a very handsome actor.” The host said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Han Yuan didn’t hear anything at all, but nodded in agreement, “Yes. If I have to say, this is probably one of the reasons.”

The host smiled and smoothed things over, “I believe that with two handsome men starring in this film, this movie is already halfway to success.”

Han Yuan smiled and didn’t answer.

The host continued the topic, “It’s really exciting to talk about it. Mr. Han is the first Chinese actor to win the Cannes Best Actor Award, and Lu Yan is the latest Chinese to win the Cannes Best Actor Award. This will be a peak showdown between Best Actor and Best Actor.”

Han Yuan said earnestly, “I am looking forward to it too.”

Later, when Lu Yan attended a brand endorsement event, he was also attacked by the media about this topic.

“Mr. Lu, what do you think about the actor Han asking you to play his lover?”

Lu Yan was always gentle and elegant in front of the media, and smiled and said, “I am very grateful to the actor Han for recognizing me. We have had a pleasant cooperation experience before, and I believe it will be the same this time.”

“Mr. Lu, this movie is about homosexual love. Do you have any concerns?”

“As a good actor, I should try different types of roles. Same-sex love is just a theme, and it is not much different from other types of movies. So I don’t think there is anything to worry about.”

“Mr. Lu, when he was young, actor Han refused to take on this type of movie because he was afraid that his sexual orientation would be affected. Don’t you have any concerns in this regard?”

Lu Yan smiled faintly and said affirmatively, “I am very sure that I am not someone who will change my sexual orientation because of a movie.”

After seeing these reports, Qin Feng smiled and said to Lu Yan, “The duel between the best actors is really a good gimmick. Moreover, it is a film about homosexual love. It has not even started filming yet, but it has attracted so much attention.”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “This kind of subject matter has always been sensitive and has been particularly popular in recent years. I’m not surprised at all that it has such an effect.” 

“To be honest, are you really not worried about the impact?” Qin Feng was still a little worried. “You are different from Han Yuan. He is already a big star. These small storms can’t cause any waves for him. Even if he is really gay, it will not affect his status in the entertainment industry. But you are in the rising period of your career. If you are infected with such rumors, it may be a devastating blow if you are not careful.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Lu Yan said with a smile, “Today’s fans are very receptive, it’s not like a decade ago. Compared to sexual orientation, grades and character are more important.”

Qin Feng seemed to have sensed something in these words. “Why do I feel like you are hiding something behind your words? You’ve been in a relationship for a year, but your girlfriend has never come to visit you on set. Even if she’s not in the entertainment industry, she’s too unenthusiastic.”

“Who said he didn’t come to visit me? He has been here several times. Besides,” Lu Yan leaned down, narrowed his eyes slightly, and smiled in a low voice, “When did I ever say that my lover is a woman?”

Qin Feng seemed to be paralyzed, his voice trembled a little, “No… yes, it’s not a woman, could it be… a man?!”

Lu Yan patted Qin Feng on the shoulder and comforted him. “You will know this sooner or later. I didn’t hide it from you on purpose. It’s just that you didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell you directly.”

Qin Feng was still in shock, and was somewhat incoherent, “Lu Yan, I really didn’t realize that you were actually bent?!”

“Well, I didn’t think I would bend at first. But now, I am bent.” Lu Yan said frankly, as if he was talking about what he ate or drank today.

Qin Feng seemed to have figured it out. “So, you don’t want to do sex scenes because you don’t dare. You’re afraid that if something happens during the filming, it will be embarrassing?”

“Of course not,” Lu Yan said, as if to say, “Your imagination is too big, please shut it up.” “I have no interest in men other than my lover.”

“So what you want to say is that you don’t like men, but the person you like just happens to be a man?” Qin Feng looked as if he was going to spit in his face if he said that.

Lu Yan smiled and said, “No, I won’t say that. If I’m bent, I’m bent. There’s no point in making excuses. But even if I’m a gay, you can allow me to be a little emotionally chaste and only be devoted to one person.”

Qin Feng suddenly thought of something and said in surprise, “Are you planning to take this opportunity to come out?”

“It’s too late to come out. I don’t plan to hide it for the rest of my life. But not now. You can rest assured for now. When I’m ready, I will definitely notify you first.” Lu Yan smiled particularly innocently.

Qin Feng felt that he was not feeling well. “Lu Yan, are you serious? I didn’t take my medicine today, so don’t joke with me.”

Lu Yan put away the smile on his face and said seriously, “Brother Feng, I am very grateful for your care for me in the past two years. We have always had a pleasant cooperation. But if you find it unacceptable, I will not blame you. My contract with the company is about to expire. I promise that nothing will happen to me before then. After that, you can choose not to take me with you anymore.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Qin Feng waved his hand, “I was just a little surprised for a moment. You are very good, Lu Yan. I am happy to be your agent, and I also hope that we can continue to cooperate. In fact, as you said, this kind of thing, if it happened ten years ago, it might be a devastating blow, but now, it is really not that serious. And considering the tastes of fans now, if you handle it well, maybe it will increase your popularity. As for the circle, even if there is an impact, it should not be big. I don’t believe that you will not be able to get a movie with me around. But there may be some obstacles in the future in terms of endorsements. “Qin Feng smiled bitterly and said, “But I think you must have thought about the consequences. I only have one thing to say, you must be cautious about this matter.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Feng, I won’t act rashly.” Lu Yan said.

“I absolutely believe this,” Qin Feng pointed at him and pretended to be dissatisfied, “You kid, you have kept it secret for such a long time, not a single bit of air leaked out.”

“So, you can trust me.” Lu Yan smiled.

Qin Feng simply couldn’t do anything about him, so he shook his head and said, “Okay, you should pay more attention to yourself. The filming will start in a few days, so you should seize the opportunity.”

“Yeah.” Lu Yan replied.

After the preliminary work was prepared, the filming officially started.

When the two leading actors met on the set, they were a little awkward at first. Although it was not their first collaboration, this time they played a couple in an arty romance film, which was very different from their previous commercial dramas. Especially when Wang Yi saw Lu Yan, the first thing he said to Han Yuan was jokingly, “Hey, your little lover is here.”

Han Yuan was afraid that Lu Yan would feel uncomfortable, so he smiled and said, “Director Wang just likes to joke, Lu Yan, don’t take it seriously.”

Wang Yi refused to cooperate, “I’m not kidding. From now on, you guys have to start building up your emotions. During this time, you’d better get used to your roles in the play so that you can get into the role better during filming.”

Although Wang Yi said this, it was mostly a joke. If two actors of the best actor level still need to worry about getting into the role, then there was no point for others to try.

Lu Yan didn’t care, so he followed suit and said, “Director Wang is right.”

After saying this, his whole demeanor suddenly changed. He raised his eyes and looked at Han Yuan with a sincere, eager, and pure look. There was longing and expectation in his eyes, and even his voice was suppressed to a hoarse voice similar to that of a boy in his puberty period. “Teacher.”

Han Yuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that Lu Yan had entered the role directly. He had never shirked his responsibility in acting, and quickly adjusted his facial expression, using a gentle, somewhat distant expression, as if he didn’t care but was secretly paying attention, and nodded, and uttered a soft “hmm” from his nose.

The scene paused for a few seconds, and Wang Yi applauded, “Not bad, not bad, it’s worthy of being a showdown at the best actor level, that’s how it feels, keep it up, keep it up.”

Wang Yi smiled meaningfully at Lu Yan, “Han Yuan told me that you have great acting skills and are the best candidate for this role. I thought he was exaggerating at first, but I was convinced by your performance just now. I believe that Ji You is you, and you are Ji You.”

Lu Yan smiled, returned to his original role, and smiled humbly, “Director Wang, thank you for the award. I will work hard and not let Director Wang down.”

Wang Yi laughed and said, “Some things require more than just hard work. But Lu Yan, you happen to be a talented person, and with hard work… well, I already believe that your title of Best Actor is not just luck.”

Although it was an exaggeration, Wang Yi’s words were too direct. Ordinary directors may not dare to say this, but Wang Yi was not an ordinary director. He had made a total of 15 films so far, all of which were regarded as classics, and some were even textbook-level. He was also the director who had won the most Best Director awards at the Golden bell and Golden Image Film Festivals so far.

Among the fifteen films directed by Wang Yi, nine of them starred Han Yuan. So until now, some people were still arguing whether it was Wang Yi who made Han Yuan successful or Han Yuan who made Wang Yi successful. But more people believe that they made each other successful. Wang Yi and Han Yuan were known as the best partners in the film industry.

Facing such a perfect partner, Lu Yan was not nervous. He knew that this movie was actually tailor-made for Han Yuan by Wang Yi, and Han Yuan was the real first male lead. The character he played, Zhuang Wenxuan, was introverted and contradictory, a character with more obvious dramatic conflicts and more inner drama. Ji You, played by Lu Yan, was much purer and simpler, with almost all his emotions expressed on his face.

Lu Yan did not feel the slightest bit dissatisfied or unfair because of this. On the contrary, he liked the role of Ji You more, precisely because this character was simple and pure. And Lu Yan believed that his performance could definitely give Ji You more content.

The first scene took place in an alley. Lu Yan was wearing a student uniform of a white shirt and black pants. His hair was a little messy, his collar had several buttons torn, and his pants were covered in dust. His military green canvas backpack was left in the corner, revealing several neatly wrapped textbooks. His eyes were angry and fierce, like an orphaned and enraged beast cub, glaring fiercely at the three boys in front of him who were wearing the same student uniform as him.

At this time, he was not the actor Lu Yan, but Ji You, a senior high school student who was not valued by his parents, a little gloomy and was fighting with others.

The three boys across from him were stunned by his gaze, but soon they felt ashamed for being stunned. They puffed out their chests and shouted, “What are you looking at? I’m going to hit you. Don’t hang out with Chen Yao anymore. You’re not worthy of her.”

Ji You said disdainfully, “She is the one who is clinging to me. You’d better tell her not to keep pestering me in the future. It’s so annoying!”

“What did you say? How dare you say that to her? I’ll teach you a lesson!” The boy in the middle suddenly stood up and punched Ji You. Ji You was not a good boy either. He had fought with many people since he was a child. He quickly knocked the boy to the ground. But at this time, the other two boys also rushed over. Ji You’s two fists were no match for four hands, and he was soon punched several times. The four of them wrestled into a ball.

“Stop!” A sudden shout came from behind.

The four men did not stop, but beat them even harder. The one who scolded them walked forward and tried to separate them. However, it was not so easy to pull apart the ruthless boys. Instead, the man was pushed and almost sat on the ground.

The man angrily called out the names of the three people, “Ma Ang, Shang Zijian, Sun Yue, you are still not stopping, do you want to be punished?”

The battle group then broke up. The three boys looked at the newcomer in fear and trembled, “Zhuang, Teacher Zhuang, we won’t dare to do it again. Please don’t report us.”

Zhuang Wenxuan frowned and said nothing.

The three boys continued to beg for mercy, “Teacher, please let us go. We won’t dare to do it again. The big exam is coming up soon, and we don’t want to be punished.”

Zhuang Wenxuan sighed, “You should leave now. If I see you fighting again, I will send you directly to the principal’s office.”

“No, no, we don’t dare to do it again. Thank you, teacher. Goodbye, teacher.” The three boys shook their hands and ran away quickly.

Zhuang Wenxuan then looked down at the boy who was still sitting on the ground. His clothes were torn, blood was hanging from the corners of his mouth, and there were some black and blue spots at the corners of his eyes. He looked a bit wolfish.

Zhuang Wenxuan walked over and asked, “What’s your name? Which class are you from?”

The boy lowered his head and answered sullenly, “Ji You, Class 2, Grade 3.”

Zhuang Wenxuan sighed again. He could tell that it was the three boys who beat him, so he didn’t blame him. “Can you still stand up?”

“Hmm.” Ji You responded sullenly, slowly crawled up with his arms propped up on the ground, said nothing, walked to the corner, picked up his dirty schoolbag, put his textbooks back one by one, patted them, picked up the strap and threw it on his back, ready to leave.

The series of movements were neither fast nor slow. Except for the fact that his steps were a little slow when he first stood up, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong.

His back was straight, and his well-developed body was taller than Zhuang Wenxuan, a grown man. From beginning to end, the boy didn’t say much, but Zhuang Wenxuan seemed to see his silent unwillingness and stubbornness.

Zhuang Wenxuan suddenly didn’t want him to leave like this, “Do you want to take care of your injury first?”

Ji You paused for a moment, turned around slowly, and looked at him with his dark eyes without saying a word.

Zhuang Wenxuan suddenly felt a little anxious and explained, “If you go back like this, your family will be worried. Do you want to treat the wound first?”

Ji You continued to look at him in silence, without saying a word. His dark eyes made people feel uneasy.

After a long while, until Zhuang Wenxuan could no longer bear it, he slowly said, “No one will be worried.”

“What?” Zhuang Wenxuan almost forgot what he had just said.

“There’s no one at home, so no one will be worried.” Ji You said it calmly, but Zhuang Wenxuan could feel the sadness and grief hidden deep in his heart.

Zhuang Wenxuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he didn’t know what to say. Ji You had already walked past him and said, “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Zhuang Wenxuan asked blankly.

Ji You looked at him strangely, “Didn’t you say to treat the wound?”

“Oh, yes.” Zhuang Wenxuan responded, a little embarrassed.

“Cut” Wang Yi called out, and the two stopped.

“The previous part was very good. Let’s leave it at that and prepare for the next one.” Wang Yi shouted, waving his hands.

The fight scene was reshot several times. Even though it wasn’t a real fight, there were some bumps and bruises. The injuries on Lu Yan’s body were caused by makeup, so it did hurt, but he was fine.

After that, the scenes between the two of them were still smooth. Lu Yan had a great grasp of the emotions and rhythm, and Han Yuan was no less impressive. It was like the time when they had acted together, and they felt that exhilarating feeling again. In the camera, they were no longer Lu Yan and Han Yuan, but Ji You and Zhuang Wenxuan, and the emotions were brought in very well.

The next scene was indoors, and they had to go to the set room. The makeup artist came over to help Lu Yan touch up his makeup. Because the time was not too long and the makeup had not worn out, the touch up was done quickly.

Soon they moved to the set room, and Wang Yi asked considerately, “How about it, do you want to give it some time to ferment?”

Lu Yan and Han Yuan smiled at each other and shook their heads, saying, “No need, let’s just get started.”

“OK,” Wang Yi gestured with his hands and smiled, “Come on, pass this one, and I’ll use the money I saved on film to give you guys extra meals.”

The staff member nearby heard this and asked with a smile, “Director Wang, is there any extra food for us?”

Wang Yi patted his shoulder and said, “Cheer up, if the shooting goes well, we will give you extra food.”

Everyone immediately cheered up and said, “Oh, one by one, let’s eat more.”

Someone even shouted in a shrill voice, “Male God Han, Male God of Lu, come on!”

Lu Yan turned around, winked at everyone, and made an “OK” gesture. Han Yuan also smiled and nodded.

Zhuang Wenxuan took Ji You directly to his teacher’s dormitory, took out the medical kit and gave him medicine.

Zhuang Wenxuan’s movements were very gentle and cautious. Ji You stared at him while he was applying the medicine. Being stared at by such a pure and frank gaze, Zhuang Wenxuan felt that his little thoughts were a little shameful. He couldn’t help blushing and whispered in anger, “Close your eyes.”

Ji You closed his eyes obediently, his long eyelashes brushed against his fingertips, and Zhuang Wenxuan’s hand holding the cotton swab trembled.

The current scene was somewhat ambiguous. Zhuang Wenxuan did not dare to think too much and lowered his head to speed up the application of medicine.

It wasn’t until Zhuang Wenxuan said “OK” that Ji You opened his eyes.

The wound felt cool and no longer hurt. Ji You said sincerely, “Thank you, Teacher Zhuang.”

Zhuang Wenxuan paused while packing the medicine box. “Do you know me?”

Ji You smiled. This was the first time Zhuang Wenxuan had seen him smile. The wound on his face, stained with red medicine, formed a funny arc when he smiled, but Zhuang Wenxuan thought his smile was sincere and beautiful. “It’s normal for teachers not to recognize students, but how can students not recognize teachers? Zhuang Wenxuan, the physics teacher of Class 5, right?”

Zhuang Wenxuan was silent for a moment, but then said something irrelevant, “If you encounter something like this in the future, just run away if you can’t win. It’s not shameful.”

Ji You was obviously stunned for a moment, and suddenly smiled brilliantly, “Yeah.”

Zhuang Wenxuan was dazzled by the smile and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

That’s right, Zhuang Wenxuan was gay. He was naturally attracted to men with the same body structure as himself, but he had always been careful to hide his sexual orientation because he didn’t want others to look at him with strange eyes.

Zhuang Wenxuan felt a little bad that the peace of so many years was shattered by such an unexpected encounter.

The other person was still a child, a student in his own school.

Zhuang Wenxuan felt that he had encountered a problem that he had never encountered before, which was more difficult than the most difficult physics problems in the world.