Chapter Fifty-Two: The Honest Man

The female lead has been decided; now only the male lead and several supporting roles remain.

In the original film, the male lead was called Qian Niu, but with the story now set in China, that strange name would not fit. Gu Zhi changed it to Liu Qian, echoing the name of a certain magician, though with different characters.

The focus of "My Sassy Girl" is on Song Mingxi, so the female lead must be stunningly beautiful. The male lead’s appearance must not be too striking, lest he steal her spotlight. In the film, the male lead scores only twenty or thirty points on exams, has a nearly negative IQ, zero athletic talent, is timid and spineless, slightly chubby, harmless, and always looks simple-minded and innocent. To put it bluntly, he’s what people often call a "straightforward person."

There are two kinds of straightforward people in society, and this has always been a stigmatized term, especially in China, where "straightforward" nearly carries a negative connotation. People often say, "You’re so straightforward; you’ll surely suffer losses in society." This might be said by parents, relatives, teachers, or classmates. In such cases, "straightforward" equates to being insecure, incompetent, weak in the face of adversity, shrinking back, and lacking social savvy. This is the stigmatized kind of straightforwardness—how it is judged depends on each person.

The other kind is simply a quality, with its core being adherence to rules. This kind of straightforwardness means being loyal and principled, respecting rules and others. For example, not running red lights, not littering, not cutting in line, being honest and sincere with peers, following rules with superiors without losing one’s principles. This is true straightforwardness—a persistence and a virtue. Yet in recent years, it has also become stigmatized, with many in society labeling the straightforward as "fools." If someone doesn’t cut in line, they’re called foolish; if they don’t cheat on exams and insist on completing them independently, they’re called foolish.

Such examples are countless. At some point, having no principles and no bottom line became something to flaunt. Meanwhile, "straightforward" has become a term of derision.

Back to the male lead: he is very straightforward, and his care for Song Mingxi is unparalleled. Without his constant companionship and protection, Song Mingxi would not have fallen for him, nor gradually emerged from the grief of her boyfriend’s death.

This archetype is classic and somewhat clichéd, and there are many suitable actors. Any actor with some skill could easily portray this character. After a brief mental search, Gu Zhi found two relatively fitting candidates.

One was Deng Chao, the other Tong Dawei.

Deng Chao is twenty-one this year. He was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama in 1998 and is now a junior. Before entering the Academy, he spent three years at Jiangxi Vocational College for the Arts training in stage drama, building a solid foundation in acting. After enrolling, he insisted on running and practicing lines every morning on campus, training precise pronunciation. He began to perform in stage plays frequently, not only acting in many roles for the Academy’s assignments but also excelling in both traditional drama and innovative comedy.

The Academy’s training laid a deep foundation for Deng Chao’s acting. Later, both in "Chinese Partners" and "The Burning Sun," he delivered first-rate performances. However, after his popularity soared from joining "Running Man," he gradually veered toward comedic variety shows, and even his own films became this type. The two projects he directed and starred in, "The Breakup Guru" and "Devil Angel," are both notoriously poor, and his starring role in "Mermaid" was no better.

It’s hard to imagine that an actor capable of delivering a performance like "The Burning Sun" could produce such terrible films. Clearly, comedy doesn’t suit him, yet he insists on forcing himself into it. Deng Chao is a bundle of contradictions.

Of course, at present, Deng Chao still relies solidly on his acting. Earlier this year, in his sophomore year, he shot the TV drama "Below the Yellow Sands Is Fertile Land," playing a villain. It was his first TV series role, and although the ratings were unimpressive, he was the legitimate male lead.

To be cast as the lead while still a student proves Deng Chao’s acting ability. Students with such experience almost always rise to fame, and he was no exception.

Gu Zhi favored Deng Chao, first for his acting, second for his above-average looks—just right for pairing with goddess Song Mingxi. The drawback, however, was that he wasn’t chubby enough, nor sufficiently goofy.

Gu Zhi obtained Deng Chao’s recent promotional photos from Liu Qi; by eye, he couldn’t weigh more than 120 pounds, with some muscle, far from the slightly chubby look required.

He turned to consider another option: Tong Dawei.

Tong Dawei is now a senior at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and recently participated in a youth idol drama, "It’s All the Angels’ Fault." The series stars Li Xiaolu, Ren Quan, and Guo Tao, with Tong Dawei playing a minor supporting role, barely getting any screen time.

He’s always kept a low profile in the film industry; his real break came with the series "Struggle." It’s a drama with an inspiring title but a very realistic story, launching not just Tong Dawei but also Ma Yili, Wen Zhang, Li Xiaolu, Wang Luodan, and a host of young actors.

The male lead in the series is a typical privileged child, both a bureaucrat's and a wealthy heir. The luxurious lifestyle, the protagonists’ extravagant spending—it's essentially a chronicle of young people enjoying life. Rather than a reflection of the struggles of graduates born in the '80s, its pretense aside, it’s really a pseudo-reality drama about '80s graduates indulging in food, drink, pleasure, and idle affairs.

Still, Gu Zhi had to admit the series was indeed entertaining; in his previous life, he’d watched it episode by episode. Perhaps watching others live in decadence is a kind of enjoyment for viewers.

In 2000, Tong Dawei was still unknown, with only three TV roles, all minor ones. If Gu Zhi hadn’t specifically asked Liu Qi for a list of young actors who had appeared in dramas in recent years, he wouldn’t even have remembered him.

Tong Dawei also has formal training, so his acting is at least reliable. His looks are handsome, but not so striking as to leave a lasting impression. Though he isn’t chubby, Gu Zhi can’t help but instinctively associate him with "fat" when he thinks of him, and Tong Dawei always gives the sense of being a genuinely good person.

His looks and temperament are a perfect match for the male lead, Liu Qian. With a little makeup to make him appear less attractive, he could instantly embody the image of a goofy university student.

The original film’s male lead was played by Cha Tae-hyun, who portrayed a clueless young man brilliantly. Compared to him, Tong Dawei only has less flesh on his face; otherwise, they’re quite similar.

Comparing Deng Chao and Tong Dawei, Deng Chao wins by a margin in acting, but the difference in appearance is significant.

Another concern for Gu Zhi was that Tong Dawei was still far away in Shanghai, and it was uncertain whether he’d be willing to come to Beijing.

After careful consideration and discussion with Lu Chuan, they decided to invite Tong Dawei to play Liu Qian.

Gu Zhi immediately asked Liu Qi to use his resources to contact Tong Dawei, determined to secure him for the role. He and Lu Chuan then turned their attention to selecting supporting cast members.

Among the supporting roles, two stand out. One is the quintuplets in black-and-white photos at the hotel entrance, all played by a single actor portraying the hotel owner, employee, thug, detention center guard, and subway station manager—a little Easter egg for the film.

For this, they invited veteran actor Ni Dahong.

The other was the runaway soldier, a role with substantial screen time, providing both laughs and tears. Since the film is shot in mainland China, the notion of a deserter, which would tarnish the military’s image, was out of the question, so Gu Zhi changed the character to a fugitive. For this, Tu Ninghao found Huang Haibo, a senior at Beijing Film Academy, to play the role.

With that, all the actors were in place, except for Tong Dawei, who had yet to confirm.