This scene depicted Tong Lao being pursued by Li Qiushui, their fall off a cliff together, and their journey to the Western Xia imperial palace for refuge. Along the way, Tong Lao, aiming to strengthen Xuzhu's abilities, decided to teach him the Tianshan Zhemei Shou.
During his cultivation, Xuzhu inadvertently revealed the power of the Xiao Wuxiang Gong. Enraged and losing her senses, Tong Lao mistook Xuzhu for Wu Yazi and began to berate him.
This segment primarily served to highlight Tong Lao's painful longing for unrequited love and her deep-seated resentment, possessing considerable dramatic tension and posing a significant challenge for any actress.
The bearded director looked at Jiang Ling and An Qiuyan simultaneously and said in a deep voice, "Whoever performs this scene well will be the undisputed choice for Tianshan Tong Lao. Any objections?"
"No objections!" Jiang Ling and An Qiuyan replied in unison.
"Good, all departments, please take your positions. The performance begins. An Qiuyan, you go first!"
Normally, acting contests between artists did not require filming; the director's presence and judgment were sufficient.
However, the bearded director considered that Jiang Ling and An Qiuyan were currently under intense public scrutiny.
If the entire process were not recorded, and if someone were to secretly film and maliciously edit the footage out of context, claiming he was infatuated with Jiang Ling's beauty and intentionally showing favoritism, it would cause considerable trouble.
It was better to be safe than sorry.
To perfectly capture this scene, the male lead, Xuzhu, was essential.
Since the crew had been unable to select a satisfactory actress for Tianshan Tong Lao, the actor playing Xuzhu had been sent home to rest temporarily. Therefore, this scene had to be performed with an imaginary counterpart.
Acting with an imaginary partner was undeniably more challenging than acting opposite another actor.
However, precisely because of this heightened difficulty, it allowed for a clearer distinction of talent.
If one could perform well with an imaginary partner, performing with a real one would be even easier.
An Qiuyan slowly walked to the front of the camera.
The next moment, her expression shifted. She slapped the dummy representing Xuzhu and yelled, "You heartless little thief... you must have done something unspeakable with that wretch. I've been kept in the dark by you all along. How long will you continue to deceive me? How can you face me?"
Acting with nothing present was extremely difficult. Without immersion, it was easy to break character.
An Qiuyan's assistant, to help her, specifically held the script and read out the lines according to the plot, guiding her into the role.
"Grandmother, what are you saying?"
An Qiuyan's face was streaked with tears of anger as she furiously cursed, "You and that slut Li Qiushui are having an affair, and you still deny it? You ungrateful wretch, you've deceived me so cruelly?"
Following this, Tianshan Tong Lao launched into a tirade of complaints and curses directed at the pair, Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui.
An Qiuyan had not been in the entertainment industry for long, and while she possessed some acting ability, it was generally mediocre.
Previously, her performances had given the impression of being quite good primarily because her earlier roles were of the innocent, sweet, or demure maiden type, with limited emotional range.
Consequently, her performances appeared natural, and her acting seemed acceptable.
However, when faced with demanding roles, her acting weaknesses were easily exposed.
Tianshan Tong Lao embodied the attributes of the frail, a woman, a child, and an elderly person, as well as madness and perversion, making her a highly complex character. Portraying her well was no small feat.
During her performance of this segment, An Qiuyan conveyed resentment and hatred towards Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui, but the depth of these emotions was significantly lacking.
They say that without love, there can be no hate. It was precisely because of the profound love that the resentment and hatred were so intense.