Chapter 1
When it was officially announced that I had landed the lead role in “Perfect Love,” the internet erupted in wails of protest.
“Why is it this pretentious, wide-eyed celebrity again?”
“She keeps starring in brainless idol dramas. Is she just lying down and making money now?”
“Book fans are collectively protesting Jiang Juexia playing the female lead!”
My Agent called, speaking earnestly, “Juexia, you’ve been in the industry for ten years now, and you still don’t have a single representative work to your name. Did you even attend those acting improvement classes I signed you up for?”
“I can recite ‘An Actor Prepares’ backwards…” I gazed up at the ceiling, speechless. “Last time, the teacher said my face was a gift from heaven-granted, but not much.”
Actually, the original words were much harsher than that.
When I debuted, I went for the pure campus belle route: slightly round, kitten-like eyes, and a jawline that looked perfect in real life but appeared widened on camera, making my face look a bit childish and giving me an innocent charm.
The roles that suited me best were those idol drama heroines who cover their ears and shout, “I’m not listening, I’m not listening!”
A couple of years ago, I tried to transition to strong female lead dramas. My most devoted fan site manager stopped me at the airport, “Great job on the transformation-just don’t ever do it again!”
That drama set a new low for bad ratings that year, scoring a 2.7 on Douban.
At the height of the controversy, the Film Emperor publicly dissed me on a show.
“Jiang Juexia may be my ex-girlfriend, but when it comes to acting, we’re just not on the same level.”
The camera zoomed in on his still-handsome face, capturing the disdain in his eyes with crystal clarity.
“My good friend graduated from Beijing Film Academy and has always worked hard. To audition for ‘Love Full Marks,’ he avoided greasy food for three whole months. But some people just stroll past the director and get the role. Isn’t that what you call a resource-hog?”
That night, the hashtags #JiangJuexiaResourceHog and #JiangJuexiaGetOutOfShowbiz shot to the top of trending topics.
Director Liu called to tell me that the investors had decided to reconsider the casting for the female lead in ‘Love Full Marks.’
Pe551
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