For the two roles of Serduo and Lai Dai, Zuo Le already had an idea of who to choose when he was writing the script. The casting process was not difficult, but what gave him a headache was the other three leading actors.
Raj, the Tianzhu character, is okay. Although it is difficult to find, there is finally a specific range and standard.
With this standard, the crew has specific ideas for how to carry out the work. Although the results have not been seen in a short period of time, at least they are busy.
As for the two leading actors, Penny and Howard, Zuo Le doesn't have a clue yet.
The casting selection for "The Big Bang Theory" this time is different from ordinary Shanhe dramas.
In most of the Shanhe dramas in the past, I have seen the original version of the script character Zuo Le. I can compare it with the real actors. If the image and acting skills are very similar, I can make a decision.
Zuo Le was not completely without mistakes, but most of them got good results, which also gave Zuo Le a reputation as a "discerning eye".
Even now, Zuo Le has delegated casting rights to Gao, Xue, Kong and others and no longer has any specific involvement.
But with their previous brilliant achievements, if these guys have any uncertain roles, they should come and ask Zuo Le from time to time.
As the same saying goes, Zuo Le has a golden finger for "knowing talents with a keen eye". Ordinary Shanhe dramas are fine, but if they change too much from the original version, most of his golden fingers will be lost, so you need to think about it slowly.
The last time Zuo Le had such a difficult casting choice was for "Dumpling Detective", and the last time was for the animated film "Seven Swords".
Especially for "Seven Swords", Zuo Le almost didn't worry about it at first, and it took a lot of time to get the lineup together.
However, it was "Seven Swords" that gave Zuo Le's reputation as a "discerning person" so famous.
Not counting Yan Ni and other actors who had worked with Zuo Le before, during the casting selection for "Seven Swords", he single-handedly discovered Shui Miaomiao, Gu Xiaoge and Yuan Ye, who were still newcomers at the time.
Nowadays, Yuan Ye is the leader of the new generation of powerful actors and a serious national brand; Gu Xiaoge is a top figure in the entertainment industry and the first of the four ancient costume male gods.
Not to mention Shui Miaomiao, the most popular female star. As soon as "The Legend of Zhen Huan" came out, she surpassed all the stars. She will definitely occupy an important space in the history of Chinese entertainment actresses in the future.
It can be said that only these three people can make "Seven Swords" popular to this day, not to mention that the other actors are not just doing it for free.
Yan Ni, Zhang Jiajia, Sha Yi, Mao Xiao, Fan Min, as well as Yin Li, Guo Jinfei, Jiang Chao, and Lin Yongjian from the second part, are now either A-list big names or golden supporting roles, which is called a shining star.
The classic lineup of domestic dramas, the must-appear crew of China Entertainment Network, the peak combination of martial arts dramas, the youthful memories of a generation...
Zuo Le's accuracy in the casting of "Seven Swords" has been talked about by countless audiences to this day.
Such praise gave Zuo Le a lot of confidence, but also put a certain amount of pressure on him.
It makes no sense. The crew of "Seven Swords" has become a legend, and the crew of "The Big Bang Theory", which was also created by him, has lost its crotch.
Not to mention, "The Big Bang Theory" is an established long-running series. Once there is a casting error, it is not just a problem of character performance, but the entire project may have to undergo major changes.
Zuo Le attaches great importance to "The Big Bang Theory" and hopes that it will become another pillar of the Shanhe situation landscape in addition to the "Family with Children" series.
This expectation was previously fulfilled by the "Stories of College Students" series.
Zuo Le originally hoped that this series could be compared with "Family with Children". To be honest, "The Story of College Students" was completed well.
Although the first part was not outstanding, the results of the subsequent second and third parts were very good.
Especially the third one, the ratings are as high as 2.67, which is second only to "Wulin Gaiden" in terms of ratings among Shanhe sitcoms.
Unfortunately, "Stories of College Students" has good ratings and reputation, but it is too short, only a short three-part series.
Although the results are good, the overall influence is far less than that of "Family with Children", which is about to air its eighth episode.
That's why Zuo Le came up with "The Big Bang Theory" which lasted for more than ten seasons and once again created a long-term and stable sitcom series.
No one understands the benefits of sitcoms better than Zuo Le,
The investment is low, the difficulty of shooting is low, it is easy to gather loyal fans, and the rate of return on popularity is high. As long as the performance of the series is stable and the platform is protected, it is simply a steady source of wealth.
"Family with Children" is ironclad proof.
To this day, "Family with Children" may not make the most money from a single series among the Shanhe series, but its return rate definitely beats the others.
And because of the long-term production, the crew is familiar with all aspects, with the fewest things to worry about and the company having the most peace of mind.
If possible, Zuo Le really wants Shanhe to launch ten or eight sitcom series, and then just lie down in the company and count the money.
It's a pity that the sitcom market is only so big. Two or three series are the best proportion. If there are more series, not only will the performance of each other be affected, but the audience will get tired of watching it...
………
Back to the topic, after all, it is a low-cost sitcom. Zuo Le did not hold any casting meetings with much fanfare, and did not even reveal much information to the outside world.
They just mobilized Shanhe's channels to recruit a group of candidates who seemed to meet the requirements, and then specifically eliminated them, leaving only the most suitable ones.
If there is no suitable one, then expand the zoom range and look again.
Speaking of which, film and television casting is a very mysterious and luck-testing job.
Sometimes, even if you have been working hard for a year and traveled all over the country, you may not be able to decide on a supporting role that suits your heart.
But sometimes, maybe just a meeting can immediately determine the core protagonist.
Such "fantasy" stories are not uncommon in the entertainment industry. You will find that many celebrities or classic characters have similar experiences.
Of course, this does not rule out some exaggerated rhetoric, but this phenomenon does indeed exist.
Many celebrities in the entertainment industry are superstitious and often change their names to change their luck, have their faces changed, their bones changed, and their feng shui changed, etc., all in the hope of having good luck.
Then you get noticed by a big director, or your work becomes a hit...
Of the three leading actors, Zuo Le was the first to decide on the role of Raj.
As mentioned before, as long as there are specific requirements, in a sense it is easier to find candidates than those with a general range.
Be proficient in Chinese, have acting experience (preferably in comedy), and be able to accept the plot of Hei Tianzhu.
Zuo Le thought it would be a big problem, but the assistant director in charge of casting immediately found three candidates who met all the requirements for Zuo Le.
There are still many talents in the 21st century...
After Zuo Le interviewed the three candidates in person, he quickly eliminated the first one because his overall strength was the worst among the three.
Although his Chinese is fairly standard, he is not particularly fluent. His ordinary lines are fine, but some complex lines are not good. Moreover, his acting skills are jerky and cannot meet Zuo Le's requirements.
As for the remaining two, Zuo Le is actually quite satisfied.
The first is an international student from Tianzhu, named Luo Hanke. He has a good academic background and is a graduate student at Jiangzhe University. If he is finally selected, it will be another good story about a top student acting as a top student.
Rohanke has been in China for six years and is not only proficient in Chinese but also has a good understanding of Chinese culture.
More importantly, he is now a part-time talk show actor and often participates in some variety shows in China. He is famous for his humorous words and funny expressions, and his comedy performance skills are not weak.
Moreover, although Luohanke is from Tianzhu, he usually likes to laugh at himself. He often complains about some bad phenomena in his country on the show, and the scale is quite large. He is jokingly said by domestic audiences that he does not want to go back to his hometown.
Zuo Le simply selected a few plot lines related to Tianzhu and showed them to him. Rohanke accepted them well and showed no resistance.
The other one left was not from Tianzhu, but the bad guy whom Zuo Le jokingly mentioned at the beginning. Unexpectedly, the assistant director actually got it.
This Batie speaks better Chinese than Rohanke, even the Jinmen dialect.
According to his own words, he came to China with his parents when he was a teenager, and has lived in Tianjin for longer than his home country. He can almost be regarded as half Chinese.
In terms of acting, this person claims to have loved art since childhood. During his college years, he often went to Beijing Film Academy and Chinese Opera to attend classes. After graduation, he also worked as an extra in Tangshan for two years.
Currently, Ba Tie's career is also related to acting. He shoots funny jokes on short video platforms and is considered a moderate internet celebrity.
Zuo Le specially inspected Ba Tie's acting skills. How should I put it, he does have some foundation, but that's all.
It's just superficial, and maybe it's because I've shot too many short videos, and I like to exaggerate my performance from time to time, jumping up and down, and I can only play it but not stop it.
At least compared to Rohanke, Zuo Le himself appreciates Rohanke's performance rhythm that he learned from the talk show stage.
Finally, let’s talk about Hei Tianzhu’s plot acceptance. After all, he is Ba Tie, and his bloodline power makes him like these plots very much. He even feels that they are not intense enough. I hope Zuo Le will dig deeper.
They are worthy of being the sworn enemy that has been tormenting them for half a century!
Both candidates have their own pros and cons, although Zuo Le really wanted to have some fun and let Ba Tie play the role of a native of Tianzhu.
But to be honest, Rohanke's overall quality is more in line with his psychological expectations.
That Ba Tie may have been in the Internet celebrity circle for a long time, and overall he is relatively impetuous. From the beginning of the interview, he used a lot of hidden tricks, which Zuo Le disliked very much.
"The Big Bang Theory" is a long-running series, and Zuo Le hopes that the original creative team can maintain it for a long time.
Therefore, for many leading actors, in addition to acting and image requirements, character is also something Zuo Le values very much.
In addition to his character, Zuo Le was also dissatisfied with his acting skills. The sitcom may seem dull, but in fact, this kind of performance with simple scenes and daily plots is a great test of the actor's ability if he wants to put it into a colorful performance.
Where there is no sound there is thunder.
Any well-known sitcom actor, if you pick one at random, their acting skills are outstanding.
Those who think that acting in a sitcom is easy are either amateurs or stupid and bold people who don’t know the heights of the world...
After much consideration, Zuo Le still chose Luohanke, but that Badie didn't come in vain.
The "Big Bang Theory" series will need many Tianzhu characters in the future. Zuo Le specifically asked Ba Tie for his contact information so that he could play a supporting role if needed in the future.
………
Raj(√)
But Howard gave Zuo Le a little trouble.
If this role were to be based on the original version, it would have been quite easy to just find an actor with that kind of vulgar temperament.
But after the Chinese transformation, Zuo Le needs a Howard who is very hungry, but also makes his hunger disgusting and funny.
The scale between this is not something that just anyone can achieve.
Shen Teng is fine, but his film career is in full swing now. He just took on a racing movie, and I heard that Jia Ling wants to be a director recently, and is planning to find him as the male lead.
Not to mention the busy schedule and the unqualified celebrity status. Not to mention that Shen Teng is currently involved in the film industry. Even if he is filming a TV series, he cannot be allowed to play the third male lead.
If it's a big production, that's fine. Shanhe has no precedent of big names cooperating.
But "The Big Bang Theory" is a small-budget sitcom, so there is no need to include so many people, and the pay is not easy to control.
If you search through the remaining Shanhe artists, you can find two who are good at acting, but their age and image don't quite match them.
Zuo Le thought about it over and over again, but the producer reminded him.
Qi Bin, who starred in "Sewing Machine Band", is quite good.
One word awakens the dreamer.
Qi Bin, nicknamed the Father of Big Sword, is a sketch actor, and his comedy ability ranks at the forefront among young and middle-aged comedians.
Zuo Le had wanted to work with him for a long time. He had previously guest-starred in "The Sewing Machine Band" and was considering letting Qi Bin play the silly King Huai of Chu in "The Great Qin Empire".
Previously, Zuo Le had been stuck in a misunderstanding because of the original version of "The Big Bang Theory", and he couldn't help but lean on Howard's image to be thin.
Now hearing Qi Bin's name, Zuo Le suddenly woke up.
Who stipulates that Howard must be short and thin? A fat man with squinting eyes and a mean smile won't do it.
In the original version, Sheldon and Howard are taller, shorter and thinner. Leonard is shorter and Raj is chubby. Each has its own outstanding image.
Now, Yu Entai and Lei Jiayin have normal figures, but Lei has a big head, Luo Hanke is thin and dark, and Qi Bin is white and fat. They also have their own characteristics.
It just needs to be slightly modified.
Moreover, Qi Bin previously played the role of the father of the Great Sword and was very popular with the audience, which laid a good foundation.
If others show hunger, the audience will find it vulgar and disgusting, but if the father of the sword is hungry, the audience will only find it amusing and funny.
It's like a young kid who was scolded for smoking, and Yu Jianyu smoked as a teacher. Everyone wanted to help light a fire and then toasted with him.
This is the importance of personality...
The results of the contact between Zuo Le and Qi Bin were very happy.
Although Qi Bin is very popular online, he does not have any outstanding film and television works after all. Most of his influence is only in the comedy and sketch circles. To be honest, he is barely even a second-tier celebrity.
The movie "Sewing Machine Band" has not yet been released, and Qi Bin is far from becoming popular.
At this time, Zuo Le extended an olive branch, and Qi Bin had no reason to refuse, and he was even flattered.
Not to mention that "Sewing Machine Band" was not popular, even if it was, it would be difficult for him to resist the temptation of starring Zuo Le to direct the sitcom himself.
Not only him, but more than 90% of the comedians, except for the first-line artists who have become famous, can't refuse Zuo Le's invitation. If he is the protagonist, I'm afraid those first-line comedians will also come over.
With multiple hit sitcoms and four comedy movies with a combined box office of 8 billion+, Zuo Le's appeal among comedians is so terrifying that even he himself doesn't know how terrifying it is.
