Chapter One Hundred Ten: All It Takes Is a Look

Chapter 110: It All Comes Down to a Look

Zhang Le was moderately famous as a director, but the fact that he managed to assemble superstars like Li Jie and Yang Liu for his new film still came as a surprise. Naturally, the public was curious about why these two actors had agreed to take on roles in Zhang Le’s production.

As for Yang Xin’er, a Golden Dragon Award-winning actress, she was constantly flooded with offers, all of which she turned down, seemingly choosing to appear only in Zhang Le’s films. Yet, strangely, not a single reporter asked her for the reason.

Yang Xin’er’s decision to work with Zhang Le had nothing to do with the appeal of his scripts or his directorial prowess; it was purely a matter of their personal relationship.

The prospect of another collaboration between Yang Xin’er and Zhang Le had lost its novelty. However, the prospect of her acting opposite Yang Liu and Li Jie was something everyone looked forward to.

The press conference was dominated by the presence of a superstar, two award-winning actresses, and the director himself. Still, supporting actors like Zhen Pei, who played the "Jade Fox," and Chen Xiao, who played Liu Taibao, were asked a question or two—a brief nod of attention, especially for Chen Xiao, who was collaborating with Zhang Le for the third time.

"Director Zhang, you chose to hold this press conference at the foot of Mount Wudang. Does this mean the film tells a story about Wudang?" one reporter asked.

"The story doesn’t have much to do with Wudang itself, though the protagonist, Li Mubai, is a Wudang disciple. The film will involve some Taoist cultural elements," Zhang Le replied after a moment’s thought.

"Director Zhang, you are a Wudang practitioner, and Mr. Li Jie is a Shaolin practitioner. Have you two exchanged martial arts pointers, and who is stronger?" another reporter asked.

Zhang Le glanced at Li Jie, who looked back, and the two exchanged a meaningful look. Zhang Le smiled and said, "While Brother Jie and I are both martial artists, we aren't exactly active in the martial arts world. We haven't exchanged pointers on combat, but we have certainly exchanged plenty of ideas on film."

"It’s rumored that you haven't hired any martial arts choreographer for this film. Are you planning to take on that role yourself? If you are the choreographer, how could you not have exchanged martial arts techniques with Mr. Li Jie?" a reporter pressed.

"It is true that no martial arts choreographer was hired. As you said, I am handling the choreography personally. My exchanges with Brother Jie regarding this aspect are indeed exchanges about the film," Zhang Le replied with a smile.

Zhang Le had initially considered hiring an action director, but he ultimately decided against it. The original action sequences were too iconic; he didn't want to make too many changes, rendering an outside choreographer redundant. Instead, he decided to take this opportunity to build his own stunt team.

With the original version as a reference, the martial arts design didn't require much effort to conceive; it was purely a matter of familiarity. Over the past few months, the team Zhang Le assembled had fully mastered his vision.

The film's costume design was the result of discussions between Zhang Le and Ye Ming, though it differed slightly from the original. As a master filmmaker, Ye Ming naturally refused to simply copy the source material, incorporating his own designs based on Zhang Le’s suggestions. These designs caught Zhang Le’s eye—at the very least, he felt they possessed more flavor than the original.

The look for Li Jie turned out well. Although the style was simple and clean, it exuded the formidable presence of a true hero. He wasn't very tall, but he was agile and carried himself with authority; a single robe was enough to make him look like a legendary swordsman. Yet, Zhang Le couldn't help but compare him to the original, feeling that something was missing in terms of temperament.

At first, Zhang Le was puzzled. In terms of behavior and conduct, Li Jie actually possessed more of a martial artist’s aura than the original actor—a quality unique to those who practice martial arts that can’t be faked through acting alone. But Zhang Le still felt something was off.

The eyes! Yes, the eyes. The gaze of the original actor, Chow Yun-fat, had been incredibly profound; his eyes shimmered with a spirit that could address a lover or an enemy with equal intensity.

The eyes are the windows to the soul. True acting is most difficult when it comes to the eyes. Posture and facial expressions can convey the form of a character, but they struggle to capture the essence. To bring a character to life, the gaze is essential.

Guiding an actor’s performance is a necessary skill for any director. Directing a superstar like Li Jie, whose acting had often been criticized, was a high-pressure task—you couldn't scold him, you couldn't push him too hard, and you certainly couldn't humiliate him.

But Zhang Le loved the challenge.

While he wasn't quite as legendary as Wong Kar-wai, he and Li Jie shared a significant advantage: they were both martial artists. It was easy for Zhang Le to explain what a great swordsman’s gaze should look like, and it wasn’t hard for Li Jie to grasp it.

Li Jie did not look down on Zhang Le because of his youth, nor did he act like a diva despite his fame. He understood when he took the role that this character would be an excellent exercise for his acting skills.

The hardest part of playing Li Mubai wasn’t his identity as a hero, but his inner emotions and desires. The tangled, complex relationship between Li Mubai, Yu Xiulian, and Yu Jiaolong was like a web.

In the world of martial arts, there are "crouching tigers and hidden dragons," but the same is true of the human heart.

The "crouching tigers and hidden dragons" within the human heart cannot be simply understood as the hearts of others; it includes one’s own heart. For Li Mubai, his inner "crouching tiger" was his suppressed desire. His sincere decision to surrender the Green Destiny sword was a way to close the chapter on his martial arts career and a decision regarding his relationship with Yu Xiulian. However, the appearance of Yu Jiaolong disrupted his plans, leaving him hesitant, confused, and filled with new anxieties.

Li Jie had never played such a complex character; his previous roles had been defined by action, with everything else remaining pale in comparison.

It was a challenge for Li Jie, and just as much of one for Yang Xin’er.

The true protagonist of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* is Yu Jiaolong. She is the origin and the culmination of the story’s conflicts; she intensifies everything, disrupts everything, destroys everything, and ultimately completes everything.

Compared to the complex and heavy burdens of Li and Yu, Yu Jiaolong’s desires are simple and raw: she just wants to have fun. That is her only true motivation.

In the environment where Yu Jiaolong grew up, the dream of the martial arts world was a taboo, something strictly suppressed.

She is wicked, yet she is the most authentic. She stirs up everything, especially the inner world of Li Mubai. Li Mubai had intended to retire from the martial arts world, but the appearance of Yu Jiaolong ignited his most hidden desire—to take on an apprentice and pass down the Wudang sword techniques. Clearly, Li Mubai was both stunned and pained by Yu Jiaolong’s talent and fiery nature; it was hard to say whether he was more interested in "passing on the sword techniques" or in the person of Yu Jiaolong herself.

All three leads faced a challenge, but compared to them, the role of Luo Xiaohu, played by Zhang Le, was relatively simple.

He was innocent and straightforward, believing that as long as he achieved something great, he could earn the respect of Yu Jiaolong’s parents and marry her openly.

But he could not keep up with Yu Jiaolong’s mind, which destined him to become a new form of constraint rather than a symbol of freedom. It meant that he and Yu Jiaolong could never go back to the way things were.

This role might have been a challenge for Zhang Le as an actor, but compared to the challenge of directing this film, it was hardly worth mentioning.