The Face Genius Actor

Episode 158

After returning to Korea on a private jet provided by Winner Family, I took a few days to rest.

Just hiking with my father and drinking late into the night with my brother made me feel like all my fatigue was gone.

I also spent time meeting acquaintances like Seo Myung-hee, Ji Jung-hyun, Park Jun, Cindy, Goo Kyung-mo, Yang I-deum, Director Kim Pil-sung, Director Choi Seo-young, and others.

Surprisingly, most people around me were focused on my next project.

“What kind of work will you do? You should do it with me this time, right?” Ji Jung-hyun demanded confidently as always.

“When can we work together? Isn’t it too much that you haven’t worked with me yet?” Park Jun was almost whining.

“Aren’t you going to do another rom-com? It seems like many of your fans are waiting for a rom-com,” Cindy subtly tried to steer my interest towards romantic comedies.

Not just these three, but directors and writers also wanted to work with me.

It was very pleasing, but unfortunately, I was waiting for Frank Borodvin to revise the script.

‘It’s also because the people around me are so great that they don’t fit the criteria.’

Especially with directors and writers I had worked with in the past, it was almost impossible to work together again.

These people’s works had too high a probability of success, which meant there was a high chance I would be taking someone else’s opportunity.

So even if I wanted to work together, the opportunity didn’t arise.

‘Unless I no longer have the advantage of regression…’

It had already been 4 years since I regressed.

In just 3 more years, the advantage of regression would disappear, and from then on, I wouldn’t have to worry about taking someone else’s opportunity.

Like others, my goal would be to appear in works with the highest probability of success amidst uncertainty.

Anyway, that was for later.

For now, it was right to hope that Frank Borodvin would revise “Sacred 2” well.

About a month after the meeting at Winner Family.

Finally, I received contact from Frank Borodvin, and I flew to America on a private jet sent by Winner Family.

And at the meeting with Benjamin Goldman and Frank Borodvin again, I started reading the revised script.

The title of the script had changed from “Sacred 2” to “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos”.

‘Did they set a new direction? Interesting.’

I took my eyes off the title and started reading the script in earnest.

After turning a few pages, I asked Benjamin Goldman.

“Is it okay if I make notes on this script?”

“Yes, of course. Please feel free.”

I took out the fountain pen I usually use from my inner pocket and started reading the script again.

It was the one with the simplest design among the gifts fans had given me at a past signing event.

I underlined and made notes on impressive parts while holding the fountain pen.

The reason I took out the fountain pen was out of habit.

I usually preferred to underline and make notes this way when reading a script for the first time.

This allowed me to examine the script much faster and with more concentration.

How much time had passed?

As soon as I turned the last page of the script and looked up, Frank Borodvin asked nervously.

“…How is it?”

While thinking that Frank Borodvin gets nervous too often, I smiled to lighten the mood.

“I like it. Not only have the revisions I suggested been reflected, but the script itself feels like it has developed in a positive direction.”

“Sacred: Prelude to Chaos” had become a much more concise and impactful work through the revision process.

However, the themes it dealt with were not too thin.

Since the original theme was quite complex, it felt like it had secured a clearer direction in the process of revising the script.

In conclusion, “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos” had become a work that combined both artistic value and mass appeal.

As I talked about this part, Frank Borodvin sighed in relief and replied.

“Phew… I’m glad you like it. I was worried because the script changed so much.”

“Were you?”

“Yes. But on the other hand, I felt that the script had to change this much. After revising everything, I became confident that this was better.”

“That happens sometimes.”

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to revise the work like this. And ‘Sacred: Prelude to Chaos’, which I’ve been preparing for nearly 20 years, wouldn’t have met expectations. Thank you so much.”

Frank Borodvin bowed his head slightly in a Korean style as he spoke, and I just smiled without saying anything.

It was true that with this revision, “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos” had secured mass appeal that it didn’t have before.

But it wasn’t yet at a stage where we could feel at ease.

The success of a film was something that couldn’t be known until it was released.

Benjamin Goldman, who had been listening quietly beside us, also pointed this out.

“We still have a long way to go before we can be optimistic. In that regard, I’d like to discuss your appearance contract again, if that’s alright?”

I nodded after exchanging glances with Kim Bo-mi.

“That’s fine.”

With that, the formal contract prepared by Winner Family and their legal team entered the meeting room.

This time, Festa Entertainment’s legal team also accompanied us just in case.

“We’d like to modify some conditions in Article 17 regarding overseas distribution rights. First, instead of including all rights…”

The legal teams from both sides began to engage in dialogue in earnest, and Kim Bo-mi and I watched the process.

Fortunately, the contract negotiation process was smoother than expected.

‘The contract might be signed with this meeting…’

* * *

Contrary to expectations, the legal team’s meetings continued a few more times, and finally, we were able to sign the contract at the fifth meeting.

I was worried that the overall schedule might be delayed because the progress was slower than expected, but that wasn’t the case.

While proceeding with my contract, Winner Family also contacted other actors needed for “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos”, and all confirmed their appearances.

‘The main roles have been cast with Rachel Collier, Nancy Crushker, Gilbert Razan, and Lugano Bonaventura…’

My memory might be wrong, but the names of the cast actors were a bit different from what I knew.

‘I guess the actors changed as well when the script was revised?’

On the first day of filming.

When I casually asked about this, Frank Borodvin smiled and replied.

“The change in the script certainly had an influence. But most of the casting was confirmed thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me?”

“It seems they felt trust in your choice of this work. Especially Rachel Collier, she’s quite a fan of yours, you know?”

Indeed, the lead actor had a big influence on choosing a work.

This was even more so for a work like “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos” where one role takes up a particularly large proportion.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the success or failure of the work is determined by who takes on this role.

And in this respect, I thought I was in a disadvantageous position.

It was true that I had built a global reputation by making “I Am Not a Villain” and “Toema Hwan Ya Dam” successful, but I had never proven my skills within the Hollywood system.

‘But to think there are people who chose this movie because of me…’

It was something I never expected.

I could realize anew that my value as an actor was higher than I thought.

And as if to prove this fact, someone approached me and greeted me.

It was Rachel Collier, who was playing the main female lead role of Shaia.

“Nice to meet you, Si-joon!”

“Ah. Ms. Collier. Nice to meet you too.”

“Please call me Rachel.”

“Alright, Rachel.”

As I corrected the way I addressed her, Rachel Collier seemed pleased and started various conversations.

It seemed she had watched “Toema Hwan Ya Dam” impressively.

She also expressed her fandom, saying that “I Am Not a Villain” was also one of her favorite movies.

“I also enjoyed watching ‘Avant-garde’ that you starred in, Rachel.”

“You watched ‘Avant-garde’! I’m honored that Si-joon has seen a movie I was in!”

Rachel Collier raised her voice as if genuinely delighted.

I was a bit worried as it was my first time working with so many foreigners, but this was reassuring.

The filming atmosphere of “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos” was indeed different from domestic productions in many ways.

First of all, the fact that all the staff on site were foreigners created a rather unfamiliar atmosphere.

Moreover, there were many differences in the way of working compared to domestic productions.

For one, the on-site staff didn’t rush around busily carrying out their tasks.

Somehow, there was a sense of ease in their movements.

‘I thought the number of on-site staff was unusually high, so this was the reason.’

It seemed to be a method of increasing filming speed with overwhelming quality and quantity.

There were also many unfamiliar equipment used for filming.

‘But the decisive difference lies in the way the filming is conducted.’

Usually, in domestic filming, there was almost always a script reading session before filming.

But Frank Borodvin didn’t separately gather the actors even after announcing the first filming date.

He was fine with actors matching their rhythms right on set without script reading.

It wasn’t just about script reading.

The filming method of “Sacred: Prelude to Chaos” was quite different from domestic productions in many aspects.

It was a mix of not doing things I had been doing as a matter of course and doing things that made me wonder why they were necessary.

So I thought it might be a bit difficult to adapt to the filming set, but it was fortunate that actors like Rachel Collier were friendly towards me.

Not just Rachel Collier, but actors like Nancy Crushker, Gilbert Razan, and Lugano Bonaventura also treated me favorably.

“Indeed, that’s the challenging part of Hollywood movies. The fact that everything is so thoroughly compartmentalized.”

After we had become closer through several filming sessions, Lugano Bonaventura spoke up when I shared my thoughts with him.

Perhaps because he wasn’t an American national actor, there was a part of him that was particularly easy to communicate with.

As his name suggests, Lugano Bonaventura’s nationality was Italian.

“Isn’t good compartmentalization a good thing?”

“There are advantages in terms of efficiency. However, there are mainly two disadvantages. One is that the production company’s influence is too strong, so the movie becomes excessively commercialized. The other is…”

“Too many cooks might spoil the broth? The content of the movie might go off track?”

“Yes. That’s exactly it.”

Indeed, the awkwardness I felt regarding the filming method seemed to arise from this compartmentalization.

“But we don’t have to worry too much about our movie. Our director has considerable influence.”

I could immediately understand what Lugano Bonaventura meant.

Indeed, Frank Borodvin’s influence on this movie was quite substantial.

This was evident from the fact that Winner Family had waited for nearly 20 years for Frank Borodvin to complete the script.

‘Frank Borodvin…’

I had thought of him lightly because he accepted my suggestions so readily and revised the script, but he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.

Frank Borodvin was already a famous Hollywood director with more than ten successful works.

‘Among them, the trilogy is world-renowned.’

As such, Frank Borodvin was someone who could push forward with his movies stubbornly, without yielding to pressure from production companies.

So, as Lugano Bonaventura said, we didn’t have to worry about excessive commercialization or the project going off track due to too many opinions.

Above all, since someone like Frank Borodvin was actively supporting me, adapting wasn’t a big concern either.

I certainly thought so.

But soon after.

At a party, a man raised his voice.

“Is it believable that I’m holding back my anger because of that monkey-like bastard?”