Chapter 552 - 359: Li Wei Teaches Depp Acting, Media Shocked

Chapter 552: Chapter 359: Li Wei Teaches Depp Acting, Media Shocked

"I’m willing to help you," Li Wei said thoughtfully, "but how exactly can I help?"

Seeing that Li Wei was actually willing to help him, Johnny Depp’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly stubbed out the cigarette he had just lit.

"I’ve seen you act," he said. "You were incredible. You were completely in the zone, absolutely flawless—Oscar-level acting.

"You’re a monster."

"Maybe I just have a little insignificant talent for acting," Li Wei said with a smile. "So, how exactly can I help you? I’m not a classically trained actor."

He silently thanked the [Mask of the Deceiver].

"I brought the script," Depp said. "I’m hoping you can guide me, help me find the right feeling."

"What kind of feeling are you looking for?" Li Wei asked further. "Are you having trouble memorizing the lines, or is it that you can’t reach the right emotional state?"

"Neither," Depp replied after a moment’s thought. "I can memorize the lines, and I can summon the emotions.

"But once I get into character, I slip out of it too easily." He chewed on his fingernail. "Then I start getting anxious, and the more anxious I get, the harder it is to get back into it."

Li Wei pondered for a moment and came up with an idea.

"How about this?" he said. "Let’s run through the scene. I’ll play the Speaker first to act opposite you, and then I’ll give you some adjustments."

"Thank you so much," Depp said quickly.

The two walked back into the living room. Depp took two printed copies of the script from his bag and handed them to Li Wei. Li Wei flipped through the pages while chatting with Depp, and the two walked over to the open space by the swimming pool. After reading through it once, Li Wei put the script down.

"You..." Depp hesitated. "You’ve memorized it all?"

"Perhaps a good memory is another one of my insignificant talents." Li Wei nodded. "Come on, I’m ready."

Depp nodded as well.

"I’ll do the Speaker’s part first," Li Wei said.

Li Wei equipped the [Mask of the Deceiver].

In that instant, everything about Li Wei changed. His back arched slightly, his chin tucked in, and his eyes took on an unfathomably gloomy darkness. He hid his right hand behind his back, out of Depp’s sight, as if he were concealing a sharp blade, ready to stab him at any moment.

This single deliberate choice was enough to give Depp goosebumps, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He had only ever watched Li Wei act from the perspective of a bystander; he had never acted directly opposite him. Now, rehearsing face-to-face, why did the pressure feel so overwhelming?

Li Wei spoke.

"Your Majesty." His voice was not loud; it could even be considered gentle, but that gentleness brushed against Depp’s skin like a venomous snake. "Did you summon me regarding the war at the border?"

Looking at Li Wei, Depp couldn’t help but swallow hard. Standing before him was clearly a young man wearing a T-shirt and slippers, but the aura he exuded felt like he was truly a madman atop a high tower, plotting regicide.

"Let’s begin," Li Wei prompted, seeing Depp standing there in a daze.

"Oh, right. Okay."

Johnny Depp was thankful for the night, as the darkness hid his blush. He never expected the day would come when he’d be overpowered by a young actor’s aura. He steadied himself and entered the role of the old King.

The first run-through was the scene where the King is lying in bed, and the Speaker requests an audience. Depp lay on a lounge chair, acting groggy, his gaze unfocused. But on the third line, the swimming pool’s filtration system suddenly hummed to life with a loud BUZZ, making Depp freeze for a split second.

His lips moved, but he couldn’t catch the line in time.

"Stop," Li Wei said. "Why did you freeze just now?"

"The pool’s—"

"No," Li Wei shook his head. "As the King, what is your reaction after hearing my line?

"Would the King care about the ambient noise?" he continued. "I don’t think he would. His entire attention would be on the Speaker."

Li Wei put his invisible mask back on, seamlessly switching back to the Speaker.

After two more run-throughs, Depp’s state improved, but he still got stuck in the middle. Every time, Li Wei would stop, step into the role of the King to show Depp where he got stuck and why, and then they would repeat the process.

A few more takes later, Li Wei suddenly added another detail after hiding his right hand behind his back. He deliberately created a five-second silence in the middle of the scene, locking eyes with Depp, who was playing the obese old King.

This time, Depp only faltered for a fraction of a second before plunging right back into character. He didn’t break character this time. He stayed completely in the zone, staring at Li Wei with a mix of anger, bewilderment, and panic.

"That’s it!" Li Wei unequipped the [Mask of the Deceiver], placing it back into his inventory. "That’s the feeling."

Depp stood rooted to the spot, then suddenly burst into laughter. He had suddenly recaptured that old feeling—a pure, long-lost joy akin to a master craftsman finally grinding a blade to the perfect, desired curve after hours of meticulous work.

"Fuck," he whispered. "It’s been a long time since I felt like this."

The next day, they spent another full day running scenes. Picking up where they left off, they rehearsed every scene that needed attention.

"...So his hand should be placed like this," Li Wei explained. "Because that’s exactly the state he’s in right now."

Hearing no response, he turned around and found Depp staring at him unblinkingly.

"What’s wrong?" Li Wei asked. "I was just... well... I was just thinking about it from my perspective. If I were this King, what would I be feeling?"

"You son of a bitch," Depp muttered. "You really are a monster."

The two ran through the scene a few more times. On the final take, Depp performed the entire nine-minute scene flawlessly and smoothly, without stumbling once.

And right at that moment, a system prompt popped up.

[Side Quest Completed: The Old King’s Request]

[The old King has found his old spark.]

[You have received: free attribute points +0.1]

Li Wei’s spirit lifted at the sight of the prompt; he now had 3.9 free attribute points! Once he gathered 4 free attribute points, he planned to first upgrade his agility to 10. His Power, Constitution, and Spirit were all sufficient for now, but agility was a case of "the more, the merrier." Following the normal progression trend, once his agility hit 10, his current [Sky Stepping (Level 1)] would likely level up. He just didn’t know what it would look like after the upgrade.

He couldn’t wait!

While Li Wei was feeling pleased with himself, Depp stood there, his chest heaving slightly. He was drenched in sweat but looked absolutely radiant.

"I’m heading back." He took a deep breath. "I’m confident about tomorrow’s shoot.

"I owe you a massive favor," he added earnestly. "I don’t even know how to repay you."

"Just thank me on stage when you win an Oscar," Li Wei said with a smile, waving his hand. "No need to thank me now."

Depp chuckled, called his assistant Stephen, and headed out the door.

The next day. Warner Bros. Burbank Studio, Soundstage 9, Zone A.

The entirety of Zone A was booked all day for shooting the scenes between the old King and the Speaker. While Jason Miller was staring at a procurement list, he faintly heard a round of applause erupting from inside the soundstage. Curious, he walked out of his office and stepped closer to take a look.

Director Del Toro had stood up from his chair beside the monitor.

"Play it again," he told the assistant director. "Play back the medium close-up from that last scene."

On the screen, the morbidly obese old King, played by Johnny Depp, lay in bed while the Speaker stood before him.

"One take!" Del Toro took off his glasses and wiped them. "That was fantastic.

"Fantastic work, Johnny," he praised. "You were as good today as you were at your peak."

Johnny Depp, who was currently peeling off part of his bodysuit to cool down, nodded slightly in gratitude upon hearing Del Toro’s praise.

"What have you been doing these past two days?" Del Toro pressed. "Meditation? Hypnosis? Some new medication?"

Depp hesitated for a moment. "None of those. I quit drinking, and..."

He seemed a bit reluctant to speak. Admitting in public that he had been coached by a 20-year-old kid would undoubtedly damage his reputation. But on second thought, Li Wei had helped him so much without asking for anything in return. He shouldn’t hide the truth just to protect his so-called reputation; that would be unfair to Li Wei. Besides, what reputation did he even have left to protect?

"I noticed Li Wei gets into character very quickly and has a real talent for acting," he said after a pause. "I asked him to run lines with me quite a few times and to help me find a way to get into the role.

"Honestly, he was incredibly inspiring to me."

Del Toro and the entire crew stood with their mouths agape.

A football quarterback, a guy with zero acting experience or formal training, had coached a three-time Oscar-nominated Best Actor and helped him find his groove? And he was "incredibly inspiring"?!

"You’re kidding me, Johnny," Del Toro said.

His rational side told him that Depp was either high or drunk again, but his intuition told him that Depp was telling the truth.

"Guillermo," Depp replied. "When have you ever known me to joke around when it comes to acting?"

Before noon had passed, almost everyone in the crew knew about "Li Wei teaching Depp how to act." That evening, the day before Li Wei’s scheduled shoot, someone leaked the news to the media. As a result, Li Wei, who had previously dominated sports media headlines as an athlete, once again swept the entertainment news charts—this time as an actor.

A tweet shot to the #1 spot on Twitter’s North America Entertainment Trending list in less than an hour:

[According to insiders: Li Wei coaches Johnny Depp on set; Depp’s form sees a massive resurgence.]

The comment section underneath completely blew up.

"Good lord, it was one thing when they said he passed his audition in one take, but now he’s straight-up teaching Depp how to act?"

"A football player teaching a Hollywood legend how to act? Am I losing my mind?"

"Can Netflix’s PR department chill out for a second? Today he’s teaching Depp, tomorrow are they gonna say he helped Director Del Toro direct a scene?"

"Honestly, I respect Li Wei’s athletic achievements, but acting and playing ball are two entirely different things."

"Please, Li Wei, just come back and play football. Stop messing around."

In the face of these rumors and gossips, neither Del Toro, Netflix, Li Wei, nor Johnny Depp stepped forward to clarify anything. The curiosity of the audience and fans was thoroughly hooked by Li Wei, step by step. What kind of movie was this that could pull off such massive stunts?

As for Li Wei, none of these comments were even on his radar. His eyes were only on attribute points, attribute points, and more fucking attribute points. He was just 0.1 away from being able to assign them!

Wednesday.

The Ogre’s mechanical rig was finally fully calibrated.

"Scene F-2, Take 1."

"Action!"