“I don’t think I need to give any examples for swear words, and this gesture as well. Oh right, I don’t think you are able to understand it.”
Joshua made the gesture that best encapsulates and expresses a person’s indignation back on Earth, the middle finger. The origins on the middle finger could be traced all the way to the two-finger salute in the Hundred Years War between the English and the French. In a sense, even the Earth’s cussing culture is also making headway here.
Examples like a filthy knave, or a drudge or that poem ridiculing Cao Cao’s ugliness written by Chen Lin.
Joshua had been paying attention to the cultural trends of this world for a while now, and most of them were vocabularies derived from the conflicts and differences between races. Like how Joshua would see the verbal tirades between mages amongst his Owl Penpals.
“You conniving gnome! I should have printed you onto my staff and blast you off inside a fireball!”
All in all, vulgar languages existed in any world, and while Joshua did not approve of the culture of insulting one another, but after completing the filming of “Beauty and the Demon”, Joshua should start planning the filming of “Leon: The Professional”.
‘Leon: The Professional’ was not a fairy tale written for young girls like “Beauty and the Beast” was.
Joshua believed that the tone of the movie was very dark, as it dealt with gangs, drugs, domestic violence, and the like, revealing parts of the dark side of society.
If “Beauty and the Demon” could set off a wave amongst young girls and noble ladies in Norland, then ‘Leon: The Professional’ could be enough to trigger a conversation about human nature and societal problems. This was a movie for adults.
Gallolie held the side of her skirt as she was completely stricken by Joshua’s question. Gallolie had experienced the trials of several master playwrights a few years ago.
The assessment they gave Gallolie was nothing more than for her to play a certain role, and in the end Gallolie had won their admiration through her impeccable performance. This was Gallolie’s talent.
Over the years, Gallolie had never encountered a character that she could not play, but... this was only what the Flower of Farucci had thought of herself.
Joshua’s first question completely stumped her!
“Would you like me to give you an example? Like f*ck, Ms. Gallolie, can you say that word in an outraged tone?”
Joshua poured himself a glass of boiled water as he waited quietly for the Flower of Farucci to perform.
The language of Norland in this world was English, while there were many words on Earth that had yet to appear here, but the word f*ck was present, and its meaning was enough to make any noble lady living in their cloistered abodes blush.
Gallolie seemed to have been completely stumped by the word. She opened her mouth for a long time yet not uttering a word.
In addition to being the primary actor of Blackswan Theater, she was also the daughter of a Duke!
Gallolie had received the best education since birth, she was impeccable when it comes to the elegance of her temperament and behavior, and Gallolie was deeply influenced by this upbringing.
It was impossible for someone with a good upbringing like Gallolie to perform an uncouth behavior like cursing someone. If someone were to provoke her to the point where she gets angry, she normally would just have that other party completely disappear. Although such cases were few and far between...
This was something that was a detriment to her image...
“Joshua... this request seems to be a little excessive.”
Gallolie let out an almost imperceptible sigh, as she seemed to be hesitating.
“it’s not excessive, as this is the basics of my next script. Ms. Gallolie, if you are unable to adapt to it, then I cannot do anything.”
Joshua could understand the reason Gallolie was hesitating.
Judging from some of the scripts given to Joshua by Sir Weissenasche, most of the lines in the scripts were presented in the form of an “aria”, and this was the most common form of stage play.
That had enabled the darker parts of the scripts in the stage plays of this world to also be full of artistic flair when performed.
However, Joshua wanted to film was a movie, and a movie is to replicate another world in totality. No one in the real world would raise their voice to a high octave before singing aloud. “Oh, the dastard superior had once again forceth upon me over time, what a tragedy I’d say!”
Joshua could feel the embarrassment oozing through the script, so for Gallolie transform from a stage play actress to a movie actress, this was a river she must cross.
Gallolie looked at Joshua and found him to be very serious. Her ability to judge someone by their actions was still there, and Joshua did not make that request to deliberately embarrass her, rather he was seriously evaluating her acting ability.
That made Gallolie pursed her lips before forcing the vulgar word Joshua had said out of her mouth, before talentedly adding a “you” behind it.
Gallolie’s tone was very stiff, without any emotions. The acting talent of the Flower of Farucci had totally no effect at this moment.
Joshua was trying his base to keep a straight face. Seeing a dignified and beautiful noble lady enduring the ignominy as she exhausted the last ounce of her strength and blurt out “F*ck you” before him, Joshua felt a rather wondrous feeling.
Especially when he caught sight of the faint blush on Gallolie’s fair cheeks.
Still Joshua had considered the shame that noble lady had had to endure, and perhaps this was the first time in her life that she had said something that uncouth before someone.
In order not to embarrass her, Joshua did not smile but instead maintained an impassive look. It was fortunate that Joshua had experience being an interviewer back on Earth.
No matter how embarrassingly a newcomer had performed, Joshua had maintained an impassive look as the most basic form of respect for the lady.
“Emotionless and very stiff. I think as a troupe actor, your acting skills are much more than that.”
Joshua gave his comment then, and that made Gallolie calmed down a little as she tried to recover her initial calm state.
“If you are willing, I will send you an invitation when the filming of the next film commences.”
Joshua looked at the Flower of Farucci before him, her appearance was indeed very young, and was very suitable for the role of Mathilda in ‘Leon: The Professional’... She was probably the most fitting of all of the actresses that Joshua had seen so far.
Thinking of that, Joshua realized that her appearance was similar to Mathilda’s original actress, Natalie Portman. Her temperament was exactly the same and was like the legendary Black Swan.
“Have I passed?”
Gallolie had not expected Joshua had accepted her just by having her utter a vulgar word. She had expected more assessments.
“Not yet. My next film will commence filming in two months’ time, after the end of the World Exhibition. If you wish to stay, I will extend my invitation to you, plus your acting skills at the moment simply do not cut it,” Joshua said.
If Gallolie could accept Joshua’s earlier request with some consternation, but upon she heard that Joshua said her acting ‘simply did not cut it’, Gallolie felt something called anger, this anger was from her pride as Farucci’s best actress.
Soon, Gallolie’s anger was extinguished by shame because the “f*ck” she had just uttered was an utter failure, a line most disastrous in her acting career.
“A proper actor should be able to reenact any lines perfectly, so Ms. Gallolie, I hope that you can practice how to curse someone in the next two months.”
Joshua once again put forward words that caused more consternation to the noble lady.
“You can practice using any method. I would suggest starting with ‘f*ck’ first, then rising to ‘sh*t’, then perhaps later, the higher level ‘Motherf*cker’.”
Joshua’s series of vulgar words had Gallolie stunned, only then did she knew that there were many vulgar words in the world.
“Once you are able to utter f*ck smoothly, I will allow you to be the main lead of the next movie. Believe me, movies will replace stage plays, and I am the only person in this world that knows how to shoot one, and how to make one. Plus I’m teaching you how to be a movie actor instead of a stage actor.”
Joshua observed Gallolie’s expression, she had been silent all these while as if she had encountered a massive shock to her outlook in life. Perhaps when she is really selected as the main lead for ‘Leon: The Demon’, this noble lady’s entire outlook of life will come crashing down.
Thinking of this, Joshua felt a sense of guilt. Was he teaching someone to be a bad girl?
“I... will give it a try.”
Gallolie took a deep breath in, she knew what was preventing her from performing, the so-called self-restraint, the so-called arrogance of the nobility, and it was this arrogance that drove her to believe that there was no role that she could not play in this world!
“Take care.”
Joshua saw the Flower of Farucci off, hoping that when he saw this Black Swan again, she would be a true Black Swan. Swans were after all fully capable of being extremely fierce.