Chapter 571: First Movie Experience
Name: Chen Yan
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 94 kg
Wingspan: 218 cm
Standing Vertical Jump: 105 cm
Running Vertical Jump: 118 cm
Ball Handling: 94
Speed: 98
Stamina: 95
Vision: 89
Driving: 95
Layup: 95
Mid Range Shot: 96
Three Point Shooting: 99
Free Throw: 88
Passing: 88
Off Ball Movement: 91
Stealing: 90
Strength: 86
Rebounding: 90
Defense: 88
Blocking: 81
Mentality: 98
Skills: God Tier Steal, The Answer Crossover, Magic Shadow Maze, Hot Start, Perfect Hand Shape, Juggling Finish, Godly Pull Up Jumper, Passing Master Lv3, Sham God, Iron Will, Mamba Step Lv3, Post Up Moves Lv2, Lightning First Step, Fingertip Floater, Divine Shot Baptism, One Leg Fadeaway, Classic Floater, Magnetic Gloves [Passive], Rebounding Beast [Passive], Mental Leader, Buddha Crossing Move
Honor Points: 85
Overall Rating: SS
After assigning another round of attribute points, Chen Yan saw a slight improvement across his panel. Winning the championship and retaining the Finals MVP had brought in a decent haul of points.
After closing the system interface, he wrapped Taylor in his arms and leaped into the blue sea. The two of them splashed, drifted, and played in the water, while Chen Yan quietly used the cover of the waves to work on his ball handling. A few people passed by on the beach, but no one noticed what he was doing.
He had not trained since the NBA Finals ended, so from time to time he still needed to touch a ball and keep his feel alive.
The two of them also enjoyed their rare vacation to the fullest.
A week later, they returned to Los Angeles together.
That sweet trip had given Taylor plenty of inspiration. The moment she got back, she buried herself in the recording studio and threw herself into a new round of songwriting.
Chen Yan, meanwhile, had his own assignment.
After resting for a few more days, on July 1, he officially joined the crew of Iron Man 2 and prepared to begin his first acting experience.
Calling it an acting career would have been a stretch. It was really just a small cameo, more of a side quest than anything serious.
The film was directed by Jon Favreau. Its story centered on Tony Stark after becoming Iron Man, as he faced pressure from Hammer Industries, the revenge of Ivan Vanko, and the life threatening effects of palladium poisoning, before resolving everything in the end.
Chen Yan knew exactly how valuable the Iron Man name was. In his memory, it would become wildly popular in the future. So when the invitation arrived, he accepted without hesitation. He did not even ask what role he would be playing.
The two biggest stars in the film, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson, had both attended Suns games before.
When Chen Yan arrived on set, Robert Downey Jr. was filming a scene involving combat training. Scarlett was not there yet.
As soon as the take ended, Robert took the initiative to greet Chen Yan. After all, Chen Yan was far too conspicuous. Robert had noticed him the moment he walked onto the set.
"Hey, Chen. How are you feeling? Nervous? You're about to perform in front of the camera."
Chen Yan laughed. "I was not nervous before I came, but now I am a little nervous. I am afraid my acting will make all of you work overtime."
Jon Favreau walked over from the side and grinned. "Chen, relax. You'll definitely finish your scenes before the afternoon."
Chen Yan glanced at him. "That confident in my acting?"
Favreau laughed. "Your character only has 4 lines. It would be pretty hard to mess it up too many times."
The 3 of them shared a laugh, and Favreau began explaining Chen Yan's role in detail.
He would be playing Tony Stark's sparring partner.
The part itself was simple. He only needed to spar with Robert for a few beats. At that moment, Black Widow, serving as a notary, would enter with a contract brought in by the secretary. Tony's attention would immediately be drawn to her. Chen Yan's character would lightly tap Tony on the head and remind him, "Lesson 1, never take your eyes off your opponent..."
Then Tony would kick him away.
After that, Tony would ask for Black Widow's name and invite her up to fight Chen Yan.
It was an absurd request, but she would agree.
Then Tony would point at Chen Yan and ask whether she could teach him a few moves.
Chen Yan's next line would be, "Have you ever done boxing, combat fitness, body sculpting, or yoga?"
Black Widow would only smile, then turn to look at Tony below.
At that moment, Chen Yan would deliver his final serious line:
"The first iron rule: keep your eyes on your opponent."
Then, in the next second, Black Widow would leap up, lock his neck with her legs, and take him straight to the ground.
Tony would stand up in surprise. "Wow! Are you okay?"
Chen Yan would climb up from the floor and answer, "Yes, yes. I just slipped."
That was his 4th and final line.
Robert laughed after hearing the explanation. "That sounds rough."
Originally, the role had belonged to Favreau himself. But after the production team confirmed Chen Yan's availability, the director happily gave up the part.
It was a comedic role, light and easy, and Chen Yan actually liked the setup.
Before filming began, he made one suggestion.
He proposed replacing the boxing with martial arts, while keeping the overall structure and dialogue the same. He and Robert would spar in a Martial Arts, and then Black Widow would still take him down.
Favreau thought it over for a second and immediately agreed, and Western audiences generally had a favorable impression of martial arts. The change fit naturally.
Chen Yan did not actually know real martial art, but performing the motions was well within his ability.
Just as he was getting into position, a bright and pleasant female voice cut in.
"Oh, our superstar athlete is here."
Chen Yan turned and saw Scarlett Johansson, her curled hair framing a smile that was as bright as it was dangerous.
"Please go easy on me later," Chen Yan said with a grin.
Scarlett laughed. She had already read the scene and knew she would be the one delivering the scissor takedown.
Filming started soon after.
"Listen, lesson 1, never take your eyes off your opponent's chest..."
The instant the words left his mouth, the entire set burst into laughter.
He had butchered the line on his very first try.
Robert Downey Jr. laughed so hard he nearly bent over, then teased him mercilessly, saying Chen Yan had accidentally revealed his true thoughts.
Chen Yan just smiled and did not argue. After all, given Black Widow's costume in this scene, the joke wrote itself.
Once he settled down, they started again.
This time the lines were fine, but the difficulty appeared in the action.
Scarlett had to leap up and lock Chen Yan's neck with a scissor takedown. The problem was obvious. Chen Yan was 198 cm tall, while Scarlett was only around 160 cm. The height difference made the move far more awkward than it looked on paper.
On top of that, controlling the wires precisely was not easy. At one point, her foot nearly ended up in Chen Yan's nostril.
If this had happened in another life, the internet probably would have been flooded with people joking that he was being rewarded instead of suffering.
That one action alone took more than 20 takes.
Still, the entire sequence was wrapped before the afternoon.
After the final take, Scarlett smiled and said, "Congratulations, you survived."
Chen Yan laughed. "This was a lot harder than I imagined. Good thing I have a strong resistance to getting hit."
"Sorry."
Scarlett opened her arms with a smile and gave him a quick hug.
All in all, it was a very pleasant first experience on a film set.
If Durant ever found out that Chen Yan had been "taken down" by Black Widow more than 20 times during filming, he would probably turn green with envy.
.....
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