They’re casting agents in disguise. Paramount Pictures, in conjunction with the China Movie Channel and distribution service Jiaflix launched a talent search/reality show to find Chinese actors for Transformers 4. It was called (get this) Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show.
The contest attracted over 70,000 professional and amateur actors and giant vehicular alien robot co-star hopefuls to submit audition videos online (probably earning bonus points if the camera shook around a lot), and the show focused on 12 shortlisted finalists “who had already passed two preliminary selection rounds and faced different challenges from the judges and demonstrated individual talents.”, according to Hollywood Reporter.
The new background entities with no other purpose than to provide a loose context for explosions cast members included Taiwanese actors Austin Lin and Teresa Daley, Chinese martial arts expert Byron Li, and Candice Zhao, (bet you didn’t see this coming) winner of the 35th Miss Bikini International Pageant China.
The challenges presumably included being terrible, admitting that your own movies are terrible, and complaining about being cast in terrible movies. Transformers 4 is receiving some funding from China, and will be partially set and shot in the country.
