Liu's father, standing over 1,8 m tall with a dignified appearance, had always harbored artistic aspirations. Last September, upon his retirement, Liu encouraged his father to audition at a nearby film studio. Confident in his abilities and unimpressed by the acting of online personalities, the elder Liu readily agreed.

However, the reality of the casting call was far from their expectations. "Becoming a 'dad' in a short film for a prestigious family is harder than reaching the sky," Liu admitted after receiving a harsh rejection from the casting team.

Advertisement recruiting seniors for short films. Photo: QQ

In the video submitted to the film crew, Liu's father's real-life composure vanished. On camera, his face appeared unbalanced and older than his actual age; his tall physique looked cumbersome and lacked grace. Without proper acting techniques, his limbs appeared stiff. Liu submitted applications widely but only received feedback such as: "The image isn't bad, but it's clear he can't act; he needs training."

Wang Jiarui, owner of an actor supply studio in China, expressed his frustration with "delusional" amateurs. Instead of professional portfolios, they submit casual everyday photos, speak with local accents, and lack the required "CEO" demeanor.

According to Wang, the surge in "late-life romance" films has led many to mistakenly believe the door to acting is wide open. Numerous individuals take their parents on trips to the Hoanh Diem film studio and then spontaneously seek roles. "The result is that while they are indeed 'parents', they possess no suitable skills," he stated.

Shi Lan, an assistant director, revealed that the "instant noodle" short film industry does not actually welcome seniors. With filming schedules often running from dawn until late night to cut costs, the health of older individuals poses a significant risk that film crews are wary of.

Directors' optimal solution is "role elevation": recruiting professional actors aged 30-40 and applying age-appropriate makeup. "We need people who appear elderly visually to maintain production schedules, not necessarily those of biological age," Wang affirmed.

Training course trap

In reality, most high-paying recruitment advertisements are ploys by acting training centers. Capitalizing on retirees' desire for additional income and self-expression, they circulate false information. They then use the tactic of "having potential but lacking skills" to entice students to purchase courses.

Liu Qi was once offered a course priced at 6,800 yuan (approximately 26 million VND) with fragmented content. Despite paying for the training, most students later only secured extra roles with a daily fee of 100 yuan (350,000 VND), far below the rumored 5,000-10,000 yuan.

"This tactic is identical to child star scams, except it targets retirees' pensions and their youthful dreams," Wang said.

Bao Nhien (according to The Paper)