From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“You’ve got something.”

After a brief shock and bewilderment, Mangold finally regained his composure and offered an answer.

Beside him, Kitsch was slightly stunned, then nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Mangold took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts.

“Honestly, you weren’t our first choice. Sorry, I know that’s very impolite…”

Anson waved his hand dismissively, chuckling softly, “If you guys told me I was the first choice, believe me, I definitely wouldn’t buy it.”

“Hey, I understand my position; sweet talk doesn’t work.”

Frank, sincere.

Kitsch couldn’t help but nod slightly: Johnny Cash was like that too.

Mangold scratched his head, a hint of restraint and embarrassment on his face, and chuckled twice.

“We tried looking for some actors; they all have their advantages and strengths, and we also hoped to find an actor who resembled Johnny in appearance.”

“This is Hollywood’s convention; when we shoot biopics, physical similarity is the primary condition for selecting actors, but because of this, other aspects of the actors often fall short.”

Was he subtly implying that all the actors who resembled legends in appearance were just flashy and useless?

After all, legends often have everything: appearance, talent, and charm; while imitators can only resemble one of these, which is already exceptionally rare.

Therefore, actors who play in biopics often face a dilemma:

Having the form but lacking the spirit. It’s hard to paint the bones after painting the skin; at most, they only capture some superficialities.

Undoubtedly, this was a contradictory topic—

On the one hand, the Academy generally believes that biopics are the most challenging for acting because the prototype is there, known to everyone, and it is not easy for actors to capture the essence, which is also the fundamental reason why biopics are the biggest winners of the Oscar statuette.

Whether it’s Best Actor or Best Actress, the rate of winning the statuette with biopics is the highest.

On the other hand, biopics are often criticized by professionals because actors lack room to play, are confined to a framework, can only perform规规矩矩, and cannot truly interpret the layers of acting.

Biopics are also often scolded the most fiercely, criticized as “clumsy imitations.”

The most direct and typical case was at the 91st Academy Awards held in February 2019, where Rami Malek won the Best Actor statuette for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” ushering in a significant breakthrough in his career.

However, after the awards ceremony, he was met with a barrage of criticism from professionals.

There were two reasons.

First, this was a biopic about the band Queen, and the most exciting and best part of the whole film was the concert, even criticized by countless viewers as a “concert documentary”; however, all the concert parts in the film relied on lip-syncing, which meant that Rami Malek made no contribution to the most exciting part.

This was like Natalie Portman in “Black Swan,” who relied on a professional ballerina as a body double to complete the performance but claimed that most of the professional dance was done by herself, eventually winning the Best Actress statuette, which was heavily criticized.

Second, the film itself did not give the actors room to play, and Rami Malek’s performance almost entirely relied on the buck-toothed dentures to steal the show, and what was finally presented was just a clumsy and simple imitation show.

Although there are controversies in the annual awards selection, it was particularly obvious that year.

This was Rami Malek’s only Oscar nomination.

If Oscar nominations and awards still require some luck, then Rami Malek’s acting career did not take off after winning the Best Actor award, and he still couldn’t become the lead in more films, which can be seen from Hollywood’s attitude.

Therefore, starring in a biopic is a double-edged sword; it can help veteran actors like Gary Oldman realize their Oscar dreams, but it can also become a graveyard burying the courage and魄力 of countless actors to challenge their acting skills.

As soon as he opened his mouth, one knew whether he had it or not; Anson showed his wisdom and experience.

Mangold was stunned, chewing on it carefully, vaguely noticing something unusual, “I think you’re implying something.”

Before Anson could explain, Kitsch interrupted, “Where? He’s saying Johnny’s unique; yes, kid, there’s only one Johnny, no one can replace him.”

His face was full of satisfaction, looking at Anson and nodding repeatedly, the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

A smile appeared in Anson’s eyes, “So, anyone who plays his biography is probably under pressure.”

Mangold’s expression was a little strange, but he still brought the conversation back on track, “So we must confirm our focus.”

“Is it physical similarity? Or temperament similarity? Or spiritual similarity?”

Anson raised his chin slightly, a look of understanding in his eyes, “You mean, what kind of movie are you preparing to shoot, just a popcorn movie that recreates some images of Johnny Cash, or a review that captures the essence of Johnny Cash’s career?”

“Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Elvis” belong to the former, while “The Pianist” and “Monster” belong to the latter.

Snap.

Kitsch snapped his fingers, his face full of excitement, “One hundred percent correct.”

At this time, Kitsch couldn’t suppress his excitement, looking at Anson and then at Mangold, looking like he was having an ADHD attack, which made Mangold want to facepalm.

So, Kitsch was reckless now, right? Deciding not to let Anson go?

But…

Mangold had no reason to refuse.

Mangold ignored Kitsch and looked at Anson, “What we envision is the latter.”

“In this work, we hope to explore Johnny’s creative inspiration, how he transformed everything that happened in his life into musical melodies, and how he used music to help himself out of the darkness and out of the low valley.”

“Naturally, performance and creation are particularly important.”

“Rather than looking for a physically close but soulless Barbie doll, we would rather find someone who can play, sing, and create like Johnny.”

“But obviously, this is not an easy thing.”

“Times have changed; being a singer-songwriter is no longer popular, and pretty faces like Justin Timberlake, who focus on stage presentation, are becoming mainstream, making our work particularly difficult.”

“Honestly, we don’t have many requirements; we just hope to find an actor who can play and sing by himself, and of course, the singing needs to be charming.”

That light and understated tone made Anson laugh directly—

This is still “not many requirements”?

In the seventies and eighties, the entertainment industry emphasized versatility and multi-talented artists, mainly inheriting the excellent traditions of the theatrical stage, being able to sing, dance, and perform.

However, after entering the nineties, the entertainment industry gradually emphasized professionalism, and cross-border artists are decreasing; although it still exists more or less, the frequency and quality have indeed declined across the board.

Now, not to mention actors, even among singers, trying to find someone who can play, sing, create, and dance is probably extremely difficult.

Mangold’s words were light and understated, but the reality was completely different.