From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Life in Columbus was pleasant and leisurely.

In the blink of an eye, Anson had been here for three full weeks, and still hadn't exposed his whereabouts.

The surrounding community residents had no idea that the famous Anson had actually appeared in Columbus; when they saw Anson, they just thought a handsome young painter had come to gather inspiration, and didn't associate him with Hollywood at all.

Usually, Anson went in and out completely freely, whether it was a supermarket or a gas station, a convenience store or a small restaurant, all without any hindrance, no need for hats or sunglasses, wearing a floral shirt and white cloth shoes to go out directly, enjoying the long-lost ease and comfort of his little life.

Once again, Anson was grateful that the era of smartphones and social networks had not yet arrived; as long as he stayed away from the spotlight, the world could be quiet.

Looking at Anson, who was relaxed and carefree, although Lucas had a lot to say, he finally swallowed it all back obediently—

He liked Anson's current state: relaxed, at ease, and enjoying his time.

After a pause, Lucas took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.

"Your cheeks are covered in paint; people who don't know you might think you're still enjoying the carnival."

Anson waved his hand to refuse, "I'll wash my face later. If I wipe it now, it'll probably turn into a mess, making something out of nothing."

Lucas didn't insist. He stood in front of Anson's painting, admiring it carefully. In the Wood family, the other three had artistic talent and were engaged in related work, except for Lucas—

He dealt with numbers.

Despite this, Lucas wasn't completely ignorant of art.

"It seems you're in a good mood lately. The colors are bright and saturated, the lines are light and smooth. Is this an autumn of harvest?"

Anson shrugged lightly, "The autumn in Columbus is indeed like this."

Lucas looked around and found the spread-out script on the table, "What about the script? Is the progress going smoothly as well? I thought this was a sad script?"

"Heavy. Chaotic. But not sad," Anson thought seriously.

"Honestly, I don't know how to accurately describe this script."

"Confusing. Maybe."

Lucas asked, "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

Anson hesitated, "I don't know." After thinking seriously for a moment, he shook his head again, repeating, "I don't know."

Lucas said, "You can discuss it with the screenwriter to see how to revise the script."

Anson replied, "You see, that's the problem. I don't know how to revise it."

"Biographies are undoubtedly special, because the character really exists. It's hard to just arbitrarily mold a character like you're kneading clay, because people are complex. They can be kind but have their own evil side, they can struggle bitterly but always stick to their beliefs, they can suffer from family trauma while constantly hurting the people they love."

"When we make movies, we often tend to extract one aspect or one arc from the character and use ninety minutes to show it."

"However, biographies can't do that."

Lucas interrupted, "Why not? Biographical films are still films. We're not creating a literary masterpiece like 'In Search of Lost Time'."

Anson said, "You're right. I should put it another way."

"Excellent biographical films are often like that, grasping one aspect or a core idea of the character to showcase, and still being able to show the complexity of the character."

"But most biographical films can't do it."

"People think the fundamental reason is that the creative team is too greedy, wanting to grab everything but ending up grabbing nothing."

"I think maybe it's because the creative team doesn't truly and completely understand the character, or rather, doesn't understand the story they want to tell."

"The problem with 'Walk the Line' isn't here."

"In fact, they know the story they want to tell and understand Johnny Cash very well, even too well, so the story seems bloated, because Johnny Cash knows which things had a profound impact on him, which things still linger in his mind."

Anson spread his hands, "There's no way to start."

"Because this is Johnny Cash's life. He himself participated in the script's creation process. In the screenwriter's column, his name is ranked second."

"Moreover, this subjective perspective has both advantages and disadvantages."

"The advantage is that everything is empathetic, because those wounds, those pains, those struggles are all real, those emotions are very intense."

"The disadvantage is that the entire universe revolves around him, and everything else becomes a supporting role, and these supporting roles seem like tools, pushing all the blame onto them: it's your fault, it's his fault."

"I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, and I can't find an entry point to try to revise it."

After truly delving into it, Anson understood—

How precious a good biographical film script is.

There have been countless biographical films since the millennium, including many famous works, but the script of 'The Social Network' is still an insurmountable peak, because it truly shapes a complex character who is both hateful and regrettable, both pathetic and powerful, both enviable and contemptible, distinct and three-dimensional.

This is very, very difficult.

Lucas was also slightly surprised, "No wonder people always say that biographical films should wait until the person has passed away before filming. Is that the reason?"

Anson shrugged lightly.

But the point is that Keetcher and Mangold are particularly insistent on this script, and it's probably impossible to overturn and rewrite everything.

Of course, Anson also agreed that there was no need to do so.

Lucas asked, "Are you planning to take it on next?"

Anson thought seriously, "Honestly, I don't have any ideas at the moment."

"Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't revise the script. I'm just an actor. I'm responsible for acting. Other things will naturally be handled by professionals. Even if the script isn't perfect, I don't think it's a problem."

"The point is, I lack a little confidence."

Although Anson believed that in the previous version, Joaquin's performance was inferior to Reese's, this was only relative. Joaquin's interpretation of the role was undoubtedly full of shining points and worthy of respect.

Now, if Anson were to play the role, it would mean that he needed to surpass Joaquin—at least in his own judgment—and it would also mean that he was truly challenging profound acting skills for the first time, and it also meant that he couldn't casually reshape the character according to his own imagination—because Johnny Cash was a real person, and the general public had their own impressions of Johnny Cash.

The first step in playing a real character in a biographical film is imitation.

Actors must extract themselves from their own personalities and imitate the character in a fundamental way, and whether they resemble the real person is always an important criterion for judgment.

After completing the imitation, they then inject soul into the character through their own understanding.

The difficulty can be imagined.

Lucas looked slightly surprised; this was the first time he had seen Anson lacking confidence.

"I thought you had already played a biography once, and you should have some experience."