From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Mick Garris tiptoed backward, away from Michael Lynton's office, respectfully closing the door, and finally exhaled a breath of relief.

Is that it?

It seemed Michael had long forgotten about "Walk the Line," not taking it to heart at all, despite Mick's constant preoccupation.

But, on second thought, this project wasn't anything special; similar biopic projects were seen every day in Hollywood, and less than one percent of them actually made a splash.

Everyone dreams of "breaking into awards season with a biopic," anyway; dreaming doesn't cost money or effort, it all relies on imagination.

Besides, Anson, that pretty boy, acting seriously?

Heh.

Imagining the scene, Mick Garris couldn't help but shudder, goosebumps erupting all over, and he quickly banished the image from his mind.

He shouldn't be overthinking; really shouldn't.

Then, Mick Garris turned and strode away, immediately putting the matter out of his mind.

Not just Michael and Mick Garris, but Hollywood too—

"Walk the Line" didn't cause a ripple, disappearing without a trace.

Last year, when Anson starred in "Elephant," the media made a fuss, complaining and mocking, Anson's attempt to transform was too obvious and forceful, absurd to the point of being laughable.

In the end, they were collectively slapped in the face.

Of course, some stubborn media outlets still clung to their views, "Elephant" winning the Palme d'Or was thanks to Gus Van Sant, and had nothing to do with Anson; Anson was still just a pretty boy.

This time, after the news that Anson was officially confirmed to star in "Walk the Line" was announced, Hollywood was no longer surprised; anyway, Anson's intention to change his image and break free from constraints was already well known.

No need to pay too much attention, just let that pretty boy struggle on his own.

No mockery, no complaints, no attacks, nothing at all.

For Hollywood and the media, Anson starring in a commercial film again would be news; Anson starring in a biopic wasn't worth reporting—

However, the media was in an uproar, and netizens were clamoring.

Everyone was egging him on.

TMZ listed all of Anson's suit styles from Cannes, stating that he might be the most handsome, dashing, and fashionable 007 in history.

A crowd of netizens expressed their agreement.

Community forums even had enthusiastic fans personally drawing movie posters of Anson as James Bond; this series of seven posters caused a sensation in the forums, spreading widely amidst praise and cheers.

It even attracted the attention of the media.

Finally, "Us Weekly" bought it at a high price and published it in the latest issue, pushing the rumors of Anson and 007 to a new peak.

Who wants to see Anson in some biopic; 007 is the real deal!

It was amidst this wave of news frenzy that the news of "Walk the Line" didn't cause the slightest ripple, just like Sandra Bullock starring in "Murder by Numbers" back then.

This is the challenge and growing pains that pretty boys need to face when transforming.

People have formed relatively fixed and stereotypical impressions, using frameworks to restrain the actor's possibilities; each new attempt or adventurous challenge may face unimaginable pressure—

Before it even starts, people already presuppose that it will be a disastrous failure, and then can't wait to voice, "There's no need to struggle, just continue to rely on your looks."

The situation with "Elephant" was bad enough at the time, but now "Walk the Line" is actually continuing to slide into the abyss.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether "Elephant" winning the Palme d'Or was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, for Keetch and Mangold, they didn't care about any of this; the only important thing was that "Walk the Line" had finally entered the promotion stage—

Following the confirmation of the male lead, they could now begin full auditions and select filming locations; the film's filming plan was fully launched.

Finally!

After circling around and busying themselves for a full decade, the project finally took the most difficult and important step; Keetch and Mangold were almost in tears.

In this wave of unnoticed news, a small point was drowned in the sea of information.

"'Walk the Line' has officially signed a contract with Forest Pictures, with Forest Pictures responsible for producing the film."

Forest Pictures, who is that?

No one paid attention, and no one cared, because this is Hollywood; every day, there are delusional people joining the fray, trying to get a piece of the pie, and every day, there are production companies closing down because they can't keep going; countless figures come and go, and people have long been accustomed to automatically ignoring this information—

Of course, if some force came to Hollywood with ten billion dollars, it might be worth a little attention, otherwise, it wouldn't have much value.

In short, yet another brand new film company has quietly taken its first step in Hollywood.

… …

Ding.

The supermarket door opened, and a man wearing a black shirt and a dark brown cowboy hat walked out, carrying a bulky black guitar on his shoulder, and two plastic bags in his hand, walking unhurriedly towards the parking lot.

Three seconds later, the supermarket door opened again.

A woman wearing a white T-shirt and neat jeans walked out, wearing a baseball cap, her chin slightly tucked in, the shadow cast by the brim covering most of her face, her hands empty, quickly scanning around, but then immediately lowered her head again.

"Sorry…"

An old man pushing a cart was about to enter the supermarket, and the woman blocked his way; after realizing this, she made way and apologized in a low voice.

Waiting to shake her head again, the woman found that she could no longer find the figure of the black-clothed man in the parking lot and couldn't help but panic.

The black-clothed man was tall, standing there was particularly conspicuous, but now he couldn't be seen at all in the parking lot.

The woman quickly jogged forward, quickly approaching the man's car—

Still in the parking lot, but the driver's seat and the car were empty.

The woman was stunned, half a beat slow, and her brain immediately reacted:

A trap.

However, just as the woman was about to turn around and run away, she found the black-clothed man standing at the back of a pickup truck, looking at her with a smile.

Caught on the spot.

The woman was a little embarrassed, and her brain began to work at high speed, thinking about how to escape.

As a result, the man had already spoken first.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Witherspoon, what a coincidence, are you here to buy groceries too?"

In those polite and gentlemanly words, there was clearly a hint of teasing and playful tone, naturally revealing a kind of cat-and-mouse ease.