From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Perfect!"

In the director's words, Dallas only caught this one word.

Involuntarily, a surge of excitement arose, a kind of elation and happiness that was difficult to explain with words overflowed in his chest, as if he had finally taken a solid step.

However, the energy ignited by this adrenaline rush only lasted for two seconds.

The director said that they would switch to Sam Phillips' shots next, which instantly froze Dallas's brain, and he belatedly realized:

Just now, such a wonderful and perfect performance came from Anson, from Larry and Dan-John, and had basically nothing to do with him.

Although Dallas was also performing, he was outside the camera the whole time, helping Anson with his lines, and did not appear in the shot.

Now, the crew was preparing to film Dallas's scenes.

But Dallas didn't know if he could do it.

God, this was simply a disaster—

Anson's performance was so perfect before, and he would follow right after, without comparison there would be no harm, everyone would be able to see how bad he was.

"Hey, Sam."

At the call, Dallas reflexively raised his head and looked over, instantly meeting Anson's eyes.

There was an illusion, that it was Johnny Cash.

Thinking carefully, it was the same just now, he thought he couldn't do it, and even retreated before the camera started, but how did he get into character?

"Look at me."

Johnny spoke again, awkwardly tugging at the corner of his mouth, "I'm more nervous than you are."

Dallas was stunned.

He finally realized what was going on—

Everything was because of the person in front of him.

Truly excellent actors are often able to create an atmosphere, control the rhythm through their own performances, and help the opposing actors and the crew enter the state.

This is not easy.

However, he never expected that Anson would possess such ability.

Of course, this was a good thing.

The tense mind relaxed slightly, Sam regained some ease, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, "But you don't need to be. No one does it better than you."

Johnny raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers intertwined, making a praying gesture, "Hope so."

From Anson to Johnny, from Johnny to Anson, two faces and two souls quietly overlapped, making it impossible to tell them apart, this illusion made him slightly stunned, the boundary between reality and illusion blurred again, as if pushing open a door, and then entering a whole new world.

Quietly, Sam stared at the man in black in front of him, without looking up and down, his gaze stayed on his face, the curve of his mouth gently raised, revealing a hint of appreciation and some expectation.

Then, a sound came from the air, exploding on the eardrum.

"Action!"

Filming began again in full swing.

Finally, "Walk the Line" started filming in Memphis, although it experienced some twists and turns, after the real start, the filming progressed exceptionally smoothly.

Things were slightly different from expected.

On the one hand, Forest Pictures lacked experience, this was a fact, this was their first film, and the behind-the-scenes work was full of challenges; at the same time, Anson and Reese, two "flower vase actors," challenging a biopic also brought many anxieties and hidden dangers, the crew might need a period of adjustment.

However, on the other hand, Mangold was indeed a veteran director who had been in Hollywood for a full decade, having worked with big-name actors such as Robert De Niro, Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, and Sylvester Stallone, and was experienced and at his creative peak, the success of his latest work "Identity" was the best proof, and he clearly knew what he was doing and how to do it.

Back and forth, the "Walk the Line" crew may be full of many variables.

It was precisely because of this that Hollywood was not optimistic about the cooperation between Forest Pictures and "Walk the Line", and even now, they still maintained their attitude.

After all, similar projects, biopics aimed at winning Oscars, produced and distributed by small independent film companies, trying to break into the fierce competition in Hollywood, but quietly submerged in the countless projects in the awards season, had already happened more than once or twice.

So, what about reality?

From director Mangold to the two actors Anson and Reese, the three showed completely different faces.

The fact was that the three people treated their work wholeheartedly, not only conducting in-depth investigations and research, but also making full preparations before entering the crew, conceiving their work, and drawing their blueprints, like good students who would preview in class—

Not just casual previewing, but good students who had thoroughly understood all the knowledge.

So, when the three people met, they actively voiced their opinions, but they understood each other with a single word, and could easily understand each other's intentions, and then discussed and negotiated on the spot to seek consensus and reach resonance.

There was thought, there was soul, there were sparks.

The cooperation efficiency of the iron triangle was astonishing.

Almost every day after the end of filming, the iron triangle could be seen gathering together to discuss filming and discuss work, sometimes arguing red-faced, sometimes talking and laughing happily, sometimes arguing back and forth, but the crew could feel the focused and dedicated atmosphere.

This was obviously unexpected.

The core engine of the entire crew was running at high speed, not only smoothly, but also with strong power, and all the work entered a high-speed operation mode smoothly.

Problems? Troubles? Situations?

It didn't matter, the crew could always gather together in the first time to solve them smoothly, and every time a situation was solved, they could feel the crew becoming more united.

From top to bottom, from inside to outside, a scene of bustling activity.

Forest Pictures has no experience?

So what? No experience means immaturity and naivety, but it also represents youth and vigor, maintaining vigorous vitality and enthusiasm.

Obviously, the "Walk the Line" crew belonged to the latter.

When Anson and the others were working hard in Memphis, Hollywood, across half of North America, was still operating normally:

The annual Academy Awards ceremony was held as scheduled.

The Academy is correct, the Oscars are still the Oscars, and will not stop for anyone, someone is absent, someone dies, someone refuses, or even encounters boycotts and protests like last year, the awards ceremony will still continue its own way.

Similarly, Anson's absence did not affect the Oscars.

On February 29, 2004, the 76th Academy Awards officially opened at the Kodak Theatre.

After last year's wave of boycotts, the Oscars had finally regained its reputation and glory in a full year, and the red carpet had returned to the public eye—

It was a lively scene.

In fact, Anson's absence not only failed to affect the awards ceremony, but also regrettably missed the classic moment when the Oscars created history again.

To this, Anson said: Even if I attended, history would have nothing to do with me, so I might as well concentrate on filming.