From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Julie Andrews has arrived.

Everything came as scheduled. Exactly two weeks after the start of "The Princess Diaries," Julie, the biggest name in the entire cast, arrived on set.

Everyone was ecstatic!

Not just young actors like Anne and Anson, but over two-thirds of the crew had also admired Julie on the big screen. Regardless of age or gender, for those working in the film industry, practically everyone knew the two masterpieces, "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music."

In fact, in 2005, during the fiftieth-anniversary celebration of Disneyland, Mickey Mouse appointed Julie as the goodwill ambassador for an eighteen-month term. This means that even among the younger generation, Julie still has a profound influence, and her on-screen image has long become a timeless classic.

After all, in the childhood of many, whether it was Mary Poppins with her magic or the kind-hearted nun Maria, they both represented warmth, happiness, and boundless imagination.

Although time passes, the classics continue to be passed down from generation to generation.

If one could see her up close, or even work with her, it would truly be a dream come true, and probably no one could refuse.

This is the same for everyone.

But very, very unfortunately, Julie has not starred in mainstream movies for many years. For film industry professionals, the desire to work with her has become increasingly difficult to achieve. Even Garry, as the director, had to visit her residence multiple times to express his willingness to collaborate before finally convincing her.

— One can imagine.

When Julie arrived at the resort where the crew was staying, the entire crew, from top to bottom, was in a frenzy. In the movie, Julie plays the queen of a fictional small country; in reality, the crew indeed welcomed her with queen-like treatment.

At that moment, everyone in the crew, including Garry, was the same, turning into fanboys and fangirls, staring at Julie with anticipation. A single glance or action was enough to excite everyone.

As the saying goes, distance creates beauty.

The same goes for idols, especially Hollywood superstars.

Once you get close, it might be the beginning of disillusionment, with the image in your mind collapsing. Rather than deeply understanding and destroying the beauty in your imagination, it's better to keep a distance and leave room for imagination to play out.

But!

Julie is different.

The way she appears on screen and on stage is the same in real life.

This year, Julie is already sixty-five years old, with wrinkles around her eyes and graying temples. In the movie "Sunset Boulevard," the female lead was considered washed up at just fifty years old, looking like a vampire on camera. According to Hollywood's way of calculating a woman's age, sixty-five should be equivalent to a hundred.

However, Julie's body is completely devoid of the aura of aging and decay, exuding a sense of detached and composed elegance, an inner peace. The traces left by time on her body have instead become a precipitation of temperament. The vitality revealed in her gestures carries a lightness, instantly returning to the story of "Mary Poppins."

"Aging gracefully."

It turns out that this is a real thing. She didn't do anything, just sat there quietly, but you couldn't help but let your gaze drift over.

At first, some people were skeptical, perhaps it was just because of the "Julie Andrews halo." After all, it was Julie Andrews, how could you not pay attention; but gradually, they discovered that Julie indeed had a very comfortable aura, like a pearl, not bright but quietly glowing.

Moreover, Anson quickly noticed that watching Julie perform was also a delightful experience.

For Anson, it was a bit of a regret that he and Julie had no scenes together in the entire movie, and even the opportunity to be in the same frame was only at the final ball scene; however, this did not affect Anson's enthusiasm.

From the day Julie joined the crew, Anson resumed his previous habit, going to the set every day, regardless of whether he had any scenes himself, to watch the filming process and observe Julie's performance up close.

To be honest, Julie Andrews is a superstar of the musical era. With the decline of musical films, Julie's career gradually declined. Although she won attention again in 1982 with "Victor Victoria" and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress the following year, it was also a musical film.

In other words, Julie's performance has a distinct imprint of musical films. Just like the silent film superstars who were eliminated when the sound era arrived, Julie's performance seemed out of place in film works after the seventies. Therefore, she later became more active on the Broadway stage.

So, why did Anson want to observe Julie's performance?

Temperament.

A temperament that is indescribable and unclear but truly exists. When Julie appears in front of the camera, her posture and bearing are different.

On the one hand, it seems a little special, and on the other hand, it attracts attention.

The picture, therefore, seems unbalanced—

Because Julie's way of acting is different from all the other actors, slightly shifting a channel, it's like the band missing a beat during a performance.

Maybe, not much, just an eighth of a beat or a quarter of a beat. Most ordinary listeners can't hear it at all, a small number of listeners vaguely feel something is strange but can't say what it is, only a very, very small number of professionals can capture those subtle deviations in the slight misalignment.

So, is it important?

It seems important, but it also seems unimportant.

However.

If it were other movies or other roles, Julie's elegance and restraint would seem too "affected," but in "The Princess Diaries," she plays a royal family member, a queen, and the dignified temperament brought by her status seems particularly natural, even if it is out of place with her surroundings, it is taken for granted.

There is even a subtle sense of misplaced humor.

Anson wasn't sure if this was Garry's intention in casting, but whether it was or not, the current effect was very good.

Anson has been observing, how does Julie's performance convey those subtle and complex messages?

The world of acting is mysterious and interesting to Anson. He is now purely an amateur, relying on instinct, groping forward in a daze, standing outside the door, curiously peeking inside, cautiously stepping inside, but has not yet found his own path.

Everything is fresh.

Therefore, observation becomes an instinct.

In fact, Anne is the same. Turning from an ignorant and inexperienced middle school student into an actress, although she has experience performing stage plays at school, the world of film is still completely unfamiliar. After spending two weeks as a newbie, she is about to welcome Julie Andrews.

Unlike Anson, Anne has a lot of scenes with Julie, a lot, a lot. In the entire movie, Anne has the most scenes with Julie.

For Anne, every scene with Julie is a learning opportunity, how to digest nervousness, how to enter the role, how to complete the performance, every link is an opportunity to absorb experience and grow and transform. Not just anyone can win such a valuable opportunity.

Anne is firmly grasping the opportunity, just like Anson.

Second chapter.