From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Are you sure?" Charles lowered his voice slightly, trying his best to conceal his emotions. However, the worry and fatigue between his brows still flowed out uncontrollably, tinged with a layer of melancholy.

Lucas shook his head gently, "No, I'm not sure."

Charles felt a breath stuck in his chest, "So, we really don't need to find a psychologist? In this situation, a professional should intervene."

The logic was clear enough: professional problems should be handled by professionals.

However, Charles and the others were still unclear about the specific situation. How serious was Anson's condition? Did he need a psychologist? If they rashly sought a psychologist's intervention now, would Anson reject or resist it, or even develop a reverse psychology?

After communicating with the hospital, they also believed that they needed to observe for a while longer and not rush to a conclusion.

Everything hung in the air—

Nothing was certain, and no future was clear.

This feeling was unsettling.

Lucas still shook his head, "I don't know."

Charles looked frustrated, "Then why did you say that to Anson just now, allowing him to return to the set?"

Lucas didn't respond.

Charles felt a breath stuck in his chest. He raised his hand to loosen his tie, finally exhaling a long breath. He then waved his hand, as if trying to drive away his worries and confusion, "Sorry, Anson's temper... If he's decided, we can't stop him. Rather than let him try recklessly on his own, it's better for us to watch from the side."

Charles only felt a faint throbbing in his temples, one after another, a continuous stabbing pain, like a tide.

Lucas shook his head, "That's not the reason."

"I'm wondering if it's possible that acting is the reason for triggering Anson's trauma response."

"If I remember correctly, Anson first saw Jack because of 'Catch Me If You Can'; this time is even more so. The role of Johnny Cash forces Anson to enter a dark world and explore the dark side of his soul, which touches certain memories and awakens them."

"Over the years, Anson has completely forgotten what happened in his childhood. However, Jack appeared, and what happened to Jack seemed to be a projection of Anson."

"Logically speaking, we should completely isolate the source of stimulation, avoid continuously awakening more of Anson's bad memories, and return to a normal track. But, Dad, how many years has it been? We've been pretending that nothing happened, but what's the truth? Those wounds have always been there."

"If we continue to ignore it..."

Lucas's heart suddenly contracted. He didn't continue speaking, his pupils trembling violently, as if he had seen a catastrophic scene.

Charles immediately understood—

Like Jack.

He was calling for help, he was running away, he was begging for life; however, people all averted their eyes, pretending not to see or hear, including them.

All along, they had tried their best to maintain "normality and peace," pretending that those things had never happened; but now it seemed that perhaps this normality was a kind of suppression, a kind of harm, completely ignoring the pain in the depths of Anson's soul, allowing those wounds and darkness to slowly erode, until the birth of Jack.

God, what have they done?

Charles hurriedly put his hands into his pockets, clenching them into fists, trying to control himself, but his hands were still trembling slightly, almost unable to breathe.

With great difficulty, Lucas calmed down, regained his breathing rhythm, and looked at Charles again.

"Perhaps, Johnny Cash is the answer."

"As Anson said, he projects his memories and experiences onto the character, seeking himself in the performance, seeking reconciliation in fiction and reality. The process of acting is the process of Anson facing himself and completing his healing."

"The answer is hidden in the movie."

This was the reason why Lucas didn't stop Anson from returning to the set tomorrow.

Charles met Lucas's gaze, the worry in his eyes lingering, "What if our guess is wrong? What if we fail?"

Lucas didn't directly answer Charles's question, "I won't give up on Anson."

Charles opened his mouth to say something.

But Lucas interrupted Charles again, "I won't give up on Anson."

After speaking, without waiting for Charles to react, Lucas had already turned and left.

Charles looked at Lucas's back, head held high, full of vigor, but his mouth was full of bitterness.

He wanted to tell Lucas that what happened back then wasn't Lucas's fault, that Lucas shouldn't bear Anson's nightmare, that Lucas should have his own life; but the words reached his tongue, but he didn't say them in the end. Such light words had no weight at all.

Helplessly, Charles closed his eyes.

......

Anson returned to the "Walk the Line" set, only twenty-four hours. After missing a day of filming, the male lead of the film crew returned to the set again.

The crew was harmonious.

However, an undercurrent was always surging in the air. Between glances and whispers, a strange atmosphere was quietly spreading.

This was the second time in a short period.

Not long ago, Anson appeared on the set looking like he was still hungover, and at that time, gossip inside and outside the crew never stopped, with all sorts of guesses.

Now, a similar situation had actually occurred again.

Moreover, this time the rumors were getting weirder and weirder.

The last time a similar situation occurred, the crew members scoffed at it, not believing this kind of PR tactic at all. They were no longer children. But this time it actually happened again, and everyone in the crew could feel the oppressive and uneasy atmosphere of an impending storm, and they couldn't help but believe it.

After all, the film shooting work wouldn't lie.

From the filming situation during this period, it could be seen that Anson's performance was indeed getting better and better, not only indistinguishable from reality, but also driving his co-stars, including Reese, and more than once bringing inspiration to Mangold. Everyone saw these on-set situations.

Everything was logical.

They didn't want to believe it, but they had to.

At this time, looking back at what happened during the preparation stage of "Walk the Line", it was rumored that Anson had gone to bars to sing with a guitar on his back several months ago, entering Johnny Cash's state in every way, which led to the amazing performance at the Grammy Awards ceremony; including the recording studio preparation work before the film started, Anson had already transformed into Johnny Cash before the filming even started.

Those accidents, those setbacks, those twists and turns, now awakening the memories again, re-reflecting reality, everything made sense—

Ah, so that's how it is!

Seeing Anson again on the set, as if seeing Johnny Cash in the flesh, the gazes inside and outside the crew couldn't calm down, the various noises surging, surrounding Anson in a chaotic manner.

Silent, yet louder than words.