From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“You should take a look at yourself. The dream lover of countless young girls? Ha.”

Lucas spat out a retort without hesitation.

Anson didn't have a mirror to examine himself, but he glanced down at his condition, the hot and cold sweats all over his body, and could roughly imagine the picture.

But obviously, Anson didn't care. He simply shrugged, "Charm, understand? It relies on charm."

Lucas drooped his eyelids, staring at Anson with a fake smile, responding with a cold attitude—

He didn't understand.

Anson looked up to the sky with a speechless expression and sighed, "You don't understand. If you don't understand, don't pretend to, okay? I walk in Hollywood relying on more than just a pretty face."

“However… considering that you and I are both just as disheveled and useless today, I won’t argue with you. Hahaha, you probably don’t know what you look like right now. If you did, you wouldn’t be sitting here so calmly.”

“God, Lucas, I never thought you’d have a day like this.”

“But.”

“Thank you.”

Amidst the laughter and arrogance, Lucas was about to retort, but Anson suddenly changed the subject without warning, looking over with a face full of sincerity.

Lucas was stunned. He didn't have time to put on his mask. Mixed emotions such as gratitude and sorrow, worry and happiness surged together, revealing his expression and inadvertently exposing his vulnerability.

Unable to hold on any longer, Lucas also slumped down.

That disheveled appearance fell into Anson's eyes, and his smile became even more rampant and unrestrained. His hearty laughter echoed in the meeting room, causing a buzzing in his eardrums.

Originally, Lucas was a little embarrassed, but looking at Anson, he couldn't control his smile after all, bursting out with a 'pfft,' and then he couldn't stop.

Haha, hahaha.

The Wood brothers looked at each other's tattered appearances and found it funny, laughing harder and harder. The entire meeting room echoed with their laughter.

When Mangold sprinted over, panting, this was the scene he saw.

Mangold: ? ? ?

Weren't you saying Anson had locked himself in the meeting room? Weren't you saying Anson was possessed and completely ignored everyone? Weren't you saying Anson's condition was terrible, making everyone panic?

So, what was going on here?

Anson aside, what about Lucas?

He directly retched, leaning his shoulders against the meeting room door, his face pale. His appearance was no better than Lucas and Anson.

Barely managing to control himself, Mangold wiped the corners of his mouth, his eyes turning green, "Anson, Anson…"

Anson and Lucas exchanged a look, "Director, you should sit down. You look terrible."

The crew members behind him poked their heads in, but Cody saw a magical scene.

Lucas and Anson were disheveled, but they were calm and composed, seemingly unharmed. On the other hand, Mangold was panting, looking completely exhausted.

Cody: ? ? ?

Mangold sat down, took out an energy bar from his pocket, and replenished some sugar before finally catching his breath, but in his dizziness, he completely forgot why he came, staring blankly at Anson, feeling like he had something important to do, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Anson took the initiative to speak, "Director, I have an idea."

Mangold was munching on the energy bar, not having the strength to speak, just gesturing with his eyes, indicating that he was listening.

Anson didn't mind the situation. Under the surprised gazes of Cody, Lucas, and others, he sat on the floor and started a small temporary meeting with Mangold.

"Director, you see, the whole movie can be seen as Johnny Cash's growth, a transformation, and more importantly, a self-redemption."

"In his professional career, he experienced doubt, faced temptation, fell into a trough, and slid into darkness. It seemed that he had already been scarred before truly reaching the peak."

"Undoubtedly, June Carter plays an important role. In this relationship, he learned to examine himself, question himself, and mature amidst the ups and downs. This not only made him a better person, but also strengthened his belief in music and finally found his mission."

"But, what about the root cause?"

"All doubts and confusions stem from the family. Including his father, mother, and brother. The wounds from his original family made Johnny doubt himself, feeling confused, hesitant, even violent. This is not to explain Johnny's behavior, nor is it to make his behavior reasonable, but we must face our own fears in order to complete the transformation and be reborn."

"With the help of June Carter, Johnny escaped the dark mire; and with the help of music, Johnny finally dared to face the darkest and most terrifying wounds in his soul."

The movie, in just one hundred and twenty minutes, simply cannot accommodate Johnny Cash's magnificent life. It can only extract a small slice, allowing the audience to feel the outline of Johnny Cash as a singer, an ordinary person, and an idol.

Naturally, the framework and arc are crucial.

In 'Walk the Line,' all of this is present, but Anson now has some inspiration.

Mangold immediately understood, "You mean?"

Anson patted the ground, "Folsom Prison. It is not only a turning point in Johnny Cash's professional career, but it can also become a turning point in his life."

In real life, Johnny Cash's awakening and transformation may not necessarily happen in Folsom Prison, and may not even have an exact time and place; but in artistic creation, they need to be reprocessed, completed, woven, and then burst out with power at the emotional level.

Mangold gently raised his chin, "You mean, before the concert at Folsom Prison, Johnny falls into his own thoughts in the meeting room. He recalls the wounds of his childhood, experiences a long and turbulent journey, and finally comes to Folsom Prison, finally plucking up the courage to face himself."

"And opens a new chapter in the two identities of artist and himself." Anson added.

Mangold's eyes lit up, "Starting with music, ending with music, we return to the theme at the end of the movie, pulling the focus back to music and performance?"

Everything just happened to—

Perfectly matches Mangold and Keetch's creative concept.

A spark of inspiration, a comprehensive brainstorming.

Mangold looked up and examined the surrounding space, "So, is this what you were just doing here? Thinking back on Johnny's life?"