From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Sam Raimi was observing Anson.

Sam's criteria had always been very simple. In his opinion, "Spider-Man" wasn't some work pursuing artistic exploration or philosophy. It was simply a popcorn movie to relax and enjoy, so the actor's acting skills weren't the primary consideration; personal charm was key.

He always believed that, compared to the audition content, the actor's natural behavior when entering the room, leaving the room, and outside the audition were the most important things. He wanted to see how well they fit the role, what kind of chemistry they could bring, whether they were suitable for the big screen, and what kind of sparks could fly with the Peter Parker image in his mind.

Therefore, Sam didn't read the actors' resumes. He didn't want to develop any preconceived notions about the actors. There was no need to make judgments in advance; he would leave everything to the first meeting at the audition.

It was precisely for this reason that Sam didn't like Scott.

It wasn't that Scott was bad, but that Scott's impression he left at the coffee shop that morning was too deep, destroying the sense of mystery and creating a stereotypical image, so that there were no sparks at all in the audition just now.

After the audition, Sam didn't have any impression of Scott.

The same was true now.

The moment Anson opened the door, Sam began to observe and size him up. The audition had already begun.

As soon as he entered, Anson took two steps forward, but then stopped and turned back to put down the huge backpack on his shoulder. From the action of putting it down, it could be seen that, in addition to the skateboard, there should be many heavy objects inside.

Sam couldn't help but take another look at the backpack. It was plain and ordinary, but he still wanted to explore it, curious about what was inside.

But Sam wasn't in a hurry to speak.

Anson came to the center of the room, and the producer, Ian Bryce, took the lead in speaking.

It could be seen that Ian was very much looking forward to Anson. He had waited and waited, and finally it was Anson's turn. He was very enthusiastic, which could be seen from the detail of his body leaning forward slightly.

Not an audition, purely a casual chat.

Name, age, hometown, weather.

Some casual chatting, Ian carefully scrutinized him with a research spirit, and then finally couldn't resist his curiosity, "Are you very nearsighted?"

Anson revealed a smile, "Oh, these glasses have no prescription."

Ian: ... He was slightly stunned, and then he realized that it was a disguise, but why? Ian couldn't understand Anson's choice, "Can you take off your glasses?"

"Of course." Anson simply took off his glasses.

"Oh! It's him!" Ian's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, looking left and right at his other colleagues, "This is the young man I saw."

Oh!

Not only Ian, but several other people also let out low exclamations. It wasn't a fuss, but after Anson revealed his azure blue eyes, his temperament changed subtly, and the whole contrast formed an impact.

In an instant, it was stunning.

There were a total of seven people responsible for the audition today.

The agent of the actors' union, who was sitting diagonally behind them half a step behind, should be responsible for supervision only, without participating in discussions and auditions.

In addition to Ian and Sam, there were also four other people, three men and one woman, but they had no intention of introducing themselves and were busy with their own affairs.

Then, the lady said, "Others want to show their charm, but you do the opposite. Is there any reason for this?"

— He knew this question.

Here, Anson talked eloquently, discussing his views on Peter Parker, showing the face of an ordinary high school student, and emphasizing that as a superhero, Peter Parker's psychological changes were the most interesting part, and also the key to distinguishing him from other superheroes.

With a long speech, imperceptibly, the initiative fell into Anson's hands.

The slightly chubby lady with golden eyes revealed a meaningful expression, "So, you are so confident in your appearance that you think you don't look like a high school student, so you need these disguises?"

Saying that, Ian tilted his head to look at the lady, "You won't dislike him for being too handsome like Sam, will you? Sometimes they are disliked for being too handsome, and sometimes they are disliked for not being handsome enough. I think these actors are quite pitiful."

Obviously, this was a complaint.

The lady seemed very calm, "The essence of dislike is still because they are not suitable, so naturally they don't look good. But you are right, Sam? You are very quiet. Although you have always been very quiet, this time you are particularly quiet…"

All eyes turned to Sam.

Unexpectedly, Sam opened his mouth without warning, "It's you!"

Everyone: ???

Anson: ???

Sam sat up straight, his eyes, which always looked sleepy, were completely open, revealing a glimmer of light, and he rarely felt a violent fluctuation of emotions.

He had been sizing him up and observing him, vaguely feeling that the person in front of him was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't grasp the key point, and then suddenly a flash of inspiration.

Sam was a little excited.

"This morning, coffee shop, you…"

Sam was clumsy and stammered as soon as he opened his mouth. He didn't know how to describe it, and then he became even more anxious when he saw Anson's confused expression.

Since he couldn't describe it clearly in words, Sam simply stood up and used body language—

He raised his right foot, extended his right hand, and made a lifting motion with his left hand, staring at Anson with wide eyes, trying to awaken Anson's memory.

Before Anson could speak, Ian leaned back in his chair, spread out his left side, and jokingly said in a lazy posture of sunbathing, "Sam, are you performing some kind of performance art? Is this a rumba or a tango?"

Sam ignored Ian and just looked at Anson.

Anson finally remembered, "Coffee shop? But how did you know?"

Sam revealed a satisfied smile, "I was there too."

Anson suddenly understood.

Ian looked left and right, "Are you guys talking in riddles? Won't you let us listen together?"

Sam had already sat down again, not intending to explain at all. He could only leave this job to Anson, and his eyes fell on Anson's shoulders.

Anson revealed a smile and simply explained, "This morning at a coffee shop, I lent a hand to a lady and helped her with a small favor."

The slightly chubby lady didn't believe these understated words, not a single word, "A small favor? A small favor is not enough to make Sam so excited. I've been with Sam for a week, and this is the first time I've seen him strike that pose."

Saying that, the lady laughed.

Originally, this was a joke, but Sam nodded seriously with a serious face, and rarely responded, "Indeed. Like kung fu."

"I think it's a little like Spider-Man. Maybe you should let Anson reenact the action."

The words had just been spoken, and Sam was stunned—

Spider-Man?

Thinking back to the scene that happened at the coffee shop that morning, Sam didn't realize that an inspiration had taken root in his brain and was growing rapidly.

Fifth update.