From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Kristen looked at Anson with a hint of confusion in her eyes, "The first time?"

That doesn't seem right, does it?

Because of the influence of the Virgin Mary in religion, many popular cultures in North America tend to create female protagonists in two extremes:

Either they are streetwalkers, or they are saintly.

To some extent, these two extreme and opposite characteristics often converge on one character, becoming a yearning and belief for the ultimate romance.

Mary Jane has such characteristics.

In the movie script, she first dates Flash Thompson, then Harry Osborn, is attracted to Spider-Man, and finally falls in love with Peter Parker. The whole movie is just under two hours long, but her emotional world has already gone through several earth-shattering cycles, forming a sharp contrast with Peter.

But from another perspective, for most of the movie, Mary Jane is a character waiting for help and redemption, like Cinderella waiting for the prince to appear; but when the ending arrives, she switches positions, and Mary Jane becomes the character who redeems Peter Parker and helps Peter Parker complete his transformation and growth.

This complexity is precisely the depth and height of the movie "Spider-Man".

When people discuss a commercial movie, what makes the movie a classic is often not the protagonist, but the villain or supporting characters, because the protagonist needs to bear the burden of charm. He cannot be rejected or disgusted by the audience, so the complexity and depth he carries are also bound. These dramatic conflicts often need to be distributed to the villain and other supporting characters.

Sam Raimi's original movie was shouldered by the character of Green Goblin Norman Osborn. Norman, compared to Peter, is a mentor and father figure, and also the father of Peter's friend Harry, but stands on the opposite side due to different ideas. Such dramatic conflict gives the story depth.

Anson agreed with this.

However, Anson slightly disagreed with the part that, in the "Spider-Man" script, including Norman Osborn, Uncle Ben, Harry Osborn, and Mary Jane, a series of supporting characters, they all play important roles in the dramatic conflict. If something can be slightly explored in these characters, the movie can produce a grandeur and depth of a ancient Greek tragedy.

Of course, the premise of everything is that it does not affect the movie's own lightness and fluency—

In the final analysis, this is still a commercial film.

The line of sight returns to Mary Jane again.

Obviously, Kristen did not understand what Anson meant by "the first time".

Anson gave a smile and an affirmative answer, "Yes, the first time."

"Not the feeling for Harry Osborn, nor the feeling for Spider-Man, a kind of liking, a kind of admiration, a kind of trust, a kind of throbbing."

"Pure liking."

But now, Kristen realized that because Mary Jane had known Peter Parker for a long time, her liking for him could not be love at first sight, or suddenly seeing him in a new light at a certain moment, but a process that happened silently.

So Anson sorted out a framework to present the emotional changes.

Then, little by little, slowly change in one scene after another.

This also means that Kristen must re-examine every scene they are in together and explore the changes behind those words.

Generally speaking, the scenes, dialogues, and lines of commercial films often cannot be deeply explored. Everything is set up to promote the plot. This is also the reason why Kristen was initially not interested in "Spider-Man". Actors in these movies look like Barbie dolls.

But now, they can dig out the psychological changes of the characters in the same scenes, dialogues, and lines, and the plot itself has meaning.

The characters also have vitality.

For Peter Parker, this is a coming-of-age story. In the end of death and injury, he finally realized that the power he possesses represents a heavy responsibility. Unless he can bear this responsibility, this power will only destroy everyone he loves. So he pushed Mary Jane away and went on his own.

For Mary Jane, isn't it the same? In the end, she finally realized that she cannot rely on others to escape, because she will always be an appendage to others. She needs to find herself and find a partner who is willing to respect her and move forward side by side, bravely facing the cruel reality.

In the original script, unintentionally, a character arc was also created for Mary Jane.

The so-called unintentional is because the screenwriter's intention is not to witness Mary Jane's growth, but to set up dramatic conflicts around Peter Parker to drive the plot. Everything leads to the moment when Mary Jane finally confesses to Peter Parker but is rejected. The core driving force is still Peter Parker.

And now, Kristen can interpret her own understanding on the unintended character arc of the screenwriter, without having to modify the script or affect the shooting, she can make the character full and three-dimensional, and more importantly, create space for the actor to interpret and perform the character, and show the actor's ability.

Involuntarily, Kristen looked up at Anson, with a glimmer of brilliance in her eyes—

In the beginning, Kristen chose to audition for "Spider-Man" because of Anson.

Kristen watched "Friends" and was able to see the charm that Anson gave to the character, interpreting within the framework defined by the screenwriter and director. Does this mean that "Spider-Man" can also be slightly different from ordinary commercial movies?

Before her eyes, all guesses have become reality.

However, Kristen is still pleasantly surprised. Even if her judgment is correct, she is still touched by the whims in Anson's mind at this moment.

No wonder!

In Kristen's brief contact with Sam, Sam praised Anson in every word, obviously not treating him like a vase actor.

Kristen, "So, is this the way you figured out Peter Parker's psychological arc?"

The topic returned to Anson.

Anson did not deny it, spreading his hands, "I don't know many ways, after all, I don't have enough experience."

A self-deprecating remark immediately made the air relaxed and cheerful.

Kristen looked at Jack, "Do you know that your friend is always so amazing?"

Jack was slightly stunned, "Huh?"

A second ago, Jack was looking at Kristen, noticing Kristen's focused gaze towards Anson, and was a little lost in thought.

The next second, Jack did not expect that the topic had already turned to him, and was in a flurry.

Fortunately, Anson helped to defuse the situation, "No, he doesn't know. Men in the eyes of women and men in the eyes of men are two completely different creatures. So, I know you admire me very much, but obviously, Jack doesn't think so. He should be full of question marks right now."

"Haha." Kristen's smile fully bloomed.

"…Anson?" A slightly hesitant voice cut in from the side, interrupting their conversation.