From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

This wasn't the first time Nicholas had seen Anson up close, but no matter how many times, the oncoming impact was still deeply imprinted in his mind.

Today was no exception—

A light gray pinstripe shirt paired with dark blue jeans showcased an elegant and dashing handsomeness, while a black leather jacket and navy blue ankle boots highlighted a tough and unrestrained sense of understated cool. Finally, a pencil-thin black tie matched with a black belt buckle cinched the lines of his figure.

A subtle visual effect arose from the collision of composure and refinement, walking the line between danger and fatality. Seemingly contradictory and complex, it made people unable to take their eyes away. The brain struggled to imagine how such a combination came about, involuntarily falling into a kind of amazement.

In fact, when viewed separately, each item seemed ordinary, as if there was nothing special about them, but together they had a certain something.

Elegant and romantic, yet you could feel the rebellion and rock 'n' roll in his bones.

A question couldn't help but pop into his head: How on earth did he do it? Did God put extra effort into crafting this shell?

Moreover, his ride was a motorcycle!

Uncontrollably, a sense of longing arose. Nicholas couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live as Anson for a day.

"Hey, Anson!"

Nicholas called out loudly, pressing the shutter the instant Anson took off his helmet, turned his head, and looked over, freezing that moment for eternity.

— "What does it feel like to be Anson-Wood?"

This was the title of the exclusive interview Nicholas wrote for "The New York Times," taking a different approach, breaking the traditional framework of exclusive interviews, and instead recording the conversation by accompanying Anson.

In the opening, Nicholas summarized the interview with a short paragraph.

"When I threw out the question in the title, Anson flashed a smile and gave an unexpected answer, 'Trying to find myself.'

Anson said that appearances are often deceptive. People have a relative stereotype for every image, just like blondes or eye scholars. Similarly, when people see me, they often have their own judgments. I have been working hard to find the self beneath this skin, and trying to find a cross-section of an actor, a role, between the self and the appearance, and giving the performance different colors, has become a subject. I am still on a journey of exploration.

This was not the answer I expected.

Obviously, it was no accident that this young actor was able to play three seemingly similar but completely different roles in his short career and leave a deep impression on the audience.

Of course, this unplanned interview did not go according to my plan:

An exploration. An adventure. A journey. Just like traveling, it's good to plan ahead, but occasionally deviating from the track and entering unfamiliar territory may not be a bad thing, and maybe there will be new discoveries.

In just a short paragraph, one could deeply feel the surging thoughts in Nicholas' mind. This was not a conventional interview manuscript at all. Even Howell-Raines, the well-informed editor-in-chief of "The New York Times," was full of question marks and asked Nicholas what was going on after seeing the manuscript.

Nicholas said, "From the beginning, things went off track. Can you imagine? I've interviewed so many actors and so many directors, but I was left speechless by an eighteen-year-old actor."

— "Come on, get in the car, I'll take you to taste the most delicious breakfast in Los Angeles."

This was the first sentence Anson said after seeing Nicholas.

Without greetings or small talk, he directly extended an invitation.

Then he got back in the car, handed a helmet to Nicholas, patted the motorcycle seat to signal, and the motorcycle was ready to go again without stalling, as dashing and rebellious as a "Easy Rider" from the sixties.

Nicholas looked at his editor-in-chief, "Have you ever encountered such an interview subject? Honestly, I almost really had my heart moved."

Howell could sense the shock and surprise in Nicholas's words, and he couldn't help but laugh, "I have only one question, is he really that special? I mean, the photos are good, he is indeed very handsome, but I don't think he is any different from other Hollywood pretty faces."

In essence, "The New York Times" is still a serious newspaper. Even in the entertainment section, they would not sensationalize like "The Sun." Naturally, Howell also seemed much more rational.

Nicholas did not rush to speak, but pondered seriously for a while, "Temperament. Anson has a contradictory and special temperament. Ordinary clothes on him, what lines, what proportions, I don't understand, but he can indeed easily steal attention, and make me have the urge to put on that outfit."

Howell raised his eyebrows slightly, "So, did you try it?"

Nicholas looked down at his own body, "I think it has different ideas."

Howell took office in such a predicament, taking over this hot potato. "The New York Times" is facing multiple blows from internal and external troubles. On some sensitive issues, they need to be more cautious.

Of course, an entertainment report, a new actor, a summer blockbuster movie, there is no need to be so careful for "The New York Times"; but from another perspective, if they can seize the opportunity to re-emphasize the professional image of "The New York Times," that would also be an unexpected gain.

Originally, Howell didn't have any special ideas, just thought they needed to be more cautious, so he paid a little more attention to the hot potato that Nicholas took over; but now, his intuition also sounded the alarm—

Disney is trying to seize the opportunity of Anson to launch publicity, and "The New York Times" can also seize the opportunity to lead public opinion and defend its professional position.

Howell became a little curious, "So, how was breakfast?"

Nicholas looked at the editor-in-chief, a smile appeared in his eyes, "See, this is Anson's charm, making people curious, you are also curious, right?"

Howell remained noncommittal.

Nicholas originally wanted to play coy, but seeing that Howell didn't fall for it, he didn't mind and threw out an unexpected answer, "He took me to enjoy a brunch."

Howell was stunned, "What?"