From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“Cut!”

Steven's voice came from the outer hall, the paper-thin walls offering no resistance, and everyone in the bedroom could hear it clearly, anticipating the words that would follow.

“No problem, next shot.”

Concise, clear.

With Steven's words, the atmosphere on the set noticeably lightened, and a hint of joy could be seen in the exchange of glances. The most difficult scene was about to be completed, and they could finally leave on time.

The filming of the “Divorce Announcement” scene was indeed difficult, requiring not only the cooperation of the actors, but also flawless execution of lighting, camera, sound, and other elements. Even after rehearsals, it was still a test.

All in all, there were seven NGs for various reasons.

Just now, it was the eighth take. Without a doubt, this was the most difficult and challenging scene since the start of filming “Catch Me If You Can,” and the entire crew, from top to bottom, seemed somewhat sensitive and tense.

When Steven announced that it was good, the entire crew couldn't hide their joy.

However, there was one exception—

Anson.

Anson thought for a moment, then finally said, “I want to shoot it again.”

Anson knew what this meant.

He had worked an office job and also worked on film sets, and what he hated most was when actors or directors thought they could do better, and tirelessly asked for “one more take.” Of course, he knew that artists often needed such a process, trying different approaches to find the best version, but for the staff, there was only one thought:

Preventing me from leaving on time.

It's just that they, these working stiffs, had no say, so they could only secretly complain. If the actor or director insisted on "one more take," they had to do it again, and overtime was all too common.

The worst thing was, after the whole crew worked hard for several hours, the director often concluded that the previous take was the best.

This also meant that all their subsequent efforts were a waste of time.

At times like these, the workers didn't even feel like wasting their breath or emotions on cursing. Their only thought was to stay away from these artists from now on—

If we can't afford to offend them, can't we just avoid them?

The cruel reality was that they often really couldn't avoid them, haha.

Now, after changing positions, it was Anson himself who wanted to shoot another take. He had become the prickly troublemaker that no one could afford to offend or avoid.

Moreover, the real reason for Anson's hesitation was that Steven had already approved it. Was it really necessary to put the entire crew through it again?

Since “Friends,” Anson had been very happy and satisfied with his role as a pretty face, acting easily, earning money easily, and enjoying life easily, but unconsciously, his thinking had changed.

Should he listen to his inner voice?

For Anson, this was the first time he felt so strange, and he wasn't sure if it was because of Little Frank's state in this scene that he had become so uncertain.

Was this, method acting?

Natalie didn't express her opinion, but asked softly, “Are you sure?”

Anson didn't answer immediately, but calmed down and thought carefully, recalling his performance state just now. He knew he could do better. In the eighth take, his overall state was not relaxed enough. In the repeated NGs and retakes, he was slightly stiff, and his performance state became tense. He felt he was trying too hard.

A little carelessness, and it might be overdone.

Then, Anson slowly became firm, “Yes, I'm very sure.”

Natalie had been paying attention to Anson, carefully observing the changes in his expression. Now, hearing this answer, she wasn't surprised. She gently patted Anson's shoulder, giving him an encouraging look.

Anson straightened his back, ready to speak.

But Natalie spoke first, “Director.” She called out loudly, “Sorry, I want to shoot it again, can we?”

“I don't think my state was relaxed enough just now, I can perform better. Really, I'm very sorry, but I think we need to do it again.”

There was a rustling sound, and all eyes fell on Natalie.

Anson knew what those eyes meant, and looked at Natalie in disbelief.

Natalie winked at Anson, using her eyes to signal: Leave it to her.

Anson was slightly stunned, and his heart warmed. He understood Natalie's good intentions, and he shouldn't refuse, otherwise he would only put Natalie in an awkward position; but he couldn't accept it so easily, because he understood the mentality of the crew—

A small devil is hard to deal with.

Offending a big shot might lead to losing a job, but offending a small devil would make daily work a torment.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, so what should Anson do?

“Sorry, it should be because of me. My eye movements weren't accurate just now, which affected the partner's performance.” Anson also raised his hand to agree with Natalie.

Natalie didn't hide her surprise.

Anson gave her a smile, “Director, it may not be obvious on camera, but the whole performance will be disjointed. Sorry, can we do it again?”

This time, Anson could clearly feel all eyes on his shoulders.

Natalie was a French actress, and Hollywood always assumed that European actors were difficult to deal with. In addition, Natalie's seniority was there, so even complaints were subtle; but when it came to Anson, one or two people were not polite at all.

They were still happy that Anson had performed well and hadn't made any mistakes so far; but now, in the face of getting off work, Anson suddenly became hateful.

Steven was stunned.

It wasn't Steven's style. He believed that as long as the performance was above the baseline, there was no problem. He didn't like picking at performance details, so since he thought there was no problem, it meant that the overall effect of the picture was fine.

But now?

With Steven's habits, he wouldn't indulge these actors, unless it was Tom Hanks. It wasn't for the sake of getting off work, but because he had his own schedule and plans. He didn't like the filming progress getting out of his control.

Concise, efficient.

This was Steven's consistent style.

However, Steven didn't immediately reject it, but calmed down and observed for a moment, carefully examining the brief eye contact between Anson and Natalie.

He didn't understand whether the performance was too stiff, but he couldn't see it in the monitor; but he could see the tacit understanding between Anson and Natalie. No matter what the truth was, it was indeed the consensus of the two actors.

Steven thought for a moment, then looked at Anson again, his thoughts briefly surging.

Then, “Okay.”

Steven said.

“Let's shoot another take, you better bring out 100% of your state.”

Oh.

A wave of regretful sighs surged through the filming set. The eyes were obviously anxious and impatient, turning away from Anson, rolling their eyes, and couldn't help but complain, just to see what these two "artists" could come up with.

Pressure and noise quietly gathered, heavily surging towards Anson.