From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Huff.

Slowly, deeply, Anson exhaled, releasing all the stagnant air that had been weighing on his chest, yet he still couldn't feel any fresh air.

He was very calm, extremely calm; his mind was a blank slate, devoid of any negative emotions, no sadness, no anger, no disappointment, and no pain. There was only a sense of tranquility, like the endless depths of the dark sea.

However.

His chest was burning, as if a faint, tiny flame was flickering within, not fierce or explosive, but simply burning steadily.

Lifting his head, he could see that the entire room was bustling and incredibly crowded, his vision filled with figures, leaving no room to stand.

Involuntarily, he was stunned—

Who was he? Where was he? What was he doing?

Everything began to blur.

For a moment, he seemed to return to his past life, back to that nightmarish afternoon, the bank's seal, the neighbors' onlookers, and the victim's heart-wrenching cries filling his sight and hearing, his brain on the verge of exploding.

Then, he seemed to fall down a rabbit hole, like Alice in Wonderland, as the dream was so real that he couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion, seeing a sleeping figure through the keyhole but not knowing what to shout.

Little Frank? Or Anson?

Then.

Someone on the set finally came back to their senses, slowly returning to reality from the shock and impact, their minds buzzing, emotions surging and colliding, yet unable to find an outlet—

So, they applauded.

Unexpectedly, truly unexpectedly, things had taken such a turn.

The crew had grown accustomed to Steven's filming rhythm and to the actors as part of the film—which meant the actors had no room to show off their skills; a just-right performance was enough, no need to overdo it.

The filming just now was enough, very good, no need to add unnecessary details; Anson's ambition and greed, in the crew's eyes, were just the actor's narcissism and arrogance swelling, believing the world should revolve around them.

Unnecessary. Really.

But now, all those thoughts were overturned, deeply immersed in shock.

Restrained yet with lingering charm.

With just a gentle tug, he pulled all the audience into a bottomless abyss.

The shock was not overwhelming, but spreading from the inside out.

So, this was the real intention behind Anson's request to film it again; so, they were the frogs at the bottom of the well, not seeing the layers behind the character; so, they were the assembly line workers who believed "sixty points is enough, any more is a waste"; so, filming a movie really should embrace some artistic pursuits.

So, this is acting.

As an audience, witnessing all of this up close, truly seeing the process of the actor and the character becoming one, showing a completely different side, releasing all the energy of the plot and the character, this was an experience and a shock, the roar in their minds even more turbulent and crazy, burning in their blood.

Until they could no longer control it, a jolt, uncontrollably trembling—

Evolving into applause, venting and releasing.

No cheers, no whistles, just the simplest and purest applause, a kind of instinctive reaction, mechanically clapping their hands.

Slowly, slowly, they realized that their emotions were burning, and they couldn't help but feel surging, clapping harder and harder, their eyes becoming brighter and brighter.

A burst of慷慨激昂(kang kai ji ang - impassioned).

The applause, like a tsunami, swept the entire venue, no one could be an exception.

How impatient they were before filming, how shocked they were now.

Steven was no exception either.

Looking around, Steven could see many people showing helpless smiles, gently shaking their heads, both admiring and shocked, words simply couldn't describe it; but more people were still staring blankly, exchanging glances, looking for similar shocks in each other's eyes.

When they looked at Steven, they only had one thought in their eyes:

Where did you find this treasure?

Steven smiled without saying a word, with a mysterious expression.

After the movie was released, Steven could share the behind-the-scenes stories, he and Tom Hanks finalized Anson's role at Paris Fashion Week.

This would probably shock countless people.

Steven himself admitted that the main reason for choosing Anson in the first place was his versatile image, which could perfectly show the charm of Little Frank Abagnale; in Steven's mind, he wanted to shape this character like a model, constantly showing the character's personal charm.

But, how much of that original intention is left now?

It was also a surprise for Steven.

From the kitchen scene in the morning to the divorce announcement in the afternoon, showing a character's psychological changes over several months in just one day, yet still being able to be so delicate, so rich, so real, admiration was simply not enough to describe Steven's mood.

In fact, Steven had already responded with practical actions—

A close-up.

Aimed at Anson's face.

Filming a movie is like this, carefully planning and laying out the overall situation before filming, the director controls the overall situation, but the specific work is handed over to professionals, and waiting for the inspiration during the filming process to complete the creation.

Just now, it was like this.

Everything was a plan, but an unknown variable appeared in the plan:

Anson.

It was at this time that Steven responded, and the cinematographer and lighting technician responded immediately, seizing the inspiration, perfectly capturing the details of Anson's eyes and facial expressions.

If the reaction of the cinematographer and lighting technician was completely within Steven's expectations, they had worked together for a long time, "Saving Private Ryan" was a work of the same team, they all understood Steven, and firmly grasped the opportunity; then the acting of the two actors, Christopher and Natalie, was a surprise, completely refreshing, completing a round trip of collision.

Wonderful, indescribably wonderful.

Generally speaking, Steven would not change the filming plan, let alone change it for the actor's performance; but just now, Steven seized his intuition, he chose to believe in inspiration.

At that moment, Steven truly felt the descent of the god of cinema.

A smile quietly crept onto the corner of his mouth.

Steven couldn't help but wonder, was it because Tom saw this trait in Anson that he firmly recommended Anson in Paris?

Clap, clap, clap clap.

The applause, rising steadily, surged in this dilapidated apartment, things began to fall from the powdery walls, and the whole world began to shake.

No one expected this scene, the first blowout moment since the start of filming would appear in the most difficult scene in New York, an absolute surprise, all the bustling gazes fell on Anson.

Then, someone finally noticed Anson's abnormality—

He seemed... seemed to be out of breath, the daze and confusion in his eyes not only did not dissipate, but became even more turbulent.

Is Anson okay?

Just at this moment, before they had time to speak, Anson broke the silence and suddenly stood up.

Then, he rushed out the door in one breath.