From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Nervous?"

"About what?"

"Tom Hanks."

"And then?"

Edgar choked involuntarily.

Originally, Edgar was worried about Anson's nervousness and was trying to comfort him, but instead, he got himself confused and disoriented.

Turning to the side, Edgar looked at Anson, "That's Tom Hanks, I mean he's one of only two actors in history to win back-to-back Oscars for Best Actor, and he's also the most authoritative figure in the Screen Actors Guild; and, the scene we're about to shoot is... very special."

Anson's eyes lit up, "Oh, Captain, so you actually read the script carefully. I thought agents just skimmed through it."

Edgar's face was full of helplessness, but looking at Anson, who was still calm and joking, he couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit dumbfounded.

Anson didn't continue joking, "If you ask me, am I nervous about facing Tom Hanks next and having to film a scene where I trick him?"

"The answer is definitely yes."

"Yes, I'm very nervous."

"God, what if I forget my lines? What if I'm too nervous and give myself away? What if I keep messing up? What if Tom steals the spotlight in the whole scene, leaving me as an unnoticed extra, causing the rhythm of the whole scene to be unbalanced?"

"Captain, I am indeed nervous."

Anson was serious. His rapid-fire words left Edgar stunned, and he vaguely regretted putting so much pressure on Anson.

— Different, indeed different.

To outsiders, a scene between two actors is just a conversation. Unless it's an emotional outburst or an exaggerated performance, it's hard to see the difference.

But that's not the case.

A scene between two actors is about give and take. The actors' understanding of the character, the plot, the scene, and the lines has power. If one actor throws a 'key' element over, but the other actor doesn't understand the reason behind it and completely ignores it, or can't catch the cue, the balance of the whole scene will be broken, causing the atmosphere built by the movie to be seen through by the audience—

Breaking the illusion.

A scene between two actors is definitely not just dialogue or interaction, but also a mutual exchange and collision, maintaining tension while being able to blend together harmoniously.

For Anson, this is a brand new challenge.

Up until now, the overall tone of "Friends", "The Princess Diaries", and "Spider-Man" has been relatively lighthearted, and scenes between actors don't emphasize 'give and take'.

In "Spider-Man", the scenes where Peter Parker talks to Uncle Ben and Mary Jane are a bit more nuanced, but the focus is often on Anson, allowing him to express himself. Compared to give and take, it's more like a solo performance, and the parts where they collide aren't the focus of the camera.

"Catch Me If You Can" is indeed a turning point.

First, there are veteran actors like Christopher and Natalie to support Anson, allowing him to explore the field of acting; then, there's the test of acting face-to-face with Tom Hanks, and Anson is in control of the situation.

Without a doubt, this is a test.

Just imagining it in his head, adrenaline starts to rush, occupying his brain like a tsunami. It's impossible not to be nervous.

But along with the nervousness, there's also anticipation and excitement—

After all, it's not every day you get the chance to stand in front of Tom Hanks and perform.

Before, on the set of "The Princess Diaries", Anson envied Anne for having the opportunity to stand in front of Julie Andrews and perform; and now Anson also has such an opportunity, and joy and excitement have overwhelmed his nervousness.

Honestly, his heart is a little torn. It's good to be distracted by Hayden's matter, and to try to bring himself back to a balanced state of mind.

Too much nervousness is bad, and too much excitement is just as bad.

Edgar stared at Anson, "But?"

Anson was puzzled, "But?"

Edgar, "Judging from your tone just now, there should be a 'but' coming up, so, but what?"

Anson shrugged lightly, ignored Edgar, opened the car door and walked straight towards the set, leaving Edgar behind.

Edgar: ??? Is that it?

After a moment of slight愣住, Edgar couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

At least, Anson is still in the mood to joke and play pranks, which is a good thing, right?

Then, Edgar realized that perhaps he was even more nervous than Anson.

As an agent, he's still a newbie, and hearing the names of Steven and Tom inevitably makes him feel pressured. After all, these big shots can easily lift a little finger and make them tremble under the stormy waves.

And Anson, also a newbie, sheds his baggage after getting into the situation, and is not blinded by those auras and reputations, showing the professional demeanor of an actor. This purity sets them apart.

This is a good thing.

Edgar's wildly beating heart slowly returned to his chest. Since Anson has been conscientiously completing his work, then he should also fulfill his professionalism—

The first step is to treat the entire crew to afternoon tea.

Not to buy people's hearts, but to fulfill a promise.

On this side, Edgar got out of the car and started busying himself.

On that side, Anson entered the set with light steps.

"But", there is indeed a turning point there, but he is an actor, he needs to focus on himself and truly enter the role of Little Frank.

In this scene, Little Frank faces Carl's pursuit, showing incredible calm and composure. Not only is he not flustered, but he also pretends to be an agent from another law enforcement agency without changing his expression, actually fooling Carl in person and finally escaping unscathed.

This calmness and boldness truly demonstrate Little Frank's abilities, worthy of being a ruthless character who could be on the FBI's Most Wanted list as a minor.

So, if Anson shrinks back and loses his composure because of Tom Hanks, then this scene is destined to fail, or even become a disaster.

So, how will Anson cope?

Get into character.

Before arriving on set, or rather, on the way over just now, Anson began to slowly explore, half-truthfully pondering the state of Frank Abagnale Jr.

Although he's not 100% inseparable from the character, he's already slowly getting into the role—

Actually, Little Frank is also an actor.

Isn't Little Frank afraid?

No.

He's just as afraid.

But Little Frank knew a long time ago that as long as you're confident enough, as long as you're realistic enough, people often won't delve into the details. People are willing to believe their own eyes, to believe anything. So, confidence is the first rule to make a lie convincing.

From that time on, Little Frank has been 'playing' a role, just like an actor.

So, for Anson, things are much simpler.

Little Frank is playing a role, and Anson is playing Little Frank, and he can even skip the middle steps, and Anson directly plays the role played by Little Frank.

However, there's still a detail here. Anson needs to speculate on Little Frank's unease and hesitation when playing the role—

For him, this is not difficult, because he is about to perform a scene with Tom Hanks, which is equivalent to Little Frank facing the FBI agent. Those unease and hesitation already exist.

Perfect, everything is seamless.

The performance, in fact, has already begun.