From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

#527 - Doubt Life

The success of "Spider-Man" didn't swell Ansen's head.

Despite his reluctance, he had to admit that the incidents involving Brad Renfro and Hayden Christensen served as a warning, keeping Ansen sober.

Ansen knew he lacked experience; the success of one movie meant nothing. He still needed to learn on the path of acting, with a long road ahead.

At the same time, Ansen also believed he wasn't a complete newbie, a clueless idiot. At least he had tried some acting and some method acting techniques.

However.

Lines? Expression? State? Posture? Or some other detail? If improvements were needed, where should he start?

There was no information at all.

One moment it was "Relax a bit," another it was "Tense up a bit," one moment "More," another "Less." This wasn't like spinning cotton candy, where you could freely adjust the speed and amount. It was completely impossible to grasp, instantly returning Ansen to the model shooting scene in the studio, his limbs completely unresponsive, to the point where he felt like a balloon man out of control.

Thus.

Not knowing where the problem lay, nor the direction for improvement, Ansen was trapped in place, like a headless fly spinning in circles.

Free rein?

Who said free rein was a good thing!

Originally, Ansen wasn't very sure, and now, with continuous NGs, Ansen fell into a daze of self-doubt and confusion, completely losing his direction.

Honestly, the subsequent shoots were a mess. Ansen didn't even know what he was acting. It was a disaster, to the point that Ansen himself wanted to stop shooting, without the director even saying a word.

If Ansen didn't know Gus, he would even suspect the director was playing a prank—

The previous shooting went so smoothly, but when it came to Ansen, there were so many mistakes? Wasn't this deliberately embarrassing Ansen in front of the other students?

What about the professional actor they talked about?

That's it.

Ansen thought he wouldn't mind, but he inadvertently noticed those disappointed and astonished gazes, as if a mythical bubble had been burst. This made Ansen reveal a wry smile:

There was never any mysterious aura. Hollywood's star-making factory was the place that truly possessed the power to turn the rotten into the magical, not these actors themselves. Away from the spotlight and stripped of their halos, they were also ordinary people.

Self-deprecation aside, he still couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

Honestly.

After filming "Catch Me If You Can," Ansen thought he had figured out some acting tricks, finally pushing open the door to the world of acting, but what about now?

Heh heh.

"Director, we need to talk."

The atmosphere on set became somewhat strange after Ansen said this—

Could it be that Ansen was going to get angry out of embarrassment and confront the director head-on?

Could they witness the legendary display of diva behavior with their own eyes?

In front of everyone! Under the spotlight!

Ansen strode towards Gus, and the Ansen before them was different.

In front of the camera, Ansen entered the character's state, playing a slightly gloomy, slightly introverted, slightly sad boy, who seemed very low-key.

But at this moment, Ansen opened his shoulders, straightened his back, and his straight and slender figure naturally produced a sense of oppression, making his temperament completely different.

So, this was the real Ansen.

Gus, gulp, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and his heart couldn't help but beat wildly.

"Gus, don't panic."

"Wait, Gus, what are you panicking about?"

"Oh, God, this is just a fledgling who has just come of age, why are you showing such a haunted expression?"

Gus himself realized it, and his body reflexively leaned back, able to feel Ansen's oncoming pressure from a distance.

Gus felt like his knees were trembling.

"Director."

"What exactly was wrong with the performance just now? I need some clear instructions."

Gus: … …

Everyone: … …

What about the tense standoff they were expecting? What about the all-out brawl they were anticipating?

Damn it!

Ansen was, after all, Ansen. He had experienced even more embarrassing, terrible, and frightening things in his previous life. What did a little image shattering matter?

For Ansen, what he needed to consider now was not his own face and pride, but acting—

The first scene couldn't just get stuck here, right?

Gus seemed to be stunned. Ansen didn't get a response from the director, but at least he should express his own thoughts. Otherwise, the two sides would just be guessing and speculating, and might never understand each other's needs.

Communication was the right solution.

"Director, let's clarify our thoughts and see if my understanding of the character is wrong."

"I was planning to skip class, but I was caught by my alcoholic father, who forcibly sent me to school regardless."

"I suspect my father has been drinking again. I'm worried that my father might cause trouble, so I left the car keys at the school front desk and called my brother to come and take my father home."

"I, uh, I hate him. I can't wait to escape that family forever, but I still can't let go. I worry about him, worry that he might get into an accident. If he gets into an accident, that's one thing, but what if it involves other innocent passersby?"

"Some irritability, some powerlessness… I, I don't even know who to turn to for help."

—Plot, this is the plot.

In "Elephant," Ansen plays a student named Ansen, but not an ordinary student. He will be one of the few survivors of a school shooting, and also the core figure who strings together the entire story's ensemble cast.

Gus had considered whether Ansen should play one of the two students who pulled the trigger, because the biggest star in the cast was often the final survivor, and it was too clichéd for Ansen to play the survivor.

But on second thought, it was also a movie trope for the biggest star in the cast to play the villain or the murderer. In any case, Ansen was the focus of the movie, so it was better to let it happen naturally.

Anyway, this time, Ansen was not a superhero saving the world.

Therefore, Ansen was carrying the plot. He was a person with a story.

But upon closer examination, the character itself was not complex. Ansen believed that he had grasped the key and found a way to perform it.

But the reality was not so.

With one NG after another, Ansen was almost starting to doubt his life.

So, he needed to talk, to have an open and honest discussion with the director.

Gus nodded, "Completely correct."

Ansen, "So, contradiction, irritability, helplessness, this is my state."

Gus nodded again, "Completely correct."

Ansen, "Then, what exactly is the problem with the performance?"

Gus thought seriously, "I don't know."

Ansen: … …