From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

People always think that reality means fragility; looking back means regression.

He had always believed this to be true, so he refused to look back, focusing on the present and looking forward to the future, steadily moving forward step by step.

But the point is, regardless of whether you look back or not, the shadows of the past are always deeply hidden in the depths of the soul, bringing far-reaching effects in unseen ways.

Looking back at the past is not a kind of cowardice, on the contrary, it is a kind of courage. Only by truly facing those vulnerabilities and those scars can you truly let go and gain the power to move forward at full speed.

Frank Abagnale Jr. in "Catch Me If You Can" is just like that.

He was always running away, always avoiding, always disguising himself, refusing to acknowledge his parents' divorce, refusing to acknowledge his father's incompetence, refusing to face the adult world, putting on layers of disguise to hide himself.

However, he was eventually caught, not only by the FBI agent, but also by his own past. His admiration and resentment for his father, his desire and nostalgia for his family, eventually grabbed his ankles.

It wasn't until that day that he stopped and was forced to face his past that his transformation and growth truly arrived.

Now, it's Anson's turn.

He wasn't sure if he was ready, but he thought it was time.

Huff.

He exhaled a long breath, slightly raised his chin, and looked directly at the sun.

The sun in Portland was neither dazzling nor bright, and the light it cast was not stimulating. It fell warmly and gently on his face, and he could hardly feel the temperature. Time seemed to pause briefly, the noisy thoughts disappeared, and the world began to become clear.

Those cicada chirps, those bird calls, those engine roars of cars hurrying past the road, those sounds of laughter and chasing in the classrooms, those days flowing by.

He knew he was ready.

Thus.

He stood up, turned around, and returned to the entrance of the teaching building. He could see the slightly silent crew at a glance. The students stood there at a loss, the crew members hurriedly withdrew their surreptitious gazes at him, and Gus was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, unable to hide his worry.

"Director, let's try one more time."

Anson's voice broke the awkward silence.

Gus suddenly looked up at Anson. He was a little unsure, and he couldn't see anything different about Anson at this time, but he felt that something was indeed different.

Gus, "Okay."

The crew started operating again, but the students like Alex and Eric couldn't hide the hesitation in their expressions. Obviously, they knew nothing about making movies, and they were even more unprepared for everything that was happening in front of them. The hesitation in their eyes revealed their current confusion.

Skeptical, they still stood outside the camera lens, exchanging glances, silently conveying information, but they couldn't get any answers, so they could only wait patiently.

Gus stared at Anson without saying a word, wanting to say something but stopping.

Timothy Bottoms.

This was a veteran actor who was active in the 1970s and had played the leading role in many works. Unfortunately, after a brief burst of professional life, he quickly returned to a calm state. Later, he was active on the small screen of TV series for many years. There were no regular roles, and most of them were supporting roles with brief appearances, or murderers in detective dramas. He had some lines, but he couldn't stay for long after all.

This time, in the "Elephant" crew, he, like Anson, was one of the few actors, playing Anson's father, and he didn't have a name, he was just "Anson's Father."

Regarding the filming that had just been interrupted, Timothy had been in Hollywood for more than thirty years, so he was used to it. At this time, he welcomed Anson's return with a warm hug, and without asking too much, he directly entered the performance state.

"Ready?" Timothy asked with his eyes.

Anson exhaled a long breath, "I'll only know if I try."

But Timothy could see it—

Anson was getting into character.

Usually, when Anson started a conversation, he would definitely look into the other person's eyes, and his words and tone were full of sincerity; but now he didn't, which also meant that Anson was quietly merging with the setting in "Elephant".

Not sharp, but faintly thorny, like a hedgehog that hasn't grown up yet.

Timothy didn't say anything more, and nodded slightly.

Everything was ready.

The fifteenth take of this scene, "Action!"

Slowly, the car pulled up at the school gate.

But the scene inside the car was different from what was imagined. The father who should have been sitting in the driver's seat and the child in the passenger seat had now switched positions.

The child in the driver's seat was slightly thin, with his long hair dyed a gaudy gold, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt. The matching hair and T-shirt of the same color made him look even stranger; moreover, the T-shirt didn't fit well. It was obviously the simplest outfit, but he managed to make mistakes in every aspect.

However, obviously this child didn't care.

Anson opened the car door and prepared to get out. The first thing he did was pull out the car key and look at the man in the passenger seat with a slightly helpless expression.

"Okay, Dad, you just stay here, Lucas will pick you up later."

After saying that, Anson pushed open the car door and got out of the car without looking at his father directly. He lowered his head, rubbed his hair vigorously, and his slightly curly hair fell down messily. With his shoulders drooping, he opened the trunk and rummaged for his coat and schoolbag, and then he saw that his father had actually gotten out of the car too.

His footsteps paused, his eyes quickly scanned around, and then he lowered his head again.

He couldn't help but sigh softly, "Dad, you just stay in the car, don't wander around. Please."

Although he didn't get angry, his tone still faintly revealed a trace of helplessness and irritability.

In the end, he simply walked forward and pushed his father's arm, signaling him to return to the car.

Seeing his father preparing to return to the passenger seat, he ignored him, turned around, strode forward with slightly heavy steps, pushed open the door, and went straight into the school's teaching building.

—Here it comes.

The entire crew held their breath. In the first half, there were no mistakes. Although the amateur outsiders couldn't see any difference, the entire filming atmosphere was obviously smoother, and their eyes couldn't leave Anson.

Moreover, Gus didn't interrupt the filming.

But the real key was still in the next scene, which was also the part that Gus kept NG-ing, and this was the moment to test Anson.

No one knew what was wrong with this scene, but Gus and Anson were stuck here, constantly treading in place like a dead loop, so that the filming couldn't be advanced at all.

So, what about this time?

Not only Gus, but the air of the entire crew was slightly condensed, and they couldn't help but hold their breath.

Creak.

Anson pushed open the door and entered the school. He didn't have any special expression or any special actions. He came to the public telephone on the right side of the door, took out two coins, put them in, and dialed a number.

The phone only rang twice before it was picked up.