From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Fourteen takes.

Anson needed to consider not only his own performance but also the director's creative intentions and the overall state of the work.

In the movie "Elephant," Gus didn't try to tell a complete story. He only extracted a cross-section of everyday school life: those incomplete, ongoing states, without answers or direction, thirty minutes of an ordinary morning for a seventeen-year-old, and then abruptly cut it off.

From the perspective of the movie's creative intention, this was the effect Gus hoped to achieve: no context, and likewise, no future.

When the audience is offended, shocked, and hurt, when the audience perceives the incompleteness of the story or characters—the characters' fates being interrupted unreasonably—that proves Gus has achieved his goal.

Therefore.

After entering the performance state, everything was natural and smooth. Anson surrendered himself to intuition, completely abandoning reason and thought. As the performance was about to end, he slammed on the brakes, controlled himself, and didn't continue according to his past performance habits.

This was Anson's understanding.

Now that filming was over, Anson needed to confirm with the director.

A hint of satisfaction appeared in Gus's eyes, and he nodded slightly, "Your intuition is correct."

"If you had revealed a smile and a sense of relief at the very end, that would have been another NG."

"Of course, I know that in other movies, such context and arcs are the correct way to perform. I used to expect such performances, believe me, your understanding is correct; but this time, I want to break that concept and explore a brand-new visual language."

"As I said just now, everything is good."

I see.

Anson raised his chin slightly, "Okay, I understand. I just needed to confirm."

Gus hesitated slightly, but finally spoke, "You did very well."

Anson was taken aback, "Director, you already said that."

Gus: "I know. I just want to tell you that you are an excellent actor."

This was unexpected for Anson.

Gus was very honest, "Honestly, I didn't expect it myself, it far exceeded expectations."

"You have ideas and are willing to study the character. If you encounter confusion or incomprehension, you are willing to speak out, face your weaknesses and shortcomings with grace, and engage in open communication."

"This honesty is not easy for narcissistic and proud actors."

Actors are often self-centered.

From a certain perspective, they need this self-centeredness, because it is the foundation for them to explore characters and awaken themselves. Without this self-centeredness, they often cannot become excellent actors.

But from another perspective, this self-centeredness can also become an obstacle to communication between actors and directors.

Because of this, many actors are stubborn and unyielding, refusing to communicate and refusing to change, which makes them a discordant factor in the crew's collaboration.

This was also Gus's biggest concern before the filming of "Elephant."

Perhaps, the previous Anson was humble and friendly. The collaborations on the "Spider-Man" and "Catch Me If You Can" crews were exceptionally smooth; but now things were different.

Firstly, the great success of "Spider-Man" allowed Anson to taste fame for the first time.

Secondly, "Elephant" was a small crew, and Anson was the center of attention.

All these factors meant that Anson's position in the crew was different. Even Gus, as the director, might not be able to control the situation. Once Anson put on airs, it could be a disaster.

Turning, repeating, worrying.

At certain moments, Gus began to self-reflect. Why did he agree to Anson starring in "Elephant"? It would have been better to just use ordinary student actors.

At certain moments, Gus secretly cheered himself on. If Anson acted like a diva, he would simply call it quits. He would kick Anson directly out of the crew. Although the name "Gus Van Sant" wasn't a big deal in Hollywood, he wasn't just any nameless nobody.

However.

The worried things didn't happen.

Not only did they not happen, but the opposite was true. Surprises came one after another, far exceeding expectations. Now it seemed that Anson's joining should be a stroke of luck, ensuring that Gus could take risks and experiment according to his own ideas, giving the movie "Elephant" a brand-new meaning, and pursuing those ambitions.

This also made Gus somewhat embarrassed.

He thought, he owed Anson an apology. Sure enough, stereotypes kill people. Regardless of age or status, narrow-minded ideas can make them ugly.

But on second thought, instead of apologizing, it was better to praise.

From any perspective, Anson deserved praise.

Gus didn't hold back.

"I like your honesty."

"Of course, more importantly, after effective communication, you can bring out your best state to meet the director's requirements. I have no reason to nitpick."

"In fact, I need to praise your work. Although I, like everyone else, see the appearance first when I see you; I sincerely like your performance."

"Maybe you should be more confident. You deserve it."

This was the first time.

It was the first time someone had praised Anson to his face. Although every previous filming process had been very pleasant, and Anson could feel the goodwill from the crew; the praise that was actually spoken was still different, giving Anson affirmation.

Anson became a little restrained instead.

In his previous life, he really couldn't remember the last time he had been praised. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be praised and affirmed.

It felt like a ball of cotton candy was expanding in his chest, warm, sweet, and light, the colorful hues gradually brightening.

Anson's expression was slightly awkward, but he still showed a big smile, "Director, do I need to be even more confident? Are you sure?"

Actors, the most narcissistic group of people, their ego and arrogance are simply unimaginable.

Gus immediately heard the subtext of Anson's self-deprecation, and a smile appeared in his eyes, "Believe me, I have seen some actors, their ego is much bigger than imagined, and they refuse to admit it themselves."

"Your ego is nothing, a drop in the bucket, it doesn't matter if it grows a little more."

The smile on Anson's lips also rose, "Shh, I'll keep it a secret from Matt."

Matt Damon: ???

A smile appeared in Gus's eyes, "Although I was talking about Ben just now, but..." He also put his finger on his lips, "Shh."

Ben Affleck: I didn't offend you!

Then.

Gus didn't stay any longer, "We should prepare for the next scene."

Without a doubt, this was Anson's most special shoot to date.

It wasn't difficult, it could even be said to be simple. It truly allowed the actor to play freely, without the constraints of lines or any framework. Nothing was restricted, and the performance could be completed entirely according to the actor's own ideas.

It wasn't simple either. It was undoubtedly a completely different challenge, completely breaking and subverting Anson's understanding of acting and characters, experiencing a brand-new way of filming, and re-examining the art form of film.

When Darren Star called him, this was definitely something Anson hadn't expected.