From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

… … Okay, this question, Anson-Wood or Brad-Pitt?

Oh, God, this question is killing me, ah ah ah, killing me.

Quick, quick, pick one.

I mean, Brad is so sexy, but Anson has the most beautiful eyes in the world. I'd sleep with Brad and then date Anson.

You! You're so greedy!

Giggling and playfully fighting.

The girls who were waiting in line to order in front couldn't contain their excitement and started chattering, completely unaware that one of the protagonists of their topic was standing right behind them.

Honestly, Anson himself didn't expect this.

He? Actually appearing in the same topic options as Brad Pitt, is this the popularity of "Spider-Man" in North America now?

More importantly, he is now very sure and certain that he has returned to Los Angeles—

This kind of conversation would not happen in Portland.

Only ten short days, Portland is still that Portland, but Los Angeles is already a brand new Los Angeles, even daily life has undergone some subtle changes.

Now, Anson is glad he's wearing his Kansas City Chiefs baseball cap.

Blonde hair, still that blonde hair, Anson is not in a hurry to dye it back, but what worked in Portland may not work in Los Angeles, so Anson still put on a hat as a precaution, not expecting to be verified in the coffee shop.

But, it's just an independent film…

Who knows, maybe he believes he can win an Oscar?

A voice interjected, "No, he doesn't think that way."

Ha, there are really too many arrogant and narcissistic men like that, not just the Oscars, he might even think he can conquer the three major European film festivals.

Still that voice, "Ha, why not start with the Sundance Film Festival first?"

See, ambition!

The girl complained, finally realizing at this point that the last two sentences were not between her and her friend, but a man.

A stranger's voice.

Something's not right.

The girl's words came to an abrupt halt, paused, and turned to look behind her, "Hey, mister, eavesdropping on other people's conversations is very impolite behavior."

"Sorry."

The man didn't argue, simply apologizing neatly, "The discussion was happening right in front of me, I think I should defend myself a bit."

The girl turned around to notice that standing behind her was a tall and upright figure, she slowly looked up, all the way up, and then saw the face hidden under the baseball cap—

Dumbfounded.

Her mouth formed an "O" shape, stunned in place without moving.

Excuse me, what should you do if you're caught talking bad about someone behind their back? What if that person happens to be the fantasy object of your wet dreams from the other day? Asking online, urgent.

Anson chuckled, but didn't say much, "It's your turn to order."

The two girls had completely crashed, huddling together for warmth, slightly making way, flusteredly and incoherently indicating that Anson should go first.

Anson didn't stand on ceremony, he also knew that if he continued to stay here, the two girls might suffocate, so Anson nodded to express his thanks, ordered six cups of coffee, and then took out a fifty-dollar bill and put it on the counter, giving the waiter a smile.

"Pay for the people behind me, the rest is a tip."

The waiter shuddered, a smile climbing to the corners of his eyes, quickly leaning forward, "I think your collaboration with Director Gus is a good idea, I'm really looking forward to your next work."

"Ha. Thank you."

Anson smiled, nodded again to the people in the coffee shop who were all frozen in place, holding the coffee tray, and turned to walk away.

Just as he was about to leave, Anson shouted.

"Cut!"

In Los Angeles, this sentence is like Cinderella's midnight bell, with a magical release effect, the entire coffee shop regained its vitality—

"Ah, is that Anson?"

"Wait, is that the real deal?"

"Ahhh!"

A chorus of screams, a cacophony of noise, the small space was simply bustling.

Anson didn't stop, walking straight ahead, towards the city of sound.

Now, Anson finally understood why Edgar had called him early in the morning to ignore the media.

"There's no need to pay attention to them, this is called fabricating news."

"If there's no news, they create some topics, that's their job."

"Those news headlines don't mean anything, they're just gimmicks."

When Anson asked about the specific news content, Edgar evasively said it wasn't important, which made Anson, who wasn't curious to begin with, become curious—

It turned out to be "Elephant."

It seems that Edgar was worried that Anson would be anxious about the success or failure of his next work, and the media's fanning of the flames didn't really help.

Not to mention that Anson wasn't worried about the success or failure of "Elephant" at all, even if he was worried, as a journalism student, Anson himself understood that in the internet age, the media prioritizes traffic above all else, so he naturally wouldn't care about those buzzwords fabricated specifically to attract attention.

To take a step back, he didn't think "Elephant" could bring him any acting nominations. Playing such a work, becoming a part of the work and voicing it, is more important than the success or failure of the work itself.

Moreover, after the movie is released, the audience will naturally examine and judge it, and finally give it to time, the movie will show its true face.

There's no need to rush.

When the media criticizes Anson for being eager for quick success and instant benefits, who is really eager for quick success and instant benefits?

Just like the half-glass of water theory, people with different values and different ways of thinking often have different ideas when looking at the same thing.

In other words, those who are eager for quick success and instant benefits are the ones who see eagerness for quick success and instant benefits, while actors may only see a movie, a role, a collaboration.

Hollywood is still the Hollywood that Anson is familiar with.

So, Anson is not going to respond—

Of course, there is nothing worth responding to in the first place.

Right now, Anson has more important things to be busy with, finishing the filming of "Elephant", returning to Los Angeles non-stop, and entering the recording studio again.

Creak.

Pushing open the door of the recording studio, the passionate debate in the workroom immediately came to his face.

"No, no, no, the cello is not suitable, the arrangement here needs to be as concise as possible, the existence of the cello actually destroys the overall sense of balance."

"I think the arrangement here is too concise, the chords of the guitar and bass even seem monotonous, we can't repeat four chords here for the entire song…"

"Why not? How many classic Beatles tracks have the simplest and most basic chords! Are you attacking the Beatles' music for not being classic enough?"

"I don't like the Beatles!"

"Hah! How dare you!"