From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Captain, are you alright? You look like you just got off a pirate ship."

Standing in the yard, the sunlight at the tail end of summer was no longer so scorching, gently falling on the surface of the skin, allowing the tense muscles to slowly relax.

Edgar took a slight breath, but the burning sensation in his stomach did not fully recover for a while, and he couldn't help but take a few deep breaths.

Involuntarily, Edgar's gaze lingered on Anson for a moment longer, "Your family has a really good atmosphere, now I know where your confidence comes from."

The answer isn't quite right.

Anson's confidence actually comes from this extra stolen life.

But Anson wasn't going to puncture Edgar's imagination.

Edgar paused, "Unlike me…"

Between his brows, a touch of sorrow was dyed, bitter and gloomy, with a faint hint of loss and loneliness.

This was the first time Anson had seen Edgar like this.

Come to think of it, they were work partners, rarely asking about each other's private affairs, and Anson's understanding of Edgar was close to zero.

However, before being an agent, Edgar was first and foremost himself, he had his own story, his own experiences, growing into what he is now.

Just like their first meeting, even if he was just a junior agent, he was neither humble nor arrogant, with appropriate advances and retreats, showing a calmness and sophistication that did not match his age and qualifications.

Anson understood that kind of temperament.

It wasn't confidence, but a precociousness of having experienced storms early on and being forced to grow up quickly to stand alone.

It seemed that Edgar was also a person with a story.

However, Anson wasn't going to pry.

Anson didn't speak, didn't say "I understand", nor did he say any words of comfort, because he knew that any words at this moment were superfluous.

He just smiled and sincerely looked at Edgar, accompanying him by his side.

Edgar didn't let the memories drag him into the abyss, took a deep breath, even controlled himself, and showed his usual professional image again.

"Sorry, I was a little distracted just now."

"Are you sure it's okay for us to discuss work here? Your family has come to Los Angeles, you should enjoy a vacation without work interruptions, I can come another day."

Anson gave a smile and waved his hand.

"Their work is more hectic than mine, I'm the most idle one in the family."

"Maybe their phones will ring in the time it takes us to speak."

"So, what brings you here today?"

After a brief adjustment, Edgar had recovered. Since Anson said so, he didn't hesitate any further.

"It's about the next project. There's a script that has caught my eye, and I think it's just right, so I'm going to talk to you about it."

"Last time with ‘Elephant,’ we discussed future plans. Obviously, this decision has caused quite a stir in Hollywood; but I don't think you need to pay too much attention. Anyway, no matter what you do now, they can criticize you in all sorts of ways."

If Anson took advantage of the victory to pursue commercial films, the media would say whether Anson should consider his acting pursuits.

If Anson continued to make similar action movies, the media would say Anson was trying to become a representative of the new generation of action actors.

Everything has two sides. If the media wants to praise Anson, all decisions are correct; conversely, if the media wants to question Anson, all decisions can be wrong.

In Edgar's view, the media and Hollywood were not prepared —

That “Spider-Man” could explode to such an extent?

Unexpectedly, the second North American $600 million film after “Titanic” appeared just like that, so could Anson become the second Leonardo DiCaprio?

Looking at the huge media pressure that Leonardo endured after his initial surge in popularity, one can understand the chaos the media is facing with Anson's strong rise now.

Obviously, Hollywood was not ready to welcome a second Leonardo-level superstar.

These are all temporary, and also the inevitable situation faced by overnight fame.

Edgar wasn't worried.

However, these bustling voices gave Edgar an inspiration.

"We just need to focus on ourselves."

"In fact, you are now the number one choice on Hollywood's list of new generation actors. For roles from eighteen to twenty-five years old, you are the priority consideration."

"You are the first choice for several important projects currently being discussed."

"Can you believe it? Universal Pictures is preparing to shoot ‘The Hulk,’ and they actually asked me if you had availability."

"Oh, God."

The 2003 version of “The Hulk”?

This should be Ang Lee's first time directing a commercial film, but unfortunately, it suffered a box office failure. Disheartened, Ang Lee even considered taking a break for a while. It was in this dark trough that Ang Lee took over the filming of “Brokeback Mountain,” which had been rejected everywhere and no one cared about.

Anson raised his eyebrows slightly, "What did you say?"

Edgar didn't hesitate, "I refused. What, are you interested? If you are interested, I can give them another call, I believe they would be very happy to meet with you and sit down to discuss it in depth."

Anson waved his hand, "No, I'm just curious, what was your reason for refusing?"

"Image." Edgar blurted out, "Although Spider-Man and the Hulk are both Marvel characters, with no conflict of interest, Sony Columbia is planning ‘Spider-Man 2,’ and you appear on the big screen as the Hulk, I think that's a terrible idea for marketing."

"Of course, we can continue to make genre films, but the image of superheroes still needs to avoid repetition, otherwise this road will only get narrower and narrower."

Anson gently raised his chin, and a trace of scrutiny appeared in his eyes as he looked at Edgar.

Edgar wasn't in a hurry, but met Anson's gaze, confirming that the communication between the two sides was going smoothly.

Anson smiled, "I agree, please continue."

Edgar also chuckled.

"Not just ‘The Hulk,’ projects with investments of over $100 million now, they can't possibly not consider you. Even if you're not the first choice, you're definitely in the top three or top five. The number of projects that come to test the waters is countless."

This is also one of the important reasons why Edgar isn't worried about the media's complaints:

The box office numbers are there, and all the major film companies have their own calculations. No one will ignore Anson's current popularity and traffic in North America.

So, what Anson needs to worry about now is not the lack of a next project, but finding one that suits him from the countless projects.

If Anson is willing, his figure can appear in the next three, four, or five blockbusters, until the audience complains whether Hollywood only has Anson left as an actor.

But Edgar wasn't going to do that, it was the wrong approach of draining the pond to catch all the fish.

His expectations for Anson are definitely not as simple as making a quick buck from a few movies; this game of chess has only just revealed the tip of the iceberg of the layout.