From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"So, being here alone is to escape those immature high schoolers and seek a moment of peace?"

Men are boys until they die. Compared to girls who mature early in adolescence, boys are always late bloomers. The chattering and playful banter on set can never truly connect with the girls.

Anson subtly reconnected Scarlett with the crew with just one sentence, without seeming abrupt.

"Ha." Scarlett was amused again, tilting her head and looking Anson up and down. "So, you're not a high schooler anymore? Mr. Peter Parker."

First, "All About Lily Chou-Chou," and then a leap back to "Friends"—Anson's thinking speed is truly hard for ordinary people to keep up with.

Anson looked calm and collected. "I prefer to make friends with like-minded people."

Scarlett looked at Anson, her eyes clear and direct, as if reflecting her face. Her heart skipped a beat, and she shifted her gaze slightly flustered, lowering her eyelids. After relaxing, those feelings of loss, confusion, and bewilderment rippled gently beneath the shadow of her eyelashes.

Anson, "Are you troubled?"

It was clearly a question, but it was particularly assertive, like a statement.

Scarlett quickly glanced at Anson.

Anson gestured towards the crew, "The atmosphere on the whole set isn't very good."

Connecting the situation before and after, Brian's outburst at the extras might just be an excuse. The real target of his dissatisfaction should be Scarlett in front of him—

This is clearly not an easy thing to deal with.

For the general public, when Scarlett Johansson is mentioned, before 2010, she was the sexy beauty in movies like "Match Point," "The Black Dahlia," "The Nanny Diaries," and "Midnight in Barcelona," hailed as the heir to Marilyn Monroe; after 2010, she was the unique superhero Black Widow in the Avengers. Her image always brings more impact than her identity as an actress.

However, before Michael Bay's "The Island" in 2005, Scarlett was an art-house goddess from independent films, including "Ghost World," which she co-starred in with Brad Renfro, as well as "Girl with a Pearl Earring," "The Horse Whisperer," and "Lost in Translation," which made her a huge star. This girl, who started as a child star, has always had her own understanding of the identity of an actress.

Including now, it's the same.

So, when Brian and Scarlett have conflicts on set, it's clearly not something Scarlett can just laugh off.

Involuntarily, Anson thought of Marilyn Monroe.

In Hollywood's golden age, Marilyn Monroe, as a sex symbol, had a significance that transcended labels such as actress, woman, and Hollywood star, gradually evolving into a symbolic sign, to the point that people completely forgot Marilyn's ability to think as an individual.

However, in fact, Marilyn always had her own understanding of her acting career and performance work. She tried to break free from the shackles of labels and symbols, and present her understanding of movies, acting, and roles.

The Western film "River of No Return" is a typical example. In the simple and crude narrative of traditional Western films, Marilyn has been trying to explore more things, such as the position of women in traditional male narratives, the situation of the weak in the law of survival of the fittest, and so on. It can be seen that she is an actress with aspirations.

Unfortunately, Hollywood at that time did not give Marilyn enough space, and works like "River of No Return" were not only rare but also mediocre.

Marilyn Monroe was like that, and so is Scarlett Johansson.

Whether before or after Black Widow, Scarlett has been trying to explore her path as an actress. In addition to this appearance, she hopes to give the role more, and in fact, she has indeed fought for some space and tried to explore her path as an actress.

Of course, that's another story.

In 2002, Scarlett is still young, and her experience and thinking are not mature enough, and she can't see the overall situation; nevertheless, constantly failing to find the rhythm on the "The Perfect Score" set is still a blow. Like Chris, who couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, Scarlett is also looking for an independent space to sort out her thoughts.

At this time, Scarlett heard Anson's straightforward question. She originally didn't want to say it at all. She thought she would be angry, annoyed, and would tell Anson to shut up, but she never expected that her mood would calm down naturally.

"I... I'm not sure if I'm suitable to be an actress."

The words were spoken unexpectedly, and the huge rock that weighed heavily on her chest was unloaded.

In fact, Scarlett was a little shy and restrained. She was worried that Anson would think she was making a fuss, and she was also worried about exposing her vulnerability in front of a stranger; after the inner voice sounded in her ears, she shifted her gaze, slightly raised her chin, and looked at the far end of the skyline, trying to hide her awkwardness and embarrassment.

Scarlett herself couldn't explain the reason. She knew she shouldn't think like this, but this was indeed her current state, an unspeakable and lingering sense of loss and confusion.

It was precisely because of this that Scarlett quietly left the crowd, looking for a quiet space, trying to calm herself down; but she didn't expect that she still couldn't get rid of it, and bathed in Anson's eyes, she just said it.

So, what to do?

Scarlett was a little at a loss.

Then.

Anson tilted his head and looked at Scarlett, saying casually, "I didn't know Brian was such an influential director."

Scarlett obviously didn't react, and couldn't help but be stunned—

She thought Anson would comfort her, or say a bunch of meaningless platitudes, but she never expected it. She couldn't help but carefully chew over the words, and a smile quietly climbed onto the corner of her mouth.

Yeah, is Brian really that important? Does one sentence from him completely deny her existence as an actress and overturn her ten years of effort?

It was clearly not a very important sentence, but it cleared the clouds from her heavy mood.

Pfft.

Unable to control herself, Scarlett laughed. When she turned her head to look at Anson again, the smile in her eyes brightened.

"Has anyone ever said that you're good at changing the subject?" Scarlett joked.

Anson shrugged lightly, "Otherwise, how do you think I survived the paparazzi's siege?"

Scarlett smiled even more brilliantly, but this time it didn't last long, and the corners of her mouth slowly flattened. "That being said, he is, after all, the director."