From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Her mood relaxed slightly for a moment, but the problem was still there, not completely resolved. Reality bound Scarlett's ankles back to the ground. "That may be so, but he is the director, after all."

"It's not that he's so important," Scarlett added, a self-deprecating smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"He's the director. He makes demands on the performance and the character, but I can't meet them. That's a failure as an actress. I have no idea what's going on in my head. Standing in front of the camera, I feel like an idiot."

"I thought I had studied the character in depth and knew her inside and out, but when the director was scolding me, my mind went completely blank."

Speaking of which, Scarlett paused. The scene from the set not long ago became clear again, and another wave of frustration washed over her, the disappointment between her brows hard to hide.

Anson interjected at the right moment, "Are you talking about a situation that every actor might encounter?"

Scarlett didn't understand. "Every actor?"

Anson nodded. "In the world of acting, there is such a state, unannounced and irresistible, where the brain goes completely blank. Lines, character, plot, everything is forgotten, and you stand there stupidly like a blank sheet of paper, a short-circuited puppet."

"Almost every actor experiences it."

"Even seasoned legendary actors from Broadway and London's West End are no exception."

In this era when the internet's development was not yet perfect, Scarlett had never heard of such a situation, and her eyes were filled with suspicion as she looked Anson up and down.

Scarlett, "Judi Dench has experienced it too?"

Anson nodded, "Of course."

Scarlett, "Laurence Olivier experienced it too?"

Anson, "Of course."

His tone was really too assertive and too frank, leaving almost no room for doubt, which stunned Scarlett, and the scales in her heart quietly tilted.

For a moment, Scarlett couldn't tell whether Anson was too persuasive or whether she wanted to believe him too much, so she just believed him.

Anson wasn't making it up—

In the future, in an era with more and more information, the secrets of the acting world would gradually be revealed. People would slowly realize that actors are not omnipotent supermen. They also get nervous, make mistakes, forget lines, and screw up, even veteran actors are no exception. But this kind of fault tolerance is precisely the charm of acting:

Scarlett's perception of the world was slightly shaken. She naturally thought that if she made a mistake, it meant she wasn't good enough, so she began to doubt herself; but if every actor could make a mistake, would things be different?

Scarlett looked at Anson, slightly hesitant, "What about you? Have you experienced it?"

Anson didn't cater to Scarlett, "Unfortunately, not yet."

Scarlett directly rolled her eyes.

"Haha." Anson laughed happily, "Not encountering it now doesn't mean I won't in the future; I haven't encountered it, but that doesn't mean other actors haven't."

"Believe me, I'm serious."

"Actors can make mistakes and are allowed to make mistakes. No one wants to make mistakes, doesn't want to look like an idiot in front of the director, and doesn't want to stand on a Broadway stage at a loss, doesn't want to put their weaknesses in front of the world; but more important than making mistakes is how to view them."

This time, Scarlett listened, quietly watching Anson waiting for more.

Anson, "Maybe, like someone, give up on yourself, doubt your talent and ability, and completely bid farewell to the acting industry, proving that other people's comments are correct, and forever missing the opportunity to prove yourself."

Scarlett silently raised her middle finger, "Ha. Ha."

Anson continued, "Maybe completely forget the mistake, pretend the mistake doesn't exist, deceive yourself and continue to muddle through, and then repeat your mistakes again and again."

Scarlett was stunned, carefully chewing it over. She herself didn't realize that she had developed a hint of curiosity, "What else?"

Anson didn't play coy and continued, "There is also facing the mistake head-on, examining it, reviewing it, exploring it, not to break through, but to find the path of an actor according to your own understanding."

"Acting has no right answer. The only thing you can trust is your own intuition. Even the director can't tell an actor whether their judgment is correct or not. They can choose to like it or not, but they can't make decisions for the actor."

"In Europe, the film industry has always been director-centric. They firmly believe that the director is the soul of the film; in the United States, the film industry is producer-centric, because the producer will determine the film's commercial attributes. But whether it is Europe or the United States, the film industry always appears in front of the audience in the form of actors."

"The actor is the face that people see."

"Therefore, actors need to cooperate with the director, the producer, the screenwriter, and the entire crew, but in the final analysis, actors still need to work with actors and themselves."

Scarlett listened carefully, her thoughts unfolding little by little along Anson's words, and she couldn't help but be stunned.

Anson stopped there, not continuing, slightly raising his head to look at the sky, leaving time and space for Scarlett's thoughts to extend.

Scarlett is a smart girl, as could be seen from the previous two meetings.

In fact, in the early stages of her career, she was considered a talented girl with a special temperament, a wildness, a primitiveness, a roughness, a unique temperament that could still quietly shine without being sculpted; she had also been trying to break free from the stereotypes brought by her appearance and explore her path as an actress.

Perhaps what the general public sees is a shell, but as an actress, Scarlett has always been exploring.

Now, Anson's words ignited small sparks in her mind.

After carefully chewing it over, Scarlett seemed to understand a little, but not thoroughly enough, and couldn't help but turn to look at Anson, a glimmer of light flowing in her eyes.

"Does Spielberg know you're so rebellious?"

A small joke.

Anson looked calm, "I believe he should be smarter than we think."

"Haha." Scarlett laughed out loud, looked him over with curiosity, and finally couldn't help but ask, "So how do you figure out your characters?"

After saying it, Scarlett realized that her question was too abrupt and too general. After seriously pondering it, she added.

"I thought I had carefully studied the character and was full of confidence in the performance. I know the character's state and emotions, I know the character's position in the plot, and I also know the character's role in driving the plot."

"But when I stand in front of the camera, the director keeps saying that my state is not right."

"God, I have no idea what's wrong. I tried to communicate with the director, but he said a lot of things that not only didn't solve the problem, but also made me more confused, which made me feel frustrated."

"Is it that my understanding of the character is not correct? How should I understand the character, or rather, how should I truly become one with the character?"