From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

In fact, Logan Lerman and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are only two years apart in age, but in the movie, they need to play Anson at two completely different stages of his life.

This was also the most severe challenge Marcia encountered during the casting process.

The only fortunate thing is that Logan hasn't reached puberty yet. Although he's already ten years old, he looks thin and weak, and it wouldn't be a problem to say he's seven; while Aaron has already started to grow, and is slightly stronger. The two-year age gap is much more obvious visually.

Marcia really tried her best—

She needed someone of the right age, who fit Anson's temperament, and who was suitable for the screen.

Most importantly, the salary couldn't be too high.

There really aren't many child actors like that, not just in Los Angeles, but also in England and France; to be precise, the same is true for teenage actors.

As mentioned before, because the market audience is mainly between thirty and forty-nine years old, Hollywood movies often focus on this age group, so relatively speaking, there aren't many works starring teenagers.

Naturally, young actors have fewer opportunities to stand out, and talent reserves are also affected, making the process of discovering excellent teenage actors full of challenges.

This time, "The Butterfly Effect" completely focuses on college students, and the movie needs a large number of young actors, so Marcia's work is indeed facing severe challenges—

Child actors are one part, and young actors are another part of the challenge.

In the movie, Kaylee's younger brother, Tommy, is also an important character. His almost obsessive protection and possession of his sister, launching a full-scale attack regardless of friend or foe, is the source of Kaylee's pain, and also an important factor in the tragedy of Evan and Kaylee's emotional relationship.

For such a character, the selection of actors is particularly important.

Marcia searched back and forth, but couldn't find a suitable one.

Tommy shouldn't be too strong or too assertive. He should be thin and weak like Evan, which makes it impossible for him to get a response from girls; at the same time, at home, Tommy sees his father reaching out his dirty hands to his sister, but he is powerless to protect her. That kind of weakness and helplessness twists Tommy's mind, leading to a kind of indiscriminate attack of madness. Anyone who gets close to his sister will encounter Tommy's mad dog-like attack.

So, while being thin, he also has a kind of madness.

These two contradictory temperaments are not easy to coexist in teenage actors.

In his previous life, the crew couldn't find such an actor, and finally chose a tall and strong actor, perfectly in line with the stereotype of a "hooligan."

This is not impossible, after all, the script itself didn't give Tommy too much room to play; but the direct result is that such a tragic character is reduced to a tool person, and is completely unlikable. The complexity and layers on him are all erased, losing the power of the play itself.

William Lee Scott, this tough-styled actor has appeared in works such as "Pearl Harbor" and "Identity", but he has never found his own characteristics and personality. He is a true vase actor, and his performance in "The Butterfly Effect" is just a tool person.

It can't be said to be a failed casting, but it's far from being a successful casting.

This time, it's the same. Marcia encountered difficulties when selecting actors.

Moreover, Marcia also has her own considerations. The protagonist of the movie is Anson, a vase; she can't choose a young actor with explosive acting skills to completely steal Anson's limelight, which will not only lead to an imbalance in the movie, but also won't help the box office prospects.

After picking and choosing, Marcia couldn't find a suitable one.

Then.

Anson gave a candidate: Heath Ledger.

The two are not considered friends, and have not been in contact since the "Spider-Man" audition; but the brief meeting at that time left a good impression in both of their hearts.

So, when Anson found Heath's phone number through his agent and called him personally, Heath only listened to Anson's description roughly and immediately agreed without hesitation, and even cooperated with an audition.

In principle, this is Anson asking Heath for help. Heath doesn't need to audition at all. It's already worth celebrating that he's willing to nod and agree; but Marcia insists, and the fundamental reason is that she doesn't think Heath is suitable.

In terms of age, Heath is older than Anson and Rachel, and his appearance style doesn't fit the setting of a wimpy nerd; but Heath's rough and restrained temperament unexpectedly touched Marcia, and a short audition of less than three minutes convinced Marcia.

The current Heath is still slightly thin, and his muscles are not obvious, but the unrestrained and free-spirited temperament on his body is already shining silently. It is undoubtedly a bold and risky choice to have him play the role of Tommy, but there are more potential possibilities hidden behind the danger.

As a casting director, Marcia still pays more attention to the integrity of the movie, trying to find the overall balance of the movie; and she stands on Anson's side, maintaining Anson's interests, so she gave this reminder.

Of course, Marcia's nod also proves Heath's talent and ability. This actor's energy is far from being accommodated by a small supporting role; along with it, Marcia can't help but look forward to the final effect.

Anson humbly accepted the opinion and chose Heath after careful consideration.

Is he worried that Heath will completely overshadow his brilliance?

It would definitely be a lie to say that he's not worried. After all, he has already admired Heath's transformative and brilliant performance in his previous life. It would definitely be a lie to say that he has no burden at all.

But compared to worrying, the eagerness to try still takes the upper hand. The scenes with Tom Hanks when filming "Catch Me If You Can" were very interesting. Not only was it acting, but he was also able to learn a lot of things. Now Anson is also looking forward to colliding with young people like Heath and Rachel to create sparks. This is the fun of acting.

Most importantly, the current "Butterfly Effect" is completely different from the previous version. Except that the script still insists on the original, other aspects have been completely changed, from the producer to the crew members—

This is a very, very bold step.

Whether it's Rachel or Heath, Anson's countless efforts in the selection of co-starring actors are fundamentally due to a kind of attempt, a kind of challenge. He is trying to create a brand new work according to his own understanding and conception. Since the two directors' attention is all on the script, then let him, the producer, consider the other parts.

Anson couldn't help but be curious, what will the brand new version of "The Butterfly Effect" be like?

Perhaps in his previous life, "The Butterfly Effect" didn't do well at the box office but shined in the video rental market; but now there is no guarantee. "The Butterfly Effect" is already a completely different work, and everything in the future is unknown and new.