From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

The filming location was a mess, a complete chaos, not just physically, but mentally as well, with all sorts of thoughts scattered haphazardly on the ground.

Even though the filming had ended, the three actors were all slumped in their spots, motionless, with only their chests rising and falling as they tried to process the lingering emotions.

Then.

Anson looked at Heath, noticed Heath's gaze, and then looked at Rachel.

Heath's eyes shifted between Anson and Rachel, finally settling on Anson.

Rachel looked at Anson, then at Heath, her eyes full of lingering shock.

The three of them looked at each other, their gazes meeting as they took in each other's sweat-soaked and disheveled appearances, and reality finally began to seep in—

Pfft.

Anson was the first to break, "You guys should really see yourselves."

"Get out, you're the one who should see yourself."

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, you look like you've been fished out of a river."

"Haha, a drowned rat, hahaha."

"Have you seen your face? You really look like a pig's head."

"You're the pig's head! I'm reporting this as a workplace injury. You wait, I'll contact the union. Anson-Wood abused his power to beat up a talented and handsome actor."

"Is 'talented' the focus, or 'handsome'?"

Laughter just wouldn't stop.

The silence on the set was finally broken, and the entire crew stared in astonishment at the three actors, covered in dirt but sitting in the mud with a 'whatever' attitude, while the costume team cast pleading glances at Eric—

If this scene had to be reshot, they wouldn't have any clothes left.

However, the three actors didn't seem to consider this at all, sitting on the ground, chatting and laughing, as if they were having a bonfire party.

Some shots required close-ups, and to create a sense of realism, Anson and Heath were genuinely throwing punches, and they couldn't hold back their strength and fake it, otherwise the muscle definition wouldn't look right on camera.

Other shots were wide shots, and the two naturally cooperated with each other using camera angles, especially in the final part, where Evan loses control and beats Tommy to death. In reality, Anson's fists all landed on the grass next to Heath's head, but he still put all his strength into each punch, so Anson's knuckles were red, swollen, and even bleeding.

Also, the baseball bat was specially made. It looked solid, but it was actually made of foam, which allowed the two actors to hit each other with full force without worrying about accidentally causing a real accident.

That being said, to ensure a sense of realism, and also to fully immerse themselves in their roles, Anson and Heath did get genuinely fired up while fighting—

The two actors had tried it, and in some scenes, even if the camera didn't have a close-up, they felt that it wasn't right if they didn't punch for real, because their brains needed to stay clear and calm to avoid losing control, which meant they couldn't fully immerse themselves in the role.

So, they discussed and researched it, choosing some thick-skinned areas, and when they were immersed in the role, they tried to avoid hitting vital spots, aiming their punches at those areas, and showing their emotions with all their might.

And so, the two of them went all out.

Now.

Anson's knuckles were cracked, and his abdomen and waist were covered in bruises.

Heath's lip was split, his jaw was swollen, and he had accidentally grazed his eye.

The two of them were sitting in the mud, covered in sweat and disheveled, panting heavily. Neither of them was in better shape than the other, and when they looked at each other's faces, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

And then there was Rachel—

"God, Anson, that's one thing, but I really gave that guy a hard time. What about you? Did Evan hit you?"

As soon as Heath spoke, the three of them couldn't help but clap their hands and laugh. At this point, you could see that Rachel was also covered in sweat and disheveled, as if she had just fought a fierce battle with a level 10 gale.

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Please, you think it's easy for the female character to just scream and run away, right? It's also a physical job."

After speaking, Rachel took off her eight-centimeter high heels to show them.

Without needing to say anything, Heath and Anson obediently shut their mouths.

Then.

Rachel couldn't help but look at Anson, "This time, I think it clicked."

After seven takes, excluding the NGs, this was already the fifth time. They had been searching for a complete and smooth way to express the emotional flow of the characters. So, what about this time?

Not just Rachel, Heath thought seriously for a moment, and then looked at Anson—

Not because Anson was the producer and the biggest star in the crew, but because the process of cooperation and constant refinement had won them over. Anson's analysis and interpretation of the characters and the plot was truly admirable.

Heath thought he was crazy enough, but he still willingly admitted defeat in front of Anson.

Anson could feel the weight of their gaze. What he felt was not the confidence and pride of being in control, but the burden and pressure of having a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

He didn't rush to speak, but thought seriously for a moment, reorganizing the entire scene, and after filling in the details of the scene in his mind, it became vivid, re-examining it from two different perspectives: the overall picture and the details.

Then.

"Personally, I don't have any problems. What about you guys?"

Anson didn't make a rash decision, but looked up at Rachel and Heath.

Heath also thought about it seriously, "I think this is the direction we're looking for."

Which meant—

Finally!

After working so hard to constantly refine and study, they finally saw the results, and a sense of satisfaction arose spontaneously, filling their chests in an instant, and happy smiles quietly crept onto the corners of their mouths as they exchanged glances.

Cough cough.

Mackie noticed the tacit understanding between the three of them, waiting patiently, but ultimately couldn't control himself, clearing his throat to show his presence.

At this point, Anson and the others noticed Mackie's arrival.

And Eric.

Mackie felt the attention gathering, and quickly put on a smile, "Actors, how do you feel?"

Originally, Mackie and Eric didn't have any ambitions for the director's job, they just needed to film according to the script; but as the filming progressed, the branches extending from the actors along the characters' storylines quietly filled in the plot—

How could the two directors, who knew the script like the back of their hands, not see it?

The point was, how could they be willing to miss it?

No one knew the script better than them, and no one was clearer than them about how the details interpreted by the actors made the movie full and smooth.

So, they appeared, looking at their actors with smiles on their faces, their hands rubbing together as docilely as fly legs.