From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"No, oh, no no no, it wasn't planned. It was purely an inspiration that popped into my head."

When Travis was asked by "The New Yorker" to recreate the scene, facing the question that triggered the boos, the young college student had to repeatedly wave his hand to clarify and avoid further misunderstandings.

"Following Anson's answer, and also in response to the recent controversy, the question just appeared in my mind, so I asked it."

"But I didn't expect Anson to give such a clever answer and cause such a strong reaction."

"'A movie is just a movie,' isn't that a simple truth?"

When the Washington Square flash mob ended, news media across North America and even the globe swarmed in.

Because this was a new chapter in film promotion history. Even after expectations had risen sharply and the activities had become routine and lacked novelty, Anson still brought surprises again, concluding the event in a grand manner—

According to incomplete statistics, at least ten thousand spectators, or even more, were mobilized in Washington Square that night, becoming a hot topic of the sleepless night in New York, creating a sensation and heatwave comparable to New Year's Eve.

Even more so, because Anson and Travis's conversation inadvertently created controversy, the slogan "A movie is just a movie" spread widely and powerfully, unexpectedly creating a fourth wave of hype for "Catch Me If You Can."

Not just Travis, even Anson and Edgar themselves didn't expect that a casual remark would become such a sensation.

However, this is reality—

The hot topic has emerged. Coupled with the Christmas and New Year atmosphere, "Catch Me If You Can" has undoubtedly become a must-see movie for this year's holiday season.

Moreover, this is not all.

Among them, Travis asked a question.

"Anson, in this movie, you and Tom have completed a brilliant performance. For you, how did you create this character?"

The question itself was conventional and lacked novelty. Even if it wasn't Travis, ordinary viewers or other media would have asked similar questions; the key was that Anson's answer became another highlight of the night.

"I'm not sure if saying this will sound like a matryoshka doll, but personally, I treat Little Frank Abagnale as a fictional character to perform."

What nonsense is this again?

Anson mocked himself.

"Yes, I know how absurd this sounds."

The audience burst into laughter.

"What I mean is, when Little Frank becomes a pilot, a doctor, and different characters, he is not only performing, but also constructing a perfect world in his mind, a perfect world without worries, without pain, everything built according to his imagination."

"Just like a movie. Of course, we can also say it's our dream, an illusion."

"In fact, it has been like this from the beginning."

"Father receives honor, parents' love is fulfilled, Little Frank lives in a fairy tale, and Steven's film lens constructs such a perfect world, everything is so beautiful that it lacks a sense of reality."

"So, whenever flaws and cracks appear in this perfect world, Little Frank tries to escape and then rebuild a brand new world. He keeps fleeing in one illusion after another."

"Similarly, he himself has noticed it, he also realizes that all this is fake, he has been suspended in mid-air, unable to settle down, he needs to find reality, but he is afraid that reality will destroy him."

"And Tom, I mean FBI agent Carl Hanratty is like an NPC in a game, constantly chasing him. This is his only connection with the real world,"

"When he is lonely and confused, the only source of reality he can grasp and feel is Carl."

"For me, the process of interpreting this character is the process of returning to reality little by little, constantly escaping, traveling through different illusions, trying to forget the pain of reality, but eventually returning to reality, feeling the weight of gravity with his feet."

"Strictly speaking, only the last scene is the real Little Frank Abagnale."

"So…"

Clap clap clap.

Applause couldn't wait to sound.

"So, in the movie, I performed the process of a character going from performance to returning to reality. I'm not sure if this matryoshka doll makes sense, but…"

Hahaha.

Laughter mixed with applause, sounded again.

And after Anson showed a smile and put down the microphone, it completely exploded.

Clap clap clap!

Thunderous applause swept the audience.

Including Nicholas, who sincerely applauded Anson.

Because of Anson's sincerity, even though this was just a promotional event, even though this was just a free promotion held in Washington Square, he still gave a professional and profound response, without any perfunctoriness—

The audience was silent, focused and attentive.

Because of Anson's depth, he interpreted "Catch Me If You Can" in another way.

A coming-of-age story?

Such an interpretation is too simple, this is the most obvious way to interpret it, everyone can see the father-son relationship between Little Frank and Carl.

There are really too many such works in Hollywood—

Everyone has "father issues."

However, Anson gave another possibility, treating Little Frank's experience as a movie or a game, traveling through different fairy tales and finally returning to reality, the movie immediately has a different charm.

There are not many such works in Hollywood.

If so, Steven's retro, relaxed, playful visual style and narrative tone of the film become clever and wonderful.

Just like the opening of the movie, a TV show, a fictional stage.

Wonderful, indescribably wonderful.

Everything stemmed from Anson's words, which sparked widespread discussion after the event ended.

Indeed, a movie is just a movie, there is no need to make a fuss about a movie.

But at the same time, a movie is more than just a movie, it can become a breeding ground for imagination and creation.

So, the hot topic exploded.

However, the real key to breaking out of the circle lies in Anson's next action.

"Movies are like that, and tonight is the same."

"I am not an actor, but an audience member, an ordinary movie enthusiast. I am very sorry for disturbing your time to enjoy the movie just now, but if you don't mind, I hope we can continue."

The audience was stunned.

Even Travis stammered and asked, "What, what does this mean?"

Anson smiled, "I leave the stage, return to the ground, return to reality, return to the identity of the audience, and watch 'Superman 2' with you, what do you think?"

Wha… what?

Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, the entire Washington Square was directly stunned.

Who could have imagined that the real climax had just begun?