From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Annie gazed at Anson as if he was no longer the familiar Anson, a slight daze in her eyes, before Anson reverted to his familiar self.

A smile bloomed perfectly, "Aren't you worried that the sequel might be a disaster, and then affect the positive momentum of your successful works?"

A small joke, but without the worry, trepidation, and caution.

Anson's face was full of composure, "As an actor, who hasn't starred in a few bad movies?"

Heh.

Annie gasped, pursed her lips, and stared at Anson with wide eyes, expressing strong dissatisfaction and even condemnation, looking heartbroken.

"The movie hasn't even been greenlit, and you've already decided it's a bad movie? Is this attitude really okay?"

Anson: ? ? ?

The worry, wasn't it you who started it?

But Anson didn't panic, with a look of regret on his face, "I'm a pessimist, always assuming the worst-case scenario, so no matter the outcome, I'm already mentally prepared. You should learn from that too."

Speaking nonsense with a straight face.

Annie tried to control herself, but ultimately couldn't hold back, bursting out laughing with a 'pfft', covering her mouth to lower the sound, and giving Anson a thumbs up.

To be precise, everything Anson said was the truth—

In Anson's familiar timeline in his past life, "The Princess Diaries 2" couldn't be considered a failure, but it was indeed below expectations.

Robert Schwartzman, who played Michael in "The Princess Diaries," declined the sequel invitation because he went to pursue his musical dreams, and his indie band embarked on a touring journey, flying far away.

In fact, Robert wasn't just talking; he never appeared in film works again, preferring music over acting.

Because of the absence of the male lead, the movie script had to be completely rewritten, and finally, the story of "The Princess Diaries 2" became very different, evolving into a love triangle story of two princes chasing one princess.

Clichéd? Not a problem, because the story of "The Princess Diaries" itself is clichéd; but the sequel failed to find a convincing character growth arc in the clichéd story like the first movie did.

In the end, the movie's reputation was not ideal—

To be precise, it was a complete mess.

Using the previous life as a standard, "The Princess Diaries" grossed $108 million in North America; "The Princess Diaries 2" slightly declined, ultimately grossing $95 million.

From a purely numerical point of view, a slight decline is still within acceptable limits and not too bad; but the production cost of the sequel soared from $26 million for the previous work to $40 million, making the box office decline particularly glaring.

Moreover, because the publicity and distribution costs skyrocketed, even with the addition of overseas box office revenue, "The Princess Diaries 2" barely managed to break even.

Unfortunately, the film series stopped there.

However, the sales of both movies in the DVD market have always been good, and with fewer and fewer similar movies later on, Disney is actually preparing to restart the shooting plan for "The Princess Diaries 3" twenty years later, which is also a small surprise.

Based on the experience of the previous life, "The Princess Diaries 2" did not reach expectations.

But Anson has a different idea. If "Michael" hadn't left the story, then how would the writers of "The Princess Diaries 2" have developed the plot?

At the same time, with Anson's current position, it is foreseeable that the writers will certainly not easily miss the opportunity, and even if the writers want to, the producers will not allow it, so how will the love line between Michael and Mia unfold in the sequel?

Everything is unknown.

Since the "Butterfly Effect," Anson has been looking forward to an unknown parallel world, where things he is familiar with are ushering in new possibilities. Who knows, maybe "The Princess Diaries 2" can bring unexpected surprises?

Therefore.

Everything Anson said was the truth, he was looking forward to Garry Marshall giving him a call.

The lighthearted banter completely relaxed the atmosphere. Looking at Annie's fully blooming smile, Anson's heartbeat quickened slightly, and he subconsciously shifted his gaze, concealing the throbbing in his eyes, and changed the subject before Annie noticed.

"I thought you should be able to understand pessimism."

"The Fall," by Albert Camus.

The book she was holding, a thin one, the size of a palm, was very convenient to carry around, and was a good read at the airport or subway.

Annie showed an awkward smile, "What if I said this was on my brother's bookshelf, and I just stuffed it into my backpack without even knowing what book it was, and then fell asleep after reading two pages on the plane?"

Ha!

Anson raised his hands to surrender, "Then, that's my rudeness."

He thought he was being clever by starting a topic, but he didn't expect to expose the other party's pretense.

Annie's smile fully bloomed, "Do you understand Camus?" She gestured with the book in her hand, "Last year, I read his 'The Stranger,' and I liked it very much."

Anson gently raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Annie was puzzled.

Anson, "I found it very boring."

Annie covered her chest, making a gesture of being shot in the heart, with a look of injury—

Those humble words were just a joke. In fact, Annie is majoring in English at Vassar College. She hasn't temporarily taken acting as a full-time job, and insists on hoping to complete her university studies and get a diploma.

Camus?

It's one of the academic readings.

Anson also followed suit with a smile, "I think those existentialist questions are a kind of trouble. It always repeats one thing, the loneliness of modern people, and finally points to a void, but there is no way out."

"To some extent, Camus's words trap us in place. But I don't want to be trapped in place."

Annie was slightly stunned, "What do you mean?"

Anson, "Maybe the essence of existentialism ultimately points to a void, maybe all lives cannot avoid heading towards a common end; but that doesn't mean life is meaningless, those joys and happiness, those sorrows and frustrations are meaningful."

"Or rather, at least I hope they are meaningful, to avoid being dragged into a black hole of nothingness."

Time, at this moment, stopped.

Perhaps, because of "Spider-Man" and "Catch Me If You Can," everyone saw Anson; but at the same time, what people saw was Peter Parker and young Frank Abagnale, the glamorous appearance made people ignore the real Anson Wood.

Then.

Annie noticed, she noticed the unnaturalness that flashed across Anson's expression. Anson was about to change the subject, but she took the lead.

"I thought things would be easier in your world."

Anson, "My world?"

Annie, "Handsome, dashing, tall, and you're a man, many things are always easier for men; the movie was an instant success, girls scream for you, producers and movie companies are reaching out to you, you can freely choose your works, and even be a movie producer, controlling your own destiny and the destiny of your works."

Swish, swish.

Those noises and commotions seemed to disappear completely, leaving only the sound of time flowing gently across the eardrums, and the soul became naked.