From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

As a friend, Charlie understood Michel.

Although Michel had agreed to come to New York to meet Anson, in essence, his mind still hadn't fully grasped the situation, and the entire relationship of interests hadn't been clearly sorted out. Therefore, standing before Anson at this moment, he still acted awkwardly.

Sighing softly, Charlie ultimately didn't continue to make things difficult for Michel.

"Anson, what do you think of Kate Winslet?"

Kate Winslet, the female lead of "Titanic."

Just this one movie and one role would be enough to secure her place in history; but in fact, as an actress, she has contributed a series of excellent performances and works, long proving that she shouldn't be defined by just "Titanic."

"The Reader," "Sense and Sensibility," "Little Children," "Finding Neverland," "Steve Jobs," and other works have given her moments of cinematic brilliance on the big screen.

As for Anson personally, the work of Kate's that impressed him the most wasn't "Titanic," but—

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

When she starred in "Titanic," Kate was only twenty-one years old and still had some baby fat, leading to some harsh comments about her appearance; by the time she came to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Kate was twenty-seven, and that vibrant, flamboyant yet sensitive and fragile red hair was definitely the peak of her beauty.

In this work, Kate's understanding of the script and resonance with the character reached a mature stage, offering her most delicate, richest, and most special role, truly establishing her image as a talented actress in the eyes of the Academy Award judges, laying the foundation for her later crowning as an Oscar-winning actress.

Therefore, Anson wasn't surprised to hear Kate's name from Charlie.

Afterward, because the movie's influence was truly too profound, too powerful, and too fierce, it pushed the two actors to an insurmountable peak, to the point where their idol aura overshadowed everything else, and this work became a turning point in their careers—

It was positive, but also negative.

Leonardo tried to escape Hollywood, find a quiet place, and start messing with himself, hoping people would stop focusing on his appearance.

Kate immersed herself in the independent film scene, repeatedly playing thankless roles, trying to prove that her acting career had different possibilities.

However, Kate's situation, with its clear purpose and intention, backfired. The Academy thought she was being pretentious and acting out a melodramatic play, overdoing it to the point of excess, and they weren't even willing to take a second look.

Until "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"—

Charlie Kaufman's literary yet non-mainstream, unique, and resonant script gave, a script that was unconventional yet not elitist, gave the Academy a heavy blow, finally allowing Kate's consistent efforts to be recognized.

Like "Titanic," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was also a key turning point in Kate's career.

However.

Now, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" hasn't started filming yet, so there's naturally no such thing as a change in perception. In Hollywood's eyes, Kate and Leonardo still belong to the "Titanic" camp, that is, commercial box-office idol superstars who are constantly struggling to prove that they are actually actors.

Looking at Charlie's surprised expression and Michel's "I knew it" expression, Anson understood that they had both misunderstood.

However, Anson wasn't prepared to explain.

After thinking for a moment.

"I've always believed that Kate is a very versatile actress. Perhaps she isn't a naturally gifted actress like Katharine Hepburn or Meryl Streep, but she is a very diligent actress."

"She always has her own ideas about the research of roles and the construction of acting lines."

"Even in 'Titanic,' where she was just a wealthy young lady being rescued, she still studied the subtle changes in the character's mentality. It's not that easy to play such a seemingly simple role well."

"Moreover, after that movie, she has been constantly studying acting and roles."

"At least in my opinion, she loves acting. There aren't many such actors in Hollywood, but there aren't few either. I do like her."

In a few words, Anson clearly expressed his thoughts.

Michel, who had been silent and seemed to be sulking, suddenly had bright eyes, looking at Anson with excitement like a rattlesnake in the desert.

"Right."

"Right!"

"Charlie, I told you, see, I told you a long time ago, Kate is definitely an excellent actress, you all misunderstood her."

Charlie looked at Michel with a lifeless expression, tightly closing his mouth: Otherwise, you do it?

Michel cleared his throat and finally was willing to look into Anson's eyes, "Then what about Nicole Kidman? What do you think?"

This time, Anson didn't answer.

Just mentioning Kate Winslet made Anson immediately think of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and reflexively give an answer; but now, with the addition of Nicole Kidman, things started to become strange.

A hint of playfulness flashed in Anson's eyes, and his gaze shifted directly between Charlie and Michel.

"Did you come to New York specifically to have me comment on actresses? So, what does this mean? Is the emperor choosing concubines for the harem?"

Michel's expression was somewhat embarrassed, muttering for a while but not knowing how to start.

Charlie on the side looked helpless, sighed deeply, and began to explain.

After some investigation and conversation, Michel officially established his perfect actor choice: Jim Carrey paired with Kate Winslet. This was an unusual combination, completely unexpected, but Michel believed that it was precisely because of this weirdness that different sparks could be ignited—

Of course, training the actors and directing the scenes would be a headache; however, Michel was already mentally prepared.

So, Michel began negotiations with Focus Features.

Focus Features leaned towards Anson, especially after Anson was willing to cooperate in a profit-sharing manner to reduce production costs, they raised both hands and feet in favor of Anson.

After all, works like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" were not originally intended to make money. Focus Features' establishment was not for box office revenue, but a move by Universal Pictures to enter the independent film market and awards season.

If Anson could help control costs, Focus Features would be very happy.

Michel and Focus Features had a heated debate and never reached an agreement; unexpectedly, one wave subsided only for another to rise.

Focus Features also had opinions on the female lead, believing that there were more suitable choices than Kate Winslet—

For example, Nicole Kidman.

At this point, Michel had completely lost it.