The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1084: Both Form and Spirit
"So, let me summarize and see if it's correct?"

"You like my band, you like my look and my height - including this black look, but the only thing you don't like is my performance."

"It's not that I don't like it, but I don't trust it."

"If I had chosen white or blue instead of black, the content and atmosphere of this conversation might be completely different."

"Yet you still want me to agree to take on this film project."

"Is it right?"

Looking at Kitcher on the left and Mangold on the right, Anson kept smiling.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Without warning, Kitcher kicked Mangold under the table.

"I asked you to tell the truth and I asked you to stop talking. What are you going to do now?"

Kitcher leaned back in his chair with his shoulders drooped, looking as if he had lost all hope in life.

The picture is a little funny.

After all, Kitcher is already gray-haired, over 50 years old, and has been in Hollywood for more than 30 years, but he still performs so... vividly, which is indeed a different kind of firework.

Mangold choked. “No, that’s not right.”

Anson raised his eyebrows slightly.

Mangold's chest, which had just swelled up, collapsed again, like a deflated balloon. "It does sound so now, but..."

Anson raised his right hand to stop Mangold, "Director, don't worry, I'm not angry."

Mangold, “No?”

Anson smiled and said, "No. I know where I am now. If you said that you came here specially because of my superb acting skills, I would not believe a word of it. After all, superb acting skills? Which work?"

Anson laughed at himself.

Mangold smiled again, looked at Kitcher, and couldn't help rubbing his hands.

Ji Che couldn't help but get excited, "So what you mean is..."

Anson did not respond directly, "Please allow me to sort out the situation."

"You just said that you wanted to explore Johnny's creative inspiration, you wanted to show how Johnny transformed the pain of his life into artistic creation, and obviously, that requires performance."

“Rather than looking for an actor who has a physical form but no spirit, we need to find an actor who can capture the essence of Johnny.”

"From this perspective, Joaquin Phoenix should be a more suitable choice, right?"

Rational, objective, and logical.

Anson brought his attention back to the right track, and Mangold's thoughts were also brought back. "Yes, that's the point."

"Performance."

“Here, the performance we are talking about is not just about joy, anger, sadness, or happiness, nor is it just about the actors’ presentation of emotions or lines; it is a dual performance of drama and music.”

"On the one hand, the actors need to show Johnny's struggles. Yes, this is true. We will not avoid Johnny's dark years. Alcohol, powder, third parties, etc. He has fallen into a very, very dark place. We expect the actors to show it."

"On the other hand, the actors need to show how Johnny presents music performances in the midst of struggle, his understanding of music, the emotions he expresses through music, the connection he establishes between him and the audience through music, and most importantly, using life as the soil to complete music creation."

"Joaquin can't do this, but you can."

"If I remember correctly, you wrote the entire album for your band, right?"

"I also watched a series of your performances, including the streets of New York, 'The Tonight Show', the European street tour, etc. No one could be more suitable than you."

“You create music, but the foundation is your understanding and perception of life.”

"I believe you are the perfect person for Johnny."

Crackling, all in one go.

Although still a little confused and occasionally a little tongue-tied, Mangold finally answered Anson's question directly this time. Kitcher also seized the opportunity, "Anson, I should apologize."

"Those prejudices mainly come from me."

"Please forgive me, I have known Johnny for half my life, he is more than just my friend, I don't think anyone can play him, not you, not Joaquin, I am always biased."

“I thought maybe — just maybe — Joaquin could use his acting to make up for those shortcomings and come up with a different version of Johnny.”

"But today, as James just said, no matter what the reason is, and no matter whether it is because of this set of black clothes, the truth is..."

Take a deep breath.

"I see Johnny in you. Not in appearance or spirit. In fact, you are not alike in any way, but the energy in you is so similar."

"I'm not sure what James thinks, but I do hope to see you play Johnny on the big screen, and I'm curious which side of Johnny you'll bring out."

"If we have offended you, I apologize again."

As he spoke, Kitcher became a little frustrated.

Everything is a little confusing.

Nothing had gone according to plan today, and he now had a bad feeling that they had messed everything up.

Just as Anson was about to open his mouth to respond, the café was suddenly pushed open.

Ding Ling clang.

The action was a little bit rough, so much so that the wind chimes started to rub against each other randomly. Everyone in the cafe looked over, including the two Jameses.

Instead, Anson, who had his back to the gate, was the most focused. He turned around a beat late and saw a tornado rushing towards him.

"Anson, hey, Anson!"

He was slightly out of breath, and looked like he had been sprinting all the way here, but he didn't even have time to catch his breath. He took the initiative to look at the two Jameses and extended his right hand to introduce himself.

"Edgar Cook, I'm sorry to interrupt you, I'm really sorry, but I need to check with Anson."

After a round of greetings and simple regards, Edgar turned to look at Anson and smiled.

"How long will it take you here? There are three interviews waiting outside. Christen and James will be interviewed first. You can go over later."

A short sentence, but with a huge amount of information.

Kitcher and Mangold exchanged glances.

The presence of a broker means that the subsequent conversation will be under the broker's supervision. The discussion can continue, but it is inevitable that there will be restrictions.

It's not just Edgar, it's the same for all agents in Hollywood.

If you want to impress an actor, you rely on the script, the role, the co-actor and the director; if you want to impress an agent, you rely on the investment, the pay and the shooting period.

Of course, agents care about scripts and roles, too, but the priorities are slightly different, which inevitably causes the focus of the entire discussion to shift quietly.

This time, it was Kitcher who spoke up, "Anson, since you still have work to do, we won't bother you."

"Thank you very much today. We came to visit you without any prior notice and were rude, but you still took the time to have a conversation with us."

"Besides, this is way more than five minutes for a cup of coffee. Thank you."

After experiencing the entire roller coaster collision, now calmly thinking back, Anson's patience, sincerity and easy-going attitude are undoubtedly the key points.

Kitcher couldn't help but sigh that there was a reason why Anson had such an excellent reputation within the Hollywood industry.

Otherwise, as a matter of common sense, who would care about a vase?

Those hidden details that are subtle and silent are more powerful than any language.

Ji Che took a deep breath and said, "Then we won't bother you for now."

(End of this chapter)