The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1437 Growing Pains
Later, people often wondered why Hollywood studios like to make sequels? Why do those comic book superhero movies continue to make sequels when the box office is disappointing? Why do movie studios continue to launch new works after the overall decline of superhero movies?

Here’s why:
Be it Warner Bros., Disney, Universal Pictures, or Sony Columbia, the real money-making part has never been from the movie box office, but from movie peripherals and theme parks. Movies are merely a promotional link in a huge industrial chain that is close to the market.

The same is true now. The performance of "Cinderella Story" was far below expectations, but Disney still promoted it with all its strength and launched a second round of publicity without stopping.

This led to Anson's surprise visit to the set.

However, Anson still underestimated Disney's determination and filled his work schedule for the whole day.

Obviously, the real purpose is not just to promote "Cinderella". Even if this work is a complete box office failure or even loses money, Disney's live-action princess movie plan will continue to be promoted, so they must spend money to continue to promote it, and there is no room for negotiation.

Anson spread his hands and said, "It's a good thing to have publicity. At least it can be seen and heard."

Anne let out a breath softly, with a hint of helplessness and bitterness hidden in her smile.

Before Anne could speak, the door of the suite was pushed open again, and the man who had just left came back and looked at Anson's profile, not caring whether to interrupt the conversation or not.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that Anne is very happy to talk about the next work, which will be on the big screen on August 11th, in August."

"And of course, there's the next one we're discussing, and she'd be more than happy to share some information with you."

Anson raised his eyebrows slightly——

As expected, the "Magic Cinderella" promotion was just an introduction, and the real gimmick was yet to come.

Anson, "Oh, that's great, our readers are very happy to get this news first."

But the man didn't wait for Anson to finish his words, he closed the door again and left.

Just like that... left...

From beginning to end, that person never looked Anson in the eye, so that Anson's "Superman glasses" still perfectly serve as a mask.

Anson looked at Anne with a half-smile.

Anne felt a headache and laughed, "He just said 'The Princess Diaries 2'."

Anson suddenly realized, "Oh, the movie is actually ready to be released!"

Anne let out a long breath, "Yeah, we all hope we don't run into 'Spider-Man 2'."

Anson smiled directly, "Don't worry, our target market is different. So, there is a next one? It seems that your schedule is already fully booked."

Anne's smile shrank slightly, like a butterfly's wings, almost disappearing in the sunlight, "I hope not so soon."

Anson keenly caught the sigh and bitterness in Anne's words, "What happened?"

Anne waved her hands subconsciously, "No, nothing, just some random thoughts of mine."

Anson did not continue to ask, but pulled back a little, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and said, "Let me make it clear that I am not a paparazzi."

The anxious attitude of clarification made Anne smile again. She relaxed a little and looked at Anson quietly, with thoughts surging in her mind.

An impulse, the words came out naturally.

"I don't know, I just think..."

Anne was slightly startled, as her thoughts were reverberating in her mind, she heard her own voice mumbling softly.

“I feel like I’m trapped.”

"The huge success of 'The Princess Diaries' far exceeded my imagination. Hollywood is like a fairy tale book full of mystery opened in front of me." "It's not just the box office. The influence beyond that is pervasive. Can you believe it? Some people really think I am a princess of a certain country."

"Princess Mia."

"I don't even know how to respond. I now understand why people always describe movies as the art of dream-making. It's so real."

“But that’s also the problem.”

"Now in Hollywood, my image is a princess, a Barbie doll wearing a princess dress. Because the audience thinks so, all producers, directors and even other actors have fixed me on the image of a princess."

Anne let out a breath and tugged at her skirt out of boredom, with a hint of bitterness in the curve of her mouth.

"So, the roles I can get now are only those of princess princess princess."

"'Cinderella' is a princess, 'The Princess Diaries 2' is a princess, and the one I'm discussing now is still a princess role, not even a vase role, not a student, not a girl, just a Barbie doll pretending to be a princess."

"I know, I know, such words seem arrogant and ungrateful. In Hollywood, there are countless actors who are buried, ignored and neglected. They don't even have the opportunity to be seen, but I am here to pick and choose."

"but……"

The words stopped abruptly.

Anne sat there in a daze, giving Anson a big smile.

However, the bitterness and sadness hidden in the smile quietly revealed itself.

Anson shook his head. "I don't think it's arrogance. It's a normal consideration."

"When we are trapped in an image, it also means the focus of an actor's career. An actor with a special type cannot have a real career."

"You are the same, and so am I."

"We once thought that we only needed to seize an opportunity to appear on the big screen, and all our dreams would come true, just like a Disney fairy tale, with the prince and princess living happily together, period."

“But only after you have actually completed it will you realize that this is just the first step. Life is long, the future is far away, and things are far from being that easy to achieve.”

"Otherwise Macaulay Culkin wouldn't have been trapped in Kevin's body from 'Home Alone' forever, and he still hasn't been able to get out of it until now."

"Some people would say that at least he succeeded once, which is a dream that half of Hollywood actors cannot achieve; but the problem is that he succeeded once, and then he had to face a long and difficult failure, which makes people wonder if life would be better if he had not experienced that success."

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

Obviously, Anson was joking, and this last sentence is a legendary classic line from "Forrest Gump".

Annie got it right away. "Ha! 'Run, Forrest, run!'"

She also joked, but the smile did not stay on the corners of her mouth for long before it drooped again. She fell into deep thought, but there was only endless nothingness in her mind.

Anne sighed softly.

"So, is this what growing up is? We all have to face the complexity and difficulties of life, going around in circles and being stuck in the same place, but never finding the answer."

“It would be nice if life could stay simple forever, if we didn’t have to grow up.”

Anne raised her eyes and looked at Anson, revealing a bit of helplessness and fragility, but she inadvertently noticed the hint of sadness and bitterness in Anson's smile.

I couldn't help but be stunned.

(End of this chapter)