The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1858: Take action personally
Filming of "Children of Men" is fully on track. Different departments and stages of the crew have found a tacit understanding and work together perfectly like precise gears, with filming progressing by leaps and bounds.

Of course, that's not entirely true. Occasionally, when they encountered difficult scenes, the crew had to pause and make adjustments. A scene had to be repeatedly polished. When the perfectionist Emmanuel met the meticulous Anson, arguments were a daily occurrence, and clashes were part of life. Alfonso was caught in the middle, torn between the two.

At first, the crew members were panicked and anxious, fearing that Anson and Emmanuel might have a disagreement that escalated into a full-blown fight. What should they do then?
But over time, the crew got used to it, and if there were no arguments or clashes among the crew, people would wonder if the sun was shining in London.

In fact, both Anson and Emmanuel are very professional and dedicated; they just have different ways of expressing themselves and getting along. All their conversations revolve around filming, sparking ideas and adding brilliance to the film.

From a certain perspective, this kind of interaction is good for the film, because they are there to work and are 100% focused on their work, while only Alfonso, the kind-hearted guy, worries and sighs all the time. In his view, work is very important, but not the only important thing.

Life can't be just about work, can it?
Don't misunderstand, Alfonso was more eager than anyone else to make an excellent film, and he poured all his heart and soul into "Children of Men." The arguments between Anson and Emmanuel also showcased Alfonso's wisdom and talent. But outside of work, he was friends with Emmanuel, and he also became friends with Anson. Naturally, he hoped that Anson and Emmanuel could become friends as well.

Unfortunately, those two guys seemed to be incompatible from the start. They could start arguing after just three sentences, their arguments sharp and even heated, and they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it.

Alfonso was helpless.

"...Don't be fooled by his appearance, he's actually enjoying it very much."

“I don’t agree with you. But I do agree with this point of view. ‘Your mother is the same’ is definitely not something an ordinary person could capture.”

"Although you are not a trustworthy person, you do have some redeeming qualities from time to time."

Back and forth, joking and bantering, Anson and Emmanuel showed remarkable chemistry at such times.

Alfonso had gradually gotten used to this. He didn't argue, but just looked at the two of them with a simple and honest expression, chuckling and occasionally scratching his head.

It wasn't just the three people involved; the crew members were also gossiping amongst themselves, juggling their busy work with occasional chatter.

"Wait, is it possible that all of this is Alfonso's scheme to draw the war to himself, so that Anson and Emmanuel can stand on the same side and work together to accomplish something, a rare occurrence, and develop a tacit understanding? Of the three, Alfonso is the truly clever one?"

"Hah!"

"...No way? The director is actually the kind of person who pretends to be weak to actually do something big?"

"Who knows? Maybe the director is the really smart one..."

Chattering and laughing, they didn't need to say anything more; the scene before you clearly conveyed the harmony and energy of the crew.

Then, the staff noticed an unfamiliar face on set, next to Anson's assistant Noah. With Noah by his side, it couldn't be an outsider. The face seemed both unfamiliar and familiar, and they couldn't quite place it, but they still subconsciously lowered their voices.

They nodded in greeting and lowered their whispers, but couldn't help glancing at Noah a few more times, curious about who he was with.

The figure was rather short, appearing even smaller next to the towering Noah, definitely not 170 centimeters tall. A light gray suit cleverly concealed his proportions, but Noah's presence was so strong that the figure was almost swallowed up, easily overlooked if one wasn't paying attention. Despite his short stature, his scholarly and refined demeanor was completely different from Noah's, drawing a second glance.

The key point is that this kind of man shouldn't be an actor, but I seem to have some impression of him. Could he be some kind of character actor?

Speculation swirled in the air.

Thierry Frémaux noticed it; how could he possibly miss it? Capturing these trivial details, these shifts in atmosphere, is precisely his forte.

He thought that perhaps they had missed another possibility: that it was all a conspiracy among the three, or a tacit understanding, to create sparks in this way, keep the crew's attention on set, and ensure that the operation of the crew was always in the hands of the three core figures.

What really interests him is that there must be a key figure here. So, who is it?
However, these speculations and clashes had no effect on Noah; his eyes were only on Anson, who was the only one he needed to care about.

“Mr. Frémaux, Mr. Wood is right there…”

Thierry paused for a moment, looked at Noah's sincere face, and chuckled, temporarily bringing his thoughts back to the present. "It seems he's busy right now. Why don't we invite the crew members to distribute breakfast and coffee first?"

“In France, we believe in eating bread as soon as it comes out of the oven. Once it's been more than three hours, the bread is no longer considered fresh. This bakery is a private workshop that I searched for a long time in London. It's a small workshop, run by just one baker from my hometown, Lyon. I hope you like it.”

Noah's attention remained fixed on Anson. Thierry noticed this and gestured to the small bamboo basket in his hand, "Anson's, how about I give it to him? The film crew might need your help."

Noah nodded. "No problem."

There was a rustling sound as the crew began to stir. The crowd could be clearly seen moving in the same direction, and a long line even formed at the entrance to the set.

It's quite remarkable.

Anson and his group noticed the situation and followed the commotion. They saw faces beaming with joy and happiness, indicating that it was a good thing.

Then, Anson spotted Thierry Frémaux coming towards him in the crowd.

With his height and build, he could easily be lost in the crowd, making him difficult to spot. Yet, his subtle presence always managed to persist, enduring any storm or chaos, which was truly remarkable.

In everyday life, he might just be an ordinary employee at a film archive, spending his entire life organizing film reels and documents; but in Cannes, he is a top master who can turn the tide of events with a flick of his wrist, the key figure who led the Cannes Film Festival to its pinnacle.

For film enthusiasts who have come to know the Cannes Film Festival since the beginning of the new century, Cannes is synonymous with Thierry Frémaux, and Frémaux is synonymous with Cannes.

The key question now is, why did Thierry Frémaux appear in London and on the set of "Children of Men"?
(End of this chapter)