The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2055 I Was Originally Kind
The middle-aged man in front of me is Brendan-Gleeson.

Whether he is the most famous Irish actor in Hollywood history is debatable; but there is no doubt that he is not just some random alcoholic vagrant in the midlife crisis on the streets of Bruges.

Brendan, now fifty years old, has had a very interesting acting career. This burly, weathered, and ruggedly handsome man actually has a background in literature. After graduating from university, he became a high school teacher, teaching literature and drama, until he was thirty-four years old when he decided to pursue his inner passion—

To become an actor.

Moreover, he didn't just casually go to the film crew to play minor roles. Instead, he formally entered the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in London, passed the assessment and interview, became a formal apprentice, learned acting step by step, and worked his way up in the stage play field for many years, steadily winning performance opportunities.

Whether in Britain or the United States, actor Brendan is not a "leading actor," but he still manages to secure a place for himself with his solid acting skills and rich versatility, becoming one of the most common and popular supporting actors for Irish characters in Hollywood movies.

When people need an Irish supporting actor, the first one that often comes to mind is Brendan.

He appears in movies like "The Land of the Rising Sun," "Braveheart," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Mission: Impossible 2," "Troy," "Cold Mountain," "Kingdom of Heaven," and "Gangs of New York," and not just as a random extra; he plays supporting roles that are important to the plot.

Judging from his resume alone, Brendan is far more experienced than Anson; he could be considered the Irish version of Samuel L. Jackson.

Of all Brendan's works, his portrayal of Mad-Eye Moody in the "Harry Potter" series is undoubtedly the most eye-catching and a landmark appearance in commercial genre films.

It's somewhat regrettable that for over a decade, Brendan has consistently been used as a "genre actor"—

Irish middle-aged men are specialists.

This is absolutely a waste of talent, until... "The Killer Has No Holidays".

Ray is the absolute protagonist of this film, but in terms of script structure, it can be seen as a dual-protagonist script, with Ken, who is both a mentor and a friend, having a lot of room to develop his character.

It is no surprise that the choice of actors was crucial, and Brendan was Martin's handpicked actor.

In fact, Martin had already decided on the main cast for "In Bruges" long before Edgar got involved. This is why he was so annoyed by Edgar's "harassment" and also why he was so confident and determined when he rejected Anson.

He believed he could assemble a perfect cast, and he was confident that this cast would attract investment.

Ray, Colin Farrell; Ken, Brendan Gleeson.

Harry, Ralph Fiennes, is the actor who starred in "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient," and also the actor who played Voldemort in "Harry Potter."

In addition, Chloe, the woman Ray fell in love with in Bruges, is played by Clemence-Poesy, who also played Fleur in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".

No wonder people jokingly say that in Britain there are only two types of actors: those who have played Harry Potter and those who haven't.

Martin had always been confident that he could secure investment with this cast, but unfortunately, harsh reality gave him a harsh wake-up call.

The combination of Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes failed to convince the producers, and the choice of Brendan Gleeson for the lead role also raised a big question mark.

After going around in circles and hitting walls everywhere, Edgar finally got involved.

Martin was initially worried that Anson might want to seize control and completely overhaul the cast. He had prepared a speech, using all his skills to persuade Lucas and Anson, especially Brendan, hoping that Anson would realize what an excellent actor Brendan was.

As a result… without any persuasion, Anson immediately agreed. It was so simple that Martin was initially taken aback, only later realizing that Anson's arrival was indeed the most important turning point in his career.

Now, Martin is beginning to understand why Charlie Kaufman specifically thanked Anson in his Oscar acceptance speech.

Today, Anson had just arrived in Bruges and went for a walk without saying hello to the film crew. Unexpectedly, he ran into Brendan here.

Anson hesitated slightly, wondering if he should step forward and introduce himself, since this wasn't a film set and Brendan might be enjoying his private time and didn't want to be disturbed. But ignoring him was worse, as any subsequent explanation might complicate matters.

So Anson went forward anyway.

Upon hearing Brendan's words, Anson paused slightly. "Sir Michael Caine? Oh, I have a bad feeling about this."

Brendan could sense the sarcasm in Anson's words. He looked up slightly and asked, "Oh? Why? Didn't you do a good job just now?"

Anson, "What?"

Brendan, "that child."

Anson then realized, "Public image is just a publicity stunt."

Brendan said, “No, 90% of actors wouldn’t even do that kind of publicity. They would choose to visit terminally ill patients in hospitals under the arrangement of public relations, with not only cameras but also video cameras, wanting the whole world to know that they are caring for patients, but in fact, as soon as they turn around, they don’t even remember those people’s names. They have no concern for charity or public image. They are a bunch of selfish and spoiled people.”

Anson paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. It wasn't because Brendan's words were sharp; quite the opposite, Brendan spoke calmly and unhurriedly, as if discussing the weather. There was no attack or sarcasm; he was simply stating the most basic facts, leaving no room for doubt.

It was because another person came to mind: "I can now confirm that you and Martin are friends."

Brendan didn't refute, nor did he even turn to look at Anson. "We've known each other for years, in the West End of London, in a tiny circle."

This is an admission—

Actually, what Brendan was really criticizing was Anson's humility. He was praising Anson's actions, but Anson jokingly called it a public relations tactic. What he was mocking was this "humility."

At this moment, Brendan finally turned his head to look at Anson. "Being too modest makes you seem hypocritical, and as far as I know, you're not that type."

Anson burst out laughing and raised his hands in surrender.

Brendan seemed satisfied with Anson's response and looked away. "Not everyone is willing to do that in real life, and I am not."

Anson was very surprised. "Why? It was just a small favor!"

Brendan shrugged almost imperceptibly. "If an old lady comes home from the supermarket with a lot of stuff, I won't try to help her carry it or help her cross the street. I'm not that noble."

Anson thought for a moment, "But would you be willing to open the supermarket door for her and let her go out first?"

Brendan pondered for a moment, “Yes, that’s no problem. I think I’m willing to open the door for her and prevent her from getting stuck there and delaying all of us.”

(End of this chapter)