America: Child stars start with The Shining

Charles glanced at the script in his hand. The scene was about the little boy Danny, whom he played, was alone in front of the bathroom mirror, having a conversation with his alternate personality, "Tony".

This is a one-man show; he delivered all the lines of the dialogue by himself, without the participation of any other actors.

Therefore, he had to create that subtle illusion in front of the camera, making the audience feel as if they were really talking to another person, rather than a child talking to thin air, otherwise it would seem too stiff.

Ciel had to try hard to create an unsettling atmosphere so that the audience could empathize with the story, because such a plot would be difficult to happen in reality, let alone in such a seemingly well-behaved and adorable little boy.

......

"Action!"

The entire film set fell silent instantly.

Even Kubrick and Spielberg had stopped arguing, and everyone's eyes were on the center.

Ciel stood in front of the sink. To further emphasize his status as a child, a small stool was placed under his feet so that he could see his reflection in the mirror.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead looked up at his face in the mirror, as if he was deliberately waiting for something.

The camera slowly zooms in, moving to a close-up, focusing on his face.

Charles's gaze was sometimes unfocused, sometimes focused, and the details in his pupils were all captured by the camera.

Kubrick looked at the footage on the monitor, then turned to Spielberg standing beside him, a slight smugness playing on his lips, and said:

"How was it? I added this monologue especially for him."

Spielberg ignored the bearded man who was clearly showing off, merely raising an eyebrow while keeping his gaze fixed on Charles.

Unexpectedly, this old man has really struck gold. Child stars with such natural and vivid acting skills are rare these days.

In theory, traditional horror films rarely give children important narrative roles; at most, they are used as background figures to enhance the atmosphere.

Although horror films have gradually become mainstream in this era, the question is, what are today's audiences looking for in theaters to watch horror films?

It's all for the bloody scenes, bizarre plots, and those jump scares that make people jump, such as in "The Exorcist," "Halloween," and his film "Jaws," which all make extensive use of this technique.

These thriller scenes are usually only suitable for adults to portray. Even if they wanted to involve children, the American film censorship authorities would absolutely reject such an idea outright.

In their view, children should act in family comedies; otherwise, what if the future flowers of America are traumatized by seeing those horrific scenes?

Kubrick's approach was both clever and audacious.

Since those old-fashioned people who care about children's healthy growth don't allow those kinds of scenes to be filmed, he specifically films the daily interactions between parents and children, and wants to capture that warm feeling.

As for why the audience became increasingly uneasy as they watched, or even felt horrified because of a child, that was none of his business.

Therefore, Kubrick took a risky step by giving Charles a significant amount of screen time in the script, which, if performed well enough, would undoubtedly greatly enhance the film's atmosphere of terror.

With that in mind, Spielberg refocused his attention on Charles's performance.

Ciel finally uttered his first line. He raised a finger, gently pressed it against his cheek, tilted his head slightly as if listening intently to someone else's words, and then spoke:

"Tony, do you think Dad will get that job?"

Immediately afterwards, his expression changed inexplicably; his eyes became sluggish and vacant, and he spoke in a hoarse voice:

"He's already got it, and he'll call your mom right away."

Charles seemed to be relaying someone's words. A scene flashed through his mind: his parents talking on the phone. In the dim light, his mother leaned against the cabinet, the telephone cord tangled between her fingers, and intermittent sounds came from the other end.

He hesitated for a moment, then continued to ask:

"Tony, why don't you want to go to that hotel?" "I don't know."

"No, you know that." "But I don't want to tell you."

"Tony, tell me!"

Charles switched between two voices without pausing, and the last sentence seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat, making it sound particularly difficult.

Spielberg secretly marveled at how he could actually sense the struggle and pain in a child's expression.

A few seconds later, Charles suddenly smiled without warning, staring at himself in the mirror, his lips moving slightly.

Then he saw it.

Blood gushed out from the crack in the door, engulfing the entire corridor. A pair of twins stared at him expressionlessly, as calm as ghosts. Then came the corpses lying in pools of blood, their bodies twisted and unrecognizable.

boom!

Standing in front of the mirror, Ciel suddenly lost all his strength and fell off the chair to the ground.

"Ka! Ciel, are you alright?!"

Kubrick didn't call "cut" until the camera had captured the last frame completely. Immediately afterward, he rushed to Charles and helped him up from the ground.

The other person's performance just now made him a little scared. He almost couldn't tell whether the child was acting or really collapsed from exhaustion. However, this part was so well done that it could be directly cut into the main film.

"It's okay, it's okay, ouch..."

Ciel dusted himself off, got up from the ground, and subconsciously rubbed his sore bottom.

That fall was a sudden inspiration of his; he deliberately took the fall to show how he was completely overwhelmed by the terrifying images in his mind and how his consciousness was broken. This part wasn't in the script; it was his improvisation.

As a result, he didn't control his strength well and actually hurt himself when he fell.

"What are you all standing there for? Go find a doctor to take a look!"

Kubrick frowned and instructed the staff to take Charles aside and bring him a small stool. Charles touched the bruises on his body and recalled the details of the performance in his mind.

Before filming began, he specially equipped himself with the crumpled cigarette box he got from Jack. Unexpectedly, the effect was surprisingly good. Almost instantly, he was completely immersed in the role, and even the emotions and images in his mind became exceptionally real.

He glanced up at Kubrick's expression; the serious face had clearly relaxed, indicating that his performance just now was indeed quite good. He just wondered if the guy would make him reshoot a few more takes.

Charles didn't want to fall off the chair again.

"Hey, Shire, I'm Steven Spielberg, a director."

Just then, Spielberg suddenly walked over from the side, squatted down in front of Charles, handed him his business card, and said:

"I just watched your performance, it was excellent. Would you be interested in trying out my next film after you finish filming 'The Shining'?"

Charles's expression brightened, and he quickly took the item, immediately responding:

"Thank you, director!"

Great! That performance really impressed Spielberg. Mission accomplished!

You should know that the film they're about to shoot is the one that swept box office records and won Best Picture at the 55th Academy Awards...

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

"Hey Steven, I'm warning you, don't try to steal him from me right in front of me. Charles is my actor now!"

Kubrick strode over aggressively from the side, pointing at Spielberg and cursing.

Just as Ciel watched the two of them start arguing again in front of him, a girl wearing sunglasses quietly left from a corner of the set where no one was paying attention.