America: Child stars start with The Shining

Charles sat down in his chair, took a deep breath to calm his nerves, but his gaze still involuntarily drifted towards the camera.

Next, we'll be filming the opening scene of the entire movie, a conversation between the female lead Wendy and her son Danny at the dinner table.

This scene looks very warm and ordinary, but it is necessary to portray the undercurrents beneath the calm surface so that the audience can vaguely sense that something is wrong.

Charles plays Danny, a character with an ability called "The Shining," which allows him to glimpse terrifying visions of the past and future.

What's even more complicated is that Danny has an imaginary friend named "Tony," who can almost be seen as another personality within him.

In other words, Ciel will play two roles in one play.

This is extremely difficult for a child star; a slight misstep could result in a completely disjointed portrayal of the two personalities, causing the audience to be instantly pulled out of the story.

Kubrick really did present him with a difficult problem right from the start.

The set was unusually quiet. Shelly, who played Wendy, sat on the other side of the table and gave Charles a gentle smile.

However, combined with her current makeup and styling, it just feels a little creepy.

Ciel quietly wiped the sweat from his palms, trying to get into character.

[Equipped: Ray-Ban Sunglasses Lost by Child Star (Rare), Current Equipment Slots: 1/1]

[Entry: Misplaced Gaze (Passive) is now active]

Kubrick stared intently at the monitor screen, and after confirming that everything was ready, he gently raised his hand to signal.

"The Shining, Act III, Scene One—Action!"

Charles sat at the dining table, taking big bites of his sandwich, but his gaze seemed to be wandering somewhere.

He suddenly spoke:

"Mom, are you really planning to stay at that hotel for the entire winter?"

Shirley was flipping through the book in her hands, and had just picked up her coffee cup when she heard this. She suddenly stopped, turned her head slightly, and asked:

"Of course, don't you think that would be interesting?"

"Hmm... I think so too."

Charles answered softly, his gaze never falling on Sherry, his expression calmer than a child's, sending a chill down one's spine.

Yes, Dad is taking the family on a trip, so why isn't he happy about it?

Why is that?

His fingers tightened slightly, squeezing the bread into a slightly deformed shape.

"marvelous."

Kubrick, standing behind the monitor, noticed this subtle movement and his eyes lit up.

Great, that's the subtle feeling that sends chills down your spine. He was a little worried at first, but he didn't expect the little guy to get into character so quickly.

Shirley hesitated for a moment, her smile faltering slightly, but she maintained the gentle tone befitting a mother, and asked following the script:

"What does Tony think? I bet he's really looking forward to staying at that hotel."

Charles slowly raised a finger, then paused for a second, as if he had suddenly become a different person, and answered softly:

"No, I don't expect it, Mrs. Transylvans. I don't want to go there."

His voice remained unchanged, but the feeling it gave was inexplicably different, like a chilling wind creeping up one's spine, bringing a sense of coldness.

Why don't you want to go?

"I...I just don't want to."

The next second, the expression on Charles's face gradually faded, and his eyes stared blankly ahead.

Only his fingers remained suspended in mid-air, trembling slightly.

"Cut! Excellent!"

Kubrick clapped his hands sharply, his tone filled with undisguised excitement.

Charles let out a long sigh of relief and slumped into his chair. He was wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt, but his entire back was now completely soaked.

During that performance, he was almost doing his best to control every subtle expression on his face, his whole body was tense. If the scene had been any longer, he probably would have been exhausted on the spot.

"Little Charles, you acted so well! I was so surprised by your performance that I almost forgot my lines."

Shirley smiled at him from the side and exclaimed in sincere admiration. This was the first time she had ever met such a talented child star.

This wasn't just polite talk; she did momentarily lose focus the instant Charles began to deliver his lines, and if she hadn't caught herself in time, the scene would have had to be reshot.

Fortunately, their performance in this scene was perfect, and they did not make any mistakes.

Just as the two were about to stand up, Kubrick suddenly interrupted them:

"Wait, don't rush, let's secure one more!"

Xia Dun looked at Shirley helplessly, and the two returned to their seats, waiting for the next instruction.

As expected of Kubrick.

Even if you've already filmed something excellent, he can still find ways to nitpick and try to push you to perform even better.

The problem is that most actors are method actors, who rely heavily on their on-the-spot performance and need enough time to prepare their emotions in order to get into character.

Kubrick's practice of forcing actors to repeatedly film the same scene can easily lead to boredom and a decline in their performance.

However, it is precisely his almost demanding pursuit of perfection that has created so many classic works that have left their mark on film history.

......

"Cut! This scene is fine, everyone take a break!"

Kubrick looked at the monitor screen with satisfaction and nodded, while Charles and Sherry remained seated, both nearly exhausted.

This scene was filmed more than a dozen times. Not only that, Kubrick also added a few lines for them on the spot, but after trying it, he found that the effect was not ideal, so he deleted some of them on the spot.

The two of them were tossed around like this, repeatedly having to reshoot, until their brains were about to explode.

Charles now wanted to take back his earlier praise of Kubrick. That old man was a complete freak, treating them like puppets to be manipulated at will.

He stood up, only to feel a sudden wave of aches and pains in his back, as if all his strength had been drained.

He's only six years old! Is it really necessary to put him through all this trouble?

Charles couldn't help but sigh.

However, the opportunity to act alongside an actress of the highest caliber is rare, and he enjoyed it just now, clearly feeling his continuous improvement.

He was just about to leave and find a quiet corner to rest when a voice suddenly called out to him:

"Please wait a moment."

Charles turned his head and saw a strange man walking towards him.

The man, dressed in a well-tailored suit, walked up to him, bowed slightly, and introduced himself:

"Hello, little friend, my name is Morgan. Would you be interested in learning more about WMA brokerage firm?"

He was WMA's senior agent and had just witnessed Charles's acting skills firsthand. Such talent was extremely rare even in Hollywood, so he wanted to try and win him over.

Generally speaking, most child stars are family-run businesses, with parents acting as their agents. However, this also means that if handled properly, WMA has every opportunity to sign them.

Charles frowned, not expecting to run into CAA's arch-enemy here.

He refused very decisively:

"I'm sorry, I've already signed a contract with CAA."

Morgan paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and continued speaking eloquently:

"It's alright, we can completely resolve the issue of breach of contract penalties for you."

"As far as I know, CAA is still in its early stages and can't provide you with many resources. With your abilities, there's absolutely no need to waste your time on that kind of place. WMA can help you secure more film audition opportunities."

Under the expectant gaze of the other party, Charles slowly began to speak:

"I'm sorry, I don't have any plans in that regard right now. Let's talk about it later."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Morgan stood there, his smile gradually fading as he watched Charles walk away.

"CAA..."

His gaze darkened slightly.