"Anson."
Gus looked at Anson with clear eyes, showing a hint of encouragent.
"I want you to know that you can be yourself."
"No disguises, no performances, just show your true self and find your own voice; that's okay too."
A simple sentence, light and without any force, yet it cald Anson's restless and anxious heart.
Looking at Gus, Anson gave a helpless smile, "Director, where did you hear this bit of inspirational wisdom? Was it on Oprah?"
Gus thought seriously for a mont, "It might just be."
Pfft.
Around them, a few people couldn't help but chuckle.
Gus was not distracted; he continued to look at Anson, "Listen, I know it's scary. To expose yourself on the movie screen, in front of millions of faces. God, that's the reason I didn't want to be an actor."
Anson's lips curled up, "Director, are you sure that's the real reason?"
Gus spread his hands, "Let's just pretend it is."
Then.
Gus continued, "But at the sa ti, it's also a chance for us to face ourselves. You know, we always live in one cocoon after another, sealing ourselves up tightly, fearing to expose our vulnerability and softness, lest we beco targets for predators."
"Maybe the hurt will co, maybe it won't, we can't know."
"But one thing's for sure, we're already hurting ourselves."
"Be brave to face yourself, be brave to know yourself, and be brave to embrace yourself. Learning to reconcile with yourself is more important than anything."
Anson was startled—
Could Gus see through him? Had the fact that beneath this facade lay a weary soul been exposed?
But after carefully observing Gus for a mont, Anson realized he was overthinking; Gus had just ntioned it unintentionally.
Gus's words continued.
"Anson, your performance, your understanding, your interpretation, they're all correct, but it's missing a bit of authenticity."
"I don't know what it is, but I believe you can find the answer because you're an excellent actor."
After the words were spoken, Gus noticed Anson's surprise a beat later, only then realizing what he had just said.
From doubt and dissatisfaction to unreserved recognition, it was a change that occurred in just a few days. The affirmation, praise, and trust were genuine, not just a formality. Compared to Anson, Gus himself was more surprised.
But, upon serious thought, Gus nodded gently once more.
"I believe in you."
Again, there was no hesitation.
Then.
Gus saw a faint smile lift the corners of Anson's mouth. It wasn't bright or dazzling, but light and shy, yet it seed to light up the whole world.
The smile paused for just a mont, and then Anson continued, "Director, I might need a bit of ti to sort out my thoughts."
Gus nodded lightly and said decisively, "No problem."
Anson turned and walked toward the other end of the corridor, completely unaware of the stunned and bewildered gazes around him as he walked away.
Alex: Speechless.
Can anyone explain what they just witnessed?
Not long ago, there was a murmur of disappointnt in exchanged glances. Once the mysterious veil of the movie was lifted, the filming process revealed was devoid of any aura:
Primitive, rough, simple.
Not to ntion magic, it even made people want to laugh.
No wonder people always say that distance creates beauty. Hollywood is no different; don't get too close, or the illusion might shatter, and everything will be overturned.
After taking off the Spider-Man mask, Anson looked just like an ordinary handso guy. Apart from that appearance, there wasn't anything particularly special.
It was hard not to sigh with a bit of regret.
An idol had just risen, not yet reached the divine, and his aura had already dissipated.
But now?
They had just witnessed the birth of an actor on the set!
Frankly acknowledging his shortcomings and fears, bravely facing his flaws and diocrity, analyzing the character while dissecting himself, breaking the fourth wall, navigating between performance and reality, carefully revealing the most tender and fragile parts of his inner self, and finally turning them into material to flesh out the character.
The audience sees just an image projected on the big screen; but behind the screen, hidden is the contemplation of life by the actor and the director.
A movie can be just a movie, a bucket of popcorn.
But a movie can also be more than just a movie, becoming an expression, a performance, an interpretation, opening a door to another world for the audience.
Of course, they had just seen one scene. No one could predict the outco—
Maybe after Anson finishes his reflection, he'll astonish everyone; maybe, after spending a lot of ti, it'll still end up terrible; maybe, the scene they just witnessed was completely a PR stunt, deliberately perford for the students to see.
But no one could deny the impact of this scene.
It was even more shocking than when Anson held the reflector as a cara assistant just now.
This proved Anson's professionalism as an actor, especially in the glorious success of "Spider-Man." Anson was still willing to explore acting with both feet on the ground, without any airs, which was indeed admirable—
Even if it were just an act, the fact that Anson was still willing to play along for the sake of his image already surpasses countless actors.
Moreover, Alex didn't think it was an act.
He had seen it with his own eyes and truly felt it; he believed in his judgnt.
Anson was genuine, Gus was genuine, all those setbacks and fears, those conversations and reflections were all genuine, and the confusion and perplexity were no exception.
It turned out, outside the glamorous Hollywood and the dark and rotten Hollywood, there was another side, a group of people living like unicorns.
Alex turned to look at Eric—
Lost for words.
He couldn't find any words to describe it, didn't know how to express his feelings.
Eric, on the other hand, had quieted down, no longer as excited and thrilled as before.
Up until just now, Eric saw Spider-Man, Peter Parker; but now, he saw Anson Wood.
Eric said, "Don't you think this kind of Anson is particularly charming?"
Alex was puzzled.
Eric said, "I an, soone who focuses on one thing and puts their whole heart into it, who dares to admit their failures and face their vulnerabilities, who is passionate and unreserved. Such a person is exceptionally attractive."
Alex nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, yes!"
Eric watched Anson's departing figure and murmured, "I'm really looking forward to his performance."
Alex said, "What if he sses it up again?"
Eric laughed, "Wouldn't that be even more spectacular?"
Alex imagined the scene and nodded vigorously, unable to hold back a laugh.
If, after all the fuss, he put on such an act, and still ended up ssing it up, the scene would be... quite remarkable.
But that's not sothing Anson needs to worry about right now.
For now, Anson doesn't have ti to think; he needs so ti to calm down and organize his thoughts.
Whether it's the acting school or the thod school, it all cos down to one thing: performance. But now, Anson needs to show himself, the real him.
That's the hardest thing to do.
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