The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 338 Hesitation
In Steven's view, the most difficult and core problem in making the "Cat and Mouse Game" project is:

Casting.

For a legendary figure like Frank Abagnale Jr., if a movie were made, the audience would probably exclaim that it was nonsense, but he actually appeared in real life, how to present his charm, his struggles and all his crimes. The motivations behind the actions will be the core of the entire movie.

Steven held in-depth discussions with the screenwriting team and found an entry point, the father-son relationship, based on his personal life experience.

Frank Abagnale Jr.’s first impression of crime came from Frank Abagnale-Fr., and he has always been affected by his parents’ divorce; while FBI agent Carl Hanratty ( Carl-Hanratty) was finally able to successfully arrest Frank because he saw through this.

then.

Frank and Carl, a criminal and a police detective, are like a cat-and-mouse game. You are chasing each other, but they have wonderfully established a father-son relationship.

This will become the core of the entire movie.

It is conceivable that the actors playing the two roles will bear tremendous pressure and will also determine the success or failure of the film.

Initially, the role of Carl Hanratty was determined to be played by James Gandolfini. Although Gore Verbinski withdrew from the project, James stayed on loyally; but he did not expect that the project would be delayed again and again. , so much so that it delayed James’ own shooting schedule——

James Gandolfini, the leading actor in the HBO classic series "The Sopranos."

Due to schedule conflicts, James had to fulfill his contract to film "The Sopranos". With no choice but to regret it, he had to withdraw from the "cat-and-mouse game", so that when Steven took over, everything had to start from scratch.

Without much hesitation, Steven found Tom Hanks.

There was "Saving Private Ryan" before, and "Band of Brothers" later. Steven and Tom have been in the honeymoon period in the past two years, and they have met frequently in work and life. Steven believes that Tom is the ideal for the role of Carl Hanratty. The perfect candidate, Tom nodded and agreed after reading the script carefully.

From August to September, the "Cat and Mouse Game" is undergoing recasting in all aspects, but the most critical and core role, Frank Abagnale Jr., is still vacant.

In Steven's opinion, Leonardo is the perfect candidate.

After all, the actor needs to have personal charm, match the ever-changing temperament of Frank Abagnale Jr., and at the same time be able to show the youthfulness of this character; in addition, he needs to be able to play opposite Tom Hanks, and in the opposite role Not falling behind, the two actors collided with each other and had a chemical reaction.

Under such standards, they don't have many choices in Hollywood, at least, not as many as they imagined.

Unfortunately, "Gangs of New York" is still being filmed, and Leonardo has nothing to do.

Steven also had a headache.

At a party, Warner Bros. executive Jeff Robinoff unexpectedly gave Steven a choice:

Anson Wood.

Steven doesn’t know Anson. He has never watched “Friends” or “The Princess Diaries.” “GQ” and the Emmy Awards are all unfamiliar information to him. This is the first time he has heard this name. ; But Jeff said mysteriously, you will never be disappointed.

Anson entered Steven's field of vision for the first time.

For such an unfamiliar young actor, for such a crucial role, Steven believes that they need to change the audition model.

Of course, Steven doesn't even need to say anything. Even if he just spreads the news, Anson's agent will proactively come to audition; but in this case, it is often filled with situations that the agent has inquired about in advance and things that have been set up in advance. mode, the actor's self cannot be seen.

Frank Abagnale Jr. is a cunning, changeable but charming character. Steven needs to see the actor's own colors and original appearance, so that he can construct the edges and corners of the character based on the original colors and construct the actor in his mind. The scene of confrontation with Tom, looking for creative inspiration. This is not just a random role, but the key to the success or failure of the entire movie. The "Cat and Mouse Game" project has gone through too many ups and downs, and Steven has also given up too much for this project. He needs this project. Get on track and avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Therefore, they need an opportunity and an occasion to put Anson in a defenseless state and give Steven a chance to observe up close.

It just so happens that Paula-Abagnale, the mother of Frank Abagnale Jr., is a Frenchman. Because this is an autobiographical film, Steven hopes to be faithful to the original work and restore reality as much as possible. So he hopes to invite a French actor to play the role.

So Steven and Tom showed up in Paris.

On the one hand, auditioning actors for Paula.

On the other hand, see Anson for yourself.

Everything, completely confidential.

Steven believed that even now, Anson and Edgar would not know what was going on, but if they turned around and went back, Edgar would start to inquire.

It is precisely because of this that Tom just saw Anson's calmness and calmness in the rearview mirror. He did not look anxious to inquire about the situation. He not only calmly escorted Anna to the car, but also remained unhurried after Anna left. This made him look at him differently. , this young actor really does not look like he is eighteen years old.

So, what about Steven’s “but”?

Tom didn't rush, he just waited patiently.

After a while, Steven himself said, "But, he's too young."

The reason is not a truth, but it is real.

Tom laughed dumbly, "Steven, Frank Abagnale Jr. was only fifteen years old when he committed his first crime. He was only in his early twenties when he was finally arrested. Twenty-two? Twenty-three? If you want a French actor to play Paula Abagnale, age-wise, Anson is perfect."

"In fact, from an age perspective, Leonardo is already twenty-seven years old and is not suitable for this role. Anson is closer to the truth than him."

Faced with a big boss like Steven, Tom didn't have to worry about it, he just spoke out and hit back.

Steven was a little embarrassed, "Tom, you know what I mean, it's not just about age."

"Indeed, considering age, we need to find an actor who is around 18 to 20 years old, but such actors are often young and inexperienced. Look at Anson, he has starred in one TV series and one movie so far, It was difficult for him to digest such a complex role.”

Here, what Steven refers to as "young" is not so much age as experience.

At this time, looking back at Steven's first impression of Anson in the studio, "child", we can see the clues.

To be precise, it is precisely for this reason that Steven still prefers Leonardo——

Young enough, experienced enough at the same time, charismatic and capable at the same time.

One thing to say is that Steven’s directorial talent is mainly reflected in scheduling, composition and narrative. In his works, the audio-visual experience has always been a kind of enjoyment. He has never been a director who is good at training actors, so he needs The actor understands the role and presents the performance himself.

Tom understands Steven's concerns. Not only is he an excellent actor, but he has also tried his hand at directing, but this time, "I don't agree with you."

(End of this chapter)