Chapter 1846: 1846 Casting Confusion

In the process of writing the script of "As Good as It Gets", the hero is always described according to Hugo's own ideas, which can be said to be tailor-made. But hearing what Steven said at this time, Hugo was not angry, but frowned in confusion, "Why did you say that?"

"You know, Melvin is a very annoying guy, he always has a way of irritating people, although many times he is unintentional, but that kind of uncontrollable eccentricity puts a distance between him and other people. Pull away bit by bit. In my impression, he shouldn't be like you." Steven couldn't explain clearly, all this was just a very vague feeling, so he sorted himself out while thinking The words, "You are a...well, very warm person, at least in terms of appearance, you will give people a positive image a lot of times. Of course, it does not mean that you are not good at acting and cannot perform this role. Believe me, this It's true."

Steven's words made Hugo chuckle, and then Steven went on to say, "I just don't think Melvin's image should be like yours."

"You mean, there is no way for my image and Melvin's to overlap?" Hugo was also at a loss. He could vaguely catch some clues, but there was always something missing, and he couldn't put the puzzle together. , unable to understand Steven's intentions.

"It's not like that." Steven shook his head, "Let's put it this way, even if it's a terrible demon like 'Schindler's List', in fact, you still have the ability to awaken the sympathy in the hearts of the audience, the kind of connection with the audience. The affinity for being together is your innate temperament. The same is true in "Seven Deadly Sins", which makes the power of your acting skills even more frightening. But the role of Melvin, his first impression is that ...is very alienating, it is very scary, it is... well, very obscene, not the disgusting kind, but the kind that cannot be approached."

Hugo thought about it carefully. In fact, what Steven said is that people's first impression of Hugo is relatively positive, including works such as "Schindler's List", "Seven Deadly Sins", "Death Row Walking", "L.A. Confidential" and so on. , In fact, when Hugo first appeared on the stage, people's feelings towards him were positive, which also made the contrast created by Hugo's acting skills more sharp.

But this is not the case with Melvin, the hero in "As Good as It Gets". His first impression is very mixed, and he should be neutral and negative. Maybe Hugo can show this character three-dimensionally through acting, so that the audience can feel the original intention in his script. However, in the first impression, Melvin should not look like Hugo.

Regarding this point, the reason is actually very simple. Some people are born with a righteous face, and some people are born with a funny and funny look. Of course, they can show completely different images through acting skills, but the difficulty is not everyone can challenge. The simplest example is "Batman and Robin" which is currently in theaters.

George Clooney is a handsome guy, a very attractive handsome guy, and a handsome guy with a sense of justice, there is no doubt about it. But that sex in him. He has a sexy temperament, but it is completely different from Batman's dark gothic style. Not only can it not be integrated, but it also destroys the temperament of the character itself, and it also leaves no room for his own charm.

Hugo remembered his previous discussion with Ernst Lechmann about script writing. Ernst mentioned that in the process of writing a script—in fact, one thing is the same as writing a novel, they all need to give life to the characters, but This is very difficult to achieve, because most of the time it is the author who gives the character vitality and creates the character's personality according to the author's thinking, just like kneading ceramics, the shape of the ceramics is controlled by the creator.

However, when the edges and corners of the character are formed, he will begin to have the ability to think and act, and possess real vitality. Even the author is difficult to control, because he has formed his own personality, as if he is a real person, and all his words and deeds will have their own development laws. If the author wants to forcibly change, it will ruin the character, so he can only follow the personality and let the character develop on its own.

To put it more figuratively, it is actually the method school in the performance. When an actor really integrates into the role, the character becomes alive. When a plot happens, how the character should respond is automatically guided by his outlook on life, world outlook, and values. At this time, it is not the actors who use performance to affect the characters, but the characters push the actors to act.

According to what Steven just said, this is actually what it means.

Melvin has vitality in Hugo's pen. Originally, according to Hugo's thinking, it should be tailor-made for him, but in fact, after the real image of Melvin is created, it has nothing to do with Hugo's own temperament. If it doesn't match, he has his own vitality and needs an actor who can fit in to perform, otherwise it will ruin the role of Melvin.

However, Hugo is only writing his second script, does he really have such ability now?

"So, you are saying that the script is like a world, and Melvin is the hero in it, but that image is not mine." Hugo said, attracting Steven's attention, and then He explained his thoughts to Steven, which made Steven's eyes light up, and he nodded in approval, but Hugo was a little confused, "But, do I have such writing skills? I strongly doubt it. "

Why does Hugo feel that the script Steven said and the script he wrote are two different things?

Steven laughed, "Don't question yourself, what you have to know is that you are a very good actor, I mean, a very, very good actor. When it comes to shaping the character, you It does have the right to speak, and the energy injected into the script is unquestionable."

According to what Steven said, it actually makes sense. Moreover, during the initial conception of the script, Hugo's reference prototype was Ernst, and Ernst was indeed an image far from him. So, could it be said that at the end of the creation, he wrote a comedy movie version of Ernst? So is this his independent creation, or is it a reference to life?

But when you think about it carefully, apart from Melvin's appearance being close to Ernst's, his entire personality and behavior are far from Ernst's. Melvin can be said to be a completely different independent character.

A lot of thoughts flocked into Hugo's head, and he couldn't figure it out for a while. Hugo showed a wry smile, "Why do I suddenly feel that the script I created is so strange? I should go back and re-read it a few times, and then put my thoughts together. Refresh it."

Steven also laughed, "You misunderstood me. I actually want to say that if you play Melvin, I absolutely believe that you can play the role without any problems; but if you are looking for a more suitable role Maybe it will be more perfect if someone with the same image is cast. That’s all. You can understand that this is my compliment, because you have portrayed the character very well, and now I have a vivid image of Melvin in my head.”

"It's just that the image is not me." Hugo said with a chuckle, and Steven also laughed out loud. "And what about the other characters? What's your opinion?"

"As for the heroine, Holly Hunter is a good idea; neighbors, the two candidates you mentioned are both good." Steven thought about it carefully and came to his own conclusion.

"So, is DreamWorks interested in this script?" Hugo said, after a long circle, he finally returned to today's most important theme.

Steven didn't evade this time either, "To be honest, I'm really interested, very interested. David also read the script yesterday, and he called me in the middle of the night excitedly." Hugo puffed I laughed for a while, because David Geffen also called him last night, "Even just talking about this script, I think it is full of talent and absolutely attractive, let alone created by you. You are right What is the budgeted cost of this script?"

Hugo didn't know much about the budget cost, even after experiencing "LA Confidential", but he still made an estimate with Joseph's help, "I hope it can be more than 50 million. Do you know why?"

At $50 million, the budget of "As Good as It Gets" is even higher than that of "LA Confidential", which can definitely be said to be a lion's mouth. The reason why Hugo made such a request is that he hopes to give himself more room to bargain. However, this cost line was not raised casually. It can be seen from the cast that Hugo conceived. Any visual effects are completely a low-cost independent literary film, and Hugo still put forward such a high cost request of 50 million.

Steven naturally also understands Hugo's deep intentions, and he also understands that if relying on Hugo's appeal, those actors who play "perfect" may be willing to reduce the price, or even a friendly price, then the cost can be controlled as much as possible. However, this needs to wait until the project is officially in operation before listing the plan. "I understand. I will go back to David today to discuss it and list a feasible plan. I hope we can cooperate successfully."

In a situation like Hugo, generally speaking, Hugo will propose a cost bottom line, and then DreamWorks will measure it and hand over a plan that they think is feasible-including cost and casting, etc., and the two parties will discuss with each other, and see Is it possible to cooperate. However, DreamWorks has almost invested more than two-thirds of its resources in "Saving Private Ryan", so in the face of the "As Good as It Is" script, the conditions they can provide are very limited, which is predictable. Fortunately, "As Good as It Gets" was originally a small script.

"I know that the companies in Hollywood that want to cooperate with you are raging like tigers and wolves. I guess you will be very busy in the past few days. But I hope you can give some discounts to old friends." Steven joked with a smile, let the rain The fruit also couldn't help laughing.