Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 205: Facing Up To The Challenge

"Renly, this role is tailor-made for you!"

Staring at Drake, Renly couldn't help but laugh. The resolute sincerity shining in Drake's eyes, despite his chubby face, was unmistakable. Renly could feel Drake's unwavering determination and genuine admiration, as if he could see a fiery, beating heart. This affirmation and praise deeply moved Renly.

"Crazy Love" is the kind of movie that seems easy to perform in but is actually incredibly challenging to deliver an outstanding performance. On the surface, it might seem like a simple art film, a bit more artistic and profound than a typical romantic comedy. However, digging deeper reveals a depth and breadth akin to a treasure buried in Atlantis, full of infinite possibilities.

If approached carelessly, it could be missed entirely; but if explored earnestly, it could yield immense surprises.

Thus, the film places extraordinarily high demands on its actors.

In a previous life, "Crazy Love" starred Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. Both actors delivered commendable performances, at least above average. Felicity showcased her acting talent, which later earned her an Oscar nomination for "The Theory of Everything." However, Anton's performance, while competent, wasn't particularly remarkable.

Anton, a former child star with a natural screen presence and expressive eyes, lacked depth and substance in his acting. His performance was refined but still somewhat superficial.

If "Crazy Love" were merely a romantic comedy, Anton would have shone brightly, surpassing typical pretty faces and lending the film a unique artistic aura. But the demands of "Crazy Love" were higher. Anton's portrayal of Jacob lacked the complexity, inner turmoil, and confusion necessary, which affected the film's emotional impact and overall quality.

While "Crazy Love" won the Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and Felicity received a special award, Anton didn't garner any recognition. Hollywood's expectations for male actors are often higher, treating female actors more as "visual pleasures." As a result, even with equivalent performances, female actors often receive more accolades, while male actors struggle to stand out. Yet, Anton's performance undeniably fell short compared to Felicity's.

Jacob's role is a classic example of an academy-style acting showcase: relying entirely on the actor's fundamental skills to convey emotions and expressions. The absence of dramatic traits, like addiction or illness, demands the actor to find subtleties in ordinary life, making it a challenging role that the academy favors.

Take a simple scene from "Crazy Love" for instance. After Anna is forced to return to England, both suffer from longing. Eventually, Jacob can't resist and flies to London to reunite with Anna. But upon returning to Los Angeles, he lives with another woman, Sam.

Many viewers were baffled by this, labeling Jacob a "jerk" for seemingly betraying Anna, thus tipping the emotional balance and disrupting the story's coherence.

In reality, during Jacob's time in London, he felt like an outsider, excluded from Anna's new life. Within months, Anna had a life Jacob wasn't part of, making him feel ejected from her world. Meanwhile, Anna's parents pressured Jacob to move to London, arguing it would reunite them, ignoring Jacob's own life, family, and budding career in Los Angeles.

This outsider feeling was Jacob's predominant experience in London. It was as if they had been in sync, but suddenly Anna moved ahead, leaving him behind. Jacob felt lonely, scared, and confused, unsure of what had changed in those few months.

After returning to Los Angeles, they broke up. Although the script didn't explicitly state this, the subsequent scenes made it clear. Jacob then started a new relationship, trying to fill the void left by Anna.

Anna's trajectory mirrored this. The physical distance led to psychological distance, and she too needed someone to share her joys and sorrows. This brings the film's theme to light: is true love a momentary passion or a lifelong romance?

The director didn't give the characters inner monologues or direct explanations, relying entirely on the actors' subtle expressions and body language to convey emotions. This meticulous, nuanced demand tested the actors' skills severely. Unfortunately, Anton failed to portray Jacob's isolation and sorrow, his unease and fear, which nearly vanished from the plot.

Hence, the audience felt like a domino chain with missing pieces, loudly questioning, "Weren't they in love in London a moment ago? How is he living with someone else now?"

In such a limited space, expressing the full force of the performance is highly valued by the British academy style. However, Hollywood, accustomed to commercial success, prefers more expressive, intense acting.

Colin Firth is a prime example. In "A Single Man," Colin delivered an Oscar-worthy performance as a grieving single man, filled with sorrow yet restraint, pain yet calm, suffering yet indifference. But the Oscars didn't favor this. In contrast, his role in "The King's Speech" featured dramatic scenes allowing Colin to showcase his full range, garnering Hollywood's acclaim.

Simply put, Jacob's role is thankless. If performed poorly, the film might fall short, though the script's strength would still keep it above average. If performed well, it's not the award-friendly type, often overshadowed by female co-stars or ignored. Adding to the challenge, the role itself is demanding.

"Crazy Love" in its previous life went empty-handed during award season—hardly even mentioned. Just a year before, "An Education," a British art piece about love, received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Compared to that, "Crazy Love" felt worlds apart.

But the greater the challenge, the more excited Renly became. Though "Crazy Love" differed from "Buried" in testing performative acting, Renly saw it as an opportunity to hone his skills, a rare chance.

When Renly confirmed Drake's invitation was for "Crazy Love," he had already decided to take the role. Not only because he loved the movie, but also because Jacob was such a challenging role, and Drake's sincerity was undeniable.

However, Drake's eagerness left Renly little room to respond, making him laugh.

"Okay," Renly said.

Drake frowned, eagerly replying, "Renly, I'm serious. You're the only choice, the best choice. I couldn't find anyone more suitable. Honestly, I think I couldn't find the right actor before because I was waiting for you."

Renly's smile widened as he repeated, "I said, okay."

"I know..." Drake started, then paused, realizing Renly had agreed. His eyes widened, swallowing nervously, silently asking, "Really?"

Renly nodded seriously, confirming it.

Drake was so overwhelmed with joy he almost couldn't breathe, laughing heartily before checking himself, fearing it was a misunderstanding. He looked at Renly again, confirming, "You mean, you agreed? You'll work with me? You've decided to take the role?"

Seeing Drake's childlike excitement, Renly felt a surge of joy himself, genuinely feeling Drake's passion for the film. "Yes."

"Yay!" Drake cheered, punching the air. As a relatively unknown independent film director, his previous works had gone unnoticed. Meanwhile, Renly's "Buried" had already premiered at Toronto and Telluride. Drake knew Renly had many options but still agreed to his invitation without even reading the script.

Drake was over the moon.

But his joy was interrupted by a sudden realization. He nervously stammered, "But... Renly... about the payment... I might have a problem... because the budget this time is... um, only... $250,000."