Birth of an actor

"Thank you, Kate and William, for your auditions and please allow us some time for a private conversation."

When William Jack Brandley and Kate Ruth Winslet had finished matching the lines on the audition script and were having some unhealthy conversations in the brainstorming scene, James Cameron behind the camera finally As if waking up from a dream, he waved his hand to indicate that the audition could be over.

"Okay." Kate Winslet immediately stood up from the couch, and walked out of the reception room with William one after the other.

"You can go to the side and take a rest. If the director makes a decision, I will inform you." An assistant director came over and said to William.

William nodded and walked out of the studio. When passing by James Cameron and the camera, he tried his best not to squint, without even glancing at him.

"I'm dying of thirst." After walking outside, Kate Winslet wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked William, "There's a food truck not far away, do you want a cup of coffee?"

"I'll go buy it," William said.

"Let me go, I have a coin purse." Kate Winslet shook the silver clip on her wrist that William had always thought was just an ornament: "And you, can you find even a dollar on your body now?"

"Of course I can find some change." William reached into his pocket and suddenly realized he was in a costume. "Well, I guess I'm broke now, so I'll have to ask the lady to treat me," he said with a smile.

Kate Winslet winked at him: "I'll be back soon."

William found two clean empty boxes outside the studio, he put them side by side to disguise as a chair, and sat down to wait for Kate Winslet.

Maybe Kate Winslet's speed was very fast, or William was distracted. In short, Kate Winslet came back with two cups of hot coffee in the blink of an eye.

William took the coffee, thanked him, and drank while distracted.

Kate Winslet glanced at him worriedly.

William came back to his senses: "Can I ask a question?"

"Just ask."

"Did I behave badly just now?"

"Why do you think so?" Kate Winslet looked surprised: "You performed very well. There are several lines where I was completely led away by you. Don't you feel it?"

William took a cautious sip of his coffee: "I'm just not sure if I'm what James Cameron wants."

"I just want to say that even if you weren't what James wanted in the first place, maybe he will change his mind in the end, and I am the best proof. You don't know how I got the role of Ruth, do you?" ?”

"I really don't know."

Kate Winslet slowly recalled: "You know, for a big production like "Titanic", it is impossible for James James Cameron to choose me from the beginning who is not yet famous in Hollywood. An actor comes to be a female lead, even if he wanted to, the studio would not agree, so before they approached me, there were already many famous actresses lined up for auditions or direct roles. Gwyneth Pa Eltro is swooning over Brad Pitt, turned down contract because he didn't want to go to Mexico for months, Claire Danes, Gabrielle Anwar, Nicole Kidman, Drew Barley Moore also either rejected James after the audition, or was rejected by James, Will, can you imagine that scene, even Madonna came to the audition!"

William laughed and said, "Madonna? Are you really joking?"

Kate Winslet shrugged: "Anyway, that's what my agent told me. Fox even considered Jennifer Aniston, but the contrast between Aniston and Ruth is too great. This proposal is discussed internally." I was shot when I was in the studio, and then it was me. The first audition experience was terrible. I was so nervous. After the audition, I returned to London. Sure enough, there was no news from the studio for three consecutive days. I was in a bad mood. Sometimes I firmly believed that I was eliminated, and sometimes I felt that I still had a chance. After a few days, the latter thought prevailed. I boldly sent a letter to James, asking for a second chance. audition opportunity, and put a rose in the envelope, told him 'I'm the Rose you're looking for', just a day after the letter was mailed, my agent got a call from James, he said I was the closest The lead actress in Titanic and asked me to come to Los Angeles for a costume fitting, and here I am."

"I didn't even know that the process was so tortuous." William raised his coffee cup: "Do you need me to congratulate you again? The congratulations on the phone last time seemed a little less solemn."

Kate Winslet clinked glasses with William first, and said with a smile: "No, no, my friend, you can't congratulate me with the coffee I bought, you have to be more sincere."

"Maybe I can buy you lunch? The best burger place in town is right below my apartment."

"Sounds good, but you'd better make an appointment this week, because from next week, I'm going to go on a diet." Kate Winslet made a frustrated expression: "You know, ten pounds on camera, before the phone starts I had to lose a size or two to fit those vintage dresses and tights."

"It's not easy being an actress." William said with emotion.He is thankful that in Hollywood, people's body requirements for male actors are far less harsh than those for female actors.

"Yeah, I really hate diets and tights!" Kate Winslet sighed.

……

While William and Kate Winslet sat on empty boxes, chatting about the messy shed area as if it were a park, another conversation took place inside the studio.

James Cameron kicked everyone out, sat in front of the camera, and played back frame after frame of the audition clips that had just been filmed.

After watching all of them, James Cameron rested his chin on his right hand, stared at the screen, and thought seriously.

The only "Titanic" producer who was allowed to enter and leave the studio when James Cameron was thinking quietly, Jon Landau, the executive vice president of [-]th Century Fox and a good friend of James Cameron, quietly Walking in, he glanced at the frozen frame on the camera, and suddenly said: "This young man is indeed a bit like James Stewart, with those deep green eyes and elegant demeanor, but Jimmy, you know The studio will not agree with you to use such a brand-new rookie as the leading actor in "Titanic", right? The risk is too great, and the studio is still more optimistic about Matthew McConaughey, and he is also happy to talk to us. cooperate."

"Oh." James Cameron still maintained his original posture and replied lukewarmly.

Jon Landau knew he didn't listen to the old friend's response.

You don't really like this newcomer, do you?Jon Landau thought, is it true that what Jimmy said before that Jack's actors should be found according to the young version of James Stewart and Gregory Peck is not a joke?

Jon Landau was lucky enough to be the first person to read the script of "Titanic" after James Cameron wrote it.It was in 1994. Jon Landau was planning to leave Fox to start his own production company. When he was about to leave work one day, James Cameron found his office with the script in his hand. Jon Landau watched His eye circles were red after the script, and he was so sad that he didn’t even eat dinner. He couldn’t wait for one night and called James Cameron and said, “We’ll start doing this right away, man, it’s going to be a great movie. Movie!"

Just that night, James Cameron and Jon Landau talked about the script, and they plan to make Titanic a love epic, using the latest technology to shoot the most old-fashioned style, Jon Landau Said: "This will be the last old-fashioned love epic in Hollywood, what kind of actor do you want?" James Cameron replied: "Since it is old-fashioned, I want James Stewart or Gerry Gory Pike will be the protagonist for me, and a mixture of the two of them is also fine." Jon Landau always thought it was a joke after hearing it.

In the following days, Jon Landau used his identity to persuade Fox to agree to the shooting plan, and used his contacts to attract investment. He devoted almost as much effort to "Titanic" as James Cameron, James. While Cameron was busy in front of the camera and working professionally, everything behind the scenes was handled by Jon Landau.

In view of this, James Cameron will not really care about Jon Landau's opinion. After a few minutes, the famous Hollywood burning director finally stopped thinking and said: "Matthew McConaughey? No , he's not Jack."

As the producer of "Titanic" and the executive vice president of Fox, Jon Landau had to check the casting of the film. James chose Kate Winslet, a 19-year-old girl who chose the female lead alone. The leading role, Daliang, is already risky enough. If the male lead is someone who is younger than Winslet... After the movie officially starts shooting, there will be more than 2000 crew members!Facing so many lights and cameras, which newcomer would not be afraid?What if the movie screwed up?

William Bradley is good, and his performance in the audition is also very good. Jon Landau can consider using him as the leading actor in a horror movie or a romance movie with an investment of several million. After all, horror movies and Romance films are the two types of films that are least likely to lose money in Hollywood, but "Titanic"?He must not joke about Fox's $4000 million investment, or Fox will tear them apart.

Perhaps this is the difference in thinking between directors and studios. Directors will only choose actors they like and are suitable for the role, while studios pursue lower risks. They don’t care whether the actor fits the role very well, as long as the actor has enough box office As long as the appeal can make them make money.

James Cameron looks to his old friend: "If I make Bradley Jack, what will the studio do?"

Jon Landau's tough truth: "They'll stop writing you checks until you compromise, and if you don't compromise, they'll replace you."

"This is my movie! My idea! I wrote the script! Every part of the crew is decided by me! Without me, this movie would not be able to be made!" James Cameron roared.

"I know this, everyone knows this." Jon Landau reassured: "So we have to avoid the worst move for both sides, right? Choose a better-known one, old man, at least If you have starred in two or three movies, otherwise it is too unreasonable. Even if fame is not important, you have confidence in Bradley's acting skills, but the group of old antiques in the studio may not have confidence. After all, this is an investment of hundreds of millions Well, Jimmy, if you don’t want Matthew McConaughey, how about that Jeremy Sisto that auditioned last week? He’s a good actor too, isn’t he?”

"Jeremy's acting skills are good, but old man Jon Landau, have you noticed that compared with William, Jeremy's temperament is a bit too grassroots? That can't even be called grassroots." , and William is a bit too..." James Cameron frowned, looking for a suitable adjective in his heart.

Jon Landau had a tacit understanding: "Too elegant?"

"That's right, it's very elegant, not as elegant as a poor painter." James Cameron nodded: "I finally figured out where the weirdness I didn't understand just now, although William was trying his best to appear poor The feeling of a painter who sleeps on the street and can't even afford a third-class boat ticket, but he deduces more like a painter from a poor family than a natural grassroots. The Jack Dawson I want must have that kind of The romantic, uninhibited, free and rebellious temperament of the lower class, the kind of spirit that is even bold enough to dare to resist the world, and William Bradley is different. He is not the kind of person who can change the rules, but the rules are born. The kind that was born for him—if only he was a few years older, and his acting skills are so good that they can cover up his natural temperament."

After a pause, James Cameron added: "There is also hair color. I just suddenly thought that Jack's hair color should preferably be blonde hair with a less pure color. This is very important, Jack Dawson If it's blond, it's even better."

"Blonde hair?" Jon Landau asked puzzledly, "Why?"

Then James Cameron gave Jon Landau Barbara a lot of subtle connections between hair, pupil color and class status, and almost didn't make the latter faint, but in general terms, it can also be understood like this:

In terms of class and blood, the ancient Romans are one of the oldest and most famous peoples in Europe. This is well known, and the Germanic people’s history is about the same length as the ancient Romans, but the development is not so fast. The ancient Roman emperor Caesar In 51 BC, in the "Gaul Wars", the peoples east of the Rhine were collectively referred to as the Germans. Ancient Rome was once the most glorious and oldest empire in Europe. Black hair is the symbol of the Romans, "I Come and see me conquer" Julius Caesar is black hair.

——In the fairy tale "Snow White" that has been circulating in the European continent for a long time, after Snow White's mother was stabbed with a needle, the bright red blood dripped on the ebony window frame that fell in the snow, making the queen make a wish: "I hope my My daughter's lips are as red as blood, her skin is as white as snow, and her hair is as black as ebony." It can be seen that black hair was once one of the symbols of relatively high social class status in European history.

At the end of the 4th century AD, the Huns invaded the Germanic territory, causing the Germanic people to flood into the Roman Empire. The Germanic national migration movement that lasted for more than [-] years began and spread to most of Europe and North Africa, accelerating the development of the Western Roman Empire. After the demise of the Romans, the Germanic people who were good at fighting conquered many countries and became another dominant nation after the Romans. The pure blond hair and blue eyes are the characteristics of the Germanic nation.

If the black-haired Romans were ancient European aristocrats, then the Germans with pure blond hair can be called new aristocrats. Since the Middle Ages, European class divisions have been serious. Nobles, commoners, and slaves do not marry each other, but they occasionally slip through the net. Therefore, in the aristocracy of many European countries, the blond bloodlines are better preserved. Those brown hair and less pure blond hair are mostly descendants of intermarriage. It has always been a clan system, so after the migration they conquered many Celts as slaves. The Celtics are characterized by red hair, so the status of red-haired people in Europe has not been very high.Of course, the obvious symbol of the Scottish nobles is red hair, which is an exception for historical reasons.

"So you mean that Jack's not-so-pure blond hair is a sign of his social class status, which means that his ancestors were intermarried, while black hair and red hair are signs of the higher social status of Carl and Ruth?" Jon It took Landau a long time to analyze before extracting the main points from Cameron's dissertation-like speech: "Is this the hidden class symbol you set for the movie?"

Cameron nodded and said, "Yes. Otherwise, Kate's blond hair is also very beautiful. Why do I insist on dyeing her red hair? It's just because she looks more noble with red hair, which is more in line with her aristocratic status."

"But Carl Hockley is clearly a rich man."

"That's why it's a hidden class symbol." Cameron explained: "And people with black hair look smarter, which is in line with the setting of the Hockley family becoming American millionaires from scratch."

——Black-haired people look smarter, just like blondes with big breasts must not be smart. It is relatively narrow, but it is a "common saying" that is widely spread among the people.

"Well, Jimmy, if you want a blonde actor, and you have to be a handsome young man with a good temperament, I think I have a candidate, but you have to check with his agent first about the schedule." Jon Lan Dao said: "And what you just said is right, Jimmy. If you look carefully, William Bradley's gestures and gestures have a taste of Old Money. Where is he from, New York?"

"It says on his resume that he lived in New York until he was 15, and now he lives in Los Angeles."

"That's right. This young man has at least been to a boarding school in Manhattan. I can see that kind of temperament in him." Jon Landau smiled: "So, Jimmy, since he is not suitable ,We will then--"

"Joe, I know very well that this movie would not have been possible without you, so of course I respect your opinion." James Cameron interrupted Jon Landau: "But William Bradley, I I haven't given up on him yet. He has acted in "Sense and Sensibility". He looks good in ancient costumes and has an excellent temperament. He is close to the age of Kate Winslet and the two have worked together. I noticed that when I just auditioned, I was with Kate Winslet Wright's opposite scene is more dominated by him, so I think William may be more suitable for another role than Jack?"

"Oh my God." Jon Landau understood what James Cameron meant, and slowly opened his mouth.

……

After drinking coffee with Kate Winslet, William was called back before leaving the Fox studio.

Unlike other crews who audition, the director and assistant director tell the agent about the result, and the agent then tells the actors. James Cameron seems to prefer a more direct conversation.

There are only two people in the room, James Cameron and Jon Landau, who are also the two most powerful people on the "Titanic" crew, director and producer.

When William entered the door, he smiled at the two of them, and James Cameron and Jon Landau also smiled back at him, and a little hope suddenly rose in William's heart.

But when James Cameron spoke, those words fell like a pot of cold water: "Sorry, William, we don't think you are suitable for Jack Dawson."

William's brain went blank for two or three seconds before returning to normal operation. He remained expressionless for a few seconds before showing a decent smile, though not pretty, and said, "I know I'll take my leave, then."

After William stood up, James Cameron and Jon Landau looked at each other, and Jon Landau said: "In fact, Jimmy and I found that you may be more suitable for another role, mind trying again. A scene from Act 113?"

Willian felt like he had just walked off the field and got punched, and then was told that the reason for punching him was that he had won the man of the match.

"Scene 113 of Scene 2?" William asked. After getting a definite answer, he looked down at the script and found that the lines in that scene belonged to only two people, Ruth Buckett and... Carl Hockley.