The Best Director

“I’m sorry, Annie…” Wang Yang lifted his head from behind the camera and looked at Annie Darren standing in the middle of the audition room, shaking his head, “You’re not right for the role.”

The casting for the supporting characters in “Juno” had already begun a few days ago, and he had spent almost the entire day in the audition room each day. However, due to the fact that roles such as Juno’s father and stepmother were not difficult to perform and there were a lot of actors coming to audition, the work progressed quickly. He was able to confirm a candidate for the role being auditioned that day, and today the role was Juno’s best friend “Leah.”

Annie Darren had taken part in this audition, and she was one of the earliest to arrive, the first to audition. The reason he eliminated Annie wasn’t because of her performance, which was acceptable; but choosing the right person for the role depended on more than just acting ability. It was also necessary to consider the contrast between her and “Juno,” meaning Natalie Portman, in terms of physical appearance and temperament. She had to fit with Juno, having a kind of “bad influence” vibe.

Annie’s own temperament was of a serene type, the sort of classic image displayed on the silver screen was that of a dull, conservative good girl, like a librarian; if she let her stage play style show through, it could have a bizarre and comical effect; Wang Yang thought if she were more exaggerated yet nuanced, she could even veer towards a madcap type. However, she wasn’t suitable for Leah, at least not now, maybe later she would be.

This is because a good actor’s temperament can change. Take Will Smith, for instance; before “The Pursuit of Happyness” came out, everyone thought he was most suited to comedy, no one knew he could play the roles of a weathered, down-and-out middle-aged man, but he successfully portrayed Chris Gardner, and now is hailed as “a strong contender for next year’s Academy Award for Best Actor.”

Temperament changes not only through the design of the appearance and careful makeup but more importantly require high-level acting skills. For an actor who is still immature in acting, understanding the script, and interpreting characters, it’s best to act according to one’s most suitable temperaments, and once “playing to type” poses no difficulty, then slowly take on other temperaments for a “screen transformation.”

If one tries to force growth, it’s easy to botch it up and affect the film’s result. This is also the reason he refused Jessie and eliminated Annie.

“Um, director, I understand,” said Annie softly, her lips slightly pursed showing a flash of disappointment and regret in her eyes, but she nodded with a smile, “I appreciate the opportunity to audition today.”

Wang Yang sighed inwardly, this was the third time he had rejected Annie in auditions, every time she had acted with such effort. Looking at her quite beautiful face, he said, “Annie, the issue isn’t with your performance, I want you to understand that.” Annie listened seriously, and Wang Yang shrugged, continuing, “You know, everyone has roles that suit them and roles that do not, you just aren’t suitable for Leah. You have to recognize your own temperament and strengths so that you can highlight your assets and avoid your weaknesses. Your temperament leans more toward the ladylike type…”

After talking for a while, Wang Yang suddenly remembered that this was an audition, and there were many girls waiting outside. He smiled at Annie and said, “Let’s continue our conversation over the phone.” Annie nodded and replied, “Okay, then, goodbye.” Wang Yang hummed in acknowledgment, walked back behind the judges’ desk, and sat down. Annie picked up her handbag from the chair, looked at Wang Yang and Mr. Lucy, the union judge, gave a slight smile, and said, “Bye-bye!” Then she left the room.

“Mr. Wang, it seems you know that girl?” Ms. Lucy asked. Wang Yang nodded and chuckled, “Yeah, that’s true. When I was looking for the lead actress for ‘Paranormal Activity’, she was the first one to audition.” Ms. Lucy expressed her surprise, “That’s really interesting.”

After auditioning a dozen more girls, Wang Yang called out “Next.” The wooden door to the audition room was quickly opened, and a brown-haired Caucasian girl walked in. She was over 170CM tall, with big eyes, and a high and long nose… Wang Yang glanced at her. This girl had a nice appearance and temperament, comparable to Natalie, and whether or not she had the ‘bad friend’ vibe depended on her performance. However, he furrowed his brow in confusion; she looked somewhat familiar.

“Hi, Mr. Wang, ladies, hello.” The brown-haired girl grinned, flashing a brilliant smile. As she walked up to hand Wang Yang her resume and portfolio, she laughed, “I’m so excited to be here for the audition, my name is Annie…” Because she was looking at Wang Yang and not paying attention to the chair in the middle, she accidentally tripped over the leg of the chair and immediately lost her balance. She cried out, “Oh! My God…”

Wang Yang and Ms. Lucy were stunned, staring as she thudded to the floor. Snapping back to reality, he quickly stood up, saw the girl holding her forehead, looking all disheveled from the fall, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Ms. Lucy too couldn’t conceal her mirth. Wang Yang asked with a laugh, “Girl, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m okay, really…” the brown-haired girl hastily propped herself up from the floor, her face the picture of embarrassment. She inwardly cursed herself; what a mess she’d made. The guy in front of her was the amazing Yang, after all!

Seeing the embarrassed look on her face, Wang Yang spread his hands and chuckled, “It’s nothing. My girlfriend Jessie also falls a lot, and sometimes there isn’t even a chair. Maybe it’s just a pair of slippers that trip her; who knows? But I call that ‘cute’.” The brown-haired girl gratefully smiled back, feeling a rush of awe. Amazing Yang was just like she had imagined, so considerate! She stepped forward and handed her files to Wang Yang, smiling, “Thank you, I’m Anne Hathaway.”

“Hello, Annie,” Wang Yang replied, taking her files and first browsing through her resume. Anne Hathaway, born on November 12,1982, had just turned 18 after her birthday, with a height of 173CM, was from New Jersey. She had made her screen debut last year in the TV series ‘Get-Real’ and was nominated for the ‘Young Artist Award’ this year.

‘Get-Real’? Wang Yang had no recollection of having seen this TV series. He picked up Hathaway’s portfolio and looked at it, murmuring the name to himself, “Anne Hathaway?” Suddenly, clear images flashed through his mind, and he realized why she had looked familiar. Anne Hathaway, Lureen from ‘Brokeback Mountain’, the White Queen from ‘Alice in Wonderland’, and the lead actress Kym from ‘Rachel Getting Married’. She had even been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2009 for her role in that movie.

But of course, she was still an unknown newcomer right now, and her current acting abilities also had to be assessed, especially since ‘Rachel Getting Married’ was from 2008. Even so, Wang Yang couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Dude.” Although the information in his head about her started with ‘Brokeback Mountain’, the fact that she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress earlier than Natalie meant that her acting skills were excellent, and her appearance and temperament were well-suited for Leah.

“OK, let’s start the audition,” Wang Yang put down the document in his hands and stood up to move behind the camera. Hathaway also stood up from her chair, facing the camera with a smile. After the basic front, side, and other camera tests, Wang Yang said, “Give me a few expressions. Now, I am Juno, and you are facing your best friend. So, surprise.” Hathaway’s eyes widened, making her already large eyes appear even rounder. Wang Yang then said, “Hmm, give me a look of disdain.”

Her expression was neither too calm nor too exaggerated, and if she plays opposite Natalie as good friends, it wouldn’t feel out of place; in the next phase of the audition, Hathaway proved Wang Yang’s thoughts correct. For the not- so-difficult role of Leah, she seemed entirely at ease. When he asked for a “frenemy” kind of vibe, her teasing look and the boisterous bad laugh that she gave to her good sister were all very satisfying to him.

“Hmm, Annie…” Wang Yang nodded to himself, stopped the camera, and was about to say something when the face with a few freckles on the nose suddenly appeared in front of him, Annie… He looked at the brunette girl across from him and said, “Hathaway, it says on your resume that you’re a vegetarian?” Hathaway nodded, smiling, “Yes,” Wang Yang also smiled lightly and said, “That’s good! I know another vegetarian; you two might really become good friends.” Hathaway blinked in confusion, and Wang Yang laughed, “She’s the actress for Juno, so Hathaway, your performance was great, you can definitely play Leah.”

“What!?” Hathaway gasped, stepping back and covering her mouth, “Really!? I can play Leah!?” Wang Yang nodded, “I don’t joke about this sort of thing.” Hathaway let out a cry of surprise and joy, excitedly pacing around the room, talking to herself, “Oh Lord! I can make movies! I can act in a Magical Yang film! Oh my gosh, this is insane! Today is my lucky day!”

Ms. Lucy looked at Wang Yang with a smile, her expression seeming to say, “She’s your fan.” Wang Yang walked over to Hathaway and extended his hand, smiling, “Welcome to ‘Juno.\'” Hathaway’s face was a picture of excitement and joy as she looked at him. She suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, saying excitedly, “Thank you! I will definitely do the job well, thank you!” Wang Yang was taken aback and hugged her back for a moment, then pushed her away with a smile, “Then I thank you as well.”

With Anne Hathaway confirmed to play “Leah,” the work for the day came to an end, but the entire audition process took over ten days to complete, and the roles were filled with actors who were not only inexpensive but also very suitable; therefore, there were no big stars in the supporting cast unless you count the “future Academy Award nominee for Best Actress” as one, which is a different matter.

During this time, “The Pursuit of Happyness” also finished its third and fourth weeks of release. In the week of June 2-8, the number of its screening theaters increased by 120, reaching a total of 3540. Almost every city in North America was playing it, and this heartwarming and inspiring film did not disappoint the distribution companies or the theater owners. Media and fans liked to call the young man “Magical Yang,” and they liked to call him “Money-Grabbing Yang.” In this week, “The Pursuit of Happyness” grossed a total of 39.4852 million US dollars, not only breaking the hundred million mark but also returning to the North American weekly box office champion after a week!

“Mission: Impossible 2,” playing its second week across 3,653 theaters, earned 37.133 million dollars, ranking second; the third place was the new comedy “Big Momma’s House” with 25.201 million dollars, followed by “Dinosaur” with 16.81 million dollars.

“‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ climbs back atop the box office throne! Magical Yang laughs last!” was the title of Movie Weekly’s review of the weekly box office chart. It read, “This week’s total box office is down 32.4% compared to last week, with last week’s champion ‘Mission: Impossible 2’ experiencing a 55% decrease; surprisingly, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ only saw a 17.4% decrease, showing strong stamina! Consequently, it has defeated the large- scale ‘Mission: Impossible 2’, reclaiming the top spot. Following ‘Dinosaur,’ ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ gave the 125 million-dollar ‘Mission: Impossible 2’ a taste of second place. We don’t yet know their final box office, but considering movie costs, the person who laughs last is almost certainly Magical Yang.”

Seeing this turn of events, Will Smith’s fans were ecstatic, “To hell with the Razzie for Worst Actor, now we should look forward to next year’s Oscars; will Will get the little gold man?!” “Thanks to Magical Yang, I formally apologize for my previous contempt; Will didn’t choose the wrong film, it’s fantastic, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ is his masterpiece!”

However, many Tom Cruise fans are very angry. “Mission: Impossible 2” has been out for only the second week and it wasn’t able to maintain its position as the box office champion—what a joke?!

The market is not joking, and the new weekly box office rankings have proven this. In its fourth week, “The Pursuit of Happyness” garnered another $27,687 million in 3,610 theaters, and although the percentage dropped by more than 30%, this figure still put it in second place for the week. The movie that claimed the top spot was the newly released “Gone in 60 Seconds,” starring Nicholas Cage, which earned $37-178 million in 3,006 theaters; third and fourth place went to “Mission: Impossible 2” with $21.38 million and “Big Momma’s House” with $17,645 million, respectively.

“The Pursuit of Happyness” once again lost the championship, but no one, no media, was laughing at it because it grossed a total of $155.7012 million, or $1.55 billion, in just four weeks of screening! Even with a serious decline in percentage, the goal of reaching $200 million was highly probable. A drama biopic with a $32 million budget was likely to earn $200 million just in North America, and it was set to release worldwide in July. According to market laws, its foreign box office performance would definitely not be disastrous, earning $100 million? $150 million? $200 million? All were possible, considering Wang Yang’s significant fanbase overseas, especially in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where he was even more popular than James Cameron.

“Miracle!” This word, which seemed worn out when used in reference to Wang Yang, had no alternative for the media to use. How else could they describe all this? By the age of 20, he had made three movies: the first grossing a total of $310 million worldwide, the second $411 million, and now the third currently at $155 million. He already had a global total of $876 million, and breaking through to $1 billion was just a matter of time, a time which would not exceed this year, his 20th.

This situation once again made Wang Yang a hot topic, with numerous newspapers and magazines featuring special reports on him: “From a DV kid to the future Best Director, it took him just two years!” “Miracle, or still a miracle!” …This time, even some parents who had previously lacked a favorable impression of Wang Yang, gave him the thumbs up. On an online “Latest Parents’ Recommended Movie Ranking,” “The Pursuit of Happyness” ranked at the top. A middle-aged father commented: “This is a touching, meaningful movie. It made my little boy ask me ‘what is a dream’ for the first time. For the first time, he asked me about the hardships of life, and for the first time, he praised me ‘you are also a good father.’ I plan to take my child to the cinema again on the 19th, Father’s Day, as I need that compliment.”

But ever since Wang Yang revealed that “Juno” was a movie about teenage pregnancy, many parents have expressed their worries. Wang Yang’s films have a significant influence among the youth, and “High School Musical” has proven his ability to set trends. Could he bring about some undesirable culture this time? A mother simply wrote, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

While Wang Yang’s popularity was at its peak, Flame Films suddenly announced the full cast of “Juno” on its official website. Media and fans, who had been following closely, swarmed in to see who the “Juno” that Wang Yang couldn’t find even after auditioning thousands of girls would be.

The male lead, Paulie, was set to be played by Michael Pitt, a newcomer just like Tom Willing, introduced by Wang Yang. Oh, this was not his big screen debut; he had previously played a “genius hacker” in “High School Musical,” a small role close to an extra. The supporting actors were some less famous choices, like Anne Hathaway; but the female lead, Juno, Natalie… Natalie Portman?!

Is this true?! Or is it a joke? Whether it was regular entertainment media or tabloids that specialized in gossip; whether it was fans of Wang Yang, Natalie, or Jessica, they were all shocked. Their first thought was last year’s “rumor,” Wang Yang and Natalie! Now Natalie is playing Juno? Could it be that he was done with Jessica? Look at the timing, it is exactly one year, also the breakup timing predicted by “Daily Entertainment”!