Movie Master

"This is a very interesting setting, isn't it?" Ethan also had an excited look on his face, "Such a character who has stripped away real life, judges the life and death of others cold-bloodedly and cruelly, and even executes the sentence with his own hands , that kind of fear and horror is unimaginable."

As Lance said, the reason why human beings are called "human" is because of the existence of human nature. The so-called human nature is all-encompassing and often has two sides, light and darkness, kindness and evil. If all humanity is stripped away, then human beings will no longer be human beings, but will gradually move closer to the direction of "God" - positive and positive To develop, that is Jesus, God's spokesman in the world, what he brings is light and warmth. The reason why Jesus is admirable is because he stripped off the shackles of human nature and carried the suffering of the world to move forward. This kind of yearning and touch has made countless believers pay homage to him. So, what if it develops negatively?

Ethan and Joel obviously understood what Lance meant, which made both of them a little excited, and Joel went on to say, "However, in this script, we will not describe too much about his principles. The black effect on the killer's body is more prominent, creating that kind of chilling cold effect, without redundant emotional biased judgments, completely cold."

"I'm looking forward to the finished product. I believe in your skills." Lance is telling the truth. "Fargo" is very representative. The onomatopoeic answers fill the script a lot, but it shows a variety of effects under different interpretations, and the absurd and uninhibited humor is revealed inadvertently.

Many people are not comfortable with the works of the Coen Brothers, because the Coen Brothers interpret the story in a very special way, often in the small details that cannot be noticed. For example, the soundtrack of "Three Kings of Prison Break", and the costumes of "Murder Lebowski", quietly integrated into the story, bringing out the style and character characteristics of the work.

This is also what Lance admires the Coen Brothers most. Their understanding of the times and culture is very unique.

"Then, you should also be well aware of how severe this test is for actors." Ethan brought the topic back in time, "We think you are the only choice for this role." Lance frowned slightly One pick, showing a playful look, the invitation of the Coen Brothers is naturally impossible to be a screenwriter or director, it can only be an actor, which also means that Lance has been invited by a professional actor again, although this is not the first time , but still very special, "In fact, I always think that you should play Vincent in 'Borrowing Knife', even without changes in lighting and camera movement, you can do it well. To be more precise, you will Gives the character more depth."

This is tantamount to denying Tom Cruise's performance.

Lance chuckled, but Joel added, "Ethan is serious, and so am I."

For acting, the biggest taboo is facial paralysis. The lack of expression and depth of eyes makes the character lack emotional ups and downs and emotional expression, causing the entire character to lose his soul; similarly, for acting, the biggest challenge is facial paralysis. In a frozen situation, the changes in the rhythm of the performance, such as eyes, movements, and lines, convey the soul hidden under the body of the walking dead.

Actors who have received orthodox acting education know that performances are very rich and varied, facial expression changes are the simplest and most direct one, and line skills are the most important and solid one. The same greeting, "Hello", the way of accent, the treatment of endings, the ups and downs of syllables, and the control of rhythm can contain countless emotions and personalities. Even if it is an iceberg, the way of speaking and details will vary greatly. In other words, performing "facial paralysis" and facial paralysis "acting" are completely different.

Take Ryan-Gosling and Ben Affleck, for example. Both actors have facial paralyzed expressions, but they deliver very different performances.

In the absence of expression changes, Ryan's handling of eyes, changes in lines and even differences in body movements all accurately present the character's heart and personality. Festival" is very obvious in the two works. Even with a poker face, the fragility and struggle in the eyes are moving. However, Ryan is also subject to the shackles of facial paralysis, and his performance is very routine. After "Desperate Drive", he has not made any breakthroughs. He has always continued the same performance method, which can almost be said to be copied to different movies.

Ben appears to be very clumsy. Observing his performance, it is obvious that he doesn’t know how to convey his emotions, either with a smirk or a zombie face. There is hardly any soul in his eyes, and his lines are dry and tasteless. From "Dazed and Confused" in 1993 to "Gone Girl" in 2014, his performance never improved or changed. Relatively speaking, he is still more suitable for the position of director.

Vincent's performance in "Borrowing a Knife" is already very difficult, but at least Tom can find a foothold and a breaking point. Vincent is willing to communicate with Max, and there are even many accidents, which lead to emotional fluctuations until the end The line of defense was broken by Max. This also means that Vincent has a lot of lines and a lot of inner drama, leaving room for the actors to perform, and Lance also left a lot of gaps in the directing process, giving Tom a chance to perform.

But according to what Lance and the Coen brothers imagined just now, this cold-blooded killer may not have many lines, and there is no inner drama at all. Moreover, since the killer is cold-blooded, his eyes should not change much, "Kill without blinking." ", this is the real facial paralysis, but it needs to convey that kind of indifference beyond human nature. In other words, there is no room for performance, but rich performance content is shouldered. The role must be completed through the details of body language and the aura of the overall acting skills. The performance is so difficult that it is beyond imagination. If you are not careful, you will Completely falling into the predicament of facial paralysis may make the audience feel tedious and powerless, and may even completely destroy the character and implicate the conception of the entire movie.

Not long ago, when Lance was promoting in Europe, he encountered the work "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". It can be said that the role mentioned by the Coen brothers is even more difficult than "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"—at least, the latter The gap can also be conveyed through the comparison between memories and the present. Even if only one eye can convey emotions, it still leaves space for the actors to perform; but the role of the Coen Brothers seems to be standing on the boundless snowfield of "Fargo". In general, there is no reference, no point of leverage, or even a frame, and all the weight of the performance is on the shoulders of the actors.

This reminded Lance of one of the most iconic characters in the works of the Coen Brothers, Anton-Chigurh (Anton-Chigurh), a character from "No Country for Old Men", who showed the cruelty, perversion and bloodiness of a cold-blooded killer To the fullest. In the previous life, this role was played by Javier Bardem. Javier fully demonstrated his solid acting skills and delicate acting methods through a strong aura, and just a pair of evil eyes made people shrink back.

Someone once compared Anton played by Javier with the Joker played by Heath Ledger. Which of these two characters is more evil, and who is the better actor? These two characters won Oscars in two years Best Supporting Actor Statue.

As far as Lance is concerned, Heath has injected a kind of evil and strange temperament into the clown, which is indeed irreplaceable and ranks in the classics of film history; but in terms of performance difficulty, Anton is better than the clown, the reason is very simple , The clown is outgoing, he leaves more space for Heath to play, while Anton is restrained, Javier must be locked in a corner to perform. Of course, this is not to say that Javier is better than Heath. Both actors have completed their characters well and even exceeded their limits. Prof. comparable.

"So, this character—I mean, does this script have a name?" Lance did not directly respond to the Coen Brothers' praise, but brought the topic to the work.

"Cormac-McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men'." Joel gave the expected answer, Lance nodded suddenly, and it really was "No Country for Old Men".

Cormac is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize. "No Country for Old Men" is his new work released in 2003. After its publication, it caused a frenzy of praise. It is considered to be one of the most profound contemporary stories written by Cormac, and has been sought after by countless people. Similarly, the Coen brothers reached the pinnacle of their career after putting this novel on the big screen in the western background they are most familiar with. Four statuettes were awarded Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.

Thoughts surged in Lance's mind for a while, "So, why did you think of writing this character in my image?"

"Ha, because you are good enough." Joel answered simply and neatly, expressing his praise without any cover. Unlike those old foxes like Barry Meyer and Lon Meyer, Joel's praise comes from the heart.

Ethan also added, "Remember? When we met in Park City, Joel told me that he wanted to work with you. You are an incredible artist." Ethan's words Got Joel's affirmation, "Even if you were a director at that time, we seriously considered the possibility of co-producing a work with you." This made Lance laugh, "However, the problem has been solved now, 'Borrowing Knife' proved what a great actor you are, and from then on the number one on my wish list became 'convincing Lancelot Strelo to do my work'." Ethan shrugged, "So...we're here."