When it comes to portraying characters, costumes are undoubtedly a crucial aspect. This isn't just the case for period films; it holds true for contemporary works as well. Appropriate attire is essential for character portrayal.
Imagine Vin Diesel wearing a bright red T-shirt and ripped jeans, trying to exude coolness and charisma in the "Fast & Furious" series. The visual is so striking, it's almost blinding.
The Oscar for Best Costume Design isn't a trivial accolade.
In the three previous modern films they had appeared in, there wasn't much emphasis on diverse clothing styles. They kept things relatively simple. "Buried" featured a single outfit worn throughout; "Fast 5" showcased a tough-guy aesthetic with solid-colored T-shirts and military attire. The only film that bordered on personal clothing was "Like Crazy", where most of the attire was sourced from Renly's personal wardrobe.
Renly's attire primarily consisted of shirts. For less formal occasions, they had an array of casual shirts, allowing for versatile combinations. Additionally, Renly also owned a collection of sporty clothes, including some items acquired after surfing or skateboarding.
The mix-and-match of these clothes created a youthful and slightly bookish overall style for Jacob, slightly nerdy yet not overly polished due to his background in carpentry.
However, this time, Adam was different.
Given the limited space for character development in the script, the character's image and style had to be supplemented through aspects like appearance, housing, and hairstyle.
In the previous iteration, the portrayal of Adam by Joseph Gordon-Levitt shared a striking similarity with his role in "(500) Days of Summer": shirts paired with cardigans or pullovers, and occasionally a young man's casual suit—essentially, the embodiment of the fresh-faced introvert. Although Adam leaned a bit more towards grounded or even old-fashioned style, on the whole, the two were aligned.
Due to the similarity in clothing style, the contrast between the two characters from the two films became less distinct.
The wardrobe prepared by the crew for Renly also didn't stray far from this framework. It mainly adhered to the stereotypical image of an introverted individual, with minor variations based on Will's personal preferences. Today, Will was wearing a plaid shirt—not the rough, Western cowboy style, but a fresh and somewhat sophisticated college look.
However, this wasn't the version of Adam that Renly had conceived. To be precise, the image of Adam Renly had ultimately crafted differed greatly from Joseph Gordon-Levitt's portrayal and even deviated slightly from the real-life Will.
In Renly's perspective, Adam did possess a touch of introverted tendencies, but he had his own distinctive style.
In his private life, Adam should maintain simplicity, opting for solid-colored T-shirts without any extravagant cuts or designs. These T-shirts are plain, but they fit well, neither too loose nor too tight. The colors lean towards cool tones, avoiding the monotony of just black and white—colors like navy blue, deep green, smoky gray, and so on.
This is because Adam possesses an understated personality. He neither needs nor desires to broadcast his individuality. He won't wear T-shirts with rock band graphics or overly flashy designs.
For Adam, such attire is too flamboyant, too contrived—a rush to declare his uniqueness to the world, constantly emphasizing his distinctiveness. However, these clothing choices are already a label in themselves, a label named "individuality." Much like contemporary society, they're overly ostentatious, too straightforward. Everything remains on the surface, instantly apparent.
During work hours, Adam opts for shirts to maintain a formal appearance.
In contrast to plain shirts, vintage styles are more suitable—stripes, checks, or even polka dots. Not overly extravagant designs, but rather a youthful yet formal collegiate style.
Deep down, Adam actually admires and reveres the culture of the golden era. He belongs to Gen Y, born in the 80s. He missed the prime era of cinema, the peak of music, and the heyday of literature.
Although he witnessed the golden age of television and the pinnacle of dance halls, influenced by his parents during his childhood, he admired the vanished brilliance and relentlessly absorbed the rich cultural heritage, imagining he could somehow return to that time. Just like the story of "Midnight in Paris".
Hence, compared to the strict and serious solid-colored shirts, Adam's style leans more towards a Parisian casual and free spirit, combined with the restraint of a literary nerd.
He is definitely not the introverted geek immersed in his own world from "(500) Days of Summer", nor is he the somber young man portrayed by Joseph in the previous iteration, not even Will Reiser. He is Adam Lerner, an ordinary person, a living and breathing individual with his own distinctive edges.
He's understated, introverted, sunny, proactive, slow to warm up, slightly clumsy, but he has his own edge—sharp, incisive, vibrant, tenacious, and resolute. He refuses to give up easily.
Before reading the script, Adam's image had already come to life, not just in his attire, but also in his facial expressions, gestures, even the habits of his gaze. All the details became rich and full, requiring no deliberate pondering or performance; they were all hidden in his blood, born naturally.
Renly didn't even need to read the lines; she could imagine, with eyes closed, Adam's facial expression and mental processes when he first learned of his diagnosis. Everything was so authentic, as if he had returned to the day after waking up from the car accident. Just opening her eyes, reality was already present.
Before the doctor entered the room, he was reading the hospital's informational pamphlet on cancer and treatment. He was engrossed, sitting upright in the chair. His left fingers unconsciously began twirling a pencil, but there was no pencil in his hand, so he could only mimic the motion.
The sound of the door opening caught his attention, and he raised his head. His buttocks slightly left the chair as if preparing to stand up. However, he noticed that the doctor didn't even glance up. The doctor simply muttered a "hello." Their gazes didn't meet; he replied with a casual "hi." He extended his right hand, ready to greet, but the doctor closed the door without ever looking away from the report. This made Adam's movement somewhat awkward. He scratched his head in embarrassment, then sat back down.
Adam's gaze followed the doctor's movements, but the doctor never raised his head. He took a seat directly across from him and, even after sitting down, continued to focus on his computer screen. Adam tried to smile warmly, letting his gaze track the doctor's eyes, ready to initiate a greeting at any moment, hoping for some form of eye contact. However, all his waiting was in vain. The doctor had already started picking up a voice recorder and placed it near his mouth. He began speaking, "The patient has been complaining of back pain and night sweats. Blood tests and urine analysis are normal..."
Adam's expression slightly froze, his gaze drifted, and he began to ponder what brand of voice recorder the doctor was using. From the buttons and gloss, it looked like it might be Sony. He probably had seen it in an electronics store before.
The doctor's voice continued in a rambling manner. Adam's gaze flickered slightly. He told himself that this was his medical examination report and that he needed to concentrate. However, the doctor's indifference and detachment gave him an illusion, as though he was an outsider, unseen by anyone. He felt like a puppet sitting there.
"...MRI suggests a massive intradural malignant schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma extending in the psoas muscle with nerve root compression syndrome and bone erosion. The growth extends from L2 to L5. Will send patient for biopsy to confirm...."
Adam became a bit absentminded, and his gaze shifted to the computer screen nearby. What brand of computer was that again? Did the hospital collaborate with large corporations on computers? But he had heard that hospitals had already started using iPads. Wait, has the iPad been released? Is it 2010 now? Or 2017? Apart from Apple, other companies seemed to have released tablet computers, right?
The doctor's words were like a chant, a string of incomprehensible Sanskrit, murmuring away. Yet Adam's attention was already completely lost.
He blinked his eyes and took a deep breath quietly, quickly pulling his focus back. He couldn't forget that he was here today to inquire about the results of his medical examination. He had work to do later, and he had plans with Kyle to go play darts at the bar tonight... wait, he couldn't keep drifting off into random thoughts.
Concentrating his attention again, Adam realized that the doctor continued to talk incessantly, unable to stop. The unfamiliar medical terminology was making his head spin. Adam adjusted his seating position, lifting his right hand as if to get the doctor's attention, attempting to make eye contact. However, he failed. So, he waved his hand slightly, disrupting the stability of the doctor's gaze.
Sure enough, the doctor stopped speaking, paused the voice recorder, and looked up, "Is there a problem?"
"Yes, I wanted to ask, what brand is the voice recorder? I mean, I also bought one before, but it didn't have all those features..." Adam curiously inquired. After he voiced his question, a brief silence filled the room for about half a second. Adam then put his right hand down sheepishly, showing an apologetic smile. He then earnestly said, "Sorry, I just didn't follow that."
Adam wore a genial smile on his face. His deep brown eyes were wide open, as if trying to avoid falling into a doze again. His expression appeared a bit comical due to this effort. "Is there something wrong with me?"
The doctor...
The doctor stood frozen in place, unable to utter a word. Then, the voice of the director rang in his ears, "Cut!" Once that sound emerged, the whole room burst into laughter.