The short 40-second performance from just now, with Renly's subtle movements and changes in his eyes, truly left people amazed.
"50/50" didn't have any plans for post-production voiceovers. This means that the character's inner thoughts wouldn't be presented in any way. The emotional ups and downs of the entire film were already rich enough, and there was no need to overcomplicate the story unnecessarily.
However, in Renly's performance just now, his depiction of awkwardness, embarrassment, distraction, and fluster was vividly portrayed. It was like watching a comic strip, where you could clearly imagine a thought bubble popping up over Renly's head, revealing all his inner thoughts. This kind of scholarly, naive, and restrained charm was incredibly lively.
The real pinnacle came when Renly had an unexpected improvisation moment—using a voice recorder.
In the script, there was no segment involving a voice recorder. Adam merely interrupted the doctor's monologue and raised a question. There was nothing wrong with that, and the narrative flowed smoothly. However, Renly unexpectedly added that line, instantly amplifying the comedic effect. In just one sentence, Renly outlined Adam's inherent qualities of an innocent and slightly dazed introvert.
Andrew Airlie, the actor playing the doctor, wasn't a super famous veteran actor. More often, he played guest roles on TV screens, and most of the time, these roles were unnamed. However, he had been in Hollywood for a solid twenty years, played numerous bit parts, and was by no means an inexperienced novice.
Yet, Renly's sudden improvisation caught Andrew completely off guard. Especially seeing Renly's seamless performance, delivered naturally, flawlessly, without a hint of inconsistency, it was impossible to tell if he was acting or being himself. Andrew's mind momentarily froze; he couldn't remember a single line of his dialogue.
And so, he stood there, bewildered.
"Sorry." Andrew quickly expressed his apology, while Renly waved his hand with a bright smile, indicating that he didn't mind.
Today was just the third day of shooting for the crew. The entire team was still in the process of getting used to working together, and Renly was gradually merging Adam's character with his own self. At the same time, Renly was experimenting with some simple comedic performances.
"50/50" was indeed a comedy film, but as Seth had mentioned earlier, most of the comedic burden fell on him. In comparison, the other characters didn't have as obvious comedic effects.
However, this was a highly unique project. Many of the comedic moments came from the wit and cleverness of the dialogue. They weren't the type that would have people bursting into laughter; rather, they were a bit like awkward punchlines from an SNL sketch, eliciting restrained chuckles.
This was a style Renly excelled in, evident from his usual interviews. However, the humor in casual conversation and the humor in acting did have some subtle differences. The root reason was that these were two distinct personalities; Renly wasn't Adam, and Adam wasn't Renly.
Comedic actors also came in various types. One category was like Seth Rogen, whose talent was predominantly shown through writing—scripting or joke crafting. So, when they performed, there wouldn't be too much forced humor. They mainly presented themselves authentically, relying on the interaction between their lines and the storyline to generate laughs and entertain the audience.
In simple terms, they were performing as themselves. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Zac Efron, and others were all like that.
In the story of "50/50", Seth's character Kyle was essentially Seth himself from real life, with no difference.
However, Renly was different. Even when doing comedy, he had to make it humorous in Adam's style, which demanded a higher level of performance.
Renly understood that the immediate priority was to portray Adam's character well. The method acting approach required him to fully immerse himself, leaving no room for relaxation. Yet, this was a comedy film, and Renly didn't want his performance style to be overly rigid, too serious, or too forceful, like in "Buried", as it could come across as out of place. He had always wanted to attempt comedic acting; perhaps this was his chance to explore some simple ideas.
The lines involving the voice recorder from just now, Renly had delivered while fully embracing Adam's state of mind, spurred by a burst of inspiration. Renly personally felt that the effect was good, but he hadn't expected the actors he was interacting with to be left utterly astonished.
Renly turned to the director, directing a querying gaze towards him, seeking validation about the quality of the scene they had just shot.
Jonathan Levine glanced around at the laughing crew members and then gave Renly a thumbs-up as a sign of approval. "Great job, everything was great just now. In fact, if you come up with any lines on the spot, feel free to blurt them out. We can see how the performance works and then decide."
Jonathan was quite young, only thirty years old this year. In terms of a director's position, he was a rising star who had recently come onto the scene. He was a comedy director with unique ideas, earning acclaim in the film industry. Apart from "50/50", his most well-known work was "Warm Bodies", released in 2013. This unconventional zombie romance film received praise and opened the doors to Hollywood for him.
Jonathan's talent lay in capturing details, creating atmosphere through color tones and lighting, and his choice of music often left people amazed. With precise control over the camera, he presented the subtle details in the actors' performances to achieve the desired effects. In simple terms, he was a director who knew how to fully utilize all available resources.
Comedic actors had a wide range of performance styles, but few used delicate performances to drive humor—after all, there was quite a difference between comedy works and dramatic genres.
After two days of short adjustment, Jonathan discovered that Renly's line delivery was indeed very good.
He had only heard people praise an actor's "line delivery" before, especially actors who came from a British theater background. However, Jonathan had never really understood what that meant until Renly appeared. Just one simple line could convey many nuances, particularly the subtle changes in tone. Often, this could unexpectedly generate comedic effects.
For instance, the line involving the voice recorder just now. The tone was filled with interest, much like how a tech geek would sound at a tech product launch event, curiosity tinged with a bit of inquisitiveness, words almost flowing without restraint. The hidden excitement and enthusiasm were palpable, and a sense of eagerness to try was discernible.
However, after noticing the doctor's shock, it abruptly slammed on the brakes. The subsequent tone settled down, a bit flustered, a bit awkward, slightly awkward, and the smile at the corners of the mouth hadn't fully faded, carrying a hint of exploratory curiosity. Yes, there was no fear, no worry, no timidity, but more confusion and curiosity.
The contrast between the two tones created a ludicrously ironic effect. Even if one closed their eyes, they could savor the subtle changes, undoubtedly inducing chuckles—just look at the reactions of the crew members on set.
It wasn't only Jonathan; Anna, Bryce, and others watching the shoot also displayed expressions of surprise and astonishment that they couldn't hide.
From the moment Renly entered the scene until the start of shooting, his performance had been consistently peculiar. His actions were far from conventional, leaving everyone baffled. It wasn't that he was being rude or crude, but the rhythm and frequency of his actions never seemed to align properly. The awkward feeling of stumbling through his performance was truly frustrating.
People were starting to worry: what about the scenes with his co-actors?
With such concerns, uncertainty crept into their minds, and they began to speculate randomly:
Could it be that his previous acclaim was all just inflated praise? Was he merely a figurehead under a halo of glory? Essentially, wasn't it because of Renly's formidable background that this situation had been forcibly created? Even his Oscar nomination might just be a publicity stunt for awards season. Otherwise, how could Renly have possibly beaten James Franco?
In the previous two days of shooting, everything had gone smoothly without a clue, but today, everyone truly realized that Renly was definitely not just a figurehead.
The most shocked was undoubtedly Seth.
Looking at the Renly before him, he didn't even know what language to use to express it. This wasn't Renly, nor was it Will. Instead, it was a stranger unrecognizable to Seth—he could sense a bit of Will in him, but he was slightly different, and that sudden dry humor was even stronger than Will's.
Seth suddenly became excited; he had struck gold!
Compared to the bustling atmosphere on set, Renly appeared much calmer. In this film, he emphasized style, character, and immersion, rather than lines or emotions—those were issues to address when "disconnected" from shooting. At the moment, he was wholeheartedly dedicated to studying method acting.
The impromptu lines from earlier proved that Renly's immersion was on the right track. It was Adam speaking, not the actor Renly.
Now, Renly's task was to maintain this state and further bring out the dark humor of the comedy—this wasn't a nonsensical comedy.
"Andrew, are you okay?" Jonathan asked loudly. Andrew nodded repeatedly, confirming his readiness. Then, Jonathan looked around the set. "Let's start shooting again, from the beginning."
As Renly's performance had changed, Jonathan decided the camera angles needed some adjustments to capture the performance's details.
After the next take began, this time the entire performance flowed smoothly. The comedic timing was spot-on as ever, and then the doctor smoothly picked up his lines, "Yes. Well, if you look here on your MRI..." The doctor turned the computer screen towards Adam.
Adam's eyebrows twitched slightly, "Oh, Lenovo. It's actually Lenovo?" This absurd thought flashed by, and he pursed his lips, his eyes showing a hint of significance. However, he then focused his attention on the doctor's explanation.
However, those unfamiliar terms weren't friendly to him. He lowered his eyelids slightly, leaned forward a bit, cleared his throat, and had a polite smile on his face. Yet, his eyes betrayed his true emotions, a puzzled look on his face, "Uh, what?"