Choosing actors relied heavily on connections. This was the fundamental basis of everything. Next came the issue of their worth, the most practical and tangible problem. After all, if you insisted on casting A-list celebrities in a low-budget film, you'd be out of your mind unless they agreed to take a pay cut or appeared as a favor. Lastly, there was consideration for image and acting skills.
Conversely, within the scope of satisfaction for the first two criteria, the last one became the key factor.
In a hotel's living room, Lyman, because his house was still undergoing renovations and his custom furniture hadn't arrived yet, was staying in a hotel. He had just finished dinner and a notebook was spread open on the small wooden table in front of the sofa, alongside various actor profiles preliminarily selected by major talent agencies.
Lyman was half-sunk into the plush couch, lost in thought.
Thinking this way and that, his thoughts bounced around for a while without forming a coherent idea.
He was clueless about where to start. Ultimately, he laid out some paper and started listing the actors he had previously collaborated with.
Heath Ledger was out of the question; he would've been a great fit, but he was filming "Brokeback Mountain" and had no availability. The remaining choices either commanded too high a price or their image and style didn't match at all. In the end, there were only a few options.
Jason Statham, Hugo Weaving, and J.K. Simmons.
Looking at these names, he suddenly had an idea.
It seemed quite fitting, didn't it?
Moreover, the budget for "Saw" was much higher than the $1.2M from his previous life, allowing for a more thorough selection.
At least, he wouldn't let people without any acting skills like in his previous life's film be cast. In his former life, James Wan's friend and the co-writer of this film, Leigh Whannell, had portrayed Adam. This was out of necessity since the budget was extremely low; there was no other choice.
Now that they had money, they certainly needed to polish things up and start the series on the right foot.
Under the lamplight, Lyman began analyzing the characters. This was his strong suit.
Regarding the main characters, let's start with Lawrence: middle-aged, gentle-faced, not picky about his physique, but regardless of whether he was fat or thin, he had to exude a certain temperament.
The script only lightly touched upon his family relationships.
After years of marriage, his emotions toward his wife had grown cold and routine. They were coexisting rather than truly living together. Divorce was only a formal matter. Many incompatible couples were like this, just with some hesitations preventing them from taking the final step, but in reality, it was more or less the same.
Lawrence was a professional doctor, engrossed in his work, and had an affair with one of his interns.
One day, he diagnosed a patient with cancer, and from there, the story unfolded.
...
To portray this character, the actor needed to give off a distinct doctor vibe. He wouldn't talk much, but he would be resolute, with opinions and confidence.
The character itself wasn't overly complex; it was easy to analyze. But who would be suitable to play the role?
Lyman closed his eyes and visualized.
Like a doctor, an air of casualness permeated him, making people subconsciously trust him.
Hmm, Hugo Weaving seemed quite suitable.
He was an actor capable of eliciting emotions from the audience solely through his voice.
In "V for Vendetta", even though he always wore a mask, his portrayal of V became the soul of the entire film. Without facial expressions, relying solely on intonation to convey emotional changes was undoubtedly a skillful feat.
He opened his eyes and circled Hugo Weaving's name.
Next was Adam.
The main character who interacted with Lawrence.
Indifferent and disrespectful toward life; that's why he was abducted by Jigsaw.
He appeared friendly but was profoundly cunning, prone to deception.
He was the kind who could tell lies with conviction, not sensing any wrongdoing.
In any case, his appearance and temperament needed to be contradictory.
This was a difficult aspect to handle. He had to look very ordinary, but acting like that could make him seem too mundane, lacking a strong presence.
Who would fit? Lyman blinked, his thoughts not flowing as smoothly as before.
Honest yet not honest, could he pull it off? He had a face that suited the image of an honest person, but in terms of acting...
Whatever, that was something James should consider. How to train the actors was also a necessary subject for a director. He didn't have to worry about it. Finding someone who matched the image was enough.
...
In a certain apartment in the UK.
A middle-aged man named Jason, who had chosen to shave his head bald, sat on the sofa, answering a phone call.
With prominent eyebrows and eyes, he looked like an honest person.
But his muscles and robust build hinted that he might not be so easy to deal with.
As they say, good things don't flow to others' fields. Lyman had always been straightforward about his preference for using acquaintances.
The film industry was inherently a realistic place, where personal relationships and connections wove an intricate "web".
Furthermore, prioritizing one's own people was only human nature.
Everyone has varying degrees of emotional closeness with others. Selecting actors based on these conditions was not something to be scrutinized.
As long as they met certain casting criteria, of course, prioritizing acquaintances made sense.
And this time, for the role of Adam, Lyman wanted to give Jason Statham a try.
Although he was known for action roles, with his muscular build, he always seemed like a thug or someone from the streets.
Besides, he wasn't particularly acclaimed for his acting skills. Portraying Adam's character might be a bit challenging in terms of persona and temperament, but that's because he had worked with Lyman before.
Give an opportunity, break through a bit, broaden the range of roles.
"Alright, alright, I'll be right there."
Jason Statham, the bald man with prominent eyebrows and eyes, hung up the phone with delight. He had just received an invitation.
Ever since "Miscreant" received both critical acclaim and box office success, not only did the film's creators each benefit significantly, but Jason's days in Hollywood had also improved considerably.
With this heightened attention, film studios were keen on riding the wave of popularity.
It also meant that Jason Statham had entered a particularly busy period in his acting career.
In just two months, he had consecutively filmed three movies. Although his roles didn't carry a lot of screen time, at least he had work to do.
He wasn't picky, he could earn money, perform, build industry experience, become more famous—what could he complain about?
It was much better than when he first started and struggled to land a role for an entire year.
People, after all, need to be content.
And he was quite content. This transformation made Jason even more grateful to Lyman. After the movie was released, he had made a phone call to express his gratitude.
But he never expected that he would be invited by Lyman again.
Could it be that everything he had fantasized about in Paramount's actor reception room that day was coming true?
Was it a dream? If it is, please don't wake me up.
Jason was overjoyed, and he even called his agent to inquire.
Of course, the agent had no idea; the preparations for "Saw" were being kept quite confidential.
There was no choice; since a meeting was arranged, he might as well go.