Billy's words made Theron turn his head in surprise, "Talk? What do you mean by talk?"
"Of course, it means asking him to reduce the intensity of some scenes for you or cover it up for you with editing," said Billy, quite confidently.
"Isn't doing this the same as arguing with the director?" Theron was a little hesitant. It was her first time acting in a leading role, and in her opinion, making such a request with the director was quite outrageous. In particular, she has no idea of quarreling with Levi at all: Although Levi has always said that she is not acting well, Levi has always encouraged her and helped her to make her better.
Aside from the fact that he's a little too demanding, he's a good director.
"But this director just refuses to let your scene go through. If you don't negotiate with him, he will bully you all the time. Some directors are bastards. You can't do without arguing with them. You have to let people know that in the filming scene, he is not the one who has the final say."
Theron just curled his lips when he said this: If Levi doesn't count, who has the final say? If a person is a producer, director, screenwriter, and at the same time, a film he invested in, how can he say nothing?
"Of course, you can't make the request yourself. However, it will be different if you can persuade Kevin Spacey to speak for you." Billy advised Theron, "He is a big star. The director definitely doesn't dare to offend him. If he speaks for you, the director has to value his opinion no matter how much he hates you."
"The director doesn't hate me..." Theron still knew why Levi made things difficult for her. However, when the sentence came to her lips, she swallowed the rest of the sentence back.
Levi thinks that her acting skills are not good, and the requirements can be said to be almost harsh. Theron's lack of thoughtfulness, she knows it well, but can she solve it easily if she knows it? Theron doesn't think so.
She has been too tired these two days and has worked hard enough. She is not a person who is greedy for comfort and relaxation; even when she had to act in a leather jacket in the summer, she doesn't complain, but she really can't do it—maybe, it's not impossible to let Spacey speak for her? He is a big-name star, and he should still have some influence on the director.
Who decides on set? In theory, the director should be in charge of everything, but it will be difficult to say if the director is not famous enough and the actors are too famous.
Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean that the actors will call the director around like a dog, but sometimes, it's hard to say when there is a dispute about a particular detail. The director hopes that the leading actor will express himself through the lines, but the leading actor feels that his acting skills are high, and he can express himself vividly through his eyes—who should he listen to at this time?
Do you think he should listen to you if you are a director? He also thinks he is a star and has much more shooting experience than you. Moreover, there are some things that are difficult to argue for. Is it better for a character to act more intensely or be a little restrained? For a plot, is a close-up or a panorama better? Each of these debates has its own reasons, and it isn't easy to achieve results.
At this time, some actors will listen to the director's arrangement, while others will choose to stick to themselves. When encountering such a situation, the director is also very helpless, he is a big name, and even if he wants to follow his own way, the director is also very difficult to do.
Even Spielberg has encountered such a thing. Theron has heard people say that he and Julia Roberts collaborated in the filming of the movie Hook. Julia Roberts relied on the fact that she was dating the boss of Universal at the time and was a top actress in Hollywood. The studio played big names, and Spielberg was so angry that he cursed. He angrily declared afterward that he would never make a movie with Julia Roberts again.
Theron knew that Levi had just made a movie, and he couldn't make Spacey, who was already a big star, completely obedient. Well, if Spacey speaks, it will definitely affect him.
Spacey seems to be a very nice person. After a few days of contact, Theron also got a certain understanding of this actor. This is the most prominent actor in the whole cast. Still, he doesn't have any arrogance, his temper is quite gentle, he can joke around, and he doesn't have any airs—no wonder he is rumored to be gay, such a gentle temper really looks like one— Such a temper also made Theron hesitate, maybe, let him speak for herself?
But will Levi be very upset if she does this?
"Charlie, your scenes are shot very well. As an actor, it's amazing that you shoot movies without deliberately taking advantage of opportunities to steal scenes. What you have to do is right for yourself. You don't have to follow all the director's requirements, especially when the director's requirements are not reasonable."
Billy was still persuasive, and his words did give Theron some confidence.
That's right, she didn't steal the show, she didn't mess around, and she was already very worthy of her professional ethics, so why is everything the director said right?
It's just that it's really strange for Billy to say this: Theron vaguely remembered that just a few days ago, Billy was still suggesting to herself that he could find a way to steal the scene during the filming process.
Actors can steal scenes: this kind of scene-stealing cannot be as simple as deliberately moving in front of the camera, and the task is not completed by blocking the opponent's face-that kind of clumsy method is a joke which will only appear in a farce and is impossible to appear in an actual shooting of a film. If you dare to use such a clumsy method, you will find yourself scolded.
Billy's scene-stealing is actually a very common method: what he wants to steal is not someone else's scene but the setting of the scene.
Sometimes it is necessary to change the framing according to the situation in filming. For example, shooting action scenes such as martial arts and dancing is generally for panoramic scenes, but if the actor's own dancing level is not good enough, or the figure is not good enough, or the legs are too short and the waist is too thick, then the half-length scene must be given. Even close-ups are required to cover up. This kind of practice is the so-called scene-stealing: when the actress is dancing, she deliberately dances poorly and knowingly makes mistakes in her steps, which forces the director to use close-up shots to shoot her, and her face appears more. That's it. These skills must be learned by some young actors who want to be famous, get attention, and make everyone remember their appearance. Some actors rely on these skills to mix roles.
When shooting the dancing scene, Billy suggested to Theron that it's better to pretend that her footsteps are wrong so that the director can't use the full-body scene and must use the half-body scene. It's just that Theron has always refused to use such techniques. It's not that she thinks this kind of technique is bad, but she has her own opinion in her heart: the director has the final say on the movie, and the director thinks that the whole scene is better, so there must be his reason. It's not good for the film itself to make trouble on her own. Moreover, she has learned to dance for so many years and has such a good figure; why does she need a close-up? Showing off her figure, is she afraid of someone?
It's just that she has achieved those, but she can't meet the higher requirements. Theron glanced at Billy: This guy is really not a good person, and his suggestions are quite shameless in many cases. However, Theron also has to admit that he is a talent trained in this circle. On many issues, he has much more opportunistic means than herself.
Maybe you can consider what he said... Levi said that he doesn't care about her own thoughts, so why should she care about his power?
Theron was also a little annoyed, and she wasn't sure what to do. Billy is not a trustworthy person, and Levi is always scolding her. Maybe she should really ask Spacey?
"I'll go talk to Kevin." Theron agreed with the idea. She turned her head and looked at the RV on the other side.
'I have to talk with him by myself.'
Theron has never been a person who likes to wait, so she went as soon as she said. She strode over directly and then directly knocked on the car door.
"Please open the door and come in... Charlize, what's the matter?" Kevin Spacey, who was inside the room, was a little surprised when he saw Theron coming in, "Let me pour you a drink. What do you drink?"
"Anything is fine." Theron agreed, "Kevin, I have something to talk to you about."
Kevin Spacey frowned, and Theron came to chat with him. It surprised him quite a bit, but seeing Theron's preoccupied face, Spacey also thought of something.
"Okay, let's talk."
Spacey put the glass on the table and chatted with Theron. His attitude was still very kind, but although his face was gentle, he smiled as if he knew the reason for Theron's visit. Theron was also in a state of agitation, wondering if she should talk about this topic with him.
After all, this is not something to be proud of. Theron still didn't know how to speak in her heart. In her heart, she really hated Levi's increasing demands on her, but because Levi was so demanding of herself, she had to try her best to embarrass him. After all, she was also an actor discovered by him.
However, now that she has come to Spacey, why not say everything?
"Kevin, there is one thing that I hope to get your help with... If you are willing to help, that is the best..."
"I can probably guess what you are thinking, but Charlize, before you speak, first answer my question: Charlize, do you want to be an actor or a star?" Spacey interrupted Theron and spoke first, "It's very important. Answer me after thinking about it. My help depends on your answer."
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons Cherif Doghri, Abdishakur Hasan, Adam LV, Danny York, haze2343, and Scott DePaepe.
You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.