Standing in the studio after performing the passages she needed to perform, Naomi Watts looked at the interviewers in front of her speculatively and uneasily. She is eager to know whether her acting skills can satisfy these people and whether this role will be hers.
The expressions of the people on the opposite side at least reassured her. She was pretty satisfied with the expressions of these people, and her performance obviously moved them.
"What do you think?" Levi turned around and asked Jim Carrey.
Jim Carrey also recovered from the performance. He did not expect that Naomi Watts could perform so well.
When Levi first said that he wanted to find a newcomer to play this role, Jim Carrey still had some doubts: Although he also knew that this movie should create an atmosphere of a reality show and it would not be suitable to use too many stars, the problem is that his own performance is a bit exaggerated.
If he is paired with a newcomer, it will be difficult to control his acting skills. But seeing Naomi Watts' delicate and excellent performance now, he was secretly surprised. 'I have always prided myself on being the best actor, a 20 million-level superstar, but in terms of delicate acting, I am not as good as a 30-year-old woman who has yet to become famous.'
"Outstanding actor; I am not sure who will help whom." Jim Carrey laughed and joked, "Her acting skills are much better than mine."
Watts smiled reservedly but did not think she could be compared with Jim Carrey: She has been in Hollywood for ten years and is very clear about her identity.
"Very surprising performance, Ms. Watts; you are Australian. Right?" Levi broke the silence, but his completely irrelevant words confused Watts.
"Yes, I am an Australian. But I have been in the United States for many years, and I am very familiar with the customs of the United States. I know American culture and various anecdotes..."
Watts was still worried that Levi would discriminate against foreign actors, and she hurriedly spoke for herself. However, the Australian accent in her soft voice made her words not very convincing.
Levi stopped Jim Carrey from speaking and then spoke again. "I don't mean anything else, just lament that Australia is a place that produces good actors. I have to say, you are a good actor, very good, and I am very satisfied."
Levi's comment made Watts' tense face relax a little. She waited for this sentence for a long time.
She didn't know that Levi had waited a long time for such a performance. For a long time, among the many actresses in Hollywood, Levi believed that not many people could be considered outstanding in acting.
The acting skills of female stars are generally inferior to those of male stars. The more beautiful a female star is, the less willing she is to work hard to hone her acting skills. This has become a recognized phenomenon in Hollywood. You can make money by showing off in front of the camera, so what is the purpose of acting so hard?
Among the post-70s, including several post-60s actresses who became famous later, Levi believes three people come to mind when he thinks about best acting skills.
One is Kate Winslet from the United Kingdom; although many people jokingly call her fat, sometimes the figure makes people speechless, but she is indeed outstanding in acting.
And one is Marion Cotillard from France, the French Rose, who is almost the pinnacle of actress performance in the 21st century in Levi's eyes. Even in the 1990s, only Holly Hunter in The Piano can be compared with her.
And then there is Naomi Watts in front of him. Although, in Levi's memory, her fame came a few years later, her performance has been excellent, and since she became famous, she has always been exceptional. It is also difficult to maintain a high standard.
Except for these few actors, other people inevitably have some problems.
Cate Blanchett always holds everything up when she plays, making Levi feel like she has not yet played Elizabeth.
Hilary Swank's acting skills are good, but it's a pity that the image determines that the play is too narrow.
Angelina Jolie's acting skills have never improved since she gave up literary films; only hype and sex appeal are left.
Jessica Chastain is more than hardworking, but unfortunately, she is always a little bit unlucky.
As for Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, and Charlize Theron, in appearance, dealing with people, and Hollywood's relationship network, each may have her own advantages. Still, in terms of pure acting skills, they are slightly worse.
The woman in front of him is also top-notch in Hollywood purely in terms of acting skills. It's just unexpected that her acting skills were already very good before she became famous - but it's not surprising after thinking about it: she hasn't been idle in the past few years, she has been improving her acting skills all the time. Moreover, he knew she became famous for her successful performance in Mulholland Drive, so she has obviously been honing her acting skills for a long time.
This made Levi very happy: People always say they want to be Levi's muse, but Levi himself has high requirements for actors. He knows that to make a good movie, he must use good actors. Compared with other actors, Naomi Watts' upper limit is obviously higher. His work can naturally improve when he meets such a good actor.
Theron and Winona just let Levi feel they are suitable for acting in a play. But Naomi is more promising in Levi's view.
In fact, Levi has always had a view: Among the outstanding actresses in Hollywood, few are from the United States. Levi has always felt that this is because the publicity medium is getting better and better, and actresses can gain fame even if they don't have to perform well.
There are good actors born in the 1960s, and those born in the 1970s are already one grade lower. In the group of newcomers in the 1980s, although the four young actresses played very loudly, they really looked at the salary.
Besides Kirsten Dunst, who got a high salary in the Spider-Man sequel, Lindsay Lohan was the post-80s actress with the highest pay. The others, even Natalie Portman, who has been touted to the sky, who actually did an excellent job in Black Swan, her other plays are really bad. Compared with someone like Jodie Foster, who is talented, the gap is quite large.
Under the increasingly developed media, men may still be willing to hone their acting skills, while women live by their looks.
Even in the domestic film industry in his previous life, Levi had seen countless actors whose acting skills hadn't improved for many years once they became famous. Once fame is big enough, it is difficult for people to calm down and study acting skills. This is true of all actors in the entertainment industry.
Therefore, in such an environment, there is a 30-year-old actress who has not yet become famous and has been honing her acting skills. It is really rare, and it makes people feel fortunate.
It was not until he saw her perform that Levi dared to admire: A good actor is a good actor. It is not without reason that a good actor can become famous in one fell swoop in her 30s. This kind of delicate performance is really difficult for others to play.
"Since you think it's appropriate, how about letting her play?" Levi watched Watts' performance and turned his head to Jim Carrey on the other side.
Watts was suitable for the role: the show was supposed to use a woman in her mid-30s, and she was the right age. In addition, her appearance is very soft and beautiful, so the image of this drama is not a problem. Moreover, he doesn't know if it's because of the local conditions in Australia, the actresses produced in this place do not look very old.
And now it seems that her acting skills are also not a problem. Levi has made up his mind.
Jim Carrey nodded, but he said again as if he remembered something, "Are you sure you can really handle the camera well so that our height difference won't be a problem?"
Although Watts looks good, Jim Carrey is more concerned about the lens problem. This is the basic pursuit of an actor, and this will not change.
"Don't worry about that." Levi smiled.
Of course, he knows how to deal with the height difference. This is basically a must-learn item for directors. There is no need to worry about these problems. As long as they are filming, try to let one sit and the other stand to avoid it. If they really need to stand together, at worst, let Watts stand on the stairs. Levi doesn't like fruit boxes very much. Compared with those things, it is better to use the scenery in the play to create the height difference.
"Miss Watts, I think you can get this role." After Jim Carrey had no objections, Levi also turned his head and said to Naomi Watts, "You are the heroine of the movie."
"I am the heroine?" Watts said in surprise. She has thought about this scene many times in her dreams: being spotted by a big director and she will rise to the sky from then on, but she still can't believe that this day has really come.
"Yes, you are the heroine." Levi nodded, "It's most suitable for you to act in this play."
If you meet such an actor, of course, you should not miss it. You must cooperate more and let her appear in more of your own movies.
In Levi's memory, this actor also took a lot of detours: she became famous through Mulholland Road, but when Mulholland Road was busy with publicity, she even forgot to apply for an Oscar because she was too young. And later, she took another detour and ran to play King Kong — Peter Jackson is a director who couldn't get a single actor nominated for acting after filming The Lord of the Rings.
Already 30 years old and then taking detours in her acting career, it can be said that Naomi Watts is not good at choosing a path for herself, which has always affected her development.
But now, Levi won't let her take another detour. He must make good use of such an actor.
He wants to give her a smooth road to fame.
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
Cherif Doghri
Scott DePaepe
MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999
The Main Man
Sandra Torres
Mandy G
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