From the start to the end of a movie, the most essential thing is naturally the protagonist.
These days, Jim Carrey is also very concerned about this movie. Although the outside media was unanimously unfavorable, which frustrated him, he didn't care much about it. He has never been an actor enthusiastically praised by the media.
"Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"
In front of the camera, Jim Carrey performed a segment of greeting his neighbors, but this segment was once again stopped by Levi's shouting.
"Your smile is too exaggerated." Levi shook his head and once again denied his performance, "Your performance is not natural enough, and you still use too much force. You still can't perform well in this part."
Levi didn't hate the actors expressing some opinions that were different from his when they were performing. Every actor has his or her own idea about the script. At least this shows that the actors are seriously studying the script.
But these words made Jim Carrey frown. Although he knew that what Levi said was all good intentions.
"What's the exaggeration? I think it's normal. Truman's greetings to his neighbors are not necessarily sincere; even Truman himself has some acting elements. Moreover, his mother may have taught him these words as a child. A phrase from a reality show, a slightly exaggerated performance, can reflect the irony, right?"
"The mark of a great comedian is the ability to infuse their comedy with tragic elements. Regardless of the type of humor, there must be an underlying sense of tragedy. These types of movies are considered to be the best of the best in the world of comedy. What you have to do now is to put Unearth another side of yourself."
Jim Carrey agrees with Levi's statement: Most of the classic comedies make people laugh and cry after watching them. Compared with top masters like Chaplin, his comedies are somewhat immature. Jim Carrey has not made too many comedies of that type. His comedies are more purely funny, and he knows it himself. This is the gap in mastery.
Although this kind of comedy makes money, it is far from being a classic. It's a pity that he, who has never acted in a drama, inevitably encountered some troubles when performing.
These difficulties made him very anxious.
Comedians always like to use exaggerated movements and smiles to express their feelings.
Jim Carrey is a leader in this area and always wants to do it unconsciously when performing.
When he raised his hand to say hello, his hand would involuntarily be lifted above his head.
When expressing jokes, he always wants to fold his body backward, and he has to raise his wrist to his eyes when he looks at his watch...
These exaggerated movements are already a habit of his acting.
Such a performance can be very funny in comedy, but such a performance is far removed from real life.
The film industry has always looked down on comedians. That's because they can't do well in the details of these performances.
Levi asked him to correct it.
"It sounds difficult." Jim Carrey muttered.
"Jim, this is not a purely funny movie. The expressiveness of body language must be weakened, and the expression of psychological level must be enhanced. You can express a lot of things through your eyes. I know you can do it. Adjusting the ratio between your external body language and inner drama is what you have to do to make a better comedy."
"I know what you said is right," Jim Carrey nodded. "I haven't had this kind of experience before, and this kind of performance style is challenging for me."
"I'm not in a hurry, and you must not be in a hurry, right? Take your time; you can always adjust it." Levi was not in a hurry, and seeing Jim Carrey a little depressed, he spoke, "Believe me, Jim, you still look good. As long as you don't show that kind of exaggerated smile, everyone will say that you are a handsome guy. You are not Rowan Atkinson; there is no problem with your appearance."
Rowan Atkinson is The British master of humor and is famous worldwide for the role of Mr. Bean. His appearance is quite joyful; even a simple walk on tiptoe can make people laugh. Of course, Jim Carrey's appearance is not so funny; he knows this very well.
He laughed when Levi joked, "I confess, I look good. Just wait a little longer; I gotta adjust my smile a bit more."
Jim Carrey's smile is almost his signature, and it's a really catchy smile when it comes to comedy. But he also knew that such a smile could impress many people when it appeared in a comedy, but in the real world, such a smile was not very common.
Truman's smile should be hearty, not exaggerated.
His efforts made Levi very satisfied. Although Jim Carrey did an excellent job in the original Truman Show, in many of his performances in the play, it is still difficult to get rid of his neurotic habits and perform well. There are still some tricky shadows in it. These shadows are what Levi doesn't like, and he hopes to get rid of them.
The shooting of a movie must be refined.
But this is difficult because it not only requires Jim Carrey to change his acting method but also requires him to change his attitude toward life.
Jim Carrey's temper can be very strange - he is not a good-tempered person, but he is not a big-name-tempered actor either.
The man was a comedian himself, and his father was a comedian too. In a sense, his character is actually somewhat close to the image in the movie: he is a person who doesn't care when he plays.
Although with such a temper, making friends is easy.
A happy to make people smile, with a cheerful temperament and self-deprecating spirit, and very good at making others laugh is, of course, very suitable to be a friend.
Since he came to the set, the whole set has been full of laughter, which can also be seen from his temper.
It can also be fatal to the actors. It also has a significant impact on his acting skills.
Jim Carrey's basic skills as an actor are not bad. His father was a comedian. His father influenced him since he was a child, and he had stage performance experience at a very young age.
But the problem is he has been a comedian since elementary school, and he became a comedian when he grew up, so when he is acting, he always has the habit of being a comedian.
Exaggerated laughter, exaggerated standing, exaggerated movement - this is a comic effect for others. But for Jim Carrey, who has performed comedy for two generations and is naturally upbeat, these habits have completely become a part of his life.
For others, comedy is just acting; for him, it is a part of life.
Wanting to act in a real drama now is not only making him abandon his previous acting skills but also forcibly changing his way of life.
It's different from Emily. The performances in that movie were neurotic, and the film's heroine was also neurotic. They are a perfect match.
But in this movie, the leading actor is neurotic, but the character to be portrayed is not neurotic; he has to let go of his neurotic, pretending to be a crazy, deliberately distorted self.
But Jim Carrey is different from Daniel Day-Lewis, who can fully integrate into the character when acting.
Jim Carrey just likes to mess around and can't help it.
With such a style of doing things, Levi is not surprised that Jim Carrey has been in Hollywood for so long, but he is still not very popular in Hollywood, and the media always scolds him.
In Hollywood, it's normal to make jokes occasionally, and it can even make you likable. However, making inappropriate jokes on important occasions is distasteful and can be upsetting to others.
After all, many important events of celebrities are supported by their demeanor and style. If they are too indulgent, they will have trouble with the organizers.
It's no wonder that the Oscars didn't nominate him. If the Oscars gave a nomination, and he ran naked to participate in the Oscars, the blow to Oscar would not be able to recover in ten years.
With more contact, Levi also knows that Jim Carrey's temper determines that he cannot get the award, and he has basically given up pursuing the award himself.
He may have given up the award, but Levi didn't give up the movie. Awards can be ignored, but performances must strive for perfection.
Levi believes that Jim Carrey can do better, so he will not lower his requirements.
He's not in a hurry for Jim Carrey to find the feeling: No matter how fast he shoots it, this drama can't catch up with this year's release. It can only be released next year, and there is no particularly good schedule in the first half of the year anyway, so Levi has enough time to wait for Jim Carrey to perform better.
"Actually, if you want, you can share your performance experience with other actors." Regarding Jim Carrey's performance difficulties, Levi couldn't help persuading him.
Although Jim Carrey is very easygoing, he is a big-name actor after all, and his salary and status also made it difficult for him to ask others for advice. When he came to the set, his agent even suggested that he hoped the entire set would not mention those 'stupid' movies he had made. It is impossible for him not to value identity.
It's just that Levi asked him to break his concept and try to learn from others.
How can progress be made without learning and communicating?
"I'll think about it; I'll definitely think about it." Jim Carrey nodded after thinking about it. He didn't agree immediately, but this is also his face as a big name.
Levi could only sigh at this; big names are trouble. In contrast, Naomi Watts' performance is entirely different.
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
Cherif Doghri
Scott DePaepe
MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999
The Main Man
Sandra Torres
Mandy G
You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.