"Since you are sure you want to shoot, you should give it to Bob to modify it. Although I can trust the script you like, Hong Kong and the United States are two environments, some things cannot be copied."
After confirming Levi's confidence, Clark began to do his duty to remind Levi what he needed to pay attention to. His words made Levi nod, and Levi is very clear about this: the United States and Hong Kong are two environments, not only reflected in the script's lines and character creation but also in some specific ways of doing things.
For example, in the Hong Kong version of Infernal Affairs, Andy Lau pretended to be a lawyer to make stereotypes. It would definitely not work in the American version of the movie. These things really need to be changed.
It's just that these things are Bob's job. Every time Levi prepares a movie, he prepares the script for Levi. And Clark doesn't care about these things. Compared with the script preparation, his work is more of an interview with the actors - Levi's movies have always asked him to be the casting director.
Clark knew it was his job this time, but compared to the previous few times, he was a little more cautious this time, "Nick, I think we should discuss this movie more. This movie has more actors, and many roles have to use very good actors. I can't guarantee that I will do well when I finalize these by myself. You have to talk to me about what kind of actor you want."
"I still say the same thing; I can trust you. Besides, the script is in your hands; you must have your own opinion, right? Why don't you talk about it first?"
Levi did not immediately agree with Clark to discuss this but encouraged him. He wanted to know how far Clark's choice of actors differed from his own.
The Hong Kong version of this movie encountered the Great Depression of Hong Kong movies, and all the actors in the show were stars. But in Hollywood, such opportunities do not exist. Choosing actors is a lot of trouble.
"I think let's start with something simple. The female lead is pretty sure." Flipping through the script, Clark opened his mouth first, "There are very few women in this play. There are only two or three, and none of them have many scenes."
Only three women appear in the film — two undercover women and one undercover ex-girlfriend. These three people are very easy to determine - the three people's scenes add up to about five minutes and are all very simple. It can be said to be very easy.
"However, according to this script, there are too few women's scenes. Wouldn't it be better to add or change a little bit?"
Clark's suggestion made Levi shake his head, "I don't think there is a great possibility for these two men to fall in love with the same woman. A slightly less dramatic love will be more beneficial to this movie."
He knew that the actresses were pitifully few, and it was very likely that they would lose part of the audience. In many movies, adding some lines and scenes to the actresses is necessary to make the film more beautiful.
At the same time, to save money when shooting a movie, such a supporting role would rather find a more famous one than a group of less famous ones - this has led to a woman must be entangled with several men in the movies. The American version, The Departed, was also adapted in this way. But this causes a problem: the movie's plot will become too dramatic.
Clark also knew about this, and he said this only because many movie routines are like this, and it is cheaper to do so, "Then, what is needed in the movie is three women: the psychologist plays the most roles, for the fiancée of the police undercover there are a lot of lines, and for the ex-girlfriend who led the child, we can just find someone who plays a cameo."
Among the three, the best one to find is the ex-girlfriend who led the child, and Clark said nothing wrong; this role can be played as a cameo, and Levi didn't pay much attention to it: it is not difficult to find Theron or Winona to play a cameo.
"The policeman's girlfriend is a novelist. The undercover policeman wants to live with her and enjoy a quiet and peaceful life. This is one of the reasons for betraying the gang. Secondly, this girlfriend is not aware of her man's entanglement and is also relatively careless. This girl can give people a cute, charming, artistic, and careless image."
"You have analyzed it very well," Levi laughed, listening to his analysis, "You said it right; for this role, it's best to find a cute, silly woman. I remember that we worked with Aniston once and had a pretty good relationship with her. If we invite her to play this role, she probably won't turn it down?"
Aniston worked with Enigma on The Notebook, a successful film that proved her knack for rom-coms. With the cooperation of a movie with a box office of over 100 million, it is not difficult to invite her again. Moreover, she still has to film Friends now and doesn't have much time. Such a movie with few scenes is suitable for her to act in.
It's a fitting role for her goofy America's Sweetheart.
"As for the role of the psychologist... I guess you're going to let Naomi play it?" Clark asked.
"Why are you so sure?"
"This character doesn't make many appearances, and she must be able to show her charisma in a few appearances. At the same time, she must show a caring and reliable side, paving the way for the subsequent scene of love at first sight — this is more a test of acting skills; I think Naomi can't play this role better."
Levi nodded, acquiescing to his thoughts.
For the role of a psychiatrist, the most challenging thing is to show tacit understanding and intimacy with the undercover in a short appearance. Therefore, she has to be gentle and soft without losing her charm. To perform this well, she needs a little better acting skills. Naomi is more reliable in playing this role.
"As for the child, you don't have to worry about anything. Taylor Momsen has worked with us, and you know how to coax that child. You can just find her. But that child grows very fast. If she is too tall, we could use Dakota Fanning too — the girl has been in the show lately, is doing really well, and is the right age."
"Yes." Levi nodded.
"Don't always just nod and say yes to what I say, okay? What about your own thoughts?" Hearing Levi echo again, Clark frowned.
"We all think the same thing... these characters are all supporting roles, and they are all quite character-oriented people. You know me very well and know my thoughts. They are similar to what I think. Why should I oppose you?"
Levi's statement made Clark frown, but he didn't say anything: Indeed, he also believed that even if Levi was looking for it, he couldn't find a better character. However, all his thoughts were expected by Levi, which also made him feel that his role was a little low.
"These supporting roles are finished, and they are the more important protagonists." Clark circled the names that had been written down in his notebook. After thinking about it, he reported the new name, "About the protagonist and the main supporting role, I have an idea: Regarding the boss of the police department, I think an actor is very suitable - what do you think of Liam Neeson playing this role?"
Liam Neeson? The name finally moved Levi a little.
Compared with the supporting role, this role is already the protagonist to some extent, and this is one of the characters that Levi is more interested in. In his memory, the Hong Kong version of Anthony Wong Chau-sang played this role very well, but the American version of Martin Sheen did not perform well.
Scorsese dismantled this character, which made the Seargent role more complex, requiring more performance, and even allowed Wahlberg to get an Oscar nomination. However, this also left the Captain, played by Martin Sheen, only as a loving father, which made the character less interesting.
Levi still doesn't want to split this character into the entire police station, so what he wants is a policeman who has a tender and loving side but also has to be a tough man. This role is likely to cause trouble, disrupting the movie's logic.
And for such a role, Levi didn't think of who would play it for a while, but the character of Liam Neeson proposed by Clark made Levi find the right person at once.
"In terms of charm, he is definitely not a problem. This actor has enough charm. In Schindler's list, he has already brought this to the fullest. In terms of height and body shape, he is 193 cm tall and has a good body shape; playing the role of a captain is perfectly fine.
He has a radiating dubbing voice, and I don't need to talk about his acting skills. He has won the Tony Award and the Venice Golden Lion Award and acted in Schindler's List; whether he is gentle and elegant or a tough guy, he can play both."
Clark's proposal, there is no problem at all; this character is indeed a perfect role.
"Is this person willing to come?" Levi asked hesitantly.
"It's not difficult to invite him at all. He was born as a drama actor, and he pays more attention to the literary quality of the script. After filming Schindler's List, he has been taking on various literary films. With your name and a good script, it's easy to invite him. And he's been promoting Star Wars recently, so he should have a schedule."
Seeing the question asked, Clark was a little happy: he's a good casting director. And he is also very clear about this actor: after Liam Neeson finished filming Schindler's List, he always chose to star in literary films. It is absolutely feasible to invite him with a good script.
"Your proposal for this role is really good — Clark, you have already surprised me. Let's talk about your other ideas. Let me see how the other actors you choose."
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
Cherif Doghri
Scott DePaepe
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Britanna
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