Adjusting his tie, Robert Downey Jr. carefully examined his reflection in the mirror. After a while, he nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction with his appearance.
"You can do it. You definitely have no problem. You are the best actor. You can make it through this interview..."
Standing in front of the mirror, he closed his eyes and, in his heart, kept encouraging himself with positive words.
However, no matter how many encouraging words, it's challenging to calm the inner turmoil of a person. Presently, Downey has numerous thoughts in his mind, making it difficult for him to soothe his emotions.
It's ridiculous to think about it. As a child of a family in the entertainment industry, as an Oscar nominee, and someone who has made headlines many times in Hollywood, he still encourages himself in this way when facing an interview.
What people like him should have done is sit at home and let their agent look through a lot of film appointments, pick out the one that suits them, and then wait for the director above to tell him the meaning of the movie...
But now, all of that is gone.
Suddenly opening his eyes, Downey once again surveyed his image and nodded in satisfaction. This interview with the Enigma Company for a role is a crucial opportunity he cannot afford to fail.
It can even be said that this may be a turning point in his destiny.
A month ago, when Downey received the news that he was being considered for the lead role in "The Three-Body Problem 2," directed by Levi, he could hardly believe his ears.
The film was rumored to have a budget of up to three hundred million dollars, and securing the lead role in such a high-budget production was truly incredible.
This film is a truly large-scale investment production. Although the filming of the movie has not officially started yet, various rumors are already flying all over the sky.
In addition to its seemingly incredible investment and unimaginable scale of special effects production, the cast of this movie has also been discussed by people.
For a film with an investment of three hundred million. What kind of actors will be used? This question is also of great concern to the media.
They have been reporting in detail on the movements of Levi's crew, and Downey has heard people discussing it.
Apart from confirming that Washington, who appeared in the first part, will continue to appear in the second part, it has just been confirmed that the famous British actor Ralph Fiennes will play an important role in this play, causing a sensation.
"I've read the script, and I'm very interested in my role," Ralph Fiennes confirmed during an interview. "Moreover, I'm looking forward to working with Director Levi. Liam has spoken to me about working with Director Levi, and he speaks highly of him. I think working with Director Levi is something to look forward to."
Ralph Fiennes' confirmation of his participation has recently been a focus of media attention. It was also said that Levi also wanted to invite Meryl Streep to play a supporting role and was also interviewing Martin Sheen. A film that could assemble so many acclaimed actors was indeed remarkable.
And would the lead role in this star-studded film be him? If it weren't for the fact that the person calling him was a high-ranking Enigma Company executive, Downey would have thought he was being teased.
With such thoughts of disbelief, he inquired about the authenticity of the matter. After a series of inquiries, he understood why.
Director Levi was looking for an actor with a yuppie image. Although there were quite a few actors with such an image in Hollywood, in the era of unprecedented media coverage in the '90s, actors were more concerned about their image, hoping to portray a gentlemanly image to the audience.
A good image can help a star gain great benefits, such as Julia Roberts; her good image is the guarantee of her status as the top Hollywood actress.
Conversely, a negative image could have a substantial negative impact, such as Tom Cruise, who, due to faith issues, was portrayed negatively by the media.
The actors of his generation in the '60s were particularly mindful of their images. Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, these actors wouldn't easily accept a role as a playboy or a womanizer.
Audiences sometimes couldn't distinguish between a character on screen and the real-life person; they tended to believe in the on-screen portrayal. Cruise was a prime example, as audiences vehemently demanded he not play negative roles.
When selecting roles, actors must consider whether it will affect their image.
Nowadays, more and more actors prefer more family-oriented, positive, and affectionate images. The image of a playboy or a womanizer is not conducive to accumulating popularity.
But this happened to be Downey's advantage.
For others, image is a significant concern, but it's no longer a threat for him. The reason others couldn't compete was that they at least had a good image, but what about him? He no longer had an image to protect. For others, playing a playboy would damage their image, but for him, it was an image rescue.
A playboy image was better than that of a drug addict.
Misusing drugs not only caused damage to his physical health but also, more importantly, destroyed his image. Downey had realized this long ago. In his days of success, he couldn't see this, or perhaps he chose not to care since he had enough confidence to recover. But as he fell into the abyss, he understood everything.
He once thought that with money, he could handle any trouble. However, he overlooked the fact that the process of drug use was a burning of money.
He thought his father's immense reputation and extensive Hollywood connections would shield him. But when a person is entangled with drugs, even good friends will avoid them.
He thought that even if everything else failed, he still had talent. However, talent doesn't shine through in a haze; he has exhausted his talent.
In the past few years, while others were making a name for themselves with a better media network, he lost his good reputation because of the same media network.
Now, while others are becoming famous, he still has nothing. People like Brad Pitt and George Clooney, who look like successful people all day long, have even begun to work behind the scenes. They are already in their early 40s, but their reputations have long since disappeared.
Looking at it from a different perspective, this is good news. Because the image of this character is not particularly good, the other actors will be more careful when taking over the filming. He has no worries in this regard, so his career path will be wider when he takes on a role.
Hollywood movies don't always have the same kind of roles. You just have to take the roles that others don't want to play.
For example, this time, he is very willing to play the role of a playboy. And this role is not all bad. At least for this role, no long-established big names compete with him, and Robert Downey Jr.'s confidence has greatly increased.
He has never been afraid of anyone when it comes to competing in acting skills. He only worries that someone will seize his role by relying on his greater fame, better market appeal, and better connections.
But now that those people are no longer competing, and his competitors are only some other small actors, Robert Downey Jr. has immediately gained confidence.
He won't be afraid of anyone competing for their abilities on the same starting line.
He risked everything for this interview. He started preparing for this role since he got the script a month ago. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had prepared for a role for a full three weeks. He always claimed to be a genius, but had he ever worked so hard?
He even wanted to find out through his friends whether Director Levi had more unwritten thoughts about his role: If he could comply with what the director did not expressly say during his performance, Then the director would definitely be happy.
However, few of his friends took his words seriously, and even his friends all laughed at him.
"You are working so hard to raise some money for drugs."
The jokes from his friends still ring in his ears. He didn't blame them - when he first started taking those drugs, they also advised him, but he didn't listen.
In the past few years, he either struggled with drugs or spent time in prison.
Who would take care of someone who mistreated himself?
Over the years, he had deceived his friends more than once and eroded their trust. Who would trust him?
It would be strange if they would believe him now.
He had tarnished his reputation and needed to pick up the pieces himself. To regain respect, one must strive to improve.
He knew that this movie might be the hope for his comeback.
With a forced sense of confidence, Downey strode into the studio.
Instead of preparing for a formal interview, Levi decided to meet him on the set. He knew that this was because Levi wanted to confirm whether he had gotten rid of drug dependence and also wanted to see if his personal temperament was good after leaving the stage.
Downey knew he had to impress the director.
From a distance, he could see the director. Alongside the director, two actors, Denzel Washington and Ralph Fiennes, were also there.
Downey immediately knew what he had to do to leave an impression on them.
He walked straight over, disregarding the two big-name actors, and directly joined them.
"Good morning, everyone. Let me introduce myself. I'm Robert Downey Jr., a genius, a scoundrel, a junkie. I came here for women and money. Everyone, don't let me down."
His words made Levi turn his head, and when Levi did so, Downey immediately confirmed that he had not disappointed him.
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
Marcelo Maia
Britanna
Mandy G
Scott DePaepe
Oluwatimileyin Olayemi
Herylle Ian Gloria
You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.