Sunlight bled through the windows of the Fox Searchlight studio.
Hollywood churned with its usual manic pulse, oblivious to the drama unfolding within these soundproof walls. Inside, a parade of actors sweated their way through recreations of Aron Ralston's harrowing ordeal in Bluejohn Canyon.
The studio facility, with the setup of a narrow canyon built from weathered plywood, painted in sun-bleached desert hues. It wasn't grand, but it felt real, an echo of the Utah chasm that trapped Aron Ralston for 127 agonizing hours.
This was the audition space for actors vying to portray Ralston's ordeal. No artificial shadows or theatrical thunder, just the quiet intimacy of plywood walls and the hum of overhead lights. Here, the raw power of the story hung in the air, a silent challenge.
The studio welcomed one actor after another, each auditioning for the role of Aron Ralston.
One actor named Jamie launched into Ralston's descent, and the scene transformed into a canyon ballet, mimicking the sensation of his right arm being squeezed by the boulder, a manic glint dancing in his eyes.
He wasn't Ralston, trapped and desperate, but a spider ensnared in a flypaper hallucination. Donna scribbled a note: "Too theatrical, lacks grit."
Jamie walked out of the studio with a downcast expression.
Next came Ben, a burly lumberjack of an actor. He chewed up the scenery with Ralston's desperate pleas, spitting gravel between clenched teeth. Donna winced. "Overkill, Danny. We need someone to crawl under our skin, not bludgeon us with it." She said to the British director, Danny, ever the imp, just grinned, enjoying the spectacle.
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Lucas saw actors leave the studio with a downcast expression one after the other, and he didn't know why, but he was slightly affected as he felt more and more nervous.
Lucas even spotted Jesse Eisenberg, known for notable works such as "The Social Network," leaving the studio earlier.
While Lucas patiently waited, he attempted to use the free time to delve into the deep recesses of his consciousness. He wasn't concerned about sleeping for twenty minutes, as Lucas had discovered during a previous experience on an airplane passenger seat that time passed much quicker in his consciousness. Therefore, twenty minutes in his consciousness translated to just twenty seconds in the real world.
That's why Lucas persisted in attempting to enter his consciousness to embody the role of Aron Ralston.
After five minutes of trying, he finally succeeded. Finding himself in a narrow canyon, it resembled the exact place in Bluejohn Canyon.
Lucas observed his hands, which seemed unfamiliar. Immersed in the character, he felt like an avid solo adventurer exploring Bluejohn Canyon. As he treaded down the passage, joy and peace enveloped him.
"Treading about the canyon, exploring the relics of the past left behind in the canyon, this is joy," Lucas muttered in the Aron Ralston character.
He seemingly experienced the character's feelings, as if meditating while exploring the vast canyon.
Eight minutes passed in his consciousness, yet Lucas was in no hurry.
Finally, after nine minutes, Lucas treaded down the narrow passages. Below, the passage was barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through, carved by millions of years of water erosion.
Whether it was Lucas or Aron, descending through a series of waterfalls and tight squeezes, it seemed like he clearly enjoyed the solitude and challenge of the remote canyon.
Navigating a particularly narrow section, Aron descended with his hand on a chuckstone. Suddenly, he skidded through the walls, bringing him to a halt. His hand remained on the dislodged boulder, which then loosened and tumbled down the canyon.
As Aron skidded below, thinking it would speed up his descent, he sensed something was amiss. Looking up, he saw a falling stone. He momentarily froze as the stone descended.
Even Lucas, engrossed in the character of Aron Ralston, felt his immersion disrupted; he broke out of character and was no longer Aron.
However, this reaction would be expected from any ordinary human being in such a moment.
Lucas felt time dilate, as if he were dreaming, his reactions decelerating into slow motion. The rock smashed against his left hand, registering in Lucas's eyes. He yanked his left arm back as the rock ricocheted, only for the boulder to crush his right hand and ensnare his right arm. The rock slid another foot down the wall with his arm in tow, tearing the skin off the lateral side of his forearm.
Lucas remained silent, his disbelief temporarily paralyzing him. He stared at the sight of his arm vanishing into the small gap between the fallen boulder and the canyon wall. Within moments, pain overcame the initial shock.
The flaring agony threw Lucas into panic; it felt just like a nightmare.
Even though Lucas had anticipated this earlier and prepared himself, it felt too real—the sensation, the fear, the pain!
"Who am I? Where am I? Wait! I'm Aro— no, Lucas! This is a dream!" He seemed to forget who he was for a moment.
Lucas grimaced and was about to growl when he realized that he was back in reality.
Lucas still felt the palpable fear, his heart thumping hard as he chased his breath, attracting the attention of the actor beside him. The actor glanced at Lucas for a few seconds before returning to reading the scripts.
With dilated eyes, Lucas thought, "Not real. Not real. Phew. That's more terrifying than I initially thought it would be..." He couldn't imagine any sane and ordinary person remaining calm in that moment.
"At least I gained some insights into how a person would truly feel at that moment," Lucas reflected.
In fact, Lucas felt that he could at least display the same level of fear, disbelief, and panic—the emotions he experienced in his consciousness—without needing to fully become Aron Ralston, simply by being himself.
After all, Lucas still vividly remembered it: the sensation, his fear, disbelief, and panic, and most importantly, the pain—the flaring agony. He had never experienced such a thing in his previous life. What he initially felt when the boulder fell, in slow motion, his feelings or emotions were something he couldn't fully describe.
Lucas remembered the time slowing down. He didn't know if it was because he was inside his consciousness or if facing death made it possible, but Lucas didn't really care about it.
What happened in his consciousness, his attempt to replicate the moment when Aron accidentally got his right arm stuck at the chuckstone, felt like a nightmare. Lucas was clearly expecting it, but it wasn't exactly what he had anticipated.
He even momentarily forgot that he was in his consciousness and not in reality due to how faithfully his consciousness replicated reality. It felt like a dream where he forgot his identity. He didn't know if being inside his head, playing a character, was just like a dream. That's why, in that moment, he momentarily forgot that he was Lucas, and only when he felt the flaring agony did he remember who he was in his consciousness.
But Lucas learned his lesson. Next time, he wouldn't be so shocked or momentarily forget his identity and the character he is immersing.
Before Lucas knew it, it was finally his turn to audition. He stood up and went into the studio.