Hollywood, Wilshire Avenue.
Xu Can casually put on a shirt and jeans and rode a bicycle for a full 10 kilometers before arriving at the Sony Pictures headquarters.
As soon as I walked in, I almost bumped into a middle-aged white man with an unshaven beard.
"Hello, Mark."
"Hey, Xu! You're here, and I'm about to call your agent."
He is the director of "The Amazing Spider-Man" and Mark Webb, the director of the romance film "500 Days of Summer".
During the previous audition, Mark Webb saw that Xu Can was Chinese and almost made excuses to drive him away.
Fortunately, he was patient and willing to give Xu Can a chance.
The results of the audition were unexpected, completely subverting Mark Webb's cognition.
So much so that he would rather defy public opinion and insist on letting Xu Can, an Asian actor, play the role of the well-known superhero-Spider-Man!
Fortunately, Xu Can looks handsome and has three-dimensional facial features.
At the same time, he has a boy-next-door feeling.
Very similar to Peter Parker in the comics.
I believe that comic fans will definitely be satisfied with their casting!
"Let's go, I'll take you to say hello to the crew. Everyone is here today. Let's start the script reading directly. It may be a little tiring."
"No problem."
Xu Can is not afraid of being tired. This is a film he chose himself. No matter how hard or tired he is, he will always be happy.
"Hey, Emma, let me introduce you. This handsome Asian guy is your partner, Xu Can! And this beautiful girl is..."
Under the guidance of the director, Xu Can met a fair-skinned blond girl.
The most impressive thing about her is her big eyes, which look like she stepped out of the second dimension.
Emma Stone, aka "Sister Stone", plays Gwen Stacy in "The Amazing Spider-Man" and the heroine of "La La Land".
Xu Can is very familiar with her.
Sister Stone was only 18 years old at this time, and her young skin was quite supple.
"No introduction is needed...Hello, Miss Stone, I am your fan."
Xu Can smiled brightly and shook hands with her generously.
It can be seen that Emma Stone was surprised and a little overwhelmed at the same time.
The oriental boy in front of her made a great impression on her.
But she has only appeared in two American dramas so far, and she was a bit player without any scenes.
Does he actually know herself?
"Hello, Mr. Xu.."
"Xu Can."
"Just call me Xu Can."
When the two newcomers interacted, director Mark Webb stood by with his arms crossed with a smile on his face.
The assistant director passed by and was a little surprised.
"Hey Mark, what are you doing?"
"Do you feel that this scene is very sweet and feels great?"
As a former romance film director, Marc Webb is very sensitive to the interaction between male and female protagonists.
There was a chemical reaction from the first contact, and he felt that the male and female actors had found the right person!
In the original idea, he planned to use Mary Jane, the wife of the original Peter Parker, as the heroine.
Later, the writing team talked a lot with Xu Can about the creation of "Spider-Man".
Discover how Spider-Man's first love, Gwen Stacy, is even more interesting!
Under the approval of Mr. Stan Lee,
Producer Avi Arad summoned the screenwriters to revise the script overnight.
Change the heroine this time to Gwen Stacy!
The first version of "Spider-Man" is the most classic version, yes.
But the emotional scenes were really criticized, and MJ was portrayed as a watery green tea.
After changing the heroine, the emotional drama became much smoother.
This is one of the reasons why he insisted on choosing Xu Can.
Xu Can's understanding of movies is even deeper than many screenwriters!
"Okay, everyone is almost here, let's get ready to start the script reading."
…
"The first script reading of "Spider-Man" starts now!"
In the Sony Pictures conference room, director Mark Webb and a group of actors sat together.
Everyone holds the script in their hands and their expressions are quite serious.
Before the official start of shooting, the starring team reads the script and goes through the scene, which helps to enhance their understanding of the characters and facilitate subsequent filming.
At the same time, we took the opportunity to test the performances of the actors.
Actors can also give a better impression to the director, and maybe gain more favor.
"...On a rainy night, Aunt Mei held baby Parker and looked out the window, reflecting Parker's immature and uneasy face..."
"The scene transitioned, and Peter Parker had grown up to be a high school student... He was looking at the photo in trance, but his head was hit by a basketball flying from outside the window..."
After director Mark Webb finished reading the voice-over, it was Xu Can turn to read the lines.
Xu Can has been preparing for a long time and is just about to speak!
His brain seemed to be penetrated by a spiritual light!
Wonderful electric current flows through the whole body instantly!
Previous generations of "Spider-Man", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", "Marvel's Spider-Man"...
Peter Parker from many works seemed to merge into Xu Can's soul in an instant!
Xu Can closes his eyes and seems to be able to see the memory of Peter Parker himself!
At this moment, he is possessed by Peter Parker! He is Spider-Man himself!
Emma Stone, who was sitting next to Xu Can, was a little surprised.
Why doesn't this handsome Asian guy read his lines? Is he too nervous?
She was just about to stretch out her leg to touch Xu Can to remind him,
Xu Can finally spoke:
"Hey, good morning, Fletcher..."
In just a few words, Xu Can conveys the image of a bullied high school student who dares to be angry but dare not speak out.
Xu Can, who was originally tall and bright, suddenly turned into an unconfident homeboy.
In the next few dialogues, Xu Can's tone and expression were impeccable!
Director Marc Webb's eyes lit up.
I didn't expect Xu Can to get into the role so quickly!
I thought Xu Can had no experience and would need some time to adapt!
The script reading went smoothly.
"...I think you were very brave just now."
"What?"
Sister Stone glanced at Xu Can next to her and quickly returned to the script.
"A bit silly, but brave. You'd better go to the infirmary and get checked for a concussion."
"Well..."
"May I have your name?"
"Peter...your name is Gwen, right."
"Gwen Stacy...remember to go to the infirmary."
Although it was a script reading, the male protagonist Xu Can and the female protagonist Emma Stone had already started to make eye contact.
Director Mark Webb saw this and nodded silently.
It seemed that the casting was indeed chosen right this time, and he was half relieved.
The literary drama is 80% okay, except for the action scenes in the actual shooting stage.
It is said that Xu Can has learned martial arts, so he should be good at it, right?
…
"Hey, Peter!"
"Gwen."
"Hahaha, I'm sorry. I just got used to it from reading the script. I should have called you by your real name."
The two met for the first time and the cooperation went smoothly.
After several rivalry scenes, Emma Stone and Xu Can made rapid progress.
"Xu, are you free later? Why don't you go have a drink?"
"Okay, it's my pleasure."