In "The Princess Diaries," Michael's total screen time adds up to less than ten minutes. Forget about character arcs—there's hardly even any basic description. His role is purely to "secretly have a crush on Mia" and then "become Mia's dance partner," which pretty much sums up the entirety of his storyline.
So, does such a decorative character require any acting skills or complex settings?
An actor only needs to show up, look cool, and then the $250,000 check (before taxes) smoothly lands in their account.
Period.
Of course, Anson could do just that—lie back and coast through the film.
But Anson doesn't want to.
Even if it's not for "The Princess Diaries," for the sake of his future opportunities to star in more films and earn higher paychecks, he should seriously study this role.
Moreover, Anson has a different understanding of what it means to be a "decorative" character.
A decorative character is indeed just that, but whether this "decoration" is an ancient Babylonian vase or an ancient Egyptian vase, a noble's vase or a commoner's vase, an ornamental vase, or a vase that holds hidden clues in an escape room—all these details matter and can even change the tone of the film.
People often have a limited view of characters.
The general consensus is that a character needs a plot, lines, or even conflicts to show their depth, so audiences love watching "explosive moments" and seeing actors "show off their skills." Only when an actor really "explodes" can you see their acting prowess.
However, professionals who understand acting have a different viewpoint. Acting that can "explode" is relatively simple and also superficial; hearing thunder in the silence—that is advanced acting.
At this point, let's set aside the difficulty of acting and purely discuss the character's impression. From the last discussion with Deborah about Paul's character design, it's evident that—
The moment a character appears, their impression is already formed.
Let's take a simple example.
In "Guardians of the Galaxy," when Star-Lord first appears, his leather jacket, portable cassette player, and the continuously playing retro hits already lay the groundwork for the character's emotional vulnerabilities, background, and personality traits. Clearly, this is a different character from Captain America or Iron Man.
Dialogue? Plot? Conflict?
Before they even come into play, the character already has their own color.
Now, let's refocus on "The Princess Diaries."
Precisely because Michael's role is so limited—less than ten minutes—Anson needs to make the most of every second and every appearance to add some patterns, lines, and colors to this "vase" so that the character becomes fuller and ultimately part of the storyline.
Supporting characters can be excellent or mediocre.
In his previous life, the original Michael wasn't bad—just average, merely completing the basic tasks without any shine.
After the audience finishes the movie, no one remembers Michael.
This time, it's Anson's turn, and he wants to change the situation. If he wants to use this character to break through and win more opportunities for himself in the future, he needs to learn from Sandra Oh, who, in "Grey's Anatomy," created her own space within limited screen time to bring the character to life.
So, Anson began his research, following Marcia's suggestion from that day—
Hairstyle: Beatles mop-top.
In that case, Michael would be a fan of 1960s British rock, or perhaps not just limited to British rock. He might be more into band culture, the 1960s atmosphere, and even the entire cultural wave of that time, reflecting on life and society.
For instance, The Beach Boys—a band from California that, at their peak, could rival The Beatles and even surpass them.
**For example, Bob Dylan,** the legendary folk singer, ushered in an era with his music. His lyrics carry profound symbolic meanings and influenced the later works of The Beatles.
**For example, The Grateful Dead,** a live-performance rock band from San Francisco, gained recognition among fans almost entirely through their live albums, which were based on their improvisational performances. They laid the groundwork for the psychedelic rock movement.
**For example, The Kinks,** whose reflections on social phenomena and experiments with different sound effects made them a beacon of British rock in that era.
"Likes The Beatles" is a very rough character trait:
Why does he like The Beatles? Which period of The Beatles does he like? What's his favorite Beatles album? And which Beatles album does he dislike?
These details are what give the character life. Starting with The Beatles as a foundation, you can expand the imagination—perhaps he likes The Beach Boys and The Grateful Dead, the former representing popular music akin to The Beatles, and the latter representing innovation that pushes the boundaries of existing music.
Further expanding from The Grateful Dead, perhaps he likes Bob Dylan and The Kinks, appreciating not only their musical tastes but also their way of reflecting on life through music, including the social changes of the time.
Clues converge toward "Michael" from different directions.
Even though he is only fifteen, he possesses a mature soul, reflecting on philosophy, life, and values. Perhaps he's still too young to find the answers, and he still has a childlike side, but his way of seeing the world is different from other kids.
It's precisely because of this that he likes Mia.
He liked Mia before she became a princess, before her makeover, when she was still an invisible girl.
Not because of her appearance, but because he saw Mia's kindness, sincerity, courage, and inner beauty.
This is the pattern and lines on the vase.
In the movie script, the screenwriter never mentions why Michael likes Mia—or rather, why Michael would like the ugly duckling Mia.
Mia's crush is on a handsome, popular guy.
That's understandable because, in high school, everyone has had a crush on the popular kid or the cheerleader.
But what about Michael?
Of course, the screenwriter doesn't have the space to delve into this part of the story. The script says Michael has a crush on Mia, so Michael does.
A typical supporting character.
Now, Anson gives Michael a reason—and it doesn't require extra screen time.
Michael's taste in music is shown through his CDs, Walkman, T-shirts, and badges on his backpack.
Michael's choice of books—besides music, he's always carrying a book, whether it's philosophy, history, architecture, or psychology.
From appearance to personal belongings, inside and out, Anson truly "creates" a Michael, giving this paper-thin character color, flesh, and life.
It doesn't need to be overly complex or profound—a vase is still a vase, and simplicity works best. But these kinds of details can make a fundamental difference.
Since passing the audition, Anson hasn't been idle. Besides growing his hair, he's been gathering materials from the 1960s, truly understanding and gradually awakening "Michael" within himself.
But this isn't difficult; it's just gathering information, and what ultimately appears on screen is merely the "surface." The real challenge lies in the "inner self"—
A question: When did Mia start liking Michael?
Second update. The extra update will be in the evening.