Anson admitted, he was caught completely off guard—
Inexperience.
Whether it was acting or auditioning, his limited experience could only take him so far. Unexpected situations were rare, and cases like Kate's were even rarer.
A charming glance back?
A charming glance back!
At this moment, how could Mary Jane even have the mindset for a flirtatious smile? The entire emotional thread and flow of the scene were completely wrong, and terribly so.
With the scene nearing its conclusion, Anson had already gotten into the flow. The finish line was in sight, and he had just started to relax, but he hadn't expected Kate to have a final trick up her sleeve.
—He had underestimated her.
Internally, Anson was panicking.
But on the surface, Anson remained steady, not entirely losing control.
Since the rhythm had already been thrown off, Anson decided to go with the flow and stay silent. He didn't rush to speak, instead standing still and quietly watching Kate's retreating figure, letting the awkwardness and silence fill the space, slowing the pace of the emotions.
Silence, quiet, awkwardness.
Not only James Franco, but also Sam and Laura hadn't expected this twist. They had originally thought the audition was over, but now there was a reversal, much like a surprise in a mind-bending movie.
Actually, Peter still had one more line, and this scene wasn't explained. Had Anson been thrown off by Kate and forgotten his line too? First Kate, and now Anson—is this screen test going to have a mirrored situation?
The air gradually became tense.
Then.
Sam noticed Anson's expression—
Hesitant, conflicted.
At that moment, Peter was no longer Spider-Man. Like Mary Jane, he was back in high school. When he saw Mary Jane's smile, he fell in love all over again. Standing in front of her, he became tongue-tied and flustered, with all his nervousness and stammering betraying his feelings.
Brilliant!
It turned out that the silence wasn't just silence; it had deeper meaning.
Anson had once again saved the scene and, amid the chaos, had managed to sustain the emotions. This made Sam lift his head and firmly fix his gaze on Anson.
Sam was a bit curious whether Anson could handle this change.
In fact, in the previous audition, the scene where Peter Parker secretly confessed his feelings to Mary Jane, Anson handled it beautifully. But this situation was slightly different. Peter Parker wasn't confessing, but it was more powerful than a confession. After revealing his unconditional support for Mary Jane, how would Peter hide his hidden crush?
"Uh… Ma—"
Peter Parker started to speak, trying to call out to Mary Jane, but found his throat dry. He blinked rapidly, clearly showing his nervousness.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Let's grab dinner some evening."
Kate stopped in her tracks, feeling frustrated. She had been waiting for Anson's line. If he didn't speak soon, she was almost going to walk out of the frame.
She turned around just in time to see Anson bite his tongue, and before she could think, she instinctively burst out laughing.
At that moment, Kate realized—
Dinner in the evening? Was he serious?
**Peter was incredibly nervous, hurriedly forcing a smile to cover up his embarrassment.**
"Uh, I-I'll stop by 'Moonlight Dance' for a coffee sometime."
He tried to mask his awkwardness with a joke, but it was clear the joke didn't land.
Peter's expression was awkward; he tried to scratch his head but realized he was holding a newspaper. Before his hand even touched his hair, he lowered it and then clasped his hands together in a cradling gesture, mimicking the famous celebration of Brazilian football player Bebeto after scoring in the 1994 World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.
It was a bit clumsy, but also endearing.
Kate was taken aback. She had no idea what this gesture meant, but the fact that she didn't understand added to the humor of the moment. Her smile blossomed fully as she spoke without thinking, "So, that's the 'Moonlight Dance'?"
Fresh, natural.
Full of youthful energy.
Laura thought this line was the most natural and relaxed part of Kate's screen test today; however, it was completely unscripted, born from the inspiration sparked by Anson's more dynamic and spontaneous performance. All the credit should go to Anson.
Peter shyly smiled, "I won't tell Harry."
The response was unrelated but created a little secret between the two of them, a playful tease.
Kate's smile fully bloomed, "Don't tell Harry."
Peter raised his voice and called out to the figure walking away, "I won't."
But this time, the figure neither turned around nor looked back, simply disappearing into the crowd.
Peter stood there, quietly watching the direction Mary Jane had left, his smile gradually fading until there was no trace of it left. His eyes showed a hint of loss and regret, standing there awkwardly.
He muttered to himself, "I won't tell Harry."
In the midst of his melancholy, the bitterness of his unrequited love was laid bare once again, even the figure standing there became tinged with sorrow.
The room was utterly silent.
The other auditioning actors couldn't make sense of it. On the one hand, they were immersed in their own nervousness about their upcoming turns; on the other hand, they were confused by Kate's repeatedly out-of-sync performance and the two gaps of silence, making it hard to tell whether the screen test was good or bad.
But the interesting part was that when they finally snapped out of it, they realized that everyone's attention had been entirely focused on Anson.
No one was an exception.
This meant that even with such a disastrously off-track performance, Anson had still managed to hold everyone's attention; plus, there were no retakes, no interruptions in the audition, and even Kate's faltering performance had still been completed. So, what did this imply?
Because Anson and Kate were the first pair to perform, there was no reference point. It was impossible to gauge how Ian and the other judges felt about the performance or how they would react.
So, silence filled the room.
"Cut!"
The voice broke the silence, jolting everyone awake, and they quickly averted their gazes, stealing glances out of the corners of their eyes.
The one who ended the audition was the director, Sam Raimi.
This director, who was always diligent in portraying the sloth-like expressionless sloth, now showed a rare smile, his face full of warm approval and appreciation.
"Outstanding."
Sam said.
The room buzzed with murmurs.
It wasn't just the other auditioning actors; even Ian and Laura looked at Sam in shock. It was rare to see Sam express his opinion.
And it was about Anson?
Clearly, no one thought Sam was complimenting Kate.
A smile appeared in Ian's eyes.
It seemed that things were moving in the direction Ian had hoped. He glanced at Laura, but he still couldn't read any emotion from her expression.
But Ian didn't say anything more. He led the applause, not too enthusiastic or exaggerated, but the clapping was genuine.
Clap, clap, clap.
Sparse applause echoed in the room as everyone exchanged glances, confirming the emotions in each other's eyes.
Ian looked at Anson and repeated, "Outstanding."
Even though it was restrained and understated, even though it was delivered in a casual tone without over-the-top praise, Sam and Ian's successive acknowledgments couldn't be clearer:
Anson had set the benchmark.
End of the fourth update.