Damien is telling the truth, he really didn't think of actors, not even the perfect lineup he imagined in his head, because the project couldn't find a producer for a long time, he didn't even have a starting point, he didn't have the ability or qualification to conceive a best lineup.

Until he met Lan Li, Damien was still in a state of uncertainty.

He doesn't know if he can find producers and investors for his work, or if he will wait for it to never see the light of day, he doesn't know what kind of producers and investors he can meet, he may finally meet someone who appreciates him, but his work has been changed beyond recognition, and he doesn't know whether his work will be successful, and even if it is shot according to his own ideas, it is still unknown whether it will be able to appear on the big screen.

Don't know, don't know, don't know.

This is the state of Damien's life and the readiness of the "Burst Drummer".

When Lan Li's face appeared in his sight, Damien's mind flashed, wasn't Lan Li the perfect choice?

This is true in every way, because this is originally a story about a college student, and it needs young actors to perform it, and there are only a handful of young people in Hollywood who have the ability to act, let alone interpret Andrew's crazy feeling of being alive.

Damien even thought about finding a young actor with experience in the drums, and the performance should not be too pompous and blunt, and that would be enough.

But now I see Lan Li...... The inspiration in his mind is like a spring of water, and he can even directly construct that lifelike picture, but before he has time to depict it further, Damien came to an abrupt end, how did he forget the most important thing, the more excellent the actor, the rarer, how could Lan Li be willing to play a nobody's work?

The excitement settled little by little, as if it could be clearly seen that the lights were dimming, Damien drooped his shoulders and squirmed his mouth, but he didn't know what to say, raised his gaze, and glanced at Lan Li secretly.

Then Damien saw a playful smile in Lan Li's eyes, and the curvature of the corners of his mouth seemed to rise to the ground, which made Damien's heart rise high, and he almost blocked his throat.

"I think it's a very interesting proposal. Lan Li bowed his head lightly and expressed his opinion.

It's no joke.

Playing Andrew, a character who wanders between reality and fantasy, paranoidly pounds his own artistic boundaries, and finally becomes truly insane, as if he has sold his soul to the devil, and truly finds his own perfection in the field of art, which is definitely a very, very interesting acting experience.

Different from any previous work, this time Lan Li needs to present his own feelings and experiences of exploring the boundaries of art, which is equivalent to dissecting himself, showing himself, and truly breaking the boundary between performance and reality, not wandering in it, but completely breaking it, entering the chaotic zone between the two, and experiencing the feeling of being a mad demon.

What's more, Andrew is a jerk. The chaos that does not compromise the means, despite being the protagonist, cannot make the audience like it. This is different from "Edge of Tomorrow", where William Cage still needs screen charm to attract the audience, while "Burst Drummer" does not, and in a way, Andrew even needs to make the audience disgusted and disgusted, then the performance is considered a success.

In other words, it can be regarded as an experience of challenging the role of "villain".

When Lan Li received the script of "Thor", the first reaction in his mind was to play Loki, not Thor, but by mistake, his wish was still not realized, and this was the case in every subsequent work.

Although every role, style and type of each work is different, constantly challenging new roles and constantly broadening the boundaries of performance has always been what Lan Li has been trying to adhere to.

So, "Burst Drummer" is really an excellent proposal.

However, this time Lan Li did not have that kind of enthusiastic feeling, not because the characters and script were not attractive enough, nor because the director and project were not good enough, but because he was really tired and physically and mentally exhausted.

Filming "Gravity" and "Drunken Country Folk" in succession, Lan Li consumed almost all his energy, and the feeling of exhaustion that burst out from the depths of his soul always lingered, even in the face of scripts and roles like "Burst Drummer", if it was before, he would have cheered and couldn't wait to be filmed, but now he is calm and has never been able to arouse enthusiasm.

"If the timing is right, I'd love to do it. Lan Li said seriously, "However, I don't plan to work for a while, and I need to take a good rest for a while." I'm not sure how long I'll take a break, maybe a month, maybe two months, maybe longer, I haven't figured it out yet. ”

"When I'm ready, if the roles are still vacant, then it's my pleasure to join the crew, but in order not to delay your production, I think we'd better speed it up. Lan Li showed a shallow smile, "Don't worry, although I am on vacation during this time, I will immediately look for a suitable person to commission your work." ”

After the excitement and excitement gradually settled, Damien regained his composure.

He could perceive that Lan Li was sincere, at least, he was willing to believe that Lan Li was sincere, those dark brown eyes seemed to be able to truly read his mental journey, those hardships and bitterness of artistic creation, those vexatious persistence and stubbornness, from the depths of their souls, they could find similar parts to each other.

This time, Damien was not impulsive, but carefully considered his words, "Lan Li, I mean it. I think you're the perfect guy to play Andrew, and I know I know everybody should say that to you, at least, I've heard it a million times. ”

Lan Li raised his eyebrows slightly, and said jokingly, "Why didn't I know?"

Damien was stunned and smiled dumbly, "We, the new directors and independent creators who are waiting for the opportunity, always fantasize about what the most perfect performance lineup should be when we conceive the script, so as to achieve the effect we have in mind." For more than a year, you have always been the right choice, the perfect performance, the perfect image, the perfect dedication, and most importantly, you have never rejected independent films. ”

Sensing the smile on Lan Li's face, Damien lowered his eyes with a chuckle, "I'm not deliberately complimenting you, it's all true. As I said, I couldn't have come up with a more perfect option than you......"

"Even if I don't know how to play the drums?" Lan Li chimed in again.

After Damien was interrupted again and again, he looked at Lan Li helplessly, and then caught the smile on the corner of Lan Li's mouth, he was helpless, he could only nod, "Yes, even if you don't know how to play drums." I'm not sure how long you'll need to take a break, but I'm willing to wait for you as long as the filming and production of the work, as well as the post-production, can catch up with next year's Sundance. ”

Lan Li didn't answer, but pursed the corners of his mouth slightly, and said seriously, "I think directors are all liars." You say this to every actor, just to trick them into nodding and agreeing to star in your work. I thought, 'You're the perfect choice,' and that's a cliché that you have to learn in the directing industry. ”

From Drake Doremus, to Alfonso Cuarón, to the Coen brothers, and even Steven Spielberg, everyone was like this, and at first they were extremely excited, but gradually, Lan Li began to be wary, and if he heard the same sentence too much, it was not worth much.

Damien chuckled cheerfully and spread his hands, "Maybe." If that's the case, it means that I've learned the basics of the industry pretty well, and it's a good start. ”

Lan Li bowed slightly, with an expression of "Look, I see through your plan", and then began to chat, "How did you come up with the idea of creating such a script? This is not a particularly brilliant creative idea......

Lan Li and Damien sat at the bar of the train car, you and I talked one at a time, putting aside the matter of seeking investment for a while, and temporarily putting aside the bustle and noise of Oscar night, just two movie lovers, began to exchange their own film opinions and opinions, and from time to time they argued red-faced, but the passage of time began to lose its meaning.

……

When I woke up in my apartment the next day, it was already afternoon.

Last night, they had been chatting until more than four o'clock in the morning, and seeing that a touch of morning light could already be faintly seen on the edge of the sky, the two of them left the train car and waved goodbye. It's not a problem to stay up all night, the problem is that I drank too much coffee last night, and after I fell asleep, my head hurt a little.

Lan Li thinks he needs a cup of hot milk now.

But unfortunately, this is Los Angeles, because Lanli does not stop here all year round, so the refrigerator is empty, and there is no sign of inhabitation in the entire apartment without Matthew to help fill the daily food. So, Lan Li could only wash and bathe, change a set of clothes, leave the house, and go out to forage for food for the sake of her hungry stomach.

The California sunshine always carries a lazy atmosphere, around three o'clock in the afternoon, sitting outdoors in the open-air coffee house, bathing in the sunshine, enjoying a cup of coffee or black tea, the comfort of life makes people slow down, reluctant to stand up, just want to slowly melt in this piece of warmth.

At this moment, New York is still cold and rainy. It's no wonder people always say that the East Coast and the West Coast are two very different ways of life.

At this moment, there was a sound from the opposite side of Lan Li, it was the sound of pulling the seat, and then Andy Rogers' familiar voice rang out, "Waiter, give me a glass of espresso, thank you." ”