In the process of writing the script "Perfect", the male protagonist is always described according to Hugo's own ideas, which can be said to be tailor-made. But hearing Steven's words at this time, Hugo was not angry, but furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Why do you say that?" ”

"You know, Melvin is a very obnoxious guy, he always has a way of people off, and although a lot of the time he does it unintentionally, that uncontrollable quirk keeps him apart little by little from the rest. I don't think he's supposed to be like you. Steven couldn't explain it clearly, it was just a very vague feeling, so he thought about it as he sorted out his words, "You're a ...... Well, very warm people, at least in terms of appearance, a lot of times you will give people a positive image. Of course, it's not that you don't have good acting skills and can't play this role, trust me, it's the truth. ”

Steven's words made Hugo laugh, and then Steven continued, "I just don't think Melvin should be like you." ”

"You're saying there's no way that my image and Melvin overlap?" Hugo was actually confused, vaguely able to catch a little clue, but he was always missing something, there was no way to put the puzzle pieces together, and he couldn't understand Steven's intentions.

"That's not what I said." Steven shook his head, "Let's put it this way, even if it's a terrible demon like Schindler's List, you still have the ability to awaken the empathy in the hearts of the audience, and the affinity to connect with the audience is your innate temperament." The same is true in 'The Seven Deadly Sins', which makes the power of your acting skills even more terrifying. But the role of Melvin, his first impression is ...... It's very detached, it's very scary, it's ...... Well, it's obscene, not the disgusting kind, but it's the kind that can't be approached. ”

Hugo thought about it. In fact, what Steven said is that people's first impression of Hugo is relatively positive, including "Schindler's List", "Seven Deadly Sins", "Death Row Walk", "Los Angeles Confidential" and other works, in fact, when Hugo appeared on the stage, people's senses of him were positive, which also made the contrast created by Hugo's use of acting skills more distinct.

But this is not the case with Melvin, the male protagonist in "Perfect", his first impression is very mixed, and it should be neutral and negative. Perhaps Hugo can show this character three-dimensionally through his acting skills, so that the audience can feel the original intention in his script. However, in the first impression, Melvin should not be Hugo's appearance.

For this point, in fact, the reason is very simple, some people are born with a righteous and awe-inspiring face, and some people are born with a funny and funny appearance. Of course, they can show a completely different image through their acting skills, but the difficulty is not something that everyone can challenge. The simplest example is "Batman & Robin", which is currently in theaters.

George Clooney is a handsome guy, a charismatic handsome guy, a handsome guy with a righteous temperament, there's no doubt about it. But that kind of sex in him. Feeling temperament, but it is completely different from Batman's dark gothic style, not only can it not be integrated, but it also destroys the temperament of the character itself, and also makes his own charm have no room to show.

Hugo remembered his previous discussion with Ernst Lechmann about script writing, and Ernst mentioned that in the process of writing a script - in fact, one thing is the same as creation, they all need to give life to the characters, but this is very difficult to do, because most of the time it is the author who gives the character life and creates the personality of the character according to the author's ideas, as if pinching ceramics, the shape of which is controlled by the maker.

However, when the edges and corners of the character are generated, he will begin to have the ability to think and act, and have real vitality. Even the author is difficult to control, because he has formed his own personality, as if he were a real person, and all his words and deeds will have their own laws of development. If the author wants to forcibly change, then the character will be ruined, so he can only follow his personality and let the character develop on his own.

Figuratively speaking, it is actually the methodology in performance. When the actor really integrates into the role, the character becomes vivid, and when facing a plot, how the character should respond, his outlook on life, worldview, and values automatically begin to guide. At this time, it is not the actor who uses the performance to pull the role, but the character who pushes the actor to act.

According to what Steven just said, that's actually what it means.

Melvin has vitality under Hugo's pen, originally according to Hugo's ideas, it should be tailor-made for himself, but in fact, after the real Melvin image is created, it does not match Hugo's own temperament, he has his own vitality, and he needs an actor who can fit to interpret it, otherwise it will ruin the role of Melvin.

It's just that Hugo is only writing his second script, does he really have that ability now?

"So, you're saying that the script is like a world, and Melvin is the hero in it, but that image is not what I am." Hugo spoke, attracting Steven's attention, and then he explained his thoughts to Steven, which made Steven's eyes light up, and he nodded in approval, but Hugo was a little confused, "But, do I have this kind of pen power?" I strongly doubt it. ”

Why did Hugo think that the script that Steven said and the script he wrote himself were two different things?

Steven laughed, "Don't question yourself, you have to know that you're a very good actor, I mean, a very, very good actor." When it comes to character building, you do have a say, and there is no doubt about the energy injected into the script. ”

According to Steven, it actually makes sense. Moreover, in the initial conception of the script, Hugo's reference prototype was Ernst, and Ernst was indeed a far from him. So, could it be that at the end of the creation, he wrote the comedy-film version of Ernst? Is this his independent creation, or is it a reference to life?

But if you think about it, in addition to being close to Ernst in appearance, Melvin's entire personality and behavior are far from Ernst, and Melvin can be said to be a completely different independent character.

A lot of thoughts rushed into Hugo's head, and for a while he couldn't figure it out, Hugo showed a wry smile, "Why do I suddenly feel that the script I created is so unfamiliar, I should go back and re-read it a few times and rearrange my thoughts." ”

Steven laughed too, "You misunderstood me. I'm actually trying to say that it's up to you to play Melvin, and I'm absolutely confident that you can do the role without any problems; But if you are looking for someone who is more suitable for the image of the character to play, it may be more perfect. That's all. You can interpret this as a compliment, because you have created the character so well, and I now have a clear image of Melvin in my head. ”

"It's just that the image isn't me." Hugo chuckled, and Steven laughed too. "What about the other characters? What is your opinion? ”

"In the case of the heroine, Holly Hunt is a good idea; Neighbors, the two candidates you mentioned are good. Steven thought about it and came to his conclusion.

"So, is DreamWorks interested in this script?" Hugo spoke, and after coming full circle, he finally returned to the most important theme of the day.

Steven didn't shy away this time, "Seriously, I'm really interested, very interested, David also read the script yesterday, and he called me excitedly in the middle of the night." Hugo burst out laughing, because David Geffen had called him last night, "Even just by talking about this script, I think it's full of talent and absolutely attractive, not to mention that you created it." What is your budget cost for this script? ”

Hugo didn't know much about the budget cost, even after going through the "Los Angeles Secrets", but he still made an estimate with the help of Joseph, "I hope it will be more than 50 million." You know why, right? ”

With $50 million, the budget for "perfection" is even higher than that of "Los Angeles Confidential", which can definitely be said to be a lion's mouth. The reason why Hugo made such a request was to give himself more room to bargain. However, this cost line is not casually proposed, it can be seen from the cast conceived by Hugo, his requirements for actors are almost harsh, which makes the expenditure on actors for "perfection" bound to be a large amount, so even if there are no visual effects, it is completely a small-budget independent literary film, Hugo still put forward such a high cost of 50 million.

Steven naturally understands Hugo's deep intentions, and he also understands that if he relies on Hugo's appeal, those actors who play "perfectly" may be willing to reduce the price, or even the friendship price, then the cost can be controlled as much as possible. However, this will need to wait for the project to be officially operational before the plan can be listed. "I understand, I'll go back to David today to discuss, list a feasible plan, and hope we can work together successfully."

In the case of Hugo, in general, Hugo would come up with a cost floor, and then DreamWorks would weigh it and hand over a plan that they thought was feasible – including cost and casting, and then the two sides would negotiate with each other to see if they could work together. However, DreamWorks has invested more than two-thirds of its resources in "Saving Private Ryan", so it is to be expected that they will be able to provide very limited conditions for the "Perfect" script. Fortunately, "perfection" was originally a small-scale script.

"I know that Hollywood wants to work with you like a wolf right now, and I guess you're going to be busy in the last few days. But I hope you'll be able to give some deals to old friends. Steven laughed and teased, which made Hugo laugh too.