Kusa had always known that Daniel was performing an amazing "talent", but whether it was Billy Bob in "School Blues" or Legolas, the elven prince in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", it was only a superficial performance for Daniel. Billy's character is limited by his school background, he is only a high school student, even if he is discriminated against because of obesity and has the consequences of being strict because of his mistakes, it is impossible for the actor to perform in this role with too much skill, which will only make people out of the play.

Legolas needless to say, his character setting has been frozen in a beautiful vase, and there is simply no room to complete a systematic performance.

So, in fact, Kusa has not seen Daniel with full firepower.

And now, as he saw it with his own eyes, in just a few minutes, a gloomy and crazy, weak and pretending to be powerful Commodius had nearly suffocated him.

This is Daniel's brilliant moment, every facial pull, body shape, hand movement, and even voice all show extraordinary control and appeal.

Why not?

Kusa asked himself, if he was Ridley, why not Daniel?

Ridley certainly didn't get his way, although it is not known what Ridley thought of Daniel's performance in his heart. On the surface, at least, he did not show a clear tendentious attitude. Of course, in fact, such a main role is not determined by a short audition, they must have to communicate two or three times, about the film, about the script, after which the distribution department may have other requirements, and finally give a mutually satisfactory contract.

As a simple example, if you're a good fit but don't want to cooperate during the promotion period, then it's likely that the role won't be yours.

However, the initial conditions of a qiē were still recognized by the audition group.

The good news is that Ridley met with Daniel twice over the next week, and they talked about the old Roman Emperor Marcus, the last of Rome's "Five Wise Emperors" era, the last of Rome's "Five Wise Emperors" era, and the last of the mythical era of ancient China's "Yao Shunyu" - Yu, who passed the throne to their own bloodline, rather than a more virtuous person, which is of course very different from the script.

But it's not a historical documentary, it's just a heroic biography, a mixture of historical facts and creations, and no one cares about John Rogan, the screenwriter of the film.

In the canonical history of Rome, Marcus passed on the empire to his son, Conmerdius, whom Daniel fought for, and from him onwards, the Roman Empire undoubtedly fell into decline, until the Germanic invaded the city of Rome three hundred years later!

This also provides historical material for the creation of this story, and the turning point of the Roman Empire is a perfect match for a heroic story that is true or false.

It's just that in the heroic story, Marcus becomes a wise man, and at the end of his life, decides to return Rome to the virtuous emperor of the Romans, and is finally killed by his own crazy son and usurped the throne.

And the hero Maximus, of course, is the brain-dead fan of the Holy Roman Emperor Marcus, such a flawless and highly decorated emperor, Maximus worships him and respects him, isn't it right?

Ridley and Daniel had a lively conversation about Marcus, and as modern people, no one would think that the emperor of a certain historical period was a saint - that was a joke. Of course, as believers in historical facts, they also believe that Marcus is indeed extraordinary.

Daniel tells the story of Yu's China to Ridley, the allusion of Yu controlling the water, passing through the house three times without entering, and his passing on the throne to Qi, his son, the first person in China's hereditary dynasty.

In addition to this, Ridley and he are of course more focused on the discussion of the role of Commodius.

He was the first emperor in the history of the Roman Empire to be born king, but he was mediocre, stubborn, and neurotic. This is consistent with the characteristics of the bloodline or ethical heirs of most great powers. You can't expect a person who was born to be shrouded in the light of a great man to get rid of negativity and strive to become a greater person, very rarely, almost none.

Commerdius's father, to the Roman citizens, was almost like a god, his image was engraved in the temple, and his sculptures were everywhere. Growing up in such a shadow, Commodius appears incompetent, yearns for power and the respect of the citizens, is willful and unwilling to compromise, has feelings for his own sister, is jealous of the heroes of the Empire, and wants to kill as quickly as possible.

It's a very vivid image, and if the people who play the role, Jackie Phoenix or Daniel, want to, they only need to show a young man with a strict character flaw, who comes from a well-off family, and who wields a great deal of wealth.

In other words, the Conmerdius that the film asks to portray is very symbolic, which will certainly become an excuse to be attacked.

But this is understandable, if the name of the film "Gladiator" is changed to "Maximus" or "The Legend of Maximus", there will be no PS traces, this is a heroic biography belonging to Maximus.

Maximus is so comprehensive and three-dimensional compared to the completely negative Conmerdius, he is the god of war of the Roman Empire, and he achieves a great victory over the barbarians at the beginning of the film; He regarded status and wealth as dung, and when the old emperor wanted to reward him, his request was to retire and return home with his wife; He is in a tragic situation but will never sink, and his family is ruined and he still turns the tide for the empire; He was a brave warrior and victorious in the gladiatorial arena against all enemies, including Commodius.

That's the hero.

The film needs a flesh-and-blood Maximus, not Commerdius.

"But are you going to let the hero live in a pile of paper people? Are such heroes real heroes? Daniel asked Ridley quietly, "Mr. Scott, you must understand that I have no intention of challenging the script, I am just providing an idea that a group of vivid supporting characters can make Maximus more like a hero." ”

"We've been doing it, but not everything has gone as planned."

"I totally understand, for example, that now I'm actually restless about the character, but I can only pretend to be calm." Daniel spread his hands, his face helpless.

Ridley couldn't help but laugh.

"You're very good, Daniel, and I think you know that very well, otherwise you wouldn't think that Commodius should be more three-dimensional, because that means more character building and control."

Ridley's eyes were certainly very sharp, and he could see through Daniel's words at a glance.

But it doesn't matter, it's a conspiracy, what Daniel said is consistent with Ridley's wishes, who doesn't want every character in their movie to be alive and fresh and come out of the movie screen. If not, not all film festivals would have set up an award for Best Supporting Actor.

"Yes, we'll think about it, Daniel, anyway, I'm looking forward to working with you, you- you're an unimaginably good actor."

This quote brought Ridley back to the day of the audition.

After both Joaquin Phoenix and Daniel left Universal, several discussed the results of the auditions. Daniel's excellence is undeniable, because the gap is very obvious, according to Walter, Jacques is a talented actor with an empty mind, he deserves the role, and Daniel is a monster.

At the age of twenty, he has only been in the industry for less than a year.

The performance is very infectious and expressive, which is almost an achievement that can only be achieved after more than ten years of training. Sometimes genius alone is not convincing enough.

But he just lived like that.

It stands to reason that Daniel will undoubtedly get the role, but this is not the case, although no one has made a clear statement, Walter himself is full of praise for Daniel but tends to choose Jackie, and John Rogan is a little hesitant, he is worried that Daniel's Commerdius will be too far from what is set in the script, but this gap seems to be good.

Ridley, on the other hand, did not show any signs of it.

He is the director, the first producer, and the master of the whole film.

He understands that there will be some moves on both sides next, and Jackie obviously has the advantage, but Daniel does not seem to be without resistance, and of course, it is not ruled out that they are just holding the mentality of giving it a try, after all, for Daniel, the supporting actor of the A-grade system seems a bit unattainable.

In fact, the same is true for Joaquin Phoenix, but 10 years in the industry has really given him more qualifications.

Ridley's follow-up contacts with Jaaquin and Daniel were unbiased, but Daniel's surprises grew, and he knew that his balance had tipped in Daniel's favor in terms of character fit.

This attitude soon became known.

Of course, that includes Philip Jeaquin Phoenix's agent.

He has the Hollywood twins of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Matt Damon was nominated for an Oscar for "Soul Catcher", and he also won an Oscar for an original screenplay with Ben Affleck. Matt then had a series of great works, and last year he began to prove his commercial worth as Ryan in Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan", thus entering the ranks of A-list actors.

As a direct result of sharing an agent with these already glamorous stars, Jackie has been unsuccessful, and now it seems that Philip is determined to give his cash cow one more.

He told him that they faced a formidable opponent, and the worst news was that Ridley leaned toward each other.

"We have to work harder."

"What else can we do?"

Philip patted Jeaquin on the shoulder, "Don't worry, there's still a lot more that can be done." ”

He called one of Universal's top executives to enlist the support of investors and distributors, and Ridley had already rejected Universal's face, rejecting Paul Walker, and although Paul's sunny and healthy face was indeed not suitable, Ridley must not be willing to do it again.

Philip calls each other "Daisy", apparently a lady senior at Universal, and the conversation between the two is familiar and intimate. Philip was outspoken about his desire for Gladiator, praising Jaaquin as if he were a flower, as if he really had a genius like Ravan Phoenix in front of him. The other party seemed to be very cautious when it came to business, but in the end Philip got some kind of promise - within Daisy's ability.

Phillip, who hung up the phone, turned to Joaquin Phoenix, "It's unclear how strong Ridley's tendencies are, if he really has to be Daniel Sandler, then our chances are really not good." But I think that's unlikely, Sandler isn't Russell Crowe, and he doesn't have the all-or-nothing charm for Ridley. ”

"Let's test the phone first," Philip shook his phone, "Jeaquin, see, how hard it is for an opportunity that doesn't match fame, and of course, it's even harder for Daniel Sandler and the equally young Kusa Damon. We're on the side and we're going to get the role. ”

"Philip, if I'm — I mean I can be more— oh, you know what I mean."

"Of course, but Jackie, never think so, you can't be more talented and powerful than all Hollywood actors, and success is not based on this at all, he needs a lot of power in all aspects. Sometimes those forces come from UTA, from me, like the person I just talked to on the phone, and she's pushing Universal to show Ridley about casting tendencies. And other times, that power comes from you, including your acting talent, your qualifications, some of your unique strengths. ”

Jakun pursed his lips, "I think I understand what you mean, and I'll cooperate." ”

Philip smiled gently, "Don't be sad, Jackquin, all your loved ones will be proud of your success, all, trust me." ”