"You're a very talented actor, Sean, I've heard from Anthony, and I went to see "The Talented Ripley" when it was released in the UK, and you did a great job," Harrington, sitting at the bar, said to Sean with a glass of whiskey in a typical English tavern.

When they were at his house, the two talked very speculatively, and seeing that it was getting late, they simply went out to wander the streets of London and had a drink in the little bar. The age of drinking in public is much more relaxed for young people here than in the United States, not to mention that Sean is over 21 years old, even if he doesn't, it's fine.

"I did a lot of preparation, read a lot of books and reviews, and I could feel a little bit about Ripley from what I had experienced, and that's what I learned." Sean said with some emotion.

"It's always easier for actors to get involved," Harrington smiled, "and more dedication, combined with the shooting angle, post-editing, clothing, makeup, lighting, and other factors, will infect the audience." ”

He paused here, then thought of something and asked, "Speaking of which, it seems that after "The Genius Ripley", you don't have any influential works, and I seem to have heard only one ...... "Breaking Bad"?" ”

"That's right, although I have gained some fame through "The Genius Ripley" and won an Oscar nomination, it does not mean that there will be more suitable opportunities, you also said that you have to position yourself and hone your own acting style." Sean shrugged, "So, even though my agent always wanted me to play roles in big productions, I slowly picked out the scripts, and in fact, I've taken a total of four or five scripts from last October until now......"

Then he picked and chose the roles he played in the past six months, such as "Sniper Phone Booth" and "Chasing the Murderer in the White Night", which require acting skills, and "The Perfect Thief", which is only for Kate, and the pure commercial film "Fast and Furious" are only briefly mentioned.

"Can you handle so many roles in one go?" Harrington was surprised.

"It's okay, at least the schedules are staggered, and those who need acting skills are either at the beginning or at the end," Sean smiled, "Although it's really tiring, you have to keep honing yourself to improve, right?" It's just a little bit longer, I should have come to visit you in October or May. ”

Indeed, Sean actually got the news at the beginning of the year, but because the schedule was full at that time, and he didn't want to give up these roles, he delayed again and again, and Zuihou chose to come to London at the end of July.

"You can come whenever you want, and I'm actually happy to see you step by step towards success," Harrington patted him on the shoulder, looking a little embarrassed for a moment.

He is also a capable and idealistic person, but unfortunately he has no luck, when his friend is already the best director at the Oscar, he himself is still running around for life. So to be able to discover Sean, to be able to watch him step by step on the stage and shine brightly, at least to prove that he still has vision, this is the greatest comfort.

"Speaking of which, when I was in "Dance of Death Row Inmates", I experienced for the first time the feeling of being one with the play," Sean changed the subject knowingly.

"Really?" Harrington was immediately interested.

"As soon as the director shouts, I feel that I am the Sony through and through, and I will involuntarily give birth to resentment in my head, resentment towards my father, what am I going to do, you will praise me, what am I going to do, you will not hate me, you will not hate me......" Sean immediately said, and roughly said the situation in his own family, and the conflict between himself and his father.

This was one of the reasons why he came to London to visit Harrington, and although he didn't have much time to contact him, Harrington was also doing his best to guide him, and what he said was very much to his liking. At least in theory, Harrington is very insightful, and it would be great if you could ask him for some advice and inspiration for yourself, and even if you don't gain anything, you have nothing to lose, right?

"In terms of the shock and appeal that actors bring in their performances, the integration of human and drama is indeed the most haode way of expression, and it is also the highest level," Harrington said after listening to his description, thinking about it carefully, "but from the audience's point of view, it is not the most suitable choice." ”

"What about Weishenme?" Sean immediately asked.

"Because it's too egotistical." Harrington gave the answer, "Remember what I said that the unity of human drama is easy to give birth to? ”

"Maniac." Sean replied quickly.

"That's right, madman," Harrington nodded, "when an actor is too immersed in the role, he will think of the role as himself, but in fact he is not the character, so once there is confusion, it is easy to get depressed." This is the weishenme when I talked about this, and I repeatedly emphasized that I should give myself a hint to break away from the spiritual shijie. ”

"But shouldn't that be what every actor should be aiming for?" Sean asked again, "Fully express all the characteristics of the character, and fully convey all the feelings of the character to the audience." ”

"So, I'll ask you a question first, Sean," Harrington looked at him, "what are you an actor for?" ”

"I'm ......" Sean hesitated for a moment before he said again, "At first, I just wanted to solve life problems, and then after I got some results, I wanted to do better and let more people cheer for me." ”

"Very well, so who do you mean by more people?" Harrington asked, "Director?" Producer? Film critics? Or the audience? ”

"I want to ...... There should be. Sean was a little unsure.

"Theoretically, but there are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand people, and you can't please everyone." Harrington shook his head.

"But at least some people like it, right?" Sean was a little confused, "Since we want to convey the feelings of the characters to the audience, and we do pass on the feelings, then at least some people can like it, right?" ”

"Is that really the case?" Harrington asked rhetorically, "As I just said, the work of conveying the feelings of the characters is not only the actor, but also the director's scheduling, the costume artist's clothes, the makeup artist's outfit, and a series of factors such as lighting and montage editing. With the same expression, whether it was a coffin or a child in the previous shot, the audience's feeling was different, and the person who was neatly dressed but had a smug face said that he was now destitute, even if it was indeed written like this in the script, would the audience believe it? Also, remember, when we were talking about two expressions on one face, you glued half of your face together with clear glue? ”

Speaking of this, he sighed: "The unity of people and drama is indeed the goal, but it is only the personal goal of the actors, whether it is the film critic or the audience, it is not this that you really want to see." ”

"Effectively convey feelings, right?" Sean asked suddenly.

"That's right, how to impress the audience, this is what an actor should do," Harrington nodded seriously, "Again, no matter what kind of performance, after all, it is just a means." The combination of people and drama may be the best means, but it can't be the best way every time, maybe you did it last time, people said you were very good, but the next time you do it, they will say that you are overexerting. The career of an actor is very long, and you can't achieve this state every time you perform, so it's enough to have this once in a while, and every time you get too involved, you tend to become very selfish when you get to zuihou. ”

He sighed lightly: "In the 40s of the last century, there was a movie called "Red Dancing Shoes", in which there was a classic line, the male protagonist asked the heroine, weishenme you want to dance, the heroine asked rhetorically, weishenme you want to live. From an artistic point of view, it is indeed very shocking to do something wholeheartedly, even ignoring the feelings of others, and pursuing it like a madman, but what about actual life? Performance is a performance after all, and in a work of art, we can sing praises for it, but when we encounter this kind of person in real life, most of them will stay away. Just like "Red Dancing Shoes", the male protagonist finally left the heroine, and the heroine Zuihou also repented that she still had to have aiqing in her life after all, so she chased it out, but unfortunately as a tragedy, she was finally hit by the oncoming train and died. ”

"So, it's still the same sentence, distinguish between means and ends." Sean sighed.

"That's right, means and ends," Harrington looked at him with satisfaction and nodded, "I don't have much to teach you about acting skills, and it's the right thing to do to hone yourself in different works, and the only thing I can tell you is that it took me a long time to understand." ”

"Xiexie you, John." Sean raised his glass.

The trip to London was not in vain, Sean enjoyed the conversation with Harrington, although he is now only a down-and-out lecturer, although he wants to emphasize that there is not much difference from what he has told himself before, but Sean still has something to gain. A means is just a means after all, as long as it can achieve the end, just like that sentence...... How do you say that? The future is bright, but the road is tortuous? Or does it matter whether the white cat is black or black, the one who can catch the mouse is the good cat?

Whatever, if you want to continue on this road, you will definitely encounter a lot of problems, as long as you keep your goal in stride.

But how to repay Harrington is still a question, Sean originally thought that since Minghella once said that Harrington was also a director, then investing in a multi-million dollar low-budget movie for him to come to the facts, but now it seems that this is not a good idea. Through these few days of contact, Sean has a deeper understanding of Harrington, probably after so many years, he has become too stable, and has lost the sharpness he should have, in this case, in charge of the director, unless there is a good enough screenwriter and a strong producer, it will be difficult to say what the result will be.

Harrington probably won't like having a producer point fingers at him, and Sean is unlikely to choose to give it directly, which would be too rude, and Harrington also has self-esteem, so he can only let it go for the time being.