Chapter 150: Acting

Amy Adams smiled slightly and poured him a glass of wine. "You're a paver, right?"

"Yes, I'm also a boxer."

Link added, with a bit more confidence on his face.

"Oh, I heard you're a stepping stone?"

Amy Adams laughed.

"I'm not a stepping stone."

Link emphasized.

"They use people like you to help other boxers climb up."

A customer came over, and Amy Adams got busy behind the counter again.

Link's face showed some shame as he clenched his fists and said, "I've lost a few fights before, but that's not my true strength. I'll show my real strength in the next match."

"Yeah, right, he'll still lose in the end."

A drunkard who came to the counter for a drink mocked him, took out a bill and slapped it on the counter. "Karin, a soda, a whiskey, one for you. Now move your sexy ass, hahaha~"

"Dude, show some respect."

Link grabbed the drunkard's collar and shouted angrily.

"Hey, don't hurt your hand, you still have a match next week."

Christian Bale, playing the role of his brother Dick, entered the scene from behind.

"Cut!"

"One more take, Link. When you're angry, restrain your expression a bit, and don't be too aggressive. Micky's character isn't aggressive."

Director David O. Russell shouted from behind the monitor.

Link nodded, exchanged a few words with Christian Bale and Amy Adams, and continued filming.

"David, how's Link's performance?"

Producer Darren Aronofsky came to the director's area and asked.

"Not bad, a bit better than expected."

Director David O. Russell said, staring at the camera.

"Oh?"

Producer Darren watched the three actors' performances with his arms crossed.

Christian Bale won multiple awards for "The Dark Knight Rises" and is a skilled actor.

Amy Adams received two Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Oscars in 2006 and this year for "Junebug" and "Doubt," and her acting is also excellent.

Link, an amateur actor, acting with the two of them, is hard not to be outshone.

"Yes, before filming started, I looked at Link's information. He's flamboyant, domineering, and sharp. My first impression was that he was definitely not the right person to play Micky.

But after filming started, his performance was surprising. He's low-key, dull, introverted, and did you see it? The shyness he just showed, not being good at picking up girls, it's like it's real, without any trace of acting.

If it weren't for that face, I would have mistaken him for having this kind of personality. It's very interesting."

Director David O. Russell said, stroking his chin.

"Really?"

Producer Darren frowned and watched Link's performance more seriously.

The production team had repeatedly discussed using Link as the leading actor many times, and the discussion continued until filming began.

The focus of the discussion was whether Link could handle the role and whether it was worth using him.

Actually, at first, he supported Link, but later he was persuaded by others that Link was an amateur actor, and using him as the leading actor would lower the quality of the entire film and affect its chances at the Oscars.

Just when he agreed to replace Link, Relativity Media suddenly changed their mind and decided to have Link play the leading role.

Because Link is a real world boxing champion, using him to play an ordinary boxer would generate a lot of buzz and attract some boxing fans to watch the movie.

Secondly, Link's fame in the entertainment industry is growing day by day, and he has more and more fans.

Taking advantage of his low salary, using him to make a movie would bring high returns. Additionally, he is very handsome and has a great body, making him a visual attraction.

He is a very cost-effective actor.

As for acting skills, Relativity Media believes that using a few veteran actors with a newcomer is more interesting than using a group of veteran actors.

For this reason, the supporting actors Relativity Media hired are all talented.

In addition to Bale and Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, who plays their mother, was nominated for Best Actress at this year's Oscars, and the old man who plays their father and coach is also a veteran actor who has been performing in stage plays for over twenty years.

A group of veteran actors leading a newcomer like Link, even if Link's acting is poor, it won't have too much of a negative impact.

Producer Darren and Director Russell were convinced by the people at Relativity Media.

Despite being convinced, while busy preparing for his new project "Black Swan," he was still worried about this movie, fearing that Link's acting would drag the crew down.

But after watching for a while, he found that Link's acting wasn't that bad. His interaction with the two actors was good, without the awkwardness of an amateur actor that would make people feel out of place.

Seeing this, Producer Darren was also slightly relieved.

"David, be stricter with Link. Our goal for this movie is still to aim for the Oscars. We can't let him affect the quality of the entire film."

Producer Darren said.

Director Russell nodded.

For filmmakers, they also want to see their works achieve both high box office success and win awards at major film festivals, but such films are rare.

When they can't guarantee box office success, they shift their focus to film awards.

Take "The Fighter" as an example. The protagonist of this movie is not a world-renowned boxing star like Ali or Tyson. Micky Ward is just an ordinary boxing champion, without any classic matches or many old boxing fans, which leads to insufficient selling points for the movie.

In addition, the movie's plot design focuses on family, affection, and love, without any big scenes or exciting performances, so not many people will be attracted to watch it for the story. It's a niche within a niche.

Even with Link, the box office won't be too high.

Therefore, it's safer to have higher requirements for acting and firmly aim for the Oscars than to expect high box office numbers.

"Cut!"

"One more take! Link, it's your problem. I need you to give a better performance."

Director Russell shouted.

"Okay!"

Link nodded and apologized to Amy, Bale, and the other actors. After filming for seven or eight days in the crew, he averaged more than 20 NGs (No Good) per day, representing failed shots during filming.

The others combined didn't even reach 20.

This made him feel ashamed, and apologizing was necessary.

"Link, it's okay, your performance is fine. Maybe Director Russell has raised the requirements for the whole scene."

Amy Adams said, leaning against the counter.

Amy isn't tall, around 165 centimeters, but she has a nice figure, fair skin, and is wearing a low-cut T-shirt, revealing half of her ample bosom. She exudes a sexy aura.

"Come on, Link. Being an actor is easy, but being a good actor isn't so easy."

Christian Bale patted his shoulder and swayed back to his seat.

To film this movie, Bale lost over thirty pounds, transforming from the muscular Batman into a skinny addict with a bald head, rotten teeth, and a shaky walk. He didn't look as handsome as he did in Batman at all.

Seeing him become like this for an Oscar, and Leonardo DiCaprio becoming a chubby middle-aged man for an Oscar, Link thought about his own goal. Did he also have to ruin his image for an Oscar?

Link felt that the reason why Oscar acting awards are so hard to win is the result of involution among these people.

"Scene 34, Take 3, Shot 4!"

"Action!"

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(End of Chapter)