Self-interpretation

In terms of character development, Daniel's character was not actually complex, even less so than the character of Colonel Jessep played by Jack, who had more rich psychological activities. Although Daniel was the protagonist of the film, in terms of performance space, Colonel Jessep had more room to play.

Daniel had a famous lawyer father whose shadow could be seen in Daniel's decision to join the military and become a lawyer. Similarly, Daniel had always been afraid to enter the courtroom because of his father's pressure, which made it difficult for him to excel.

The thought of "a tiger father has no dog sons" had made Daniel somewhat cynical, so after becoming a lawyer, he was more adept at negotiation and using resources to achieve deals that benefit his clients the most. Such a lawyer could indeed be considered excellent, as he was the lawyer who solved the most cases in the department.

However, such a lawyer was only a silver-tongued negotiator, and the law was just a means to an end, pursuing interests rather than being a true law enforcer who upheld justice and fought crime. Daniel's father was a real lawyer who had offended countless people in the pursuit of justice. He even went to great lengths to support a black girl attending a white school which was opposed by the local school. Such a father was a big mountain on Daniel's head. Deep in Daniel's heart, he also had a lawyer's dream, but he dared not realize it because he was afraid that under his father's reputation, all his actions would seem pathetic and insignificant.

In this situation, Daniel took on the Dawson and Downey case. This case was so special that it sparked the lawyer's dream that remained in Daniel's heart.

Dawson and Downey were two law-abiding soldiers, but they were accused of killing another soldier, Santiago. Because Santiago had previously reported Dawson for going above his head, Dawson had a motive for murder. However, after investigation, Daniel discovered that Dawson and Downey were only executing the "Code Red", a form of punishment in which fellow soldiers can privately discipline a teammate who is falling behind or violating regulations with the permission of a superior officer. And this "Code Red" directive actually came from Colonel Jessep, and Dawson and Downey were just soldiers who carried out orders and completed their mission. Santiago's death was an accident.

But obviously, Colonel Jessep would not admit his mistake. He did not think he was wrong. On the contrary, he tried every means to stop the investigation and pushed all the blame onto Dawson and Downey, trying to make them scapegoats.

Daniel's desire to uphold justice was gradually awakened. In the face of Colonel Jessep's strength and cunning, he struggled to the last moment, seized the only hope, and forced Colonel Jessep to confess with his own mouth.

This was the basic story of "A Few Good Men" and the complete characterization of Daniel. In fact, from the main storyline, it could be seen that Daniel's inner struggles were only about his father's reputation. However, the scenes provided in the story to portray this struggle were scarce. Therefore, the real test for Daniel was not the exploration of his inner thoughts, but the energy and bearing he displayed when facing difficulties in court. With insufficient evidence, he relied on his superb negotiation skills and excellent eloquence to complete his job as a lawyer.

In short, the biggest challenge for the character Daniel was how to fully demonstrate the role of a lawyer and most importantly, to do it in the way of Hugo.

When reading the script, Hugo's mind was constantly thinking. This was Hugo's greatest realization after the completion of the filming of "Scent of a Woman", which came from Al's advice, "Don't study the performance, study the character". Only by truly understanding the essence of the character and capturing the essence of the character, can an actor accurately and appropriately present the character.

Hugo had reached this level during the filming process of "Scent of a Woman" and fully immersed himself in the character of Charlie, but it was only once, and he never had that feeling again. This time filming "A Few Good Men", Hugo hopes to enter this state again and continue it.

What is the most important thing for a lawyer? Quick response, clear thinking, accurate speech, precise grasp, powerful momentum... These are all important, but they are not the most important. However, one thing that can be determined is that a lawyer must understand what he is doing and what he wants to say. Otherwise, standing in the courtroom, he will be like a fool.

The courtroom is the stage for lawyers. On this stage, lawyers use their eloquence to perform against the opposing representative and witnesses. Therefore, the first essential element was the lines. Hugo must understand the meaning of the lines, what they meant at this moment, why Daniel said it this way, and what effect he hoped to achieve after saying it this way. The second was the interaction with the opposing actor, the relationship between the lawyer and the witness was one of guidance and control, and the lines were the bridge that presented the truth of the matter in the way the lawyer envisioned it.

Thinking this way, things become clear. Why did Rob choose himself? The decisive factor must have been the audition that night.

In the confrontation with Brad, Hugo was calm but also imposing, decisive but also in control. Hugo's thinking was very quick, he could always grasp the loopholes in Brad's language, interrupt the accumulation of Brad's momentum at the right time, and then use a series of logically clear arguments to refute Brad, thereby achieving the goal of suppressing Brad.

The character of Daniel was someone who was cynical but also had a sense of justice. Brad would naturally be a good fit for the cynical part, and Hugo only touched on it a little bit. As for the sense of justice, Tom was the most outstanding in portraying it.

But why did Rob choose Hugo in the end? It was because Hugo was able to embody the most important aspect of the lawyer character. Perhaps in terms of appearance and temperament alone, Hugo wasn't the most suitable, but his understanding of the character was the most thorough. So Rob chose Hugo because he believed that even if Hugo didn't play the role naturally, he could still deliver an outstanding performance.

Choosing Hugo and giving up on Tom and Brad was a huge gamble, and the bet was the entire film "A Few Good Men". Rob chose to take this big risk.

After understanding this point, Hugo's grasp of Daniel's character quietly deepened. But to accurately comprehend the essence of the character, it seemed that more time was needed. After all, acting was not such a simple thing, because Hugo had to portray a very different type of life.

However, Hugo had not fully sorted out his thoughts, and half an hour has passed. The whole crew returned to the conference room on time.

Jack sat down in front of Hugo again, and the corner of his eye caught the dense lines and fonts on Hugo's script. His eyes brightened. Although it was only thirty minutes, Hugo's workload clearly exceeded expectations. Jack could see that Hugo had made detailed notes on the script, marked the emphasis of the lines, and even recorded his own thoughts. This was very helpful for acting.

Hugo's seriousness and rigor surprised Jack, but it was also expected. Jack had heard before that Bo Goldman recommended Hugo highly, and later he had exchanged with Al and confirmed that Hugo was a talented and hardworking actor. That was why he took the initiative to recommend Hugo to the "A Few Good Men" crew.

In Jack's view, if Hugo's performance was poor, he, as the introducer, would be responsible for half of the blame. This would be a fatal blow to the film. Hugo was even late this morning, which made Jack very dissatisfied, even disappointed. An actor, regardless of how excellent their performance is, must have basic professional ethics. If an actor has no respect for others, they can't even be punctual, and they can't be called an excellent actor. To become an excellent actor, you must first be a qualified person. This sequence cannot be changed.

The earlier outburst, while it did give Hugo some time to prepare, was also a warning from Jack to see if Hugo could be saved. If the results were still disappointing, Jack would likely settle scores with Bo and Al tonight.

However, it now appeared that at least Hugo was not a careless actor; he was willing to study the script diligently, which was a good start. This had somewhat eased Jack's dissatisfaction.

"Hey, Hugo, do you remember the jacket you wore during your audition?" Rob chatted with Hugo with a smile before everyone took their seats.

Hugo hesitated for a moment, "Of course, it was the navy blue baseball jacket," which he borrowed from Alex and naturally wouldn't forget. "The sleeves were leather, right?"

Rob nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's the one. I think that outfit suits Daniel's character very well. If possible, could you bring it to the set and wear it during filming?"

Hugo immediately thought that in the movie, Daniel was a baseball enthusiast, and the topic of baseball had come up several times. "That jacket belongs to my roommate, and I have to ask for his permission. I'll ask him when I get back." Hugo was honest, but he thought there shouldn't be any problems. Alex was a generous person; otherwise, he wouldn't have lent him the jacket. "But, Rob, did you choose me that day because of that jacket?"

Rob smiled but didn't say anything. He just looked meaningfully at Hugo before announcing loudly to the conference room, "Script practice is about to begin."

Hugo noticed Jack's inquisitive gaze, and he knew Jack must want to see how he would perform. This made the pressure on Hugo's shoulders suddenly increase. He smiled at Jack and then lowered his head to focus on the script. Taking a deep breath, he silently told himself, "Hugo, being nervous doesn't help at all. Relax! You're ready; you're already prepared!"