**Chapter 117: Hidden Surprise**

Everything was going very smoothly, just as Anson had anticipated.

Garry Marshall was truly experiencing a renaissance in his career. Two years ago, his collaboration with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in "Runaway Bride" rekindled his love for filmmaking, but Garry never expected that his creative peak would fully manifest with "The Princess Diaries."

As the director found renewed vitality, the entire crew was naturally delighted and enthusiastic. Even when they encountered some NGs (no-goods) or unexpected situations, they were quickly resolved.

Of course, Anne Hathaway did not disappoint Garry's expectations, quickly immersing herself into her role, which successfully lifted the overall atmosphere of the crew.

Adding to the delight, Anson brought a surprise that injected new energy into the film.

This also meant that the crew members were all smiles when interacting with Anson and Anne.

In fact, their thoughts weren't hard to guess:

Initially, they feared that a crew full of newcomers might be a disaster, as newbies have to start from scratch, with everything needing adjustment and learning. If they encountered difficulties, there was a risk of chaos or even a complete breakdown, ultimately causing the entire crew to wait for one actor to get into the right state, making it nearly impossible to push forward with the filming schedule.

However!

But!

No one expected that Anne, as the core of the crew, along with the unexpectedly inspiring performance of Anson, would completely invigorate the atmosphere, sparking a positive influence among the rookie team—

Energy. Desire. Vitality.

It was precisely because they lacked experience that they were eager to learn and eager to perform. Especially after Anson's performance in the past few days earned Garry's direct praise and even led to a change in the plan to add close-up shots of Anson, the young actors were all eager to show off their best.

Indeed, everyone was watching Anson.

At that moment, while preparing for the next scene, Anson appeared highly focused, showing an incredible level of concentration under the watchful eyes of everyone.

This scene still primarily involved Lily and Mia, but with one difference—this was the first complete and extended close-up of Michael.

Anson needed to seize the opportunity.

Here, Garry chose to focus on Michael's close-up, which was already planned, but thanks to Anson's performance, Garry encouraged him to improvise and take this scene further, revealing more depth.

"Give me a surprise," Garry said.

In a romantic comedy like this, for a newcomer with a limited role, Garry's words held even more significance.

Anson agreed with Garry; his suggestion wasn't without reason. There was indeed some room for creative expression in this scene—not much, but it existed.

Before this scene, the crew had just completed filming a crucial one—a debate in school over whether to abolish or retain uniforms. Josh, representing the abolition side, shone brightly, while Mia, representing the retention side, was so nervous that she vomited on the spot, becoming the laughingstock of the entire school.

Mia was terrified of standing in front of a crowd, terrified of public speaking.

This was her obstacle, and this experience turned that obstacle into a psychological demon.

However, by the end of the movie, Mia needed to overcome her inner demons, stand before everyone, and give a speech, formally accepting her identity as a princess.

This was a typical character arc.

It's easy to see how overcoming her inner demons would become an essential part of Mia's growth journey.

Anson believed that Michael could play a role in this process.

In the original version of "The Princess Diaries," this aspect wasn't explored much; Mia's growth was largely shown as something she achieved on her own.

In other words, although the character arc existed, it was quite shallow, as the character was disconnected from the other characters and the overall story, lacking the necessary buildup and support.

But now, since Michael had already recognized Mia's inner strength early on, why not take it a step further? Why not have him notice Mia's resilience from the start, becoming both a pillar of support and a source of encouragement that helps Mia complete her transformation, naturally evolving into her soulmate?

See, it's perfect—character arc, character interaction—all fall into place.

And now, the opportunity is right in front of him.

The scene is set in a music class where Mia and her classmates are practicing a choral piece. However, due to her psychological trauma, Mia doesn't want to stand out and is too scared to sing, carefully hiding herself in the crowd.

Meanwhile, Michael is responsible for playing the piano accompaniment.

Anson thought that perhaps Michael could use music as a bridge to connect with Mia, encouraging her in his own way.

Clearly, Garry must have seen this potential as well, which is why he was looking forward to Anson's surprise.

So, Anson needed to think carefully—

He could feel the eyes of everyone on him, but he didn't have time to pay attention to that. It wasn't about showing off or being arrogant; he just needed to calm down and get into the right state of mind.

Taking a deep breath, Anson exhaled slowly, letting the chaos and nervousness settle.

Then, he signaled that he was ready.

Garry glanced to the side. "Is the music ready?"

But Anson raised his hand to signal again.

Garry looked over. "What?"

Anson replied, "I can play live."

Garry was taken aback. "What?"

Even though the two sentences were identical, their meanings were completely different.

Anson smiled. "I knew there was this scene in the movie, so I learned a little bit of piano—just a little bit."

Finally, Garry realized that this was the surprise Anson had mentioned—

"Catch a Falling Star," a classic pop song by American superstar Perry Como from the 1950s. This legendary singer, who had faced numerous challenges and even considered giving up on music at one point, released this song in 1958, reaching the peak of his career and winning the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance the following year.

Without a doubt, it's a classic.

When Anson learned that this song would be performed in the movie and that Michael would be the one playing it, he immediately understood why Garry's expression had changed when he heard during the audition that Anson could play the guitar.

If Anson could play the piano, he could perform live, making the scene more authentic and immersive; but if not, he'd have to "act" while a pre-recorded piano track played in the background.

In 2016, Ryan Gosling spent three months learning the piano for his role as a jazz musician in "La La Land" so that he wouldn't need a hand double. 

Anson didn't need to play nearly as much original music, making the task easier. Moreover, "Catch a Falling Star" wasn't a particularly complex piece, so during his time in Los Angeles, he diligently practiced.

Now, that effort was about to pay off.

Garry's eyes revealed a hint of appreciation, and his smile broadened. "All this effort for just a ten-second shot?"

Anson raised his hands in mock innocence. "I didn't know it was only ten seconds."

It was obviously a joke, but Garry liked it.

His smile fully bloomed as he looked at Anson with a fond, fatherly gaze that couldn't lie. "Then let's see how well your crash course paid off, shall we?"

Anson didn't continue joking—

After all, he needed to play the piano and stay in character.

Multitasking wasn't easy, and he needed to focus.

But the strange thing was, Anson wasn't nervous; instead, he felt a bit excited, a bit thrilled, as if he could feel the blood in his veins beginning to boil.

Even a pretty face can have its moment to shine!

Third update.