Chapter 236: Boosting Confidence

[Chapter 236: Lying on the Ground and Shot]

Initially, when Eric considered casting Nicole for the lead role in Sleepless in Seattle, he held an audition for her. Although Nicole met his requirements that time, her performance was nowhere near what it was now. This time, she had transformed herself into a different person -- a perfect embodiment of Annie Reed from the script.

It seemed that during this period, Nicole hadn't been indulging in the glamour that came with landing the lead role in Sleepless in Seattle. Behind the scenes, she must have put in significant effort to understand her character. In Hollywood, an actor ultimately had to rely on their craft. Unlike many beautiful stars who were lost in their superficial allure, Nicole clearly grasped this early on.

When Eric complimented her, Nicole beamed with delight and then cautiously asked, "Eric, can I tone down the lip color a bit?"

Eric glanced at her bold, bright red lipstick and then turned to the two makeup artists. He momentarily couldn't recall how it all went.

The older makeup artist quickly clarified, "Mr. Williams, this is the look we created for Ms. Kidman based on the original fitting photos. I had suggested lightening Ms. Kidman's lip color as well, but it seems you personally rejected that idea."

Eric thought for a moment before recalling, "Oh, right! This is perfect as it is. No need to change."

"But it looks very unnatural like this," the younger makeup artist weakly chimed in.

"This is the effect we want," Eric explained. "If we fix even this flaw, Nicole would come across as too perfect. Don't forget, Annie Reed is a somewhat carefree, easygoing woman. How could someone like her look immaculate? A few imperfections suit her character much better."

Hearing Eric's words, both makeup artists nodded thoughtfully.

Eric continued, "I know you all are professional makeup artists, but remember that you are crafting the look for an actor. Your job isn't to make them flawless but to shape their appearance in line with the director's vision, regardless of beauty or flaws."

"Thank you for your clarification, Mr. Williams; we understand," the older makeup artist quickly affirmed.

...

Thanks to her thorough preparation, Nicole's scenes had almost no NGs, so the initial meeting between Sam and Annie at Alki Beach was completed swiftly. With a few more airport shots scheduled for the next days, Nicole would be able to leave the set for a while if she wished.

As was customary, the first day of filming didn't involve complex shots. Aside from Sam and Annie's first encounter, the footage primarily consisted of scenes with Sam playing with his son.

To establish a father-son dynamic effectively with young actor Victor Morris, Tom Hanks had started spending time with the little guy a week earlier. By the time they started shooting, there was no barrier between them. After just one day of rehearsal, the 'father' and 'son' had already slipped into their roles. Time didn't allow the crew to advance gradually, so the next day, they began filming more difficult scenes. Of course, challenges arose.

...

The background story of the scene involved Jonah revealing their home address to the radio, prompting Sam to receive love letters from all across America. A pile of mail was spread out on the living room dining table. Jonah casually picked one up, opened it, and read aloud, "Dear Sleepless in Seattle, you are the most fascinating man I have ever heard of, ha..."

The little guy let out a small laugh, tossed aside the letter, and reached for another.

Before Tom Hanks could deliver his lines, Eric called "Cut!" again, noticing that the boy was lacking the playful expression expected. Instead, he appeared anxious, his eyes darting around.

Making a gesture to the others, Eric said, "Alright, let's take a break. Victor, come over, okay? Let's talk."

"Mr. Director, did I not do well again?" the little boy asked as he hopped down from his chair and approached Eric, visibly nervous.

Even though they had only had five NGs, the boy had begun to withdraw starting from the third one. Seeing this situation, Eric decisively halted the filming. He understood that pressing on would likely place greater psychological pressure on the boy, potentially causing him to lose confidence in continuing.

Once he heard Victor's words, Eric quickly shook his head. "No, no, you did really well! You just haven't done your best yet. Do you want to be the best version of yourself?"

Victor nodded vigorously. "Of course! When I grow up, I want to win an Oscar."

"Well, that's quite an ambition! But winning an Oscar is no easy feat. Only the best stand on that stage to accept the little golden statue."

"What should I do?" Victor asked hopefully. Under Eric's gentle guidance, the boy seemed to relax and took a seat beside him at Eric's gesture.

The crew understood that Eric was teaching the little guy about acting in his own way. To not disturb the two, most crew members subtly left the room, with just a few staff remaining, and they tiptoed around quietly.

Tom Hanks also pulled up another chair, sitting down with a smile next to the little guy. This gesture provided Victor with more reassurance since he felt safer with Hanks, who he had been around for over a week.

Eric ruffled the boy's hair and said, "It's quite simple. When you face failure, you mustn't be discouraged. Just like what happened in the recent filming. Since it didn't go well this time, let's give it a few more tries. But if you lose your confidence because of a mishap or two, then you'll never improve."

The boy nodded slowly, his expression indicating he was beginning to understand. However, he then quietly mumbled while fiddling with his fingers, "But I worry about all these uncles and aunts wasting time because of me. It makes me anxious thinking they might be upset."

"No, you're mistaken," Eric reassured him. "You're getting paid for your acting, and they are getting paid too. Unlike you, their wages are calculated by the hour. The longer you take to film, the more they earn. So, they're actually quite happy."

As Eric spoke, he pointed casually at Nicole, who was wearing a faint smile and changing film for the camera. "Nicole, aren't you happy right now?"

Nicole released her suppressed laugh, nodding and responding, "Of course, kiddo! You can try as much as you like. The more takes we get, the happier we are. But of course, don't intentionally mess up the scenes. If you do, the director will definitely notice, and then we won't get our pay."

Eric shot Nicole a look to prevent her from babbling any further. Then he turned back to Victor and inquired, "Now, let's talk about your performance, Victor. Have you seen Home Alone?"

"Of course! Kevin and those two silly thieves. It's a pity I only got to see it once, and then Mom wouldn't take me again. Mr. Director, Mom said you directed that movie. Will our movie be as fun as Home Alone?"

"That's a given. So, if you perform well, all the kids across America will idolize you just like they did with Kevin."

The boy's eyes lit up with admiration. Although he didn't totally grasp the meaning of idolization, as he hadn't learned that word yet, he instinctively felt that being idolized by all the kids in America was indeed something impressive.

To steer the boy away from digressing, Eric continued, "Since you've seen Home Alone, you surely remember what Kevin was like. The character you're playing, Jonah, is pretty similar to Kevin. What you did just now wasn't quite right. When you read the letter, you should be a bit more playful, make faces, widen your eyes. Oh wait, can you make silly faces?"

"Wow--" The boy instantly curled his lips and rolled his eyes to make a silly face.

Eric patted the boy on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Great job! Now remember to do it like this..."

...

Ten minutes later, filming resumed.

Once again facing that pile of letters, the little guy opened one and began reading, "Dear Mr. Sleepless in Seattle, you are the most fascinating man I've ever heard of, ha..."

"Cut!" Eric called out instinctively, only to realize it was the wrong timing.

He had just built the boy's confidence, wanting to at least let Victor complete the scene before addressing anything else. But upon seeing the boy's expression was still off, Eric reacted reflexively. By the time he tried to revert, it was too late.

With bright yet anxious eyes, the boy looked back at Eric. Thinking fast, Eric grabbed a nearby baseball cap and tossed it at Nicole, accidentally hitting an unsuspecting camerawoman in the face: "Nicole, you fool! A shot like this goes to waste because of your camera shake!"

As Eric 'roared,' he winked at Nicole. Even though the poor camerawoman was the target of Eric's teasing, she had no choice but to smile and respond apologetically, "Sorry, Director! That was an accident. I'll be more careful next time. Please forgive me."

"I'll let you off this time. If you do it again..." Eric gritted his teeth, then turned back to the boy with a friendly, warm expression. "Victor, this time it's not your fault. It was Nicole who messed it up. See? Adults can make mistakes too. So don't be nervous. Shall we continue?"

"Um, yes, Mr. Director," the little guy nodded vigorously.

Perhaps encouraged by the notion that even adults could stumble, they proceeded, though there were still a few more NGs. Eventually, they successfully completed that shot.

Having discovered this method could boost the boy's confidence, Eric quickly pointed out a few other 'fools.' Even Tom Hanks playfully joined in, and as a result, the boy's performance improved rapidly.

*****

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