Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 465, Section 463: Substitutes
Los Angeles time, January 14, 2003, 10:15 AM.

The atmosphere in the conference room of the Disney Animation Studios building was slightly different from the enthusiastic and focused discussion of the script a few days ago, with a hint of gloom after the plan had been thwarted.

The sunlight was still generous, shining through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminating Robert Geller's slightly helpless face, as well as the actor contact report marked with many red crosses in front of Sarah Miller.

Wang Sheng sat opposite them, listening calmly to Geller's report.

“Wang, the situation has changed somewhat.” Geller pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. “Regarding Will Smith, we have received a clear and final reply from his agent—'Thank you very much for the invitation, but Will's schedule is completely full for this year, and he cannot participate.'”

He explained in detail: "Will is currently filming Michael Bay's 'Bad Boys 2' in Miami, and the production schedule for this film is very tight."

More importantly, he signed a contract in May for "I, Robot," a large-scale special effects production with an estimated filming period of at least five months. He may also be needed for motion capture and reshoots in post-production.

This means that he has absolutely no availability for other projects this year, at least until next spring.

Sarah Miller added, "We submitted the script to him, and according to his agent, Will himself appreciated the story and thought it was full of power. But scheduling conflicts were an insurmountable obstacle, which he found very regrettable."

This result was within Wang Sheng's expectations.

In 2003, Will Smith was at the peak of his career, with film offers pouring in, and it was common for him to take on big-budget film series one after another.

“As expected.” Wang Sheng said calmly, without showing any disappointment. “A-list celebrities’ schedules are always the most scarce resource. So, how are our alternative plans progressing?”

Seeing Wang Sheng's calm demeanor, Geller breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the next page of the report: "Based on the direction of our last meeting, we have sent audition invitations to several male actors who meet the criteria of 'good acting skills, audience appeal, and relatively reasonable remuneration,' and attached some script excerpts."

He read out several names:

"Don Cheadle. His acting skills are beyond doubt, his performance in Traffic is remarkable, and he is well-liked by audiences, but he has not had many commercial works where he plays the absolute male lead, and his market appeal remains to be seen."

"Joaquin Phoenix. He is a true actor, and his performances in Gladiator and Her were impressive. He is extremely versatile. However, his temperament is somewhat gloomy and reserved, which may be somewhat different from the kind of optimism and resilience that Chris Gardner needs to convey in adversity."

"Ryan Gosling. As you mentioned last time, he is very young, has great potential, and his performance in The Believer is extremely explosive."

But... he might be too young. To portray a middle-aged father who has experienced a failed marriage, a career slump, and struggles to make a living with his young son, convincing him in terms of appearance and temperament is probably the biggest challenge.

Will the judges and audience believe that a young man in his early twenties can handle such a weighty role?

Every time Geller read out a name, he would look at Wang Sheng to observe his reaction.

Wang Sheng's fingers tapped lightly on the smooth conference table, his mind racing through the actors' trajectories in the original timeline.

Don Cheadle is steady, but seems to lack the raw power that Chris Gardner possesses—a raw power that comes from the grassroots and strikes at the heart.

Joaquin Phoenix is ​​an artist, but the role requires not complex inner turmoil, but a purer and more tenacious will to survive.

Ryan Gosling... was indeed too young. In 2003, he had not yet experienced the roles that would later solidify his character. At that time, he was more like a rough diamond waiting to be polished, rather than a solid rock that could immediately support this realistic and inspirational film.

Age must be over thirty, preferably around thirty-five, with a certain amount of life experience, and able to naturally exude a sense of fatigue and resilience in appearance and demeanor.

At that moment, a name naturally came to mind—Jamie Foxx.

In the original timeline, although Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2004 for "Ray," he had already spent many years working in the television and film industries, accumulating rich acting experience before that.

He himself is a singer with a deep understanding of music, which subtly resonates with the story's rhythm and vitality, as well as the fact that the real Chris Gardner was a salesman (requiring eloquence and affability).

More importantly, Jamie Foxx was on the eve of a career breakthrough at this time.

He recently starred in Michael Mann's "Ali" (playing Drew Bundini Brown), showcasing impressive acting skills, but he hasn't yet reached A-list status. His salary is reasonable, and he possesses strong versatility and explosive potential.

His age (born in 1967, 35 at the time) was just right; he possessed both the drive of youth and the ability to portray the vicissitudes of life under its weight. Wang Sheng raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Geller and Sarah Miller, as if he had just completed a search in his mental database of actors, and spoke in a tone that carried a hint of uncertainty, guiding their thinking:
“Don, Joaquin, Ryan… they each have their strengths, but there are indeed the concerns you mentioned.” He frowned slightly, as if trying to recall. “I recently watched a movie, ‘Ali,’ directed by Michael Mann.”

Both Geller and Sarah Miller nodded, wondering why Wang Sheng had suddenly brought up the movie.

“There’s a character in it, Muhammad Ali’s follower and friend, Drew Bundini Brown,” Wang Sheng continued, slowing his speech, “that actor… what was his name again? Jamie… Jamie Foxx?”

“Jamie Foxx?” Sarah Miller immediately recognized him. “Yes, it’s him. His performance in it was outstanding; he brought that somewhat sly yet passionate and loyal character to life. He even received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for the role.”

“Yes, Jamie Foxx,” Wang Sheng confirmed, his tone becoming more certain. “I think he was a singer? That might give him a unique sense of rhythm and charisma when he portrays a character.”

He looked at Geller. "Is he on our shortlist too? Or have we considered him?"

Geller and Sarah Miller exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise and reassessment in each other's eyes.

Jamie Foxx's name did appear, but he wasn't given much priority in the initial discussions.

After all, in early 2003, he was better known as a supporting comedic actor (Puss in Boots? No, that was in the future) and a television star (In Living Color). Although Ali proved his acting skills, taking on the lead role in a serious inspirational drama was a risk in the conventional thinking of Hollywood.

Sarah Miller quickly flipped through the files: "Jamie Foxx...we had a preliminary evaluation. His acting skills are indeed recognized, and he's multi-talented with a strong personal charm. As far as we know, his schedule is currently open. However..."

She hesitated for a moment, "From a business perspective, his box office appeal may not be as strong as the top names on the list, which is a potential risk we need to consider."

“Risk and opportunity coexist, Sarah.” Wang Sheng leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening. “We chose Will because of his box office appeal and the ‘American Dream’ image. But now that Will isn’t working, we need to change our approach.”

He clearly explained his reasons: "For this film, we are pursuing a sense of realism and power. We need an actor who can make the audience forget his celebrity status and completely immerse themselves in the life of Chris Gardner, an ordinary person struggling to make a living."

Jamie Foxx has that down-to-earth quality; his performances are energetic, warm, and…

Wang Sheng emphasized, "He is 'new' enough that the audience can accept him as Chris Gardner himself without any prejudice."

"As for box office appeal," Wang Sheng looked at Geller, "Robert, when the quality of the film itself is good enough, when the emotions are genuine enough, and when the actor and the character become one, the actor's own appeal sometimes takes a backseat, and may even bring additional benefits due to a breakthrough performance."

Imagine how much of a boost Jamie Foxx would provide if he delivered an Oscar-worthy performance, both in terms of positive word-of-mouth and award potential. That alone would translate into tremendous box office appeal.

He concluded by posing a question: "Furthermore, if we choose a safe but potentially mediocre actor who can't connect with the character because we're afraid of so-called 'risks,' that would be the biggest mistake we can make for this film. Are we aiming to make a moving 'The Pursuit of Happyness,' or just another run-of-the-mill Hollywood product?"

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Wang Sheng's words progressed step by step, getting straight to the heart of the matter. He not only pointed out Jamie Foxx's potential, but also redefined the casting criteria—not pursuing the biggest stars, but finding actors who could best immerse themselves in the role and give it soul.

Sarah Miller was the first to be convinced, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of a creative team being ignited: "Mr. Wang, your analysis makes a lot of sense. Jamie Foxx's performance is indeed full of energy and potential."

Perhaps casting him as a father who never gives up in dire straits will spark unexpected chemistry, revealing a more vibrant and resilient side of life.

As a businessman, Robert Geller was quicker to weigh the pros and cons.

He realized that while casting Jamie Foxx might have less of a star effect, it would have a clear advantage in cost control (his salary was far lower than Will Smith's), and as Wang Sheng said, if the performance was successful, the awards and word-of-mouth it would bring could far exceed that of a conventional choice.

“Okay, Wang, you’ve convinced me.” Geller finally nodded and made a decision. “We will immediately extend an audition invitation to Jamie Foxx and put him as our top candidate. At the same time, we will also contact Don Cheadle and Joaquin Phoenix as backups and for comparison. But our focus will be on evaluating how well Jamie Foxx fits the role.”

He looked at Sarah: "Sarah, arrange a formal script reading and audition. We need to see for ourselves whether Jamie Foxx can capture the soul of Chris Gardner."

“No problem, Robert,” Sarah Miller replied immediately.

(End of this chapter)