From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

“… … Don't you think that back view looks a lot like Anson?”

A voice emerged from the noisy clamor, eliciting a burst of giggles, as cheerful banter and teasing surged around.

“Yeah, right, as if Anson would be cruising around the Lower East Side on a skateboard.”

“Why would Anson need to ask for directions? Doesn't he have, like, three, four, five, six assistants?”

“I did see Leonardo DiCaprio riding a bike to the set once, but that was in Burbank, at the Warner Bros. studio lot. Maybe he doesn't like golf carts.”

“In my memory, Anson should be shorter; this young man is clearly much taller.”

“Probably a delivery guy, bringing documents from Wall Street here.”

Before them, the scene was bustling, a sea of people, like a gathering before a parade, just as John had said, half of Hollywood's actors had come out in force, all eager to be a part of “Spider-Man 2.”

Without a doubt, the start of filming for “Spider-Man 2” was the most noteworthy industry event of the first half of the year. Not only had all the media reporters gathered at the set, ready to capture firsthand material to build anticipation for the sequel; but also professionals within the film industry had turned their attention to it, actors, agents, producers, and so on, no one was an exception.

“Titanic” made history, but that movie didn't have a sequel.

“Spider-Man” similarly wrote history and almost surpassed “Titanic,” and this movie has a sequel.

To some extent, the industry had already placed this superhero movie in the position of “Star Wars,” hoping that the “Spider-Man” series could once again reshape the landscape of the Hollywood film industry—

The focus of all attention.

The scene before them was a deep demonstration of “Spider-Man's” influence.

Even though it was just an ordinary street scene in New York, Sam Raimi's insistence on filming on location had ignited the enthusiasm of New York City residents, truly regarding Peter Parker as their good neighbor, a good citizen of New York, willing to pause and watch as they passed by.

In busy New York, this was already an exception.

John, limited in height, was submerged in the crowd, but he still peered through the dense figures, searching for the whereabouts of the skateboarding youth.

The skateboarding youth smoothly arrived at the check-in, exchanged a few simple words, and then, rustling and bustling, the crowd erupted, even from a distance, one could see the atmosphere of frantic joy spreading.

Then, the skateboarding youth smoothly entered the set. He even turned around to look back, waving to express his thanks.

In the sunlight, his smile was particularly radiant.

John whistled in response, and the surrounding area was also a hubbub of commotion.

Then, they watched as the skateboarding youth walked towards that black Transformers-style luxury trailer, and couldn't help but start to get anxious.

“That kid…”

“Ah, no way, is he in trouble?”

“Could it be out of curiosity?”

The staff around the skateboarding youth were coming and going, but no one stopped him. He arrived unimpeded, opened the door, and went inside.

Huh.

A chorus of exclamations.

Everyone expressed concern, exchanging surprised glances at each other.

John blinked, and a preposterous thought subconsciously popped into his head, “Anson…”

The words burst from his throat, turning the vague guess in his brain into reality, and then he froze, as if struck by lightning.

Crashed!

In an instant, the lively, noisy crowd fell into silence, as if their throats had been seized. They looked at me, I looked at you, but completely lost the ability to react, so that a quiet atmosphere permeated the surging crowd, and the world seemed to temporarily stop turning.

… …

The interior of the carriage, spacious and bright—

Opening the trailer door and stepping up the stairs, what greets your feet is a living room, a rectangular space, with a light wood-colored wooden floor clearing out a small open space, waltzing here would be no problem, but tango might be a little cramped.

On both long sides of the rectangular space, to the left near the door is the kitchen, including a sink, refrigerator, cabinets, microwave, and so on, everything is available, and there's even an oven; to the right, away from the door, is a long sofa against the wall, with beige as the base, supplemented by gray and dark blue, understated yet bright.

On both short sides of the rectangle, on the left is the bedroom, where you can see a two-meter double bed, almost filling the entire carriage; on the right are the bathroom and wardrobe, spotless, as if stepping onto the “Titanic” for the first time, everything is brand new.

Not only spacious, but also modern and stylish.

Honestly, this space is even more comfortable and cleaner than most apartments in Lower Manhattan, instantly brightening the mood.

And this space completely belongs to Anson, and it's just for Anson alone.

This was one of the conditions Edgar negotiated with Sony Columbia when renewing the contract. When agents discuss actor contracts, salary and profit sharing are only part of it, besides which there are other details.

For example, performance scenes, whether nudity is required, whether male actors need to show their abs, and whether female actors need to show their curves.

For example, working hours, whether actors have the right to protest or participate in discussions if they work beyond the stipulated time.

For example, set treatment, like “Spider-Man,” a set that insists on filming on location, trailers are indispensable, but most actors don't have their own exclusive trailers, the entire set might share two trailers; in addition, three meals a day, afternoon tea, and actors' personal dietary habits, etc., all the details of daily life are within the scope of discussion.

The most typical case is Mariah Carey, which is well known throughout the industry.

Simply put, if the agent is willing, even details such as how much smoking time and toilet time can be included in the contract every day.

What Edgar fought for Anson was only the most basic and conventional requirements, and Sony Columbia readily satisfied them all—

Compared to box office revenue sharing, these are all small things.

Anson is worth it.

Knock knock.

A knock came from behind, and after getting Anson's permission, the door opened again, and Noah appeared.

As an assistant, Noah has been on vacation for a long time, a very, very long time, so as “Spider-Man 2” prepared to start filming, he finally became busy again, and Noah was also eager to put himself to use.

But he didn't expect that Anson insisted on going to the set by himself, just like Peter Parker's state at the beginning of the movie, he was trying to get into character; as a result, Noah was useless again, so he arrived at the set in advance to prepare for Anson's work.

Having just learned of Anson's arrival, Noah jogged all the way over, extremely delighted.

“How is it? How does it feel?”