"This is how it went down."
"Gus was preparing to shoot a movie about Columbine for a cable TV network. The project was nearly finalized, and Gus had begun preparations for filming."
"But then, out of nowhere, that documentary landed at Cannes. Because of widespread discussion, it suddenly pushed the Columbine incident back into the spotlight, and the recent discussions and controversies just won't stop."
"The TV executives realized that the situation might be slightly different from what they had imagined."
"First, the impact of the Columbine incident is still far greater than expected; second, showcasing such raw, bloody violence on television might not be very appropriate."
"They were worried about putting themselves in the hot seat and causing controversy, so they backed out at the last minute, leading to Gus's project being put on hold."
"After hearing about the situation, HBO expressed interest in taking over, but they needed to make some changes."
"It couldn't directly reference the Columbine incident. Instead, they wanted to create a fictional script based on the event."
Indeed, it was "Elephant."
*Sigh.*
The sound of Darren's long sigh came through the phone, and even over the line, Anson could sense the heaviness behind the words, making him chuckle.
"Uncle Darren, that phone call just aged you ten years."
A playful remark made Darren shake his head lightly. "At most, three years. No way it could be ten. At my age, aging even a year is tough, so don't exaggerate."
"Haha," Anson laughed heartily.
Darren's tense nerves relaxed a bit.
"Gus plans to start filming in Portland..."
"Which Portland?" There's more than one city named Portland in North America.
"The one in Oregon. Right next to Salem."
Ah, that made sense. Anson understood immediately—
Oregon, situated between California and Washington, not far from Colorado. Clearly, Gus was trying to find a small town similar to Columbine High School, at least in terms of atmosphere.
Even though the city chosen is Portland, it's probably the suburbs he's after, as Columbine High School is located in the suburbs of Denver; at the same time, Salem is just southwest of Portland.
Historically, the "Salem Witch Trials" are quite famous, having had a profound impact in fields like journalism, communication studies, and psychology. However, that Salem is in Massachusetts, on the East Coast of North America, a region still among the most conservative in New England.
But the Salem in question here is in Oregon, on the West Coast.
Obviously, these are two different things.
But from the details, Gus was subtly playing with words, using Portland to mirror Denver, Salem to mirror Salem, and a fictional high school to mirror Columbine High School.
This is filmmaking—
The average viewer might wonder why so many filmmakers insist on shooting on location and aren't too fond of studio or green screen shooting.
The reason is that a city's streets, buildings, and environment often carry a certain texture of time, giving the film a unique atmosphere on camera.
Before a film begins shooting, the director needs to scout for locations, a preparatory step that forms the foundation of a film's unique vibe.
In the past, watching a movie was often just about enjoying the excitement—watching the story, the effects, the emotions; but now, having entered the film industry as an actor and seeing it from a different perspective, Anson could slowly start to see the various elements that make up a great film.
Back and forth, question and answer, Darren didn't even realize that he had already spilled the beans.
Pausing slightly, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Darren's eyes. "It seems working with Steven Spielberg has indeed taught you a lot."
That's a good thing. It seems that Anson's choice to become an actor was indeed the right one.
"Also, Gus hopes to cast local high school students, using non-professional actors to truly capture the daily life of a high school campus."
"However, Gus is considering having one or two key roles—those with pivotal significance—played by real actors to maintain continuity."
"Right now, among the 17- and 18-year-old actors in Hollywood, it's not easy to find someone with the right vibe for such a unique project. The critical issue is that the film's budget is limited, so Gus can't conduct an open casting call. He has neither the time nor the money."
"And among the actors Gus is familiar with, the youngest is Casey Affleck, who is already 27 years old."
"For God's sake, Gus definitely doesn't want a 27-year-old playing a high school student. He thinks that would ruin the film's authenticity by making a commercial compromise."
"So, HBO needs a bit of help, and I thought maybe you could give it a shot."
After circling around, Darren finally dialed Anson's number.
And even made a little joke.
"Right now, all of Hollywood knows Anson Wood, the go-to actor for high school roles."
Anson immediately caught the playful tone in Darren's words. "Sorry, my first appearance on the small screen already destroyed that image; that clearly wasn't a high schooler."
"Haha," Darren burst into laughter.
If you look closely at mainstream Hollywood movies, whether they're commercial blockbusters or artistic independent projects, the protagonists are usually between 30 and 50 years old.
The reason is very simple and straightforward—because the target audience, the mainstream market, falls within this age range. That's why movie studios and producers keep digging for more projects that tell their stories, explore their realities, and even superheroes often fall into this age range.
On the other hand, the target audience for school movies is usually girls—chick flicks, where those romantic and beautiful fantasies are more likely to resonate with them. Naturally, vibrant and youthful girls tend to land many roles, but boys of the same age often end up playing mere side characters.
As a result, Hollywood's actor structure presents an interesting phenomenon. Male actors are often around 35 years old, with this age as the core, while female actors are usually around 25, always young, always beautiful, always full of life.
Of course, this isn't absolute, but it's a common trend.
This also leads to a strange situation where female actors might struggle to find roles after 45, while male actors under 25 might also have trouble landing projects.
Gus is facing this very issue—he wants to find a 17- or 18-year-old to play in "Elephant," but all he sees are pretty faces.
Anson included. He was just a pretty face in "The Princess Diaries," and "Spider-Man" was an exception.
Clearly, Darren recommending Anson to the "Elephant" production wasn't just to help HBO, but also to give Anson's acting career a boost.
In Darren's view, working with Gus might help Anson break into the industry—
After all, even if Anson continues to play youthful high school roles, he can't remain a pretty face forever, right? Even within the realm of teenage roles, Anson could find a way to stand out and showcase his unique qualities.
But Darren also knew it wouldn't be that simple.
"There's one issue. This movie is indeed a sensitive topic. If you're worried about getting caught up in controversy and want to turn it down, I would understand."