Whew.
Anson let out a long, deep breath, expelling all the pent-up air in his chest, but still, he couldn't feel any fresh air coming in.
He was calm, incredibly calm. His mind was blank, devoid of any negative emotions—no sadness, no anger, no disappointment, no pain—just a profound calm, like the endless deep sea in the darkness.
However.
His chest burned uncomfortably, as if a faint, tiny flame was flickering inside, not fierce or explosive, just quietly burning.
When he looked up, he saw the room was bustling and overwhelmingly crowded, his vision filled with bodies, leaving no space to stand.
He froze for a moment—
Who was he? Where was he? What was he doing?
Everything became blurry.
At one moment, he seemed to be back in his previous life, returning to that nightmare-like afternoon, with the bank seals, the neighbors' gawking, and the victim's heart-wrenching screams filling his vision and hearing, his brain on the verge of explosion.
At another moment, it felt like he was tumbling down a rabbit hole, like Alice in Wonderland, unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy because the dream was too vivid. He saw a sleeping figure through the keyhole but didn't know what to shout.
Was he little Frank? Or was he Anson?
Then.
The film set finally started to come back to life, slowly returning to reality from the shock and impact, with their minds buzzing and emotions crashing like waves but unable to find an outlet—
So, they clapped.
No one had expected it, really, no one had anticipated such a twist.
The crew was used to Steven's shooting rhythm, and they were accustomed to actors being just a part of the movie—which meant that actors didn't need to show off; just the right amount of acting was enough, without going overboard.
The scene just filmed was already good enough, very good, with no need to add more. To the crew, Anson's ambition and greed seemed like nothing more than an actor's vanity and arrogance, thinking the world should revolve around them.
There was no need. Really.
But now, all those thoughts were overturned, deeply immersed in shock.
Subtle yet profound.
Calm yet layered.
No grandstanding, no overacting, no showing off. Everything was so simple and natural, yet the emotions were perfectly conveyed through the eyes and movements, with even a single strand of hair adding to the performance.
It gently pulled all the viewers into a bottomless abyss.
The shock didn't hit them like a wave but spread from within.
So this was Anson's real intention in wanting to shoot the scene again. It turned out they were the ones who hadn't seen the layers behind the character. They were the "sixty points is good enough" assembly line workers. It turned out that making a movie should indeed carry some artistic pursuit.
This, this was acting.
As an audience, witnessing all this up close, seeing the actor and character merge, showing a completely different face, releasing all the energy of the plot and character—it was an experience, a shock, that made the brain's waves crash more violently, burning in the blood.
Until they could no longer control it—a shiver ran through them, uncontrollable—
Which turned into applause, a release.
There were no cheers, no whistles, just the simplest and purest applause, a reflex, mechanically clapping their hands.
Slowly, slowly, as emotions burned, their hearts began to surge, clapping harder, their eyes growing brighter.
A surge of passion.
The applause swept through the set like a tidal wave; no one could resist.
The more impatient they were before, the more stunned they were now.
Even Steven was no exception.
Looking around, Steven could see many people smiling helplessly, shaking their heads in both admiration and shock, unable to find words to describe it; but most people were wide-eyed, exchanging dumbfounded looks, searching for similar shock in each other's eyes.
When they looked at Steven, there was only one thought in their eyes:
Where on earth did you find this treasure?
Steven just smiled mysteriously, keeping the secret to himself.
When the movie is released, Steven might share some behind-the-scenes stories. He and Tom Hanks had locked in Anson during Paris Fashion Week.
That might just blow people's minds.
Steven himself admitted that the main reason he chose Anson was because of his versatile look, perfectly fitting the charm of young Frank Abagnale. In Steven's mind, he wanted to shape this character like a model, constantly showcasing the character's charm.
But how much of that original intention remained now?
Even for Steven, it was a surprise.
From the kitchen scene in the morning to the divorce announcement in the afternoon, within just one day, they managed to showcase a character's psychological changes over several months with such delicacy, richness, and realism. Admiration wasn't enough to describe Steven's feelings.
In fact, Steven had already responded with action—
A close-up.
On Anson's face.
Making a movie works like this: meticulous planning and overall layout before shooting, with the director overseeing everything, but the actual work is left to the professionals, waiting for inspiration to spark during the shooting process to complete the creation.
Just now, that's exactly what happened.
Everything was planned, but an unexpected variable appeared in the plan:
Anson.
And at that moment, Steven responded, as did the cameraman and lighting technician, immediately capturing the inspiration, perfectly seizing the subtle changes in Anson's eyes and expression.
If the reactions of the cameraman and lighting technician were entirely within Steven's expectations—they'd worked together for a long time, with "Saving Private Ryan" being one of their projects—they knew Steven well and seized the opportunity; then the performances from Christopher and Natalie, the two actors opposite Anson, were a surprise, a refreshing delight, completing a perfect exchange of emotional beats.
Wonderful, indescribably wonderful.
Generally, Steven wouldn't alter his shooting plan, especially not for an actor's performance. But just now, Steven trusted his instincts and chose to follow the inspiration.
At that moment, Steven truly felt the presence of the movie gods.
A smile crept onto his lips.
Steven couldn't help but wonder if Tom had seen this very quality in Anson, which was why he had so unwaveringly recommended Anson back in Paris.
Clap, clap, clap.
The applause surged, swelling higher and higher, reverberating through the old apartment. Dust started to fall from the walls, and the entire world seemed to shake.
No one had anticipated this moment. The first breakout moment since filming began had unexpectedly occurred during the most challenging scene in New York. It was an absolute surprise, and all the bustling attention was now focused on Anson.
Then, finally, someone noticed something off about Anson—
It seemed like... he couldn't breathe. The confusion and bewilderment in his eyes hadn't subsided; instead, they were growing more intense.
Was Anson okay?
Before anyone could voice their concern, Anson suddenly broke the silence. He abruptly stood up—
And bolted out the door, rushing out in one swift motion.