Actor in Hollywood

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"How is she doing?"

"She'll be fine. She's been sleeping all day."

Mary Jane entered the hospital room, her footsteps light, as she carefully approached the bedside and gazed quietly at Aunt May, who looked like a sleeping beauty.

She seemed lost in thought.

"Thank you for coming to see her," Peter said.

Peter's words brought Mary Jane back to reality. She turned to look at him and softly replied, "Of course." But then she turned back to Aunt May, once again getting lost in her thoughts.

Guilt, regret, worry, and sadness.

Her shoulders drooped, and the strands of hair that fell over them slowly slipped down, revealing her complex emotions without needing words.

Peter, standing behind her, couldn't see Mary Jane's face, but he could sense her sorrow and struggle. He didn't understand the reason and, though he wanted to comfort her, didn't know where to begin. He lifted his right hand to reach for her shoulder, but just as he raised it, it fell weakly back down.

A sense of helplessness.

Behind that helplessness lay fear, panic, confusion, and unease. There were so many thoughts running through his mind that, paradoxically, his brain went blank, leaving him with no thoughts at all.

Peter quietly stared at the back of Mary Jane's head, so focused and absorbed that his eyes reflected love as well as sadness, a misty mix of emotions that seemed to seep out like smoke.

A single look was enough.

Jake Gyllenhaal, unaware of it himself, slowed his breathing, his thoughts gradually getting swept away.

Even though Jake didn't notice, in fact, he was just one part of the set. The entire crew unconsciously held their breath, feeling the heartbeat, feeling the emotion.

There was no dialogue, yet the two young people, trapped by their youthful troubles, conveyed so much.

The world fell silent.

For a brief moment, they distanced themselves from the chaos and noise outside, temporarily freed from pondering life's choices and challenges, allowing themselves to be immersed in their emotions.

But then.

Peter noticed.

In that brief instant, his chaotic and surging emotions unintentionally leaked out, which was dangerous. He couldn't let Mary Jane fall into danger as well.

So, Peter lowered his gaze, carefully and timidly hiding his feelings.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I mean, that night."

Mary Jane was startled, thinking that her emotions had been seen by someone else. She quickly forced a smile and turned to Peter, her lips curving upwards. "Me? I'm fine. It's just... I shouldn't have left Aunt May alone."

If she hadn't left, leaving Aunt May alone at home, maybe the Green Goblin wouldn't have come for Aunt May, and maybe Aunt May wouldn't be unconscious now.

Peter opened his mouth, knowing that Aunt May's situation wasn't Mary Jane's fault, but the words that reached his tongue were swallowed back down.

He couldn't say it.

After an abrupt mental brake, Peter changed the subject, "Have you talked to Harry?"

A complete shift in direction, awkward and stiff.

Peter felt a bit frustrated, his lips twitching slightly as if in pain, but he quickly masked it. Fortunately, Mary Jane, also troubled and distracted, didn't notice and let out a long, frustrated sigh.

"He called me."

—But.

Clearly, her tone suggested there was more to say, a follow-up.

Yet, Mary Jane too swallowed her words, circling the bed towards the window, looking for a place to put the flowers she had brought, using this action to cover up her confusion.

So much to say, but in the end, only one sentence came out, "I haven't called him back yet."

What should she say?

What could she say?

Frustration washed over Mary Jane as she stood by the window, lowering her head to look at the flowers in her hands. Sparse sunlight filtered through the glass, casting a soft glow on her face.

Mary Jane didn't speak, and Peter didn't press her. He stood silently in place, not moving a muscle, yet his body seemed to feel a magnetic pull, slightly leaning towards Mary Jane.

In the air, silence reigned. Neither spoke, but Peter's restraint and Mary Jane's turmoil were palpable. Emotions quietly flowed between them, leaving ample room for interpretation, allowing thoughts to take root.

Behind the monitor, Sam, still with his sloth-like focus, remained one hundred percent absorbed, his gaze unwavering—

He was absolutely sure, absolutely certain, that Anson and Kristen would bring something special.

In this scene, complex emotions and chaotic thoughts surged together.

If we rely solely on the simple dialogue in the script, there's no way to showcase the full context. Instead, it ends up as a chaotic mess, haphazardly thrown together and forcefully shoved down the audience's throats, with no regard for their experience, demanding they accept the emotional shifts between Peter Parker and Mary Jane without question.

Are all commercial films this unreasonable?

But now, things are different.

Sam saw those entanglements, those struggles, those hesitations, those repeated deliberations. The characters' emotions were delicately and vulnerably laid bare, as if revealing a wound.

It wasn't just about silence; there was also the surge conveyed through body language.

Whether it was Kristen's loss and stiffness as she got lost in her own thoughts, or Anson's gaze, movements, and expressions conveying complexity and restraint, even the smallest bit of negative space held immense potential.

In fact, not everything needs to be explained so clearly, especially emotions. Sometimes, leaving some blank space to ferment in the audience's minds is enough. It's the information hidden beyond the dialogue that stirs the scene.

However, Sam quickly realized—

Relying solely on the power of acting was still not enough.

Film is film because the director needs to mobilize every possible means to create an atmosphere, an experience, an immersive feeling.

Here, they should add the beeping of a heart monitor and the trivial sounds of a dripping IV. Perhaps there's a blue alert in the hallway, or maybe cars pass by outside, using these noisy and chaotic sounds to create the illusion that the world is falling apart, highlighting the emotional ripples between the two characters.

The background sounds should reflect the characters' psychological states.

This kind of filming technique is a piece of cake for Sam.

Most importantly, they can't use shot-reverse-shot.

Such a simple and crude filming method cannot capture the tension and emotional pull between the two characters, completely wasting the actors' understanding and portrayal of their roles.

But likewise, the camera angles for this scene need to be adjusted.

Thoughts swirled in Sam's mind, and he knew that this scene was far from perfect; it might need to be reshot, possibly multiple times, with adjustments.

However, Sam didn't call for a cut; instead, he quietly appreciated the scene, slowing down in the midst of the hustle and bustle, allowing the two actors to continue exploring their characters' emotions.

It wasn't until this moment that Sam suddenly remembered a key point:

When did Mary Jane fall in love with Peter Parker?

Not with Spider-Man, but with Peter Parker.

This thought only paused briefly in his mind before Sam's attention was drawn back to the two figures on the monitor.

Though it seems to be a lengthy description, it actually only lasted a second.

A spacebar—objectively present, yet without disrupting the rhythm.