Chapter 9: Let More People See You
Before coming, Isabella had actually wondered what Maggie Smith would teach her.
Then, the first lesson that came to her mind was to free her nature.
Well, she couldn't help it; most of her understanding of acting came from certain web novels in her previous life. For a long time, what entertainment novel authors popularized most was 'freeing one's nature,' so as soon as she thought of classes, dead memories came back to life.
But after talking with Professor McGonagall, she realized that she seemed to be wildly mistaken.
And that was indeed the case.
After receiving Isabella's information, the old lady prepared her lessons, and suggesting 'acting as oneself' was a decision she made after careful consideration.
The reason was simple.
It was because the acting techniques of the three major schools were not suitable for children whose worldview and mind were not yet fully developed, and learning any school was a long process. However, the final audition would start in August, and filming would begin no later than October, so there wasn't enough time.
But even though the old lady's words were very reasonable, Isabella still had doubts, “Teacher Maggie.”
“Hmm?”
“I have a question, a question related to acting schools.”
“Go ahead.”
“Is 'acting as oneself' a school of thought? Why do I feel like in my impression, it's almost an insult?”
“...”
Maggie Smith was momentarily stunned, “Sorry, Isa, I might not understand what you mean.”
“Could you repeat that?”
“Uh...” Isabella thought for a moment.
She said, “In my memory, the media likes to call actors who play all roles the same way 'acting as oneself.'”
The reason Isabella found the answer 'acting as oneself' a bit funny was because she had watched a show in her previous life called “The Actor's Life,” the one Li Chengru hosted.
On the show, he said that 'acting as oneself' was an insult in the industry, meaning an actor had no acting skills and performed everything poorly.
But—
“Oh~ I think you might have been misled~”
The old lady understood what the little girl meant and shook her head with a wry smile, “'Acting as oneself' is actually the best acting in the entertainment industry. Because all 'playing a role' is not as natural as 'being the role.'”
“'Acting as oneself' means an actor presents a role directly through their own experiences or personality, reducing the traces of 'acting.' This makes the performance appear more real and believable. This is the highest realm in the industry, and at the same time, it is the meaning of casting.”
“Doesn't casting in the film industry mean finding an actor who is similar to the role?”
“If this wasn't important... then why would you be here in front of me now?”
Isabella understood.
“So, you mean that 'acting as oneself' became derogatory because of 'rest on one's laurels'?”
“Yeah~”
The old lady paused, then started to laugh. She really liked the little girl's analogy, “It's living off past achievements.”
The entertainment industry is where the most lucky people in the world are.
There are many ways to go to college, but in the entertainment industry, all big breaks are predestined.
Many stars actually didn't study acting much before they became famous; they just accidentally got a role that suited them, and then they became popular. When the vast majority of people gain success by acting as themselves, who dares to say that 'acting as oneself' is the worst acting? And the reason 'acting as oneself' became derogatory is because many stars don't improve themselves after becoming famous. When these stars constantly repeat the same path, a sense of detachment and fatigue appears.
Although 'acting as oneself' has a connotation of being an unorthodox cultivation method, Isabella didn't care.
Because what she needed at the moment was quick success.
To put it more bluntly, at this moment, she wished she had a Deep Blue system!
Deep Blue! Add points!
Game Over.
But since there was no cheat, she could only cultivate herself, and before that...
“Teacher Maggie, I have another question.”
“Ask away, Miss Many Questions.”
Maggie Smith looked at the little girl with a smile.
Isabella, in turn, stuck out her tongue.
The old lady was praising her.
Hermione Granger in Harry Potter was a very curious child with many questions.
So, the more she liked to ask, the closer she was to the character.
“I want to know the reason why those stars who became famous by 'acting as oneself' don't improve themselves after becoming famous.”
Isabella said, “Do they not improve themselves because they don't have time or because they want to replicate success?”
This question made Maggie Smith pause.
She looked deeply at Isabella for several seconds, and finally, she shook her head with a smile.
“I think I understand how you charmed Anne.”
“Your question is very sharp, as sharp as Miss Granger's, and I want to say that there is no correct answer to this question.”
“And my answer to this question is both, and there is a third reason.”
“Stars indeed don't have time to improve themselves after becoming famous, because countless projects will flock to them. Who can refuse offers of millions or tens of millions? They also don't dare to improve themselves casually; audiences like them because of their natural interpretations, and no one knows if changing their acting style will make them lose their audience appeal.”
“As for the third reason... Besides the Experiential School, Method School, Representational School, and Acting As Oneself, there is actually another school of acting in the entertainment industry, which is called Script Modification, or Customized Roles.”
“And this school actually serves 'acting as oneself.'”
“For example, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks...”
Both Toms started as idols. Liang Tang needs no explanation; at the peak of his looks, he was devastatingly handsome. His height allowed him to star in Top Gun purely because he was good-looking. Although Tom Hanks was not as handsome as Liang Tang, in his youth, he was a sunny and cheerful big boy, starring in romance films, the most classic being Sleepless in Seattle.
These two also became famous by 'acting as oneself' and have never changed.
All breakthroughs were micro-innovations in scripts and roles.
Like Liang Tang, he is best at playing roles with strong dramatic conflict. The roles in Interview with the Vampire and Jerry Maguire follow the same pattern; only the story and background change. But this kind of change is also considered an improvement in the entertainment industry.
Tom Hanks is the same; he can indeed easily handle various roles, performing excellently in everything from comedies to dramas, but the spiritual core of the outstanding roles he plays is the same. To put it simply, they are all good people embodying the American Dream.
Tom Hanks rarely plays villains; his image is not suitable for playing villains.
But isn't maintaining the core while changing identities also a change?
“There are indeed three major schools in performance art, but all techniques will leave traces of processing in your performance, far less natural than being yourself. Therefore, when some stars become famous enough, everyone will help him play himself.”
“And I want to say that this kind of interpretation is actually the most difficult.”
“It relies heavily on talent.”
“Tom Cruise's talent is not as high as Tom Hanks', so he can only keep circling in action and comedy films. Tom Hanks' talent is higher than Tom Cruise's; he can play both a fool and an officer while using the same core, which is why he won awards.”
“Therefore, if you are asking this question to understand the future of actors who 'act as oneself,' then I can only say that if Hermione Granger becomes popular, very popular, then your lower limit in acting will be Tom Cruise. As for the upper limit?”
“Tom Hanks is the upper limit, but this upper limit can be broken; it still depends on talent.”
“Of course, I'm not saying Tom Cruise is inferior to Tom Hanks; he is still excellent in the action film genre.”
“Are you satisfied with my answer, Miss Many Questions?”
Maggie Smith raised an eyebrow at Isabella.
“Yeah~”
Although her little trick was seen through, the little girl was not embarrassed. She smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Teacher Maggie.”
“So, we can officially start class now?” Maggie Smith asked.
“Haven't we been in class all along?” The little girl tilted her head.
Her playful rhetorical question made the old lady laugh.
“Being mischievous, are we? Do you think this rhetorical question fits Miss Granger's character? Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Granger, I am now formally informing you that the 'you' in the script is not the same as the 'you' in the book.”
“So, for you to better understand the role, I'm going to punish you by making you read the script...”
Because Isabella in her previous life was not in the entertainment industry, and this outwardly glamorous but actually dark industry was truly fascinating, when she found that Professor McGonagall was easy to talk to, she instinctively wanted to gossip a bit.
Of course, she also admitted that asking so many questions indeed had the intention of probing the future.
In her memory, many child stars faded into obscurity after growing up—
There are family factors, like Macaulay Culkin from home alone who was ruined by his family;
There are reasons for growing up poorly, like Haley Joel Osment, Forrest Gump's son, whose looks deteriorated;
But there are also those whose acting couldn't sustain their popularity, for example, Emma Watson…
Uh, well, the last one actually had many reasons for her decline.
Although Isabella hasn't entered the industry yet, and even if she does, she doesn't know how long she'll stay in the circle, people don't just look at their feet when they walk, do they? Everyone looks forward and makes predictions.
So, after Maggie Smith stated that she could only play Hermione by acting naturally, Isabella wanted to know if there was a possibility of switching tracks in the future, and with the fact that fame can control everything emerging…
Her heart also settled down a bit.
… … … …
A long conversation is not the same as long deliberation; the former is a good way to understand a person, while the latter usually leads to bad moves. As for the second type?
A battle hawk outlasts an old lady.
After confirming that Isabella might be the Miss Know-It-All Rowling was looking for, the teaching of natural acting could begin. Maggie Smith stated that in the next three to four weeks, she would only teach Isabella two things:
First, to allow Isabella, who had never acted before, to naturally express the requirements in the script.
This is actually acting.
Second, that all performances can be done under public scrutiny.
There are many people on set; if you can't let go, then it's useless no matter how much Rowling likes you.
These two points seem not difficult, but in reality…
“Oh~ Isa~ aren't you going to learn acting? Why do you still have homework?”
That night, at home.
After dinner, Isabella went back to her room, and Catherine followed. She originally wanted to ask her sister how her studies were today, but unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the room, she saw Isabella hunched over her desk, writing and drawing.
“Yes, Sir Smith told me to read the script and then transcribe Hermione's parts.”
Isabella didn't even lift her head, saying, “She said doing this would help me understand Hermione better, because the Hermione in the script is different from the one in the book, and if I can find the differences between the script and the novel in this process…”
“Then it will prove that I am the true Miss Perfect.”
“Oh~” Catherine felt she understood. “Finding differences, right? Testing if you are careful? If you are patient?”
“…”
Isabella's right hand paused as she was transcribing the script.
The ink stain on the notebook made her mouth twitch slightly, “Something like that.”
“Okay, then you do your best, I won't bother you anymore.”
After cheering on her sister, Catherine quickly slipped away.
But a few seconds later, she came back, “Oh, by the way, there's something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Mom told me today that she has already paid my tuition for the new semester.”
“Isn't that great? You can continue studying at St. Paul's.”
“You haven't started earning money yet, so Mom used the family's savings to pay my tuition, and your money is in there too. Moreover, once you start earning money, the family's expenses might all fall on you… Uh…”
Catherine didn't know what to say. After a long pause, she sighed, “So… thank you…”
The constipation-like gratitude made Isabella chuckle.
This was actually why she was willing to support the family.
Not dwelling on such a small matter, “If you really want to thank me, let me continue with my homework.”
“Okay, goodbye.” Catherine didn't insist anymore and closed the door.
The sudden interlude didn't affect Isabella much; she continued to bury her head in the script…
Oh no, there was an ink stain on her notes.
Although Professor McGonagall didn't explicitly state the purpose of reading the entire script, because a script can exist in many forms—a complete story script is a script, and a single character script is also a script. Furthermore, in legitimate Hollywood crews, the latter is already prepared, and each actor only needs to read their character's scenes. So, theoretically, organizing character plots from a story script and then finding differences is not something Isabella should be doing.
But Isabella felt she could guess Maggie Smith's painstaking efforts.
The other party was helping her become Hermione Granger.
Xiao Hai Li, nicknamed the walking encyclopedia, is a diligent and studious girl in the book. She uses all available time to learn and enrich herself with knowledge. So, now, as she reads the script, she is Xiao Hai Li.
Because she is secretly working hard, attempting to amaze everyone.
Of course, this idea wasn't something she came up with herself, but rather an inspiration from a story in her previous life.
In her last life, she heard that when Yu Entai received “My Own Swordsman,” he asked the director what he needed to prepare. Shang Jing said he was playing a learned scholar, so he needed to thoroughly read “The Analects” and “The Book of Songs.” So he went back and memorized most of them, only to find out after filming began that the only line related to them was ‘The Master once said.’ The feeling of unappreciated talent immediately emerged.
In the past, this news was just an interesting anecdote for Isabella.
But now, she felt she seemed to understand what method acting was.
That's right, natural acting isn't just random acting.
If you resemble the character, that's your luck, a gift from God, and it's not a reason for you to be capricious.
The script Isabella received was a standard Hollywood-style script, where an average page of content could be filmed into 0.8 to 1.2 minutes of movie footage. The script for “Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone” currently had 236 pages. Starting work at 7 PM and busy until past midnight, Isabella finally transcribed all forty-odd pages related to Hermione.
Although a bit sleepy, she didn't stop. She went into the bathroom, washed her face with cold water, then picked up the novel to find the differences. It took her more than three hours to mark all the discrepancies between the script and the novel.
It was ten in the morning. The faint dark circles under her eyes and the compiled handwritten manuscript made Maggie Smith nod.
“All sorted out?”
“Mm.”
“I don't recall saying you had to sort all of this out in one night.”
“If I had more time, I would find all the differences between the script and the book.”
Maggie Smith smiled, “It seems you already understand what I mean. What time did you work until last night?”
“I saw Mayfair at four in the morning.”
A maximum of six hours of sleep made Maggie Smith's eyes sparkle.
The energetic little girl made her purse her lips, “Do you know what my first work in Hollywood was?”
“Othello?”
After learning that Maggie Smith would be her teacher, Isabella glanced at her profile.
The old lady's participation in “Othello” in 1965 earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
“That's right, it was ‘Othello.’ Sir Laurence Olivier brought me to America at that time.”
Maggie Smith recalled, “Many people said he was a genius. His self-written, self-directed, and self-acted ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Henry V’ elevated Shakespearean drama to a new height. But Laurence once told me that even the most talented person must learn to show themselves. Only a genius seen by people is a genius; an unknown genius is a waste of God's grace.”
“You are excellent.”
“So… let more people see you? Okay?”
The old lady's words made Isabella's eyes crinkle with a smile.
“Teacher Maggie, aren't I waiting for you to lead the way?”
“Ha~” The old lady was pleased.
“Alright, then follow me.” She picked up the script and stood up.
“Where to?” Isabella was a bit puzzled.
“To the theater I founded.”
Note: ① Hollywood scriptwriting has a formula; when creating characters, there are usually prototypes for reference, such as myths or ancient stories. This is just the most common way of writing; a slight change means writing characters specifically for actors. For example, Sofia Coppola herself said that Bob, the male lead in “Lost in Translation,” was written with Bill Murray in mind. When Quentin created “Pulp Fiction,” Jules was written with Laurence Fishburne in mind, but Laurence didn't have time to act, so they found Samuel L. Jackson, who resembled him. Customizing roles for actors based on their characteristics is even a common practice for award contention in Hollywood, though they don't publicize it that way, only stating that the actor and character are a good fit.