Between the promotion for The Princess Diaries 2 and his record, a small incident occurred—
The Cannes Film Festival.
In the film world, North America has the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the Sundance Film Festival. In Europe, three major film festivals hold longstanding cultural significance—Berlin, Cannes, and Venice—all of which are prestigious film events.
As of 2003, other festivals that later gained global recognition, like the Toronto International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, and Telluride Film Festival, hadn't yet risen to global prominence. The information explosion brought on by the widespread use of the internet was still a little ways off. These historic and culturally rich festivals still dominated the upper echelon of the film world.
Among them, the weight of Europe's "Big Three" festivals is on par with the Oscars.
To be precise, the Oscars represent peer recognition, with over 6,000 Academy members voting; meanwhile, the Big Three European festivals are more focused on artistic recognition, with smaller juries of 8 to 10 members who deliberate and award prizes.
With different focuses come different honors. The Oscars lean more towards popularity, mainstream appeal, and social impact; the Big Three European festivals emphasize artistic quality, cinematic craft, and social significance.
Still, all of these awards represent the pinnacle of achievement and appreciation in the film industry.
One could imagine that, much like an Oscar nomination, getting into the main competition at one of Europe's Big Three festivals is a tremendous honor. With only a limited number of slots, to be selected from thousands of films and showcased before audiences at such a prestigious event is the highest validation of one's work.
That said, while a small jury picks the winners, their tastes don't always reflect the preferences of moviegoers.
So if a film in the main competition receives more audience love than the eventual winner and does better in the box office, it shouldn't come as a surprise.
But of course, standing on stage to accept an award at one of these festivals remains a great honor. And winning the top prize at any of the three—the Golden Bear at Berlin, the Palme d'Or at Cannes, or the Golden Lion at Venice—is a crowning achievement worthy of any filmmaker's résumé.
These awards, like the Oscar for Best Picture, are undoubtedly the highest honors in cinema.
Now, the annual Cannes Film Festival is set to take place in May.
But Cannes? What does this have to do with Anson?
Imagine—just a short while ago, Anson was completely overlooked by the Oscars. It's clear that this pretty-boy heartthrob still has to prove himself as an actor. If he was ignored by the Oscars, then surely the more artistically inclined European festivals would be even more dismissive of him, right?
Was Anson aiming to become a "carpet star"?
In other words, even though he doesn't have a film in the competition or any other festival sections, he could still be invited by a brand to attend premieres, walking the red carpet for attention, and earning style points through the fashion photoshoots.
A "carpet star" and a "pretty face" seem to be a perfect fit.
Recently, Anson had already boosted his presence through a surprise pop-up event, creating a media buzz with his bold, ever-changing looks and keen sense of style, successfully establishing himself as a male actor with a unique fashion image.
If he were to attend Cannes next, in the heart of Dior's empire, he could generate even more attention, transitioning from the random theater tours in North America to the global stage, from low-key cinema outings to the height of the industry. It would be a perfect finale.
That's one possibility.
Most importantly—
Anson doesn't mind.
So what if people call him a "carpet star"? There's no need to resist labels like pretty face, idol, or media darling. In a cutthroat industry like show business, any publicity is good publicity.
Winning attention first is key. Once you stand out, then you can find the right projects.
Unless… he stays a "carpet star" forever, never progressing or breaking through, leaving people with nothing to talk about but his looks and fashion choices, without any substantial work to his name. That would be truly unfortunate—
He could be forgotten in the endless churn of publicity.
Attention is just a starting point; the real goal should always be the work itself.
But no, very fortunately, Anson isn't going to Cannes as a carpet star this time.
He's not going to Cannes at Dior's invitation; he's going for a film.
Elephant.
Not long after Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind wrapped up filming, Edgar received word that Elephant, directed by Gus Van Sant, might be selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
Without a doubt, this was a huge surprise—a completely unexpected one.
When Anson shot Elephant, it was purely to change up the pace, and Darren Star's involvement was a key reason he agreed to the project.
Originally, Edgar thought that since Elephant was produced by HBO, its distribution might be limited. It wouldn't get a wide release in theaters, but would instead be shown in select arthouse cinemas before airing on HBO, possibly competing for the Emmys—
As a TV movie.
Rather than hoping the film would make waves, the project was more about gradually expanding Anson's range as an actor, allowing him to venture outside his comfort zone in commercial films. The goal was exploration, not immediate success.
So, both Edgar and Darren had pretty much forgotten about the film.
But! Unexpectedly!
Elephant brought a shocking surprise.
It was like a tidal wave.
The news was quickly confirmed—
Elephant had officially been selected for the main competition at Cannes.
Every year, Cannes features various sections: Un Certain Regard, Directors' Fortnight, International Critics' Week, Cinéfondation, and more. But the main competition is the crown jewel, drawing the most attention, where the Palme d'Or is awarded.
To put it simply, when people talk about being "in competition at Cannes," they're referring to the main competition unless stated otherwise.
Elephant was in the main competition this year.
This was an opportunity!
A golden opportunity!
Anson, of course, couldn't pass it up. In fact, Edgar became even more excited about this than the Oscars or Golden Globes—
Whether they won an award, how the film was received, or even the red carpet buzz—none of that mattered. The only thing that truly mattered was that a film starring Anson had made it into the main competition.
This meant that Anson, through this film, was breaking into the world of art cinema. Beyond just being an idol or media darling, beyond the confines of genre films, he now had a place in the artistic realm. This was even more significant than his Golden Globe nomination for Catch Me If You Can.
With Elephant as a starting point, Anson's acting career could take on a whole new dimension.
And not in the U.S.—but in Europe, where the art film market thrives. Anson had finally opened that door.
Just imagining it made Edgar tremble with excitement.
And so, Anson had a new idea—
Since he was heading to Europe anyway, why not bring the band's album promotion along?
Two birds, one stone!