"Think, Hugo, use your brain to think," Al said a whole bunch of things and was a little tired. Panting for breath, he unconsciously slowed down his pace and adjusted his breathing. "Do you remember the sentence I told you last time?"
"Don't contemplate acting skills, contemplate the character."
Hugo forced himself not to pay attention to the staff who were going out for a smoke one after another, and instead focused on Al's words. He managed to do it. When Al asked the question, he immediately thought of this sentence.
Al nodded repeatedly. "Yes, exactly. Think about it, what kind of situation is Charlie in right now? What is he facing? Why is he able to feel the pain inside the colonel? Why is he able to stop the colonel from committing suicide? Why him, and not a relative of the colonel or some woman?"
Hugo took a deep breath to calm himself down and began thinking about how Charlie came to this scene. Not just this single scene, but the entire movie. He thought about the plot and storyline, and also about Charlie's whole life.
Charlie is a standard good student, but he was accidentally caught up in a prank by a few rich kids. He witnessed with his own eyes the three boys playing a cruel trick on the school disciplinarian. Also standing beside him at the time was George, another member of the rich-kid group. So, George and Charlie became the witnesses.
The school wouldn't tolerate students engaging in such behavior, so it planned to severely punish the group. They needed George and Charlie to step forward and identify the wrongdoers.
The disciplinarian used guaranteed admission to Harvard University and a full scholarship to entice Charlie to speak the truth. At the same time, he threatened that if Charlie didn't speak, he'd be expelled. Meanwhile, George used the bond of friendship to pressure Charlie and made an agreement that the two of them, no matter what, could not stand up to identify those "good friends," and didn't even need to tell their families or anyone else.
Under such circumstances, Charlie and the colonel arrived in New York. In those few days in New York, Charlie unexpectedly discovered that George's actions exactly matched what the colonel had speculated after hearing the story: George had told his father, who was a very powerful man. His father stepped up to resolve the issue for his son. Under his father's influence, George was very likely to sell out his so-called friends. For George, his future would still rely on the shelter of his father and proceed smoothly. This incident didn't impact him at all. But this placed Charlie in a very awkward position. What should he do: betray his friends in exchange for a chance to get into Harvard, or stick to his principles and never break his promise?
Charlie didn't want to betray his principles to sell out his friends, but if he insisted and George still spoke out, then he would be expelled from school. His life might take a drastic turn from here on out. The colonel knew that Charlie didn't want to speak up, because that was Charlie's principle—even if he feared expulsion, even if his life might be completely changed because of those rich kids he himself couldn't even stand, this was still Charlie's principle. He didn't want to compromise.
So, Charlie knew that maybe his life was about to be ruined—ruined by that damn, stupid principle of his.
Under such circumstances, the colonel chose suicide because he felt life held no more hope. But wasn't Charlie feeling the same? In fact, in this incident, Charlie's insistence on his principles was also leading him step by step toward a deep abyss. Although being expelled from school isn't the literal end of life for a young man, for a poor student who's determined to go to Harvard and change his destiny through knowledge, it indeed felt no different from suicide, because it was as if he were personally strangling his own dreams.
What kind of feeling was that? On one hand, Charlie knew it wasn't worth sacrificing his future for a few rich kids, because they wouldn't thank him. With their family's help, they could still rise easily. Even if punished or expelled, it wouldn't affect them. But Charlie was different. On the other hand, he didn't want to betray his principles—he couldn't betray his friends, even if he himself felt that his insistence was meaningless. He still wanted to stick to it.
How tangled this feeling must be.
Suddenly, Hugo thought of his own life. The prospects for underground rock bands were so dim—he had known that back in school. Although they were amateur music lovers, they also knew that China's rock scene had risen quickly in the late '90s and then declined just as fast. Underground bands had almost no future. To put it bluntly, they could barely feed themselves, let alone eat three proper meals a day. But even knowing that, the "Death Or Glory" band still pursued their dream without hesitation. In their own words, they were "courting death," but even so, those ten years of life were both painful and joyful.
Perhaps that was what principle was not willing to compromise with reality.
Suddenly, Hugo understood.
What touched the colonel about Charlie was his integrity and kindness, and also that he wouldn't give up his principles even under the pressure of authority. This purity, for the colonel, was like a long-lost sunlight in the darkness. Even though the colonel was blind, he could still feel that light deep in his heart.
So what exactly was Charlie feeling in this conflict? He couldn't accept surrendering without a fight. He couldn't accept giving up on life. He couldn't accept betraying his principles. In his eyes, even if he suffered setbacks or failed in life, he could still start again as long as he was willing he could start again anytime, anywhere. But once he gave up, there would be no turning back, and he might regret it for the rest of his life.
This was Charlie's own belief and principle—even if there was confusion, even if there was hesitation, even if there was uncertainty, in the end, he still wouldn't change, because he didn't want to and couldn't.
At the same time, he found it even harder to accept the colonel's decision to give up. In his eyes, the colonel was stubborn and strong-willed. Most importantly, the colonel was a soldier—a soldier who had won countless honors and lived through a magnificent life. Such a colonel would never give up, because that was his honor, his dignity, and most importantly, his principle.
Therefore, Charlie's emotions toward the colonel were both complex and unwavering. He believed that the colonel's choice to commit suicide was a shameful surrender, and he didn't want to see the colonel's fate end in such a way not just because of his own integrity and kindness, but also out of his admiration for the colonel.
It was precisely because of Charlie's feelings that he, despite being at a disadvantage, endured through the colonel's storm-like outburst and ultimately succeeded in talking him out of suicide.
Realizing this, Hugo's eyes suddenly lit up. "Let's try again!" When Hugo looked up, he saw the eager looks on Al and Martin's faces. And it wasn't just them many of the crew members nearby had also turned their eyes toward Hugo. Apparently, while Hugo had been lost in thought just now, everyone had been waiting.
It wasn't just about their commitment to the job; curiosity was also at play. Could Hugo—the man who'd won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor really deliver a brilliant performance opposite a seasoned actor like Al?
Martin glanced at Hugo again. It wasn't that he didn't trust him it's just that this scene was the hardest challenge Hugo faced in the entire film. Of course, it was also the most spectacular. The previous seven takes had all failed to help Hugo find the right state, so Martin had good reason to be concerned about this one.
But unexpectedly, Hugo responded with a firm gaze. This affirmation was something Martin hadn't seen from Hugo before. The energy radiating from those amber eyes unexpectedly calmed Martin's heart.
Hugo stood up again and walked to Al. "Sorry about earlier. This time, I'll give it my all." Al didn't say anything; he just patted Hugo on the shoulder. He was older now, and such an emotionally intense scene was also physically demanding for him nothing about this was easy.
At this moment, the stagehand had already called in the crew members who had gone out for a smoke, announcing that shooting was about to resume. After re-entering, the crew members didn't say anything, nor did they look at Hugo with sarcasm or disdain. They just laughed and chatted softly as they returned to their posts, as if Hugo about to step back into filming wasn't worth mentioning. What did this imply? It meant the crew had no confidence in Hugo. They didn't believe that in such a short time, his acting skills could dramatically improve. Perhaps this scene would still have to rely entirely on Al to carry it through.
Faced with this kind of attitude from the crew, Hugo couldn't blame them. If he stood in their shoes, he'd probably feel the same way. But just because he understood didn't mean he would give up. He knew that when dealing with such dismissiveness, actions spoke louder than words. No matter how impressive a promise sounded, if the upcoming performance was still terrible, it would only make things worse for him. A thousand words couldn't compare to one spectacular performance.
So, Hugo didn't say anything—but his fists clenched unconsciously, silently cheering himself on.
Before reaching the shooting position, Hugo spotted Joseph in the crowd. Joseph stood with his arms crossed, like a statue, silently observing the scene. He didn't criticize Hugo, nor did he show worry or offer encouragement. He just quietly paid attention to Hugo's state. When he noticed Hugo looking at him, Joseph only gave a slight nod nothing more.
But Hugo knew Joseph was concerned about him. The fact that he stood there without moving, watching the filming, was the greatest support he could give. Hugo gritted his teeth, adjusted his breathing, bounced slightly on his feet, and calmed himself down—shutting out everyone else's gaze and focusing all his energy on the upcoming shoot.
Without any extra actions, Hugo returned with Al to the spot designated by the stagehand, waiting for Martin's call of "Action!" to dive back into the scene.
.....
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