Hugo's performance was so brilliant that even the on-site staff couldn't help but marvel—not only because this newly crowned Golden Raspberry Award Worst Actor burst forth with a stunning energy that made everyone applaud in awe, but also because Hugo amazed everyone with an extraordinarily masterful performance of using softness to overcome hardness.
In this scene, Al's performance also hit a peak, fully expressing the pain and struggle inside the colonel. Although not as deeply emotional as a few earlier scenes, this was a genre Al excelled at, allowing him to fully showcase his strengths. Facing such an Al, Hugo showed no fear and vividly portrayed Charlie's psychological transformation in front of the colonel: from absolute weakness to going all in with fierce resistance, then using the weak to defeat the strong and seizing the initiative, and finally standing equal to the colonel and achieving a reversal. This series of psychological changes was perfectly delivered by Hugo in just four short minutes.
It must be said, this face-off between Hugo and Al was absolutely jaw-dropping.
Moreover, Hugo's portrayal of Charlie was so delicate and real. The fear of death, the colonel's vulnerability, and worry about the future could all be seen clearly in those amber eyes. The slight tremble of his lips revealed youthful insecurity and fear, while his words carried a powerful determination and unwavering resolve that sparked infinite brilliance. This extreme contradiction was blended into the four-minute performance, presenting Charlie's uprightness, kindness, weakness, principles, and purity completely.
This time, Hugo's performance reflected both the impulsiveness and greenness of youth and the talent and maturity of an actor, truly making people endlessly admire him.
Facing Al, such an absolute acting powerhouse, Hugo delivered an equally brilliant performance without backing down. The two actors fully unleashed their passion, endowing their characters with boundless vitality, letting the sparks of this scene bloom like fireworks.
Martin's beaming face directly expressed his true feelings. Exhausted from the performance, Al looked at Hugo with satisfaction. Al had also gone all out just now—this was the first time since the filming of "Scent of a Woman" began that Al felt this way: the exhilaration of meeting a worthy opponent. It allowed him to let loose and fully immerse in the performance. Hugo's talent was verified in this very scene.
Those staff who five minutes earlier had doubted Hugo's ability were now all silent. They had to rub their jaws to avoid dislocating them in shock. Hugo's performance was so unreasonably amazing, so flawlessly amazing, so soul-shakingly amazing.
Golden Raspberry Award Worst Actor? What was that? That was just a public entertainment gimmick. The dazzling performance in front of them was the truth. Even though Hugo had experienced three consecutive film failures, at this moment, he still used his strength to prove that "Dead Poets Society" and all the works before it were not just flashes in the pan. Hugo's acting talent remained extremely brilliant.
Hugo, right now, used his actions to crush all doubts from the on-site staff, and they were willing to believe that when the movie was released, many people would be stunned—including the journalist Nicholas, who had just visited the set not long ago.
Those who had just complained about Hugo now looked a bit embarrassed, ashamed of their idle gossip. From the looks exchanged among colleagues, they all saw one thing: "astonishment." And quietly, they seemed to form a silent alliance. They remembered how the media and audience currently didn't believe in Hugo. Just imagining how, when "Scent of a Woman" is released, those people will face the same situation they just went through awkward, flustered, disbelieving, yet also amazed, shocked, and dumbfounded this mix of emotions was truly bittersweet. Thinking of this, the joy in these staff members' hearts blossomed uncontrollably.
But Hugo had no time to care about those people or events around him. He was seriously savoring the essence of the scene just now.
A moment ago, Hugo entered an extraordinary acting state it was like an epiphany in a wuxia novel, suddenly reaching a new realm, perfectly unleashing his strength, even attaining a height normally beyond his reach. Hugo was trying hard to recapture that feeling. Only by fully understanding it could his acting truly level up.
Unfortunately, Hugo seemed to grasp something but couldn't quite pinpoint it. Al's words—"Don't interpret acting, interpret the character"—kept echoing in his mind. A moment ago, this sentence had lit up his thoughts brilliantly, but now Hugo was racking his brain: What exactly is the essence of interpreting the character?
Every character has a story, that's for sure. Truly visionary directors can even create an elaborate backstory for a mere passerby, giving the story endless possibilities to be explored. However, to extract a highlight from a character's life, integrate it with oneself, and then express it through acting—this is not so simple.
After coming out of that epiphany-like state, Hugo felt he was infinitely close to the answer, but still separated by a thin layer of paper. This made Hugo itch with impatience. He knew that once he pierced that veil, his understanding of acting would advance to a new level, allowing him to break free from simple imitation and become a true actor. Yet he just couldn't break through that feeling was both beautiful and frustrating.
But Hugo quickly let it go. He realized that this was his first true realization in his five years of being an actor and it had happened less than a month after he transmigrated. That was truly something to celebrate. If he hadn't time-traveled, there would be no chance to be in "Scent of a Woman," nor any opportunity to act alongside Al Pacino. Then Hugo might've remained lost at the level of imitation. Now, Hugo had already caught a glimpse of the path of real acting. That was indeed worth celebrating, so there was no need for frustration.
Of course, the reason Hugo was able to move on so quickly was also because Martin didn't leave him much time to reflect. Although the previous scene was shot very smoothly, Martin still had many shots to fill in. The previous takes focused mainly on Charlie, with Al assisting as a scene partner. Now they needed to finish all of Charlie's remaining shots before filming the colonel's scenes. At that point, it would be Hugo's turn to assist Al.
Today's task was still incredibly challenging.
Although the shooting was difficult, Hugo, who had found his rhythm, clearly had control of the situation. The filming no longer had the stop-and-go awkwardness it did at the beginning of the day. Moreover, during filming, Hugo constantly pondered the feeling he had while in character.
Opportunities to act opposite Al were rare, and to shoot a scene with both complexity and explosive tension was even rarer. Hugo wanted to make the most of it.
The crew shot from morning until night. When Martin finally called it a day, Hugo still had no intention of stopping. He eagerly followed behind Al and Martin. Despite being a non-smoker, he insisted on tagging along with the two to the balcony for a chat. Some crew members originally planned to invite Hugo for dinner, but when they saw how persistently he bombarded Al with all sorts of questions, they understood he wasn't willing to waste this golden opportunity to learn. They could only admire Hugo's diligence as they packed up their gear and left the luxury suite.
Joseph looked at Hugo and couldn't deny his surprise. However, with the earlier developments, it wasn't that hard to accept. Regardless, Hugo's transformation was a good thing. If he was willing to put in the effort, Joseph believed that with his talent, Hugo would definitely carve out a place for himself in the acting world. As Hugo's agent, the weight on Joseph's shoulders was also growing heavier.
In the past year, Hugo had been dragged down by "Hudson Hawk" and a string of continuous misfortunes, leaving him in a state of despair. Consequently, Joseph had also become habitually lethargic. But Joseph knew—things were different now. He had to take initiative and pave the way for Hugo.
After this, the "Scent of a Woman" crew stayed in New York for another three days, then moved to Long Island, and afterward the main team shifted to Boston. After wrapping up there, they finally arrived in New Jersey to shoot scenes set in the prep school. In the prep school scenes, Hugo's character Charlie became the main focus and would bear the primary acting load. But after enduring the four-week-long test that preceded it, this wasn't a difficult task for Hugo anymore.
It's worth mentioning that the actor playing the important role of George in the film turned out to be Philip Seymour Hoffman. Philip was the same age as Hugo. He was a professionally trained actor, a graduate of New York University's drama program. However, he only made his big screen debut this year "Scent of a Woman" was just his third film, and all were supporting roles.
But in the future, Philip's acting career would grow steadily until he became a pillar of Hollywood. He would appear in films like "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Magnolia," and "Mission: Impossible III." Of course, the work that truly launched him to stardom was "Capote," which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. This actor could be described as a character actor, best at channeling his personal experience of life into his roles, thus making them rich with complexity and nuance.
But at this moment, the fledgling Philip hadn't yet developed such skill. His slightly restless performance was full of youthful exuberance and inexperience. His acting even felt a bit overdone, which gave Hugo a different kind of joy: watching an actor who would one day succeed in his earliest, most immature phase was truly a fascinating experience. The joy in this was no less than the pleasure of performing opposite Al.
...
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