Crank In, Part 4
"Director, what do you think?" At James Parker's question, Daniel could only blink.
Sion Lee had suddenly approached the local extras and started chatting them up. For a Hollywood superstar, this was highly unusual behavior. Generally, actors avoided mingling with the public. Part of it was the typical "celebrity disease," but it was also because their every action was treated as a commodity. It was all too common for an actor to sign an autograph out of goodwill, only to find it plastered on a restaurant wall the next day under a banner reading, "The restaurant highly praised by actor so-and-so!"
As a result, most celebrities suffered from a deep-seated distrust of people. Daniel had assumed this would be especially true for someone like Sion Lee, who was constantly hounded and torn apart by the tabloid press. Yet here Sion was, naturally drawing people in.
It was a rule-breaking move in more ways than one. Watching him, Daniel's eyes sparkled.
"It really has that indie film vibe."
"Tell me about it. Squeezing every penny because we're broke is classic indie. ...Though I never imagined our Mr. Lee, the lead actor, would do the job of a green production assistant. The more I see him, the more he seems completely different from his media image."
"Exactly. What on earth is Hollywood doing? Forcing such a great actor into those brainless performances and painting him as a terrible person."
"Well, surviving there isn't easy," James grumbled, before remembering something and continuing. "By the way, is the timing okay? I thought we had to shoot Scene 6 this afternoon."
"We're still good. And... for now, I want to trust Sion."
It was by no means a normal situation. Even so, Daniel liked this "indie" style where the actor actively intervened in the filmmaking process. Besides, the actor in question was none other than Sion Lee. Not the bratty troublemaker from the Hollywood gossip columns or cheap romance flicks, but the "real" actor Daniel had personally spoken with and watched perform.
Daniel turned to the camera crew. "Get ready to roll at a moment's notice."
Then, he walked over to where Sion was talking with the crowd.
"It's a killer movie. Everyone's going to lose their minds when they see it, don't you think?" Sion was in the middle of explaining the film to the extras gathered around him. Everyone seemed to be listening with rapt attention. Noticing Daniel's approach, Sion naturally introduced him.
"Ah, this is our director. I fell head over heels for the script when I read it."
"Ooh..."
"Is—is it really that good? Is that why Sion grew out his beard and gained weight?"
"I'm telling you, Jasmine. It's going to be a killer movie, so look forward to it. Oh, and I'll order pizza for everyone when we're done. We can fit that into the budget, right, Director?"
"Ah, of course. I'll be counting on you all today."
"I'm using a standard accent for my acting, but I'm actually from Chicago," Sion said with a playful grin, instantly winning over the locals. "I've been suffering out there with those Cali folks, but I want to show them the power of Chicago cinema."
The crowd burst into laughter. Like most Americans, Chicagoans possessed a fierce sense of civic pride. It was a city built on generations of blue-collar laborers. Though that grit had waned slightly with the shifting industrial landscape, the core sentiment remained unchanged.
"Hell yeah! They think they're the only ones who can make movies?"
"We can make them great too! Right, Director? Go win us a nice trophy somewhere!"
Sion smoothly handed the spotlight back to the director standing beside him. "Well, what should we do, Director?"
"Uh, well..."
For some reason, Daniel Summit felt his chest swell. Born and raised in Chicago, he had always thought of this city as a cold place. The wealth gap brought on by the industrial transition had turned people cynical, leaving them exhausted and drained of life. It was a city blanketed in snow, much like the street they stood on.
Yet, the people living here could still generate warmth from the smallest spark. He recalled the steam he had envisioned during the audition. Like a boiler warming up a freezing room, Sion had humbled himself to lift the mood of the set.
Faced with this newfound warmth, Daniel calmly explained the world he wanted to portray.
"You know how when you're walking down the street, there's someone you just don't want to get involved with? Someone acting subtly unpleasant... moving weirdly, like they're high on something. That kind of person is walking next to you, and while you're secretly curious, you're trying your absolute best not to look at them. ...Yes."
As he spoke, Daniel adjusted the extras' direction on the fly, realizing a better approach. Everyone pondered his words, and Sion suddenly chimed in with a suggestion.
"I think it would look natural if a few extras passed right by me. It'll give my acting more flavor too."
"Hmm, that sounds good."
"How about this friend? Her outfit is so colorful, it'll create a great contrast with how I look right now."
"M—me?" Jasmine, standing right in front of Sion, widened her eyes.
Living a below-average life but secretly believing she was one of the cool kids, this was a dream-like proposal. To have a Hollywood actor whose name she actually knew point her out was both shocking and immensely validating for the fourteen-year-old girl.
"Yes, Jasmine. You just have to walk. Easy, right?"
"Ah, ah..."
"That definitely works," Daniel agreed. "What was your name again?"
"Ja—Jasmine."
"Yes, Jasmine! I'd love for you to do it. Please make a wonderful appearance in this movie!"
With the director himself extending the invitation under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Jasmine hesitated for a moment before nodding shyly.
As filming progressed, Sion felt more and more that Swing in Chicago was a truly excellent piece of work. He had felt it when reading the script, but seeing it come to life confirmed it. It was a film that took aim directly at the dark underbelly of American society.
As the 1980s—dominated by the neoliberalism of the Reagan administration—gave way to the 90s, the social landscape was shifting rapidly. Having lost their "enemy" in the Soviet Union, Americans began focusing on the festering wounds within their own borders. It was in this context that indie films began to command attention in cinema history.
The widening wealth gap, individual psychological struggles... This wasn't a movie about an "American hero" saving the day. It was about the reality faced by ordinary Americans and the darkness that brewed within them.
Sion suspected it might be slightly ahead of its time to achieve massive commercial success, but that didn't matter.
It has a Taxi Driver or Joker vibe, but styled more like an art-house film than a commercial one... Well, leaning a bit more toward the former would make for a better balance, but this is fine.
In this industry, expanding an actor's image directly translated into new marketability.
I should focus entirely on showing my range with this project.
Sion had more than enough money. Rather than chasing immediate profit, it was wiser to play the long game and rebuild his image from the ground up.
I'll prove that there's more to me than just a pretty face, step by step.
Above all, because Sion had chosen this film out of genuine desire, just being on set was deeply satisfying.
I never thought going to work could be this enjoyable.
When he offered ideas to the director, they were respected and incorporated. Now that the scar on his face was gone, he didn't stand out physically, allowing him to use makeup and prosthetics freely. Sion was thrilled by the sensation of being able to do anything, finally freed from the limitations that had shackled him in his past life.
On a shooting holiday, Sion was at home reading his script, occasionally squirting whipped cream spray directly into his mouth. Just as he figured it was about time to wrap up, someone pounded heavily on his apartment door.
"Sion?! Sion! It's me! Daniel!"
He came in person?
Sion figured it must be urgent. He walked over and opened the door to find Daniel Summit looking as disheveled as a husband who had just been handed divorce papers.
"...Good morning?"
"It's a disaster, a disaster! Can I come in?!"
"Sure. Watch out for the empty spray cans on the floor."
"It smells incredibly sweet in here..."
"I changed my cologne," Sion replied, squishing a dollop of white cream into his mouth as he led Daniel inside. "What's going on?"
"An interview came out!" Daniel pulled a rolled-up magazine from his back pocket like a pistol and shoved it forward.
It was Behind the Scene, a California-based movie magazine that walked a tight line just short of being a tabloid.
"Oh, I heard the editor-in-chief there has been walking around in drag lately," Sion remarked, recalling a rumor Charlie had mentioned during their morning call.
Daniel looked horrified. "R—really? Is he crazy?"
"Could be. I respect it. He's a movie magazine editor, so maybe he's just a die-hard fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ...Anyway, what's in here?"
"An interview. With one of the extras we shot with..."
"That's not a big deal. Everyone does it." It was an easy way to make some pocket money, after all.
"They even published photos from the set."
"Unless we rent out the whole of Chicago, we can't stop that. These days, every household has a camera."
In the late 80s and early 90s, film camera ownership in America was at its peak. It was precisely why the yellow press was able to thrive. Sion casually flipped open the magazine and scanned the Q&A-style interview. Both the content and the interviewee were exactly who he expected.
"Up close? That's a bit harsh, Jasmine," Sion muttered.
"Oh, I like this part."
The article went on to detail the recollection of the second take with the extras, describing Sion's performance through the third, fourth, and fifth takes. The interviewee spared no detail, mixing personal impressions with blunt descriptions.
Sion felt a pang of sadness. A proper media outlet would have omitted certain details to protect a minor's privacy, but expecting that level of journalism from a gossip rag was wishful thinking.
The text was interspersed with blurry, long-distance photos of Sion on set, adding to the realism.
"W—what should we do? Won't the production company say something?"
"Why? It doesn't seem like Jasmine said anything problematic."
"Still... they might say we used local extras without non-disclosure agreements."
"Even if we had them sign, they would've coaxed the info out of them. Or should we sue her?"
"A—ah, no! I definitely don't want to do that!"
"Me neither."
"Still... it leaves a bitter taste," Daniel Summit said, letting out a hollow laugh as he recalled the shoot. "The atmosphere was so good back then. Jasmine really looked up to you. I even thought she might become an actress someday because of this. She worked so hard at the end. It was such a good memory..."
"Even when the movie ends, reality goes on," Sion offered gently. "You step out of the fantasy, return to daily life, and when reporters offer you money for an interview, it's hard to say no. And she probably did it without thinking much of it."
"It reminds me of the saying, 'Memories fade, but money remains.'"
"So we must preserve that moment forever on film. To leave behind the product that is a movie."
Hearing Sion's words, Daniel felt his heart race.
He had friends back home who often said they didn't know why they lived, that they felt their days slowly fading away. Daniel had never understood them. But in this brief exchange with Sion, he remembered why he had chosen the path of cinema.
"...It makes me think of many things."
"Like what?"
"I don't think Jasmine did the interview without thinking. She's just a normal fourteen-year-old girl who loves flashy clothes and craves attention. She probably wanted to share the memory of being with us. ...But the Hollywood media exploits even a child's heart like that."
"Doesn't the femme fatale Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit always say? 'I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.'"
"......"
Daniel fell into deep thought.
In the future, he would become a director known for his naturalistic style, dryly laying out the various facets of life on screen—a quality that would earn him high praise from European critics. But in his youth, his debut film had ended up a bleak, muddled mess.
To his young, unrefined self, this incident seemed to awaken a new perspective earlier than before, catalyzed by Sion Lee—an actor consumed by the public in so many different ways.
"Hmm..."
Leaving the brooding Daniel behind, Sion stood up to grab some drinks, chuckling to himself. Perhaps this shift in the director's perspective would elevate this relatively simple film into something far deeper and more meaningful.
We might have to put Behind the Scene in the 'Special Thanks' of the movie credits.
Still, one concern lingered in his mind.
What will Charlie say when he sees this article and finds out I gained weight and grew a beard?
Sion hadn't cleared that part with Charlie Kang at all, and he felt a sudden, slight dread.