Chapter 316
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 316
Chapter Title: Life is All About Timing
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“A pleasure to meet you, Garrett.”
The head of Bearround's planning team shook hands with Davis Garrett. Then, after greeting a slightly nervous Director Jeffrey, Davis Garrett smiled and sat down across from them.
The three of them made some light small talk before diving into the main topic. The planning team head handed a script to Davis Garrett.
Davis tilted his head.
“I've read the script you sent... Have there been any revisions?”
“Yes. A few.”
At Director Jeffrey's words, Davis nodded and quickly scanned the script.
It seemed someone had marked it in advance, as lines highlighted in yellow fluorescent pen were visible here and there. It was surely no coincidence that most of the highlighted lines belonged to the role offered to him.
Davis said with a smile.
“You must have heard the rumors about me. I suppose Bearround probably mentioned it.”
Director Jeffrey Rodox nodded, his face a little tense.
The planning team head said to Davis.
“Please, take your time and read it.”
“Alright. Give me a moment.”
Davis Garrett returned to the first page and began reading, focusing on the revised sections. The sound of pages flipping filled the meeting room.
The tense atmosphere in the room made Director Jeffrey's hands tremble, while the planning team head moistened his throat with coffee.
Davis Garrett was known as one of the most difficult actors to work with.
While Evan Block, the lead of *Shadowman*, focused on the script to grasp the director's vision, researching thoroughly to deliver his lines without a single error and act in a way that fit the script, Davis Garrett, the lead of *Red Bone*, delved into the character even more deeply than the director, researching exhaustively to…
*…force a complete rewrite of the script.*
Seeing the faint smile on Davis's face as he read the script, the planning team head let out a tense sigh internally. It seemed like a good sign, but he couldn't let his guard down.
If Evan Block was a thorough script analyst, Davis Garrett was an improvisational actor.
While Evan Block planned his every minute movement to the point of earning the nickname "The Analyst," Davis Garrett delivered a method performance, completely becoming the character.
*I heard he struggled with that in the past.*
The deeper one goes with method acting, the harder it is to come out.
There were actors who couldn't escape their roles and met tragic ends, and others who, aware of the dangers, avoided method acting altogether.
*But Davis Garrett has been quite successful with his acting.*
He doesn't go too deep.
He finds a similar facet within himself and builds the character around that personality.
For example, the way one feels toward family is bound to be different from the way one feels toward a stranger.
For a kind and sincere character, he treats other roles as he would his family. For an edgy and wary character, he treats them as he would a stranger.
Because it's an exaggeration of his own personality, it comes across as genuine without him delving too deep, making it easy to shed the role afterward.
The coffee the planning team head was drinking slowly diminished.
When filming, Davis Garrett often delivered lines that weren't in the script. This was because he believed the character he envisioned would say something different from what was written.
*But since he's always right, directors can't do anything about it.*
*Red Bone 1*, which created a box office history for Marine Company, was the result of that.
*They said the entire script was overhauled, didn't they?*
I heard it was faster to find the lines that survived from the original script.
As the planning team head of a production company, it was a terrifying story.
Do the new lines fit the plot? Will the ad-libs change the story and affect the planned schedule and prepared locations? How much more investment will be needed for the extended filming period?
Thinking of the chain of problems that would arise, the planning team head unconsciously held back a sigh.
*I hope Garrett likes the revised script…*
*Red Bone 2*, which had been postponed due to Davis Garrett's accident.
Its script was said to have been only half-revised. That was thanks to them grasping the character's personality as envisioned by Davis Garrett during *Red Bone 1*.
*That's one of the advantages of a series.*
You can develop the story for parts 2 and 3 based on the character's personality established in part 1 without needing additional explanation.
But this movie was a standalone film.
The planning team head glanced sideways. Having worked hard to revise the script upon hearing that Davis Garrett was interested, Director Jeffrey's face now looked almost completely white.
He recalled Director Jeffrey saying that he had carefully revised it after studying the characters Davis Garrett had played, but he wasn't sure if it was the right answer.
*It would be great if the director could control him well.*
Davis Garrett's improvisational acting forces even the director who created the work to nod in agreement at a character interpretation superior to their own. They said the footage of Davis Garrett acting as he pleased was so good that they had to use it, even if it was frustrating.
*Not that everyone likes it, though.*
Who would want the work they painstakingly created to be changed?
At least for works like superhero movies, which have a writing 'team' incorporating many people's ideas, it might be accepted more flexibly. But for directors or writers who cherish every single line and stage direction, Davis Garrett was not a welcome type of actor.
That's why people sometimes said their work was 'stolen' from them.
*I wonder how Director Jeffrey will be?*
Watching the actor read the revised script without seeming to breathe, Director Jeffrey looked like the type to just say "yes, yes" and go along with things on set.
The planning team head's feelings were complicated.
Bearround's biggest goal was box office success.
Since the company's finances weren't great, they didn't want to lose Davis Garrett, who had significant ticket power.
But they also didn't want to lose Director Jeffrey, who had written a work that Davis Garrett liked.
*He won't sell the script, though…*
That was the first and last time he had seen the meek Director Jeffrey take such a firm stance.
Whether the script was overhauled according to Davis Garrett's ideas or proceeded as Director Jeffrey wrote it, the planning team head just hoped filming would conclude without any trouble between the actor and the director.
“This is good.”
Davis Garrett said, closing the screenplay.
It was a positive response, but the planning team head and Director Jeffrey didn't let their guard down. Rumor had it that Davis Garrett had also said "This is good" when he first saw the script for *Red Bone 1*, which was later 'completely' overhauled.
“Thank you.”
“Shall we look at the contract, then?”
The planning team head and Director Jeffrey nodded at Davis Garrett's words.
A while back.
Having once had a major dispute with a director who loved his script (it almost went to court) over screenplay revisions, Davis Garrett had since made sure to include a clause about 'ad-libs and screenplay revisions' in his contracts.
Davis Garrett, the planning team head, and Director Jeffrey all put their heads together to draft the contract.
Davis Garrett's demands and Director Jeffrey's demands were added to Bearround's standard contract template.
Director Jeffrey's demands were ordinary.
He was to get his body in shape for the role by the filming date. Davis Garrett stroked his chin and smiled at the detailed physical specifications.
“This will be some work.”
But for a Hollywood actor, it was a familiar clause.
Now, the contract would be finalized after being reviewed and amended by Davis Garrett's agency and Bearround.
The tense meeting finally came to an end.
The planning team head relaxed his stiff neck muscles, and Director Jeffrey leaned back in his chair. Davis Garrett, who was scanning the character descriptions at the beginning of the screenplay, spoke to the slightly melted-looking Director Jeffrey.
“Director. Has this role been cast yet?”
At Davis Garrett's question, Director Jeffrey tensed up again as he replied. The planning team head, who was reviewing the contract one more time, also looked up.
“No. Not yet.”
“We plan to hold auditions for that role.”
The planning team head's words made Davis Garrett smile.
“In that case, may I recommend an actor?”
“...Pardon?”
“I'm sure you'll like him, Director.”
The Bearround planning team head and Director Jeffrey blinked.
Thinking of the child actor he had always wanted to work with—young in age, but with acting skills that overwhelmed adult actors—Davis Garrett smiled warmly.
***
“An independent film...”
A request came into Cocoa Entertainment's dedicated team for actor Lee Seojun: he wanted to do an independent film. As his dedicated team, if the actor wanted something, they had to make it happen.
Team 2 immediately got to work.
They looked into whether there were any events like screenings by film departments, checked for announcements about independent film productions, and paid close attention to independent film festivals.
As the end of the year approached, independent film festivals were being held in places like Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon, leading to an increase in people making indie films. Consequently, the number of productions looking for actors also grew.
“We spent all that time looking for plays, so this isn't completely daunting.”
Just like with the play 'The Mirror,' they not only had to find good projects but also satisfy the 'genre' requirement.
At that, the Team 2 staff members wore strange expressions.
“But in the end, we didn't find that one. Seojun found the book, adapted it, and put it on stage himself.”
“It was an idea we never could have imagined.”
It was the first time the saying "If it doesn't exist, make it" had felt so real.
“I wonder if he'll do it again this time...”
No one could say the possibility was zero in response to the employee's mumbling, so they all fell silent.
“Still, we have to do what we can. We can't exactly expand our search to include books and works from other genres.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let's get to work!“
“Yes!“
It was only a few hours later that An Daho contacted the fired-up Team 2, who were determined to find a good independent film for their actor.
***
“For today, I brought a mix of genres. Starting tomorrow, I'll bring independent film screenplays.”
“Okay!“
Seojun sat down and pulled a synopsis from the box An Daho had brought. An Daho sat across from Seojun and turned on his laptop.
The first synopsis was for a drama.
Seojun read the plot summary and the character descriptions. He read the director's and writer's filmographies, which Team 2 had compiled, and recalled some of the dramas he had seen.
First, the writer.
This writer's latest work had unfortunately started strong but ended with a whimper. It had started falling apart quite early on, too. Of course, the writer might have had their reasons, but looking at this synopsis, the character development seemed weak compared to the plot, suggesting the writer's skills weren't top-notch.
And the director.
Recalling their previous dramas, the directing wasn't bad, but it didn't seem like a good fit for this particular project. The main focus was on the conflict between characters, but the director's past work hadn't captured such subtle details.
*Of course, their skills could have improved since then…*
But even for Seojun, figuring that out was impossible.
Seojun set the first synopsis aside and picked up the next one. Meanwhile, An Daho was on his laptop, researching independent films.
With independent film directors, there was little information available about their personalities, filming styles, or how they treated actors, which made the research much harder than for commercial film directors.
*They probably wouldn't treat Seojun poorly…*
But no one knew what they might say behind his back. There weren't always good people out there, so Team 2 had to provide even more thorough support.
Time passed like that.
“Ummm...”
At the sound of Seojun's voice, An Daho, who had been staring at his laptop screen, looked up.
He saw Seojun clutching a script, glancing between it and him, looking hesitant. An Daho blinked at this unfamiliar side of Seojun.
“What's wrong, Seojun?”
“Um. Well, Daho hyung...”
This wasn't like Seojun, who would unhesitatingly say "I want to do this" or "I want to do that" whenever he found a project he liked. Seojun, his eyes darting around, gave an awkward laugh and said.
“...I think we can put the independent film search on hold.”
“Huh?”
Seojun, who was going back on his request for an independent film after just one day, also seemed embarrassed. He avoided An Daho's blinking gaze and looked down at the script in his hands.
A script written in English.
It was a commercial film screenplay that he would have missed if he'd seen it just one day later, buried under the indie film scripts.
Moreover, the production company was a major one, so filming would have proceeded without him. He might have seen the script later and stomped his feet in regret.
*Well, there are probably other projects I've missed out on like that…*
And Team 2 might find a better independent film than this one, but,
Life is all about timing.
Seojun had already fallen completely in love with this script.
Seojun hugged the script he might have missed by a single day, as if afraid it would disappear, and looked up at An Daho with pleading eyes.
“I... I want to do this one.”
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