"In my opinion, Charlie is an honest and kind young man. He's just a prep school student who dreams of studying at Ivy League Colleges like Harvard or Yale, and thereby starting his own life. He's elegant, gentle, full of vitality, yet also naive. He's at an age where he's just beginning to explore the world. He has some of his own ideas, but they aren't firm yet. He's in a period of fluctuation, where his outlook on life, values, and worldview are undergoing their final shaping."
At this moment, Hugo was standing in front of the four people, speaking eloquently, completely different from the nervousness he showed before entering the meeting room. It wasn't that he wasn't nervous anymore, but rather that his thorough preparation had given him enough confidence. On this topic, he could speak freely.
This version of Hugo possessed an indescribable charm—vibrant, confident, warm, yet humble and gentle. In the eyes of Ellen and the others, they couldn't help but listen attentively to Hugo's words. As for Bo Goldman, the screenwriter, his understanding of the character naturally ran deeper. His calm eyes still showed no expression, but only he knew that he was listening seriously. His ears were sharp, after all.
"Such a young man doesn't appear very remarkable on the surface. Perhaps he's just one of countless mediocre students. You couldn't even pick him out from a crowd. But I don't want to deny his excellence either. Not just because of his academic performance, but more so because of his inner kindness. That is his most outstanding trait."
Hugo poured out all of his thoughts about Charlie's character in one go. Once he finished speaking, his nervousness had already been unconsciously left behind. "If I were to show a person's kindness in thirty seconds? I don't know if helping an old person cross the street would count. Other than that, I'm powerless. If it were the role of Colonel Slade, however, that might be possible."
Ellen couldn't help but smile at Hugo's final joke. "Then do you want to try performing a line from Colonel Slade? It looks like you're prepared."
"Oh, no, no." Hugo quickly waved his hand and accidentally revealed the already somewhat tattered script in his hand. The four people before him saw it, and Hugo smiled awkwardly, then quickly hid the script behind his back again. "I don't think I can perform better than Pacino. To be precise, I don't think I can handle the role of Colonel Slade."
"Because of your age?"
"Not just age. I don't have the acting skills yet." After saying that, Hugo gave an honest smile.
"Why? Don't you think you're a good actor?" It was the director Martin who spoke. His expression had become noticeably more relaxed by now. A faint smile could even be seen in his eyes. But Hugo, fully focused on answering the audition questions, didn't notice.
"No, I don't think so," Hugo answered directly without much hesitation.
"Don't you know that if an actor doesn't have confidence in themselves, it's hard to convince others? They might even find it hard to stand in front of the camera." Martin glanced down at Hugo's resume. It detailed Hugo's path after debuting in The Diner. One project after another had become Hugo's mark, allowing Martin to make accurate judgments.
"Actors need confidence, but they also need to understand themselves well. I'm not a good actor. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me on the front page of the papers recently, would you?" At this point, the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor became a convenient cover for Hugo, masking the fact that his soul had transmigrated here. Although Hugo had been an actor for five years before this, he had never received formal acting training. He had learned entirely by watching films and studying how actors interpreted their roles. "But I'm willing to learn, because I have enough talent, and I'm willing to put in the effort to match it."
Acting skills aren't developed in a day, even for someone talented. Hugo might not be skilled enough now, but that didn't mean a year later he still wouldn't be.
After hearing Hugo's response, Martin didn't say anything more. His eyes remained on Hugo's resume. At this time, the screenwriter Bo, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "Then can I know what you've prepared for Charlie's audition?"
"In fact, I did prepare a line for the audition." Hugo's words once again gathered the four people's attention on him, which made him a bit nervous again. He took a deep breath and asked, "May I?"
Allen nodded, granting permission.
Hugo knew this was the moment to show his strength. He had to display everything he currently had. The scene Hugo prepared for the audition was the one where Charlie first enters the cabin to meet Colonel Slade. It was very short, but it highlighted Charlie's nervousness and immaturity when first encountering the irritable colonel.
"Sir?" Hugo clapped his hands as if knocking on the door. After speaking, he looked around, suddenly realizing that Joseph hadn't come in with him. God, he really was slow to react—he only just realized it. If Joseph wasn't here, who would do the lines with him? Hugo couldn't help but feel annoyed at his own foolishness. Joseph probably wasn't allowed in the meeting room, and he hadn't even noticed.
Just as Hugo was hesitating whether to play both roles himself to complete the scene, Bo's voice suddenly rang out, "Don't call me sir!" Bo was already sixty years old, and his tone was somewhat similar to Al Pacino's. Although his voice was slightly stiff and lacked acting skills, it was enough for Hugo just to have someone read the lines.
Hugo immediately relaxed a little and nervously, even stammering, said, "I—I'm sorry." Hugo deliberately avoided eye contact with the judges, looking over their heads at the messy shooting equipment in the back. His eyes darted nervously around. "I meant 'sir', Colonel."
"Oh, they brought me an idiot, didn't they?"
Such blunt words instantly made Hugo agitated and uneasy. He turned his head to glance at the door, as if wanting to leave. Nervously, he wiped the sweat from his palms on the sides of his pants. "No, sir… that, uh, this…" Hugo wanted to find someone to help because he couldn't figure out the right word to address the man. But there was no one else around. His eyes flitted in panic toward Bo-Goldman, who was helping him read lines. "Uh, lieutenant, yes, sir, Lieu—"
"Lieutenant Colonel! Twenty-six years in service, and no one has ever demoted me four ranks."
Hugo's gaze dropped involuntarily, revealing a sense of confusion and helplessness. He gently pressed his dry lips together, standing stiffly in place, not knowing what to do.
"Get in here, idiot!" Bo didn't know where Hugo's performance had ended, so he just continued reading the lines. But Hugo looked up and said with a slightly shy smile, "That's the end of my performance." Such a short performance—Hugo felt it was indeed too brief.
Unlike the last audition for A River Runs Through It, after finishing this short scene, Hugo didn't feel a rush of euphoria. But today, after performing this seemingly simple scene, he felt a faint yet distinct realization.
Acting isn't just about making expressions and reciting lines. If one can't convey the emotions behind the lines through their expressions, what is presented is nothing more than a wooden, emotionless figure. What makes a character come alive is the actor's ability to infuse lines, expressions, and body movements with life—thus painting a vivid portrait of the character.
Hugo had always known this after watching so many classic films, it wasn't all for nothing. But it wasn't until today that he truly experienced it in his own performance.
Take the scene just now, for example. Though it seemed to contain only a few simple lines, it portrayed Charlie's honesty and kindness, as well as his softness in the face of Lieutenant Colonel Slade's aggression—his inability to retaliate, his nervousness from continuous mistakes, even the urge to flee. But he stayed, driven by a sense of duty, and continued making mistakes.
This scene used the simplest approach to portray Charlie's character. That's exactly why Hugo chose this scene for his audition. Emotions like nervousness, awkwardness, and panic were already present in the audition process, so it wouldn't be difficult for Hugo to immerse himself in the scene. Judging from his performance just now, he did quite well.
"This scene lasted just thirty seconds. So why didn't you show that from the beginning?" Although Ellen had to admit that Hugo's performance was impressive, she didn't lose control. She forced herself to stay calm and continued questioning.
"Because I didn't want you to think I'm an idiot who's just here to mess around. I wanted you to know I studied this role seriously and found a scene that best showcases Charlie's character. I wanted you to recognize my effort," Hugo answered honestly, speaking his thoughts openly.
This scene wasn't actually that difficult. If Hugo had performed it right from the start, he likely would've been kicked out in under a minute, seen by Ellen and the others as lazy and insincere. But now, having explained all his thoughts and then performed this scene—capturing Charlie's character accurately—it worked as a bonus.
"Did it ever occur to you that we might've let you go before you performed that scene?" Ellen wasn't so easily swayed and continued pressing him.
Hugo gave a shy smile, but his eyes remained clear and resolute as he looked at the four people in front of him. "No, to be honest, I originally prepared another scene, about three minutes long. But once I came in, I got too nervous, and since you only gave me thirty seconds, I panicked. I thought, simply reading lines off the script wasn't going to cut it, so… I made a last-minute decision. And here we are."
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