Showing one's true feelings

"Why was your wife so special?" The doctor's voice seemed to have lowered due to Sam's infectious mood.

Sam paused for a moment and calmly asked, "How long is your program?" Just this sentence alone brought tears to one's eyes uncontrollably. Only those who have truly loved someone understand the meaning behind Sam's words because in Sam's heart, his wife was perfect. Her charm was endless, far beyond what a short radio program could contain.

Sam took a long breath as if trying to shake off the heaviness in his heart. "It was a million little things. When you added them up, it meant we were meant for each other." In Sam's deep eyes, one could faintly see the radiance of those memories, the rainbow-like glow filled with happiness. "I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home, only to no home I'd ever known."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Sam's mouth, different from the heavy smile earlier. "I was just taking her hand, to help her out of a car... and I knew it." The smile on Sam's lips bloomed like fireworks, proudly flourishing and then disappearing without a trace. He whispered, "It was... like magic."

After saying that, Sam sat there, motionless, as if the reflection of memories could be seen in his amber eyes. He vaguely saw his first date with Maggie, then politely extending his right hand to help her out of the car, and then Sam froze. Fireworks began to burst in his mind.

These beautiful memories flashed in Sam's eyes and quietly extinguished, erasing all the smiles from his face. The doctor's voice continued, "It's time to wrap it up. I'm Dr. Marcia Fieldstone. To all my listeners, a magical and Merry Christmas." But Sam held the phone receiver, stunned, unable to utter a word. "And Sleepless in Seattle, call and tell us how it's going."

Finally, Sam came back to his senses. "You can count on it." That faint humor and sarcasm surfaced again. Then he slowly bent down, careful not to wake up Jonah, who was asleep on his thigh and put the phone receiver back on the landline.

Sam lowered his gaze and looked at the phone with a lonely expression, his gaze finally falling on his son, staring deeply.

"Cut!" Nora shouted excitedly, "That was amazing, Hugo! This performance was truly amazing!" Nora expressed her joy with her whole body, almost jumping up directly. But she noticed that no one in the room responded. She turned around and saw many people hurriedly wiping tears from the corners of their eyes. Not only female staff members but also some male staff members were avoiding her gaze in a fluster. The entire crew was immersed in a heavy atmosphere.

Nora knew that it was because Hugo's performance had touched everyone deeply, hitting their hearts in the most direct way. It was not only because of their own expectations of a beautiful love but also because Hugo portrayed Sam's yearning and remembrance for his deceased wife. That heavy emotion weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. Perhaps there were many terrible things happening in society, and maybe love seemed less important, but it couldn't be denied that true love still existed in the world. Perhaps real love was not just about committing to each other until death, but also about leaving an unforgettable mark on someone's life.

At first glance, Hugo's performance seemed effortless, but only those who truly watched the entire process knew that he infused it with delicate and sincere details. It was these details that made the scene feel real and struck directly at people's hearts.

"Hey, anyone willing to go on a date with Sam?" Nora teased cheerfully, and she saw that there were actually over a dozen people in the audience who raised their hands. Nora couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Earl, what are you joining in for?"

"Because I love Hugo!" Earl, a male crew member, said indignantly. His words made many people in the audience laugh lightly, breaking the heavy atmosphere that had just hung over the place.

Nora turned around and looked at Hugo. At this moment, she not only had no regrets about her decision, but she also felt that it was extremely wise. Hugo's acting talent displayed during the performance truly impressed her, and what was even more remarkable was the exceptional power of influence he demonstrated. It could be seen from the courtroom debate scene in "A Few Good Men" before, and today's delicate emotional release was even more captivating.

In comparison, the so-called concerns surrounding Hugo's reputation as a diva were simply not an issue. Nora knew that the media currently had no confidence in the future of the film "Sleepless in Seattle", but for Nora, after shooting this scene, she firmly believed that the film would be successful!

"Hugo, we still need to shoot a few more scenes. Can you do it?" Nora spoke to Hugo, who was still in a somewhat low mood. Nora thought that Hugo hadn't completely stepped out of the character, so she didn't think much of it.

Hugo paused for a moment and nodded at Nora. "Do we need to reshoot the previous scene?"

"No, absolutely not," Nora said happily, a smile appearing on her face that hadn't been seen during the two previous auditions. "Your performance was excellent, almost perfect!" Nora paused for a moment and continued, "Of course, unless you believe you can deliver an even more brilliant performance?"

Hugo was amused by Nora's banter and smirked but couldn't quite manage to smile. "Then that's even better." He didn't think he could deliver a more outstanding performance. Although the previous scene had only a few lines, it had consumed almost all of Hugo's energy. He couldn't imagine reenacting it completely.

The shooting quickly resumed, and Hugo forced himself to focus and complete all the additional shots. Finally, Nora nodded in satisfaction, declaring the end of this scene.

"Well, it's supper time now," the production assistant announced cheerfully. "Thanks to Hugo for covering all the expenses for supper." All the crew members looked around for Hugo's figure, intending to express their gratitude, but no one saw him.

Joseph stepped forward and hurriedly explained, "Hugo carried Ross upstairs to rest. You can go ahead and eat, just remember to save some for Hugo." His words calmed the crew members. Joseph glanced upstairs, but in the end, he retracted his gaze and didn't follow. Perhaps Hugo needed some quiet time alone.

After placing Ross on the bed and covering him with a blanket, Hugo entered the adjacent room and stood by the window, gazing blankly at the calm Washington Lake outside.

The scene he had just performed was an unprecedented experience for Hugo. During the filming process, he often couldn't distinguish between reality and the scenes. The lines seemed to be etched in Hugo's mind, requiring no conscious effort to deliver them. Acting itself was a peculiar state. Hugo sometimes felt like Sam was speaking, and other times it felt like he was speaking himself. The inner torment and anguish constantly alternated and tumbled within him, leaving Hugo in a blurred boundary, his mind in chaos.

Memories in his mind began to intertwine. His own memories merged with the memories he had constructed for Sam, making it difficult for Hugo to distinguish himself from Sam. This weighed heavily on Hugo's heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

This feeling was both strange and terrible.

The strangeness lay in the fact that Hugo finally understood the meaning behind Jack Nicholson's words. An actor's emotions were the foundation of understanding a character because human emotions were universal. However, the differences in an actor's emotional experiences also led to differences in their understanding of a character. An actor who had never experienced emotional pain would not truly understand the emotions of betrayal, just as an actor who had never been in love would not be able to portray the carefree and libertine nature of a playboy. Although this was not absolute, it was generally the case.

If an actor could incorporate their own emotions, experiences, and understanding into the character, their performance would carry their own unique characteristics and become more profound and vivid. This applied to both tragedy and comedy, making the actor's portrayal come alive on the big screen.

Hugo had experienced this state sporadically during the filming of "Scent of a Woman" and "A Few Good Men", but it had never been so clear until today's scene. It allowed Hugo to deeply appreciate another level of acting skills, but at the same time, it subjected him to heart-wrenching pain.

Hugo didn't have the time to savor this new insight into acting because his emotions were completely consumed by the emotions of Sam and his own. He couldn't extricate himself. If the shooting continued for a while longer, Hugo didn't know if he would break down in front of the camera. It wasn't just about getting too deeply immersed in the role; it was also about self-identification. Hugo couldn't distinguish clearly between his own thoughts in his mind, whether they were Sam's experiences or his own story. The combination of these two negative emotions overwhelmed Hugo, and he couldn't break free.

Hugo had to leave the crowd; otherwise, he didn't know what he might do. Although, according to Sam's character and his own character, nothing would happen, Hugo didn't want to take that risk. He also didn't want to expose his vulnerability to others.

Hugo had thought that Uma's departure no longer affected him, that he had accepted this fact. But at this moment, the tumultuous pain and doubt surged once again. Thoughts of Sam mixed with thoughts of himself, disrupting Hugo's mind.

Why did things turn out this way? Why was the person he deeply loved so distant? Why was his trust not reciprocated? Why did what he thought would last forever end up leaving him alone? Why was the other person unwilling even to make an effort? Why, why, why... Hugo felt like he was being engulfed by countless "whys". The "whys" about Sam, the "whys" about himself, one after another, swarmed him. He was like a drowning man, reaching out his hand to grab a lifebuoy, only to find emptiness around him.