Muse

Spacey's question stunned Theron for a moment, "Is there a difference?"

"Of course there is. Top stars don't necessarily need to be able to act, but they must be stars. They have exposure and fans and can cause screams and cheers wherever they go. They are highly anticipated and earn a lot of money. They are everywhere in the media. Their news will be popularized, from when they make movies and sing to whether they wear shirts when they walk around their homes. This is the star. And the top actors, many of them are big stars, but there are also some more miserable ones who can only act as bald killers, prostitutes, and other characters. For example, I am a top actor, but for those big stars, I can only express jealousy, oh, crazy jealousy."

Spacey's self-deprecating, boastful, and exaggerated actions swept away Theron's depression, and in the laughter, she also saw Spacey's solemn eyes, and she knew that this question was not a joke but a very serious problem.

She didn't know why Spacey asked this question, but Spacey's question obviously had a deep meaning.

"Charlie, inaccurate positioning of yourself is the enemy of a person's success. You are in all kinds of distress now because you have not accurately positioned yourself. You have to know what kind of person you want to be. Do you want to be a big celebrity? Then, you should pay more attention to shaping your own image: find more gossip for yourself, participate in more public events, pay attention to fashion trends in your clothing taste, find someone famous for your boyfriend, and cooperate to enhance each other's reputation... and then you're a star."

"Can I be a star?"

"Why can't you? You have the most important things to be a star. You have the beauty. You have the fashion sense. If you want to have a boyfriend, you can have it immediately." Spacey's words made Theron laugh, these words are considered jokes, but they are indeed true. Theron is young and beautiful and knows fashion. These things don't mean much to an actor but are very important to a star.

"It's not that difficult to become a star, and your conditions can be easily met." Spacey continued, "But, do you want to live such a life yourself?"

Spacey's question made Theron stunned for a while. She didn't know what to say. When she came to Hollywood, she was aiming at star fame and life, but when she was taking various acting classes and learning acting skills, she also began to want to be a good actor.

All along, Theron has had things she never said to anyone. As for being an actor, she may not like it as much as she imagined, but since she chose this industry, this is the direction she has always been working hard.

To be a star or an actor? There was little hesitation in Theron's view: both, of course. Others' love and respect, why can't she want them all? Give up something? Abandoning the word was never one of Theron's favorites.

But what does Spacey say about this?

"Your reason for coming, I can guess some: the life of an actor is not the same as you imagined. You feel wronged and uncomfortable. Then I can tell you: if you want to become a star, then your acting skills are already good. All you need to do is to work hard to finish filming the film, and then you can leave. Find a publicist to give you an exclusive interview, get it published in magazines, shoot color pages, and then film every year to maintain the appearance rate. Your career should be fine for at least ten years. From now on, all you do is change boyfriends every day, throw parties, and you can make a lot of money.

But as an actor, you must have good enough acting skills. Acting skills are honed, not created out of thin air. As an actor, you have to hone yourself." Spacey knew Theron's expression. He said, "I understand your thoughts very well. Many actors are like this: they think that what they get is what they should have for granted, and if the director refuses to give them more things, they will be dissatisfied. Those shots, interviews, media, magazines, fans, onlookers, and staff serving you - these can easily give people the illusion that you are successful—but are you a successful actor or a successful star? They don't make the distinction. You have to know that celebrity hype is your skill, but the director's continuous honing can only improve your acting skills. Have you thought about it carefully?"

Spacey can see Theron's distress clearly: he has been an actor for more than 20 years, and he had seen a lot of the small problems that actors encountered when they first debuted. Theron is a strong and intelligent person, but she also encounters various small problems. When facing these problems, she will be confused and do wrong things under the instigation of caring people. This is not uncommon.

"I know that Mr. Levi gave me everything I have now." Theron couldn't help but say.

"But you're still dissatisfied. I know what you're thinking: you think this movie, the second movie you did, the second Nicholas made, in the audition, he chose you over any other woman, you think he appreciates you enough, so you decide that he should have a higher tolerance for you and treat you better."

"I'm not..." Theron only spoke half a sentence and couldn't go on anymore—it was impossible for her to say anymore. The other party had seen through her mind.

Would Theron be so restless if this was someone else's film? If it was someone else's film, would she grit her teeth, persevere, and never admit defeat? If it was a movie shot by someone else, why would you be dissatisfied with getting the role of a heroine, and why not be dissatisfied with the director?

Certainly not—Theron is very clear about how rare it is to have an opportunity in Hollywood, even if she tries her best, and to have such an opportunity, she will continue to work hard.

But why is she so dissatisfied with Levi? Is it really, as Spacey said, because she has higher requirements for Levi?

Maybe it is. From the first time she met him until now, he has been saying that he has very high expectations for her. He said that she would become a good actor, a top actor, but when he was filming, he refused to give her a chance to be tolerant. She obviously worked hard, but he never cared. If other directors did something like this, Theron could grit her teeth and get through it, but this is the first director in Hollywood who has shown enough favor to her, and he really treats her like this, which makes it difficult for Theron to accept.

They should have been Quentin and Uma Thurman, Woody Allen and Diane Keaton, Hitchcock and those blondes; she should be his muse. He appreciates herself, and he also always worked hard for his movies.

But Levi's attitude always seems to be dissatisfied with her. It made Theron often feel that, perhaps, in Levi's eyes, she was just an ordinary, small character who could be replaced at any time, which made her very hurt and the most difficult to let go.

People always desire more things that don't belong to them - Theron thought that the director would value her, but now she just uses herself, and this is the source of her dissatisfaction.

This kind of psychology can be forgiven when it is lurking secretly, but once it is put in front of someone, it seems a bit too ridiculous: When did Levi say that she must be his queen actor? Your own thoughts are just that, your own thoughts.

However, if these small thoughts are true, how wonderful it would be.

"Charlie, you should understand that Nicholas is strict with you, not because he doesn't like you, but because he wants you to be a better actor—a good actor can perform a good movie, he is responsible for the movie, and he is also responsible for you, responsible for your career." Seeing that Theron regretted it a bit, Spacey continued.

"But can I be an actor?" After a while, Theron said again, "Do you think I can do it?"

"Charlie, you have this potential." This time, unlike the half-joking with a smile just now, Spacey spoke seriously, "You put a lot of effort into this movie; this attitude is what an actor should have. You also have your own talent; dare to try different ways to perform and dare to add your own interpretation when performing boldly. These are all very good. You are qualified to be a good actor, don't doubt yourself. You are only 22 years old, and you are already the heroine of a movie with an investment of more than 20 million dollars. If you have no talent, will Nicholas choose you? When I was 22 years old, I only acted in a drama for the first time. Your talent is much better than mine."

Theron smiled wryly. Of course, she could hear that Spacey really comforted her, "But you must have never encountered a situation like mine, where you were scolded by the director so much that you couldn't hold your head up."

"I have been acting for thirty years, don't think that my acting career is full of success. How can such a monotonous life last for thirty years?" Spacey shook his head, "It's just that there is one biggest difference between you and me. Do you know what it is?"

Theron shook his head.

"When the director finished scolding me, I would take the initiative to find the director, find a way to calm him down, and then take the initiative to tell him what my understanding of the role is, try to communicate with him and understand my shortcomings. Then try to show the effect he wants according to what the director said. In every movie, the director has the connotation he wants to show. You must understand the director's thinking if you want to perform well enough. You have talent, and what you need is someone to channel it."

"Can the director help me?"

"As a director, if you don't even have the ability to help actors, what kind of director is it?" Spacey laughed, knowing that he had led Theron on the right path, "Nicholas can help you. I believe it is right to go and find him."

*****

Thanks and kudos for my patreons Cherif Doghri, Abdishakur Hasan, Adam LV, Danny York, haze2343, and Scott DePaepe.

You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.