Chapter 589: The Fusion of History and Art

It was an ordinary Monday morning when several cars arrived one after another at the Wave Manor. The security personnel at the gate, recognizing the license plates and the drivers, opened the gates without inquiry, allowing the cars to enter the manor. A Bentley, an Acura, a Lamborghini, and a Rolls-Royce, as if pre-arranged, parked in the lot in front of the white villa.

Robert Downey Jr. was the first to step out of the Acura and head towards the villa's entrance. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and James Franco also exited their cars and followed.

By the time they reached the villa's entrance, Gal Gadot, notified by the guard, was already waiting there.

"What brings you all here?" Gal Gadot looked at the four men in surprise. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"We haven't," Robert Downey Jr. said, taking off his sunglasses.

"Perfect timing," Jonah Hill said casually. "You haven't had breakfast yet either, right?"

Seeing Gal Gadot nod, he added, "Great, let's have breakfast together."

Gal Gadot turned to the butler and gave instructions before inviting the group in. "Come on, let's head to the dining room."

The group followed her inside without hesitation.

"Where's Murphy?" James Franco asked curiously. "Is he still not up yet?"

Gal Gadot opened the dining room door, and after everyone had entered, she said, "Feel free to sit anywhere. When you arrived, Murphy was working out in the back. He's taking a shower now and will be down shortly."

Robert Downey Jr. pulled out a chair and sat on the left side of the long dining table. "After all these years, Murphy still keeps up his early morning workout routine?"

"Not as much as before," Gal Gadot said as she poured water for everyone. "He has more time now since his work isn't as hectic. But when he gets busy..."

She shook her head.

Everyone knew that Murphy's success was not only due to his talent but also his relentless effort and discipline.

They chatted for a while until the servants brought in breakfast. Just as the food was being served, Murphy walked into the dining room.

"You guys are early," Murphy remarked as he joined them, sitting next to Gal Gadot. After taking a sip of milk, he asked, "What's up?"

"We heard your breakfast is pretty good," James Franco said, biting into some bread. "We decided to come over for a free meal."

Murphy didn't buy it. "My breakfast is mostly vegetarian. You guys are interested in that?"

"Vegetarian is fine," Seth Rogen said, looking at his growing belly. "It's good for dieting."

Robert Downey Jr. seemed less hungry, setting down his utensils. "Murphy, we're here for a reason."

"Go ahead," Murphy said without looking up. "When did you guys ever stand on ceremony with me?"

"Your new project..." Robert Downey Jr. said directly. "We all want to join."

James Franco added, "We can all be a part of it."

"Any comedic roles?" Jonah Hill widened his eyes. "Those are my specialty. If there's such a role and you don't give it to me, that's not fair."

Seth Rogen adjusted his glasses. "If there aren't suitable roles, I can be your assistant director. My post-production work is almost done."

"You guys..." Murphy shook his head, half-jokingly saying, "I can't afford your salaries."

The entire project's estimated budget was only $25 million, which wouldn't be enough to pay the four of them their usual fees.

Robert Downey Jr. looked serious. "We've discussed it, and each of us will take a symbolic fee of $100,000."

Murphy was about to respond, but James Franco interjected, "We all know you're making this film not for money or profit, but for friendship and commitment."

Jonah Hill chimed in, "We're friends. We're brothers. We're willing to do this!"

"Don't you remember?" Seth Rogen said in his deep voice. "We once said, 'All for one, one for all!'"

Hearing this, Gal Gadot glanced at Robert Downey Jr., James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill. Their bond with Murphy was deeper than she had imagined.

Especially the phrase from the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan—something ordinary friends wouldn't do.

Working with familiar people was certainly better than hiring actors temporarily. Murphy, being decisive, quickly made up his mind. "Alright! With you guys, I feel more confident."

"Murphy, I want to play Ross!" Robert Downey Jr. said earnestly. "This is Ross's story, and the actor needs to understand him well. No one is more suitable than me."

Gal Gadot glanced at Murphy, who was frowning in thought.

Indeed, Robert Downey Jr. understood Ross better, and with Ross currently serving in California State Prison, communicating with the actor was challenging. Hiring an actor unfamiliar with Ross posed significant risks.

From this perspective, Robert Downey Jr. was the most suitable choice.

However, Murphy had some concerns. Ross was a typical Latino, whereas Robert Downey Jr. was not. Ross was tall and burly, while Robert Downey Jr. was noticeably shorter.

But these concerns were trivial for modern filmmaking. Makeup and filming techniques could resolve them.

"I think it can work," Murphy said, turning to Gal Gadot. "Discuss it with Carla Faith."

Then, he instructed the butler, "Go to my study and photocopy the script titled 'Diego Ross' on the first shelf on the left."

As the butler left, Murphy turned back to the group. "Each of you will get a copy of the script. Seth, there are no main roles suitable for you. You will be the first assistant director. I'll send the project plan to your email later."

"Alright," Seth Rogen nodded.

After breakfast, Murphy handed each person a copy of the script and gave specific instructions. Robert Downey Jr. and the others then left to begin their preparations for the project.

Gal Gadot also drove out to meet with Carla Faith at 20th Century Fox. Meanwhile, Murphy retreated to his study. Having confirmed Robert Downey Jr. as the lead actor to portray their friend Diego Ross, he needed to prepare detailed character notes from an actor's perspective.

Screenwriters tend to simplify the story logic, leading to designs like "Because of A, therefore B." However, when actors see the script, they think and feel the character from more dimensions, asking detailed questions—what kind of family the character has, hobbies, mannerisms, speech patterns, romantic history, friendships...

Although Robert Downey Jr. had a certain understanding of Ross, it was far from Murphy's knowledge. Murphy planned to attach more detailed basic information about Ross to the character script.

These details had already been compiled into a simple character biography by Murphy.

A character script should help actors fully "immerse" themselves in the role, experiencing every nuanced emotion, and naturally requires understanding every aspect of the character.

This is where the character biography comes in handy. Although many details might not be included in the script, they help actors complete their understanding of the character.

For instance, many people watching biographical films pay attention to the character's subtle actions—

"Why does he cross his legs?"

"Why does he stand so straight?"

"Why does he smile first and then slap?"

These actions are not randomly added but often come from the character's real-life habits.

Having sorted out the character biography, Murphy also considered the character relationships. Since Robert Downey Jr. would be playing Ross, all the interactions between him and the other characters had to be accurately depicted, ensuring nothing from real life that didn't belong in the film would be included. According to the script, it ended when Ross first entered prison, before he met the others.

One crucial point that Murphy paid special attention to in every script creation stage was the protagonist's agency. A passive protagonist is a fatal flaw. If they are always manipulated and become a mere pawn, it severely damages the character.

Murphy couldn't deny that Ross had faced many injustices, but ultimately, it was Ross's own choice to walk this path.

With the script nearing its final version, Murphy needed to ensure one last thing—the decisions made by the characters in the story had to be faithful to their personalities.

Including Murphy, most Hollywood screenwriters like to calculate the rhythm: a misunderstanding here, reconciliation there, and comedy elsewhere. Consequently, the characters get dragged by the plot, crying when needed, laughing when necessary, losing their consistent personality and emotions.

This would turn the film into a common Hollywood commercial movie, rather than the biographical film Murphy intended.

Finally, Murphy wrote a bold line on the cover of his script for personal reference—A biographical film should be an "organic combination of history and art!"

With the script finalized, Gal Gadot successfully negotiated the investment, preparation, production, and distribution terms with 20th Century Fox. Murphy then assembled his team to make final preparations for the film's shooting.

Before this, Murphy had directed biographical films like *The Wolf of Wall Street*, but Jordan Belfort was different from Ross. At that time, he made films with more commercial considerations. Ross's film had relatively fewer commercial elements, so Murphy considered the theme and other aspects more carefully.

Sometimes, overthinking can lead to creating problems for oneself.

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