Chapter 340: A Perfect Role**

"Catch Me If You Can" is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air among biographical films.

Typically, biographical films focus on the life of a single individual, covering long periods and numerous events. If not handled carefully, they can turn into boring essays, becoming another dull routine.

Many directors consider biographical films to be the most tedious genre, yet they're produced year after year because the old-fashioned critics at the Academy favor them.

So, when "The Social Network," a biographical film that defied conventions and the genre, was released in 2010, it caused a sensation both inside and outside the industry. However, because it was so unconventional, it also drew the disdain of the old-fashioned Academy members, leading it to lose at the Oscars the following year to the more traditional "The King's Speech"—another biographical film.

From this perspective, Steven's choice of David Fincher to direct "Catch Me If You Can" was truly a discerning one.

Although the collaboration between David Fincher and "Catch Me If You Can" didn't materialize, the film still broke the limitations of the genre nine years before "The Social Network."

Perhaps Steven's directorial style doesn't have David's sharpness and edge, but the story of "Catch Me If You Can" itself breaks the conventional mold of biographical films—

And the key lies in the character of Frank Abagnale Jr.

A series of unbelievable crimes, a colorful and tumultuous life journey, and a scarred and painful childhood—within this context, Steven keenly captured the absence of a father-son relationship in Abagnale's life and cleverly transferred it to the FBI agent pursuing Frank, ultimately transforming the biographical film into a new genre.

A crime film rooted in family relationships and the search for identity.

"Catch Me If You Can" is undoubtedly outstanding, brilliant, and full of surprises.

In fact, the film performed exceptionally well after its release, achieving great success in both box office and awards. It not only grossed impressive numbers in North America and globally but also garnered several nominations at the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

Of course, one of the key factors in the film's box office success was its two leads—

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

According to the original timeline, Leonardo eventually managed to adjust his schedule and rejoined the project, mainly because Steven was at the helm. This also contributed to the global box office success of "Catch Me If You Can."

After all, at that time, Leonardo was undoubtedly a box office superstar.

If there's a downside to the film, it's that its entertaining, popcorn-movie nature didn't leave much room for the actors to showcase their skills. As a result, neither Leonardo nor Tom had much space to shine, relying mainly on their charisma to support their characters. This meant they didn't receive much recognition for their acting during awards season.

But this shortcoming, for Anson, could actually be seen as a strength.

The reason is simple: at this stage, Anson is still learning and refining his craft. If the role required a dramatic outburst of acting, Anson might not be able to handle it. A role like this, which combines personal charm with some understanding and interpretation, is more than suitable; a character that sits between commercial appeal and artistic depth could be the perfect next step for Anson after "Spider-Man."

Moreover, there's another point—not from an objective analysis, but from Anson's own subjective perspective.

A small regret about "Catch Me If You Can" was Leonardo's performance.

When he was younger, Leonardo was a talented and gifted actor. However, after the unimaginable frenzy of "Titanic," Leonardo began to think more deeply about life, his career, and himself, which gradually changed his approach to acting.

Frank Abagnale Jr. in "Catch Me If You Can" is portrayed as a teenage prodigy, committing his first crimes at fifteen and navigating the adult world with ease by eighteen. But when Leonardo played this role, he was already twenty-seven.

Of course, at that time, Leonardo was still at the peak of his looks—perhaps even more charming with some maturity compared to the youthful innocence of his "Titanic" days. He undoubtedly shone on the big screen, but his acting had begun to grow deeper and more mannered. Even though it wasn't very noticeable at this stage, it made the young Frank appear a bit too mature and sophisticated.

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A significant reason for this was Leonardo's schedule—

Just before, he had finished filming "Gangs of New York." In this movie, he sports a full beard and slicked-back hair, playing the son of a legendary gang leader. After his father's death, he takes on the heavy responsibility of seeking revenge.

This is a role of enduring hardship and intense bitterness, marking the beginning of Leonardo's journey into a series of grim and somber characters. This eventually led him into a trap of performing in a formulaic, stereotyped manner, where the more he tried to break out of his mold, the more he seemed to overdo it.

And then, just as quickly, Leonardo seamlessly transitioned to the set of "Catch Me If You Can." He had to rapidly switch to playing a 15-year-old, which was undoubtedly challenging—more difficult than anyone could have imagined.

Deep. Crafted. Worldly.

These are qualities that shouldn't have appeared in Frank Abagnale Jr.'s character, and they became a flaw in the character portrayal, much to everyone's regret—

This is not to say that Leonardo didn't perform well, but perhaps Anson could have reinterpreted the role according to his own understanding and added different nuances.

From any angle, there was no reason for Anson to turn down "Catch Me If You Can."

Moreover, to take a step back, just the names Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were reason enough to join "Catch Me If You Can"—

No, it should be the reason to fight for a role in it.

Right now, all Anson had was an audition opportunity.

Clearly, Edgar and Anson had slightly different thoughts, but they led to the same conclusion. They both knew that when Edgar mentioned the movie's name, Anson realized they had to seize this opportunity.

So, how should they seize it?

Edgar continued to probe for information about the production, trying to gather more details. Anson didn't know why Leonardo wasn't joining the project; but he could imagine that if Steven was using Leonardo as the standard, Anson's chances were slim—

Whether it's box office appeal or personal charisma?

Anson should change his mindset a bit—not to focus on "beating Leonardo to get the role," but rather on "proving he is the right fit for Frank Abagnale Jr." and to build his audition around this theme in a comprehensive way.

But, would things really go as Anson wished?

Obviously not.

Initially, Anson thought that the next time he'd meet them might be at a dinner; or perhaps at a formal audition, where he would need to showcase the characteristics of Frank Abagnale Jr. However, he never expected that, at an unexpected place and time, Steven and Tom would show up again.

At the Dior show during the 2001 Paris Fashion Week.

"Anson," Edgar was also a bit nervous, "Steven and Tom are here, sitting in the front row. Anna is with them." 

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