Chapter 521: Romantic Poetry or Realism?

Martin's brilliance was too dazzling—no matter how outstanding someone was, they would pale in comparison beside him.

That was Leonardo's conclusion.

However, this only fueled his competitive spirit, making him determined to go head-to-head with Martin in the film through their acting.

(Martin: "Compete in acting against a succubus? You're asking for death!")

…

Evening.

Boston Hyatt Hotel.

Inside a conference room.

"Martin, which role do you want to play?" Martin Scorsese asked.

"Colin Sullivan," Martin replied without hesitation.

Scorsese was slightly surprised. He had assumed Martin would prefer Billy Costigan, the clear protagonist of the film.

Although The Departed was a dual-protagonist film, there was still a hierarchy—Billy Costigan had slightly more screen time than Colin Sullivan.

"Why this role?" Scorsese couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe because he swears more? In reality, I'm Martin Meyers—American genius, billionaire, teen idol. I don't get many chances to swear, so I want to try it out in the film."

Martin's response made Scorsese chuckle. Then, he suddenly glanced at Leonardo and thought to himself: Is he doing this for Leonardo? What a beautiful friendship!

Leonardo seemed to think the same, looking at Martin with newfound gratitude.

But in truth, Martin just really wanted to experience swearing!

(P.S.: The Departed is basically a dictionary of American profanity, which also highlights how simplistic Western curse words are—it's all just "fk" and "st" the entire way.)

Scorsese then discussed Martin's interpretation of Colin Sullivan's character. He noticed that throughout their conversation, Martin spoke in a fluent Boston accent, as if he were a native.

Their discussion eventually turned to the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs.

Martin said, "Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs carries a strong sense of romanticism—very poetic. But that style only works in the East. If you bring it to the West, it would feel out of place."

"After all, for audiences here, there's nothing mysterious about cops. Everyone knows what they're like—they're just regular folks with minimal training. They don't have amazing hand-to-hand combat skills, their shooting is mediocre—anything beyond ten meters, and they start missing. They swear constantly, act rough, love making dirty jokes, and frequently resort to violence in investigations…"

"As for gangsters, especially their bosses, they're nothing like the generals issuing orders in Infernal Affairs. They're just smart thugs—cunning, ruthless, foul-mouthed, often perverted… just as crude as the cops."

"So if we're doing a remake, it's best to go with a realistic approach instead of glorifying these people. We can't really romanticize what everyone already knows is reality."

Scorsese stared at Martin in amazement and blurted out, "Martin, do you have some kind of psychic ability? How is it that everything you just said is exactly what I was thinking?"

Martin burst into laughter. "No psychic powers—just an old saying from the East: 'Great minds think alike.' I guess that's what's happening between us, Old Marty."

"'Great minds think alike…'"

Scorsese repeated the phrase a few times, as if etching it into his memory. Then, he nodded and said, "Eastern wisdom—I like it!"

Leonardo, meanwhile, found himself unable to join the conversation. His education simply wasn't enough to keep up. For the first time in his life, he regretted not studying harder.

After graduating high school, Leonardo had completely lost interest in academics, dedicating himself entirely to his acting dreams.

Besides, the high school he attended—John Marshall High School in Los Angeles—was a public school focused on performing arts. And as everyone knows, public schools often lag behind private schools in educational resources, so they have to develop specialties to attract students—whether in sports or the arts.

John Marshall High School specialized in training young performers. Being right next to Hollywood, film crews frequently used it as a shooting location, giving it a natural advantage.

Their admissions website even boldly displayed classic black-and-white Hollywood movies, with a proud tagline below: "Old Hollywood belongs to us!"

Of course, that was just boasting.

Back to the main topic.

Just as Leonardo was about to doze off, Martin and Scorsese finally wrapped up their conversation.

"Hey, buddy, wake up."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I wasn't sleeping… You guys finished talking?"

Leonardo jolted awake and gave an awkward smile.

Only to find two pairs of amused eyes staring at him.

"Buddy, if you're going to claim you weren't sleeping, maybe wipe the drool off your mouth first," Martin teased with a grin.

"What?" Leonardo quickly wiped his mouth—only to find nothing there. "Damn it, you tricked me!"

Hahahaha!

Both Martins—young and old—burst into laughter.

Then, Scorsese said, "Alright, Leonardo, I've finished Martin's audition. Now it's your turn."

"Okay, starting now?"

Leonardo had prepared extensively for the role and was more than ready.

"Which scene?"

"The surveillance scene."

"No problem."

Leonardo took a brief moment to get into character, then launched into his performance.

When he finished, Scorsese nodded in satisfaction, saying only, "Very good. That settles it—the two leads are set."

At that moment, Martin suddenly said, "Old Marty, I have a recommendation for the role of Dignam. Of course, it's just a suggestion—the final decision is yours."

"Oh? Who do you recommend?" Scorsese asked.

"Matt Damon," Martin replied.

"Okay. Have him come in for the final round of auditions. I saw his work in The Bourne Identity—his acting is solid." Scorsese nodded.

With that, the three wrapped up their discussion and returned to their hotel rooms to rest.

Meanwhile, at WBZ-TV's news studio in Boston, Daisy was recounting her daytime experience in vivid detail.

"…When the sharp blade was pointed at my chest, I was terrified. And then I heard a voice—'Boston PD! Hands in the air!' Oh, my God, you have no idea how I felt at that moment! It was like hearing an angel's voice…"

That's right—Daisy was a field reporter for the station. Her storytelling skills were top-notch, making the entire event sound thrilling, while portraying Martin as a heroic, unstoppable force.