The Greatest Showman #1002 - Tree of Life

Robert Downey Jr. in "Gravity"

Renly never imagined this scenario. The Sandra Bullock version of Gravity in his previous life had limited his imagination to a certain extent. The thoughts and assumptions about the actress playing the role were taken for granted. However, he overlooked something: during the film's preparatory stages, everything was possible. The essence of artistic creation lies in pushing boundaries and breaking frames.

Take, for example, Agent Short. Originally, Tom Cruise was slated to play the protagonist, but after he stepped down, negotiations led to Angelina Jolie taking the role. This completely transformed the character. Another example is the American drama Elementary, where the character of Dr. Watson was reimagined as a woman, played by Lucy Liu, and of Asian descent instead of white.

Such changes are not uncommon in Hollywood.

More importantly, just thirty seconds ago, when Renly learned that Sandra Bullock had joined The Big Dreamer, he realized that the butterfly effect was beginning to reshape Hollywood's future in every direction. He must learn to be more flexible in his approach. However, Renly had just fallen victim to a form of empirical thinking, assuming things were fixed when, in reality, they were not.

Now that he was opening his mind, Renly couldn't help but think seriously: What if Robert Downey Jr. had played the role in Gravity? In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark was trapped in his armor, struggling to survive in a desperate situation. Would Gravity become an extended version of that moment?

The thought of it made Renly laugh. This wasn't meant to offend Robert Downey Jr., but rather a recognition that Gravity's final style was fundamentally different from Robert's usual approach.

After his comeback in Iron Man (2008), Robert had replaced Johnny Depp as Hollywood's leading man. His film contracts rolled in, and he took on diverse roles, including Tropic Thunder and Sherlock Holmes. These were major career challenges and breakthroughs.

However, over time, Robert became more complacent. Once a character succeeds, it's natural to fall into a routine and shy away from further exploration. This could be Robert's choice or his agent's advice, mirroring what happened with other stars like Tom Cruise, Will Smith, and Johnny Depp at their primes.

After 2011, Robert appeared in only six films, five of which were Iron Man installments. The lone exception was The Judge (2014), which was a critical and box-office flop. Since then, Robert has mostly stuck to his Tony Stark persona, with few other characters gracing the big screen.

Thinking this through, Renly realized the image of Tony Stark collided with that of Ryan Stone from Gravity. The dissonance was hard to ignore.

"How would you tell the story if it were a male character?" Renly realized his mistake and asked humbly.

Alfonso didn't get nervous. Instead, he leaned forward, hands on the table, and gestured as he spoke. "In traditional religion and philosophy, women often represent tenderness and renewal, while men symbolize strength and originality."

Renly paused, letting the idea sink in. He cleared his mind of all preconceived notions about Gravity from his previous life and began to re-imagine the film from scratch. It wasn't easy—Gravity had been one of Renly's favorite films—but now he needed to reconsider the entire story, tearing it apart to understand its core essence.

"If we tell this story from a female perspective, it focuses on hope, nurturing life, and breaking free from the earth. But from a male perspective, the narrative would shift to survival, with the strong preying on the weak."

Alfonso's words were still abstract, but Renly could sense something deeper, even if it wasn't fully clear yet. He continued to listen, absorbing his thoughts.

"In a life-threatening crisis, men also face the same desperation. The tough exterior is eventually worn down, and they remember their loved ones—wife, children, parents—and their vulnerability is magnified, especially in the isolating environment of space. Softness and fragility, once opposed to traditional ideas, now threaten to devour the will to live."

Alfonso's explanation was abstract, but Renly found inspiration in it. "Either you choose to give up, or you fight back and create your own path to survival. Even if there's no hope left in space, you can create a new life with your own hands."

In true desperation, men and women share the same desire for survival. The only difference is in how they express it: women often symbolize life's gentle emergence from the womb, while men represent the force of creation, battling against the odds to shape the world.

Renly now visualized the male version of Gravity, his mind filled with fresh inspiration. But he needed more: symbols and deeper embodiment.

"Have you seen The Tree of Life, this year's Best Picture Oscar nominee?" Renly's question made Alfonso pause, his mind momentarily lost. Renly continued, "The opening scene is thought-provoking. The director juxtaposes life on earth and human existence. On one side, we have the birth of the Earth, from the Big Bang to the Cambrian period, from single cells to complex organisms. On the other, human life is mirrored, with cells, bacteria, and embryos under a microscope. The origin of the Earth and human birth are intertwined."

The Tree of Life is a philosophical film, requiring an understanding of science, religion, and nature to fully grasp its metaphors. Renly didn't typically enjoy such works, feeling they lacked true tolerance. However, from an artistic perspective, the film's visuals and narrative structure were worth examining.

Renly quoted from the film's opening prose: "Where the branches of the tree of life stretch out, we see unexplored rays of light, nebulae, planets forming, the sun and moon hidden behind storms, life-giving lightning, prehistoric creatures, and the eyes of a newborn child."

He continued, "We stand on Earth, look up at the tree of life, and see the vastness of the universe. But if we were in space, looking down at Earth, what would we see? The flow of the river of life, the eruption of life's volcano, or the nothingness of time's passage? We are but a drop in the ocean, small but significant."

Renly had taken the conversation to another level. Standing at a broader, deeper perspective, he had removed gender distinctions, referring to life in its purest form.

Alfonso reflected thoughtfully. "So how would we present this in the film?"

"If it's a woman, we would portray a womb, suggesting life's birth. For a man, the image would evoke nothingness or chaos, similar to the Big Bang—the birth of life and the beginning of time. Initially, there's no chance, but through determination, hope is forged." Renly visualized the character, slowly seeing clearer contours and a deeper performance.

"Aha! Yes!" Alfonso snapped his fingers in realization. But then, his thoughts wandered again. "No, this needs to go deeper. The script will need adjustments..."

Lost in thought, Alfonso turned inward, ignoring Renly as he processed the idea.