Rachel McAdams kept reminding herself not to overreact, not to panic, and not to lose her composure. Despite her best efforts to clench her fists tightly, she couldn't control the fluttering in her stomach. Even under the warm autumn sun, she felt slightly dizzy.
Excitement. Thrill. Joy.
In fact, Rachel had almost given up hope. Despite the rumors that the investment cost for "The Butterfly Effect" was only ten million dollars, Anson's involvement had already turned it into a hot topic in Hollywood. Actors were lining up one after another, hoping to grab some of the spotlight.
There were countless outstanding actors.
When her agent called to tell her she'd landed the role, Rachel nearly fell off her couch. She repeatedly checked to confirm, unable to believe it.
"The Butterfly Effect" would be Rachel's first time as a leading actress.
A leading role—a dream that had only appeared in her imagination and fantasies—was now about to become reality. It felt entirely unreal.
Rachel doubted herself more than once:
Why did the crew choose her? Was she really suited for the role? With no acting experience, would she be a disaster for the production? What if the movie failed? What if, after shooting began, she had no idea how to act and became a burden to the crew?
During that time, Rachel kept having the same dream:
When she arrived at "The Butterfly Effect" set to report, the director looked at her with confusion and asked, "Why are you here?"
Even though she tried to explain that she'd been notified she was the lead actress, she couldn't get the words out. She just stood there, stunned, as the director waved her away like a fly. "Leave, get out of here. This movie has nothing to do with you."
She was speechless.
Amidst laughter, she was kicked out of the crew.
Then she'd wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, sitting in the dark, feeling anxious. Yet she didn't dare call her agent to ask him to confirm her role with the crew again.
This nightmare tortured her over and over again. Her feet seemed to lift off the ground, floating in midair, struggling desperately but unable to break free.
Now, standing on the city streets of Vancouver, looking at Anson just a few steps away, the reality finally began to sink in.
Taking a deep breath, and then another, Rachel silently cheered herself on—
She had already read the script more than fifty times, to the point where the pages were fraying at the edges. She meticulously mapped out the cause-and-effect relationships along different timelines, carefully piecing the entire story back together, trying to construct the worldview and confirm each character's place in the various time frames.
Reading. Researching. Delving.
That's all she could do, clinging to it like a lifeline. Every time she woke up from a nightmare, she'd pick up the script and start reading it again.
Everyone said Anson was just a pretty face, that the success of "Spider-Man" and "The Princess Diaries" was all due to his looks. But Rachel had acted alongside him, and even though it was just an audition, it was enough to show her how absurd and one-sided those rumors were.
Rachel hoped she could seize this opportunity.
Although she hadn't had a formal acting opportunity yet, Rachel had prepared according to her own plan.
The doubts, worries, and fears hadn't disappeared—they still objectively existed—but Rachel wasn't going to let them take control.
Then.
Rachel saw Aaron and Anson. On impulse, she saluted Anson—
Damn it.
Rachel had no idea why she did that. She regretted it the moment she finished the gesture.
But to her surprise, Anson's smile gently broadened. He brought his index and middle fingers together, touched them lightly to the corner of his brow, and gave a casual and charming nod, causing a gentle ripple in the blue depths of his eyes like a pebble dropped into Rachel's heart.
The ripple slowly spread.
Rachel couldn't help but burst into a bright, sunny smile that easily caught the attention of everyone around. For a brief moment, even Anson seemed to fade into the background.
Mackie, on his way to the camera position, paused slightly, observing the scene. In an instant, he understood why Anson chose Rachel as the lead actress—
She was perfect.
From a filmmaking perspective, the chemistry between the male and female leads was particularly important; it was a selling point. At the same time, Rachel's sweetness didn't seem to fit the character, as she falls into despair and hits rock bottom multiple times in the film, ending up disheveled and muddy. Rachel's aura made it hard to portray such complexity.
However, from the film's thematic standpoint, what truly mattered was Evan's obsession—an obsession so intense that it leads him to spiral into madness and self-destruction. The root of it all was his longing for happiness—
A pure, clean, simple, and natural emotion.
That was Rachel.
Mackie could see that purity in Rachel, a purity that symbolized happiness and beauty. The movie scenes in his mind began to come to life, vivid and fresh.
Mackie suddenly realized that this was what they called the "cinematic feel."
Even though the entire crew was full of novices, it was clear that Anson had taken on the responsibility of the producer, showing his maturity and wisdom. From selecting the assistant director and key crew members to casting and decision-making, to coordinating the professional work of the crew, everything was progressing in an orderly manner. The details had been set before the cameras even started rolling.
When a film fails, people often simplistically blame the director or actors. Similarly, when a film succeeds, some will dismiss it as "no big deal." Whether it's the former or the latter, they are just armchair critics with no understanding of the complexities and challenges of filmmaking—or even life in general.
In reality, every detail matters from the moment a film is greenlit—
Set design. Costumes. Cinematography. Art direction. Script. Actors.
And so on.
This was Anson's first time as a producer, but his past experiences working on set had helped immensely. His experience filming "Elephant" was also invaluable. He personally oversaw each step of the process. If there was something he didn't know, he relied on Tom Hanks' advice:
Leave it to the professionals.
At this point, the importance of connections became apparent. Not only had Darren Star, David Klein, Jeff Robinov, and Steven Spielberg all offered help in one way or another, but Edgar also went beyond his duties as an agent to help Anson assemble the "Butterfly Effect" crew.
Finally, there were the actors.
Whether it was Aaron Taylor-Johnson or Rachel McAdams, each had been chosen after careful consideration and deliberation, and they were just the beginning.
The actor playing seven-year-old Evan was also a future star, Logan Lerman, who later transitioned from child actor to teen actor through the "Percy Jackson" series. His career included well-known works like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Fury."
This time, Logan and Aaron would portray Anson at different stages of childhood. Marcia had put in a tremendous amount of effort to select these two young handsome actors, convincing the audience that they could grow up to be as striking as Anson.
But the real surprise was elsewhere—
"Hey, Heath, over here," Anson called out, his face lighting up with a smile as if he'd spotted an old friend.