Candlelight flickered off wine glasses at The Spago restaurant.
Cameron Diaz was tearing through the script for The Mask, flipping the pages so fast the sound was like striking a match. With every page she turned, her eyes got brighter, until they were practically burning.
"Oh my God... Link , this is absolutely bonkers!" She was so excited she almost jumped out of her seat. "This isn't a script, it's a summon for a demon!"
She took a deep breath, closed the script, her eyes sparkling.
"But who on earth can play Stanley? This role is insane! Switching back and forth between a meek little office drone and a psycho monster—most actors would totally lose it."
Right after saying it, she couldn't help but imitate a scene from the script. First, she was shrinking and timid: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." The next second, she widened her eyes dramatically, her face twitching, so exaggerated it looked like something was trying to climb out of her skin.
She stopped her antics and laughed at herself. "Nope, it's too tough. Nobody can pull that off."
Link leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his expression almost coolly indifferent.
"Yes, there is."
He let out a single word, like he was announcing a fact.
Cameron was stunned. "Who? Eddie Murphy? Chevy Chase? Or is it Tom Hanks?"
Link shook his head.
He looked up at the neon lights outside the window, his voice as distant as if he were recalling a dream. "None of them."
He paused, then said softly, "It's a guy who's still playing the fool on TV. But soon, the whole world is going to remember his face on the big screen."
Cameron froze.
She wanted to ask more, but Link had already picked up the phone.
"Lawrence," his voice was deep and steady. "Get me in touch with someone."
"Who?" Bander on the other end sounded surprised.
"Jim Carrey."
Silence for two seconds on the line, then a hushed gasp. "Link , are you serious? The guy who makes goofy faces on sketch comedy? He's a TV guy! His acting is way too over-the-top, it won't work on the big screen."
Link let out a soft laugh. "Exactly."
"...What?"
"A clown is exactly what I want. Crazy enough, exaggerated enough, and abnormal enough."
"Don't forget, the film is called The Mask—I don't need an actor, I need a lunatic."
Three seconds of silence on the other end.
"We're not inviting him; we're giving him an audition."
Bander hesitated. "But Link , this is too risky. We're an independent production; we can't afford to gamble. If he fails..."
"He won't fail."
Link cut him off, his voice carrying a rare certainty.
"A lunatic never turns down an invitation from another lunatic."
A sound of a deep breath came from the phone.
"So... what's the audition? Without a script, what's he supposed to perform?"
Link smiled, the expression having the relaxed confidence of a hunter.
"You tell his agent this—there's only one shot at the audition."
"All I need is for Mr. Jim Carrey to use his face to tell me the story of a timid man who finds a mask that allows him to do anything he wants."
"Time limit—five minutes."
On the other end of the line, Bander sharply inhaled.
This wasn't an audition; it was a gamble.
Link put down the phone, his gaze falling on the script on the table. The candlelight reflected off the green, grinning face, which seemed to be sneering back at him.
He mumbled to himself, "The lunatic will put on the mask."
"And I will make the whole world go crazy for him."
He looked up at Cameron across from him. She was still reeling in shock, her eyes bright enough to be almost transparent.
Link smiled.
"Perhaps this movie won't just create one lunatic."
"It's also going to launch a bombshell."
The neon lights outside twinkled, like the future was giving a gentle wink.
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American TV Series: Young Sheldon mike edition