Hugo Lancaster's act of standing and applauding prompted the extras on set to follow suit. Pacino turned back, saw the excitement on Hugo Lancaster's face, couldn't help but smile, and simply waved his hand, saying with feigned seriousness, "Shut up."This rebuke immediately left Hugo Lancaster frozen in place. Realizing that the scene had not yet finished filming, he quickly clamped his mouth shut.Seeing this childish side of Hugo Lancaster, the Staff Members couldn't help but burst into laughter, instantly lightening the mood on set.The tango scene was not easy to film. Martin wanted to capture the essence of this dance from different angles, so Pacino and Gabriel had to repeat the dance over and over again. Furthermore, their performances had to maintain the exact same rhythm, otherwise, the scenes wouldn't match. This difficulty was far beyond imagination, yet Pacino persisted, demonstrating the true caliber of an excellent Actor.By the time the tango scene was finished, it was already dark, but the day's work wasn't over yet; there were two closing scenes left. However, since both Pacino and Gabriel had been exhausted all afternoon, Martin let them rest for a quarter of an hour before continuing with the filming.Pacino returned to his seat, lit a cigarette, and glanced back at Hugo Lancaster, casting an inquiring look. Hugo Lancaster shook his head, "I don't smoke, I'm allergic."Actually, Hugo Lancaster didn't know if this body was allergic or not, but he had always been allergic to cigarettes—or more accurately, to nicotine. He had tried it once, taking just one puff, and ended up vomiting uncontrollably, so he had cut ties with smoking completely. After transmigrating, he had no intention of trying again, as he was already used to it.Pacino watched Hugo Lancaster shake his head repeatedly and remarked, "You're missing out on one of life's great pleasures." This exclamation made Hugo Lancaster chuckle; his partners in the Glory to Death Band used to say the same thing.During his time in the underground Band, the bitterness and hardships of life often required cigarettes and alcohol to numb himself, and sometimes even drugs were needed to achieve that end. Zhang Xiaoye, the first guitarist of the Glory to Death Band, had fallen into the world of drugs in this way and eventually closed his eyes forever."You've been staring at me like that; is there something you want to ask?" Pacino took a drag of his cigarette and asked casually. Although it was a question, there was no wavering in the firmness of his tone.Hugo Lancaster scratched his head, feeling a bit shy, "Is it that obvious?""I almost thought you were looking at Gabriel, what do you think?" Pacino's remark immediately made the few Staff Members passing by burst into laughter, leaving Hugo Lancaster looking awkward.However, Hugo Lancaster didn't act coy. Acting opposite Pacino was a great learning opportunity, and he wasn't going to miss it. "I wanted to ask you, is there a trick to acting? Look, your performance in that scene just now was truly brilliant. How did you grasp the character of the Lieutenant Colonel? And how did you use such subtle eyes and expressions to reveal that inner complexity? I've been watching from the sidelines for a long time, and I still haven't figured it out."Previously, watching movies, he could only grasp the surface, but after arriving on set, the impact of the acting was vivid and lifelike, causing endless sparks to burst in Hugo Lancaster's mind, and questions kept popping up one after another.Pacino looked at Hugo Lancaster through the swirling smoke, raised his right hand holding the cigarette, and made a "two" gesture with his index and middle fingers. "Two points. First, there is no trick to acting. Even if there were, it's something you have to summarize yourself. What works for me might not work for you. For example, my understanding of acting is definitely different from that of Dustin or Robert, so there's no need for you to ask so much."Hugo Lancaster knew this; everyone's acting style is different. Some are unrestrained and flamboyant, like Kate Winslet; some are restrained and subtle, like Colin Firth; some are effortless, like Dustin Hoffman; and some are natural, like Meryl Streep, and so on.Of course, this so-called difference isn't absolute; perhaps every Actor has common ground while studying acting. But regardless, one must ultimately digest it into something personal to present it through performance and form one's own style. Otherwise, one remains a forever imitator. Perhaps acting starts with imitation, but the ultimate breakthrough is the formation of one's own style."Besides, how many years have I been acting? If I didn't have some accumulation, how would that be possible?" Pacino chuckled with disdain, making Hugo Lancaster chuckle as well. At sixty-two years old, Pacino had a full thirty-three years of acting experience, so naturally, he was not to be underestimated."Second, don't study acting, study the character." Pacino said succinctly. Hugo Lancaster looked at Pacino full of curiosity, but he had no intention of explaining further. "I'm not a qualified acting teacher; even if you ask, I can't answer." After saying that, Pacino leisurely continued to puff on his cigarette.Hugo Lancaster was stunned for a moment, then laughed, and didn't continue asking questions.Regarding the first point Pacino made, Hugo Lancaster understood it easily; this was a small insight he had gained after years of observing and imitating acting. However, he didn't have many opportunities to act, so he had never been able to put it into practice, remaining at the level of an excellent imitator. However, even if he was currently just an imitator, Hugo Lancaster's talent had been recognized in two auditions, and he believed that as long as he was given enough time and enough opportunities, his exploration on the path of acting would definitely not stop here.But regarding the second point, Hugo Lancaster didn't quite understand. What did it mean to not study acting but to study the character? Weren't these two things integrated and inseparable? Hugo Lancaster knew that Pacino probably meant for him to study the character seriously and carefully. In fact, he had done so and continued to persist in it. But to reveal the essence of a character, acting is the necessary bridge. Without excellent acting, even if one's understanding of the character is profound, there is no way to display it, isn't that right? If one separates acting from the character, what exactly is that about?Hugo Lancaster began to constantly recall Pacino's previous performance, as well as his own, repeating those images in his mind, trying to figure out the meaning of Pacino's words just now. Because he was too focused on his own thoughts, Hugo Lancaster not only didn't notice the commotion around the set, but he didn't even notice when Pacino left."Hugo, Hugo Lancaster!" The call from the side interrupted Hugo Lancaster's thinking. Hugo Lancaster's first reaction was that Martin was about to resume filming, so he immediately spoke up, "I'm ready!" But when he turned around, it wasn't a crew member or script supervisor, but a strange face.Hugo Lancaster originally thought it was a Staff Member he wasn't familiar with, but the vintage camera on the person's chest made him realize something was wrong. Sure enough, the other person immediately said, "Good evening, I am Nicholas McLaren, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times.""Oh, that disgusting reporter!" Hugo Lancaster blurted out as his first reaction. Immediately, the smile on Nicholas McLaren's face stiffened slightly, which made both of them pause. This was the very reporter who had been criticizing Hugo Lancaster in the Los Angeles Times several times, and it was clear that he was not optimistic about Hugo Lancaster's prospects in the movie "scent of a woman."At this time, Martin and Joseph walked over together. During the filming process, Joseph had always stayed on the side with other Staff Members, and Hugo Lancaster hadn't seen him all day today. When Martin was still three steps away, he said, "Hugo, this is an interview arranged by the crew today. Please cooperate."Joseph, standing by the side, also nodded, confirming this.Hugo Lancaster guessed that this must be one of the crew's early promotional activities. Many movies start promoting even before they are greenlit, gradually releasing some news or behind-the-scenes photos, and arranging some public interviews during the filming process to keep the audience's anticipation for the movie constant. Actually, "scent of a woman" didn't do this very often, because the producer, Universal Pictures, hadn't intended for the movie to make a splash at the box office, but routine promotion was still necessary. Today was the first time since Hugo Lancaster joined the crew.But why the Los Angeles Times? This is New York. Had the New York news media been abandoned? You have to know that New York is the world's media capital! And why Nicholas McLaren? Isn't this deliberately creating trouble for Hugo Lancaster?"What about filming?" Hugo Lancaster asked subconsciously.Martin chuckled, "Don't worry, there's still enough break time." After saying this, Martin shook hands with Nicholas McLaren to show his friendliness, and then turned and left.Joseph glanced at Hugo Lancaster and asked with his eyes, "Do you need me by your side?"Although Hugo Lancaster and Joseph didn't have enough rapport yet, he could generally understand the meaning. An agent supervising an interview process is often a form of protection for the artist. However, he still shook his head; anyway, what needed to be faced would come sooner or later, and he couldn't pin his hopes on Joseph forever.Joseph nodded, pointed to a spot not far away, indicating that he would be there if needed, and then turned and left."So, it's just you and me then." Nicholas McLaren flashed a smile. "Although I've been writing news about you for several months, today is our first meeting. I'm in a very good mood; your charm in person is truly astonishing."Facing Nicholas McLaren's compliments, Hugo Lancaster pursed his lips, nodded slightly with a faint smile, and said probing, "Your writing in the newspapers is not as friendly as your smile today, so I think our previous 'meetings' shouldn't have been that pleasant."An interview—this was Hugo Lancaster's first interview in the true sense of the word, but the subject was Nicholas McLaren. Could this be considered enemies meeting on a narrow road?
