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Chapter 183: First Guest Appearance in Life
🕑 Added 2025-01-05 17:11:49 +0000 UTC"Gilbert, they say that children who are good-looking and handsome don't stay beautiful as they grow up. Is that true?"
Looking at Haley and Bruce Willis performing their scenes, Scarlett asked Gilbert this question.
"Oh, Scarlett, it usually seems to be true," Gilbert answered.
Scarlett, looking troubled, hugged her head. "Oh no, after I grow up, I won't be beautiful anymore. What should I do?"
Seeing Scarlett caught up in self-doubt, Gilbert was helpless. Recently, she had been overthinking things.
He comforted her: "Don't worry, Scarlett, you're not part of that group. You belong to the type that gets more beautiful as you grow older."
"Really?" Scarlett looked up in surprise, then pointed to Haley. "What about him?"
"He?" Gilbert carefully looked at Haley and said, "He might have a little trouble. His body type is prone to gaining weight."
Scarlett instantly felt better and, once Haley came down, proudly told him: "Haley, Gilbert said you're going to get fat."
Haley looked at Gilbert with an innocent expression, while Gilbert, helpless, lightly tapped Scarlett on the head to stop her from talking nonsense.
After Bruce Willis finished his scene, he walked over to Gilbert and said: "Oh my God, Gilbert, Haley's performance was absolutely amazing. I can't believe I'm acting with a child.
Where did you find such a little genius?"
"Took him from Tom. Haley played his son in Forrest Gump," Gilbert replied.
Bruce Willis gave a thumbs-up and said, "I think he's fantastic. He looks like he has the potential to be the next Tom Hanks."
In The Sixth Sense, a large part of the film relies on the performances of Bruce Willis and Haley. Their acting is the key to carrying the film.
Haley's scenes were mostly filmed later, but today they were working on the first scene of the film, the opening sequence.
The character of the patient, Vincent, played by Donnie Wahlberg, had lost 43 pounds to portray the role.
He looked like a thin bamboo pole, which fit the role of someone tortured by mental illness.
To lose so much weight for such a minor role shows the dedication of the actor. To honor his effort, Gilbert was fully focused on making sure everything was perfect.
The role of Dr. Malcolm's wife was played by Olivia Williams, an actress known for her work in low-budget comedies and TV shows.
Olivia wasn't particularly stunning but had a unique homely charm, which Gilbert noticed immediately during the auditions.
She was thrilled to get the chance to work with Gilbert and prepared diligently for her role.
While performing in the scene, she even came up with some of her own ideas. For example, in the opening, she decided to walk barefoot to the wine cellar and dance a little before getting ready for intimacy, all of which were her own creations.
Gilbert appreciated the actor's creativity, and Olivia's performance aligned perfectly with the original film.
However, just as Dr. Malcolm was about to have his intimate moment with his wife, she noticed a broken window, and a man suddenly entered the bathroom.
Dr. Malcolm cautiously approached to check, only to see a weak, skinny man, dressed in nothing but boxer shorts, standing in the middle of the bathroom.
The man seemed a little off, his body twitching nervously.
Dr. Malcolm immediately reassured his wife: "Anna, don't move, don't make a sound."
After swallowing, Dr. Malcolm addressed the intruder: "This is 47 Elm Street. You've broken the window and entered private property."
The thin man interrupted him, saying: "You don't know anything."
"Cut!" Gilbert shouted. He pulled the three actors out of their performances and explained to Donnie: "Once Dr. Malcolm says the word 'entered,' you can start speaking."
Donnie nodded in understanding, keeping his focus.
Gilbert then spoke to Bruce Willis: "Your eyes should convey a window to your emotions. This is a subtle moment where you need to show your feelings. What do you think you should be feeling here?"
Bruce thought for a moment before answering: "I should be trying to guess the intruder's purpose, worried about my wife, and professionally realizing that this man has some kind of illness."
"Exactly. Let's take a five-minute break, think it over, and then we'll continue…"
After five minutes, the filming resumed, but Gilbert had to call "cut" again, this time directing Olivia: "A very important part of the film happens off-screen, but you need to perform. You need to interact with them in the scene to support their performances."
Olivia nodded, indicating she understood.
When the scene was performed again, everything went much better. The three actors were deeply involved and performed their roles excellently.
The thin man cried out: "You don't understand. You abandoned me. You abandoned me…"
The line was shouted with great emotion, showing how the character's mental state had reached its breaking point.
Dr. Malcolm tried to reassure him: "Vincent, I'm sorry if I couldn't help you."
Vincent turned around, revealing three strange scratches on his back, looking as though he had been scratched by something.
Dr. Malcolm stood up, continuing to comfort him: "But you have to let me try. Give me a chance…"
Before he could finish, Vincent spun around and shot him. Dr. Malcolm fell, screaming as Anna rushed to his side: "Oh my God, oh my God, darling!"
Dr. Malcolm, still concerned about Vincent, asked: "Is it Vincent?"
"Don't talk, darling, stay awake. I'll call an ambulance."
This concluded the first part of the scene, which was just a short seven or eight-minute segment but took the entire day to shoot.
Afterward, Bruce Willis asked Gilbert: "Director, is my character dead or alive? I'm not sure what's going on."
Gilbert replied: "That's exactly what I want. Keep that sense of confusion. It will help you in your performance."
Bruce Willis removed his wig and rubbed his bald head, saying: "Alright, but I really enjoyed this scene. Donnie was amazing."
After shooting the adult scenes, they moved on to Haley's scenes with his mother, Lynn Hill.
The role of Haley's mother was played by Toni Collette, an actress known for her roles in The Sixth Sense and Muriel's Wedding. She was a very talented actress.
Before shooting, Annie and James Gunn were setting up the scene. Gilbert discussed with Haley and Toni: "This scene is critical. It's one of the key emotional moments of the film.
In post-production, I won't use any music. It's all about your performance to pull the audience in."
Toni said she was fine with it but expressed concern about Haley: "I'm worried Haley won't be able to perform this long take."
As is customary on set, actors refer to their characters by name to help them immerse themselves in their roles.
In response to Toni's concern, Haley reassured her: "Mom, don't worry. I'll get the performance right."
The two actors got into the car, and Gilbert clapped his hands. "Let's do a test shot and see how it feels."
The two nodded, preparing themselves.
Gilbert communicated with the departments through the intercom, then sat in front of the monitor and announced the scene's start.
The camera slowly moved forward, beginning with fireworks, capturing various scenes of vehicles, accident sites, pedestrians, and so on, all showcasing the diverse aspects of the world.
Finally, the camera found Lynn and Cole's car, where the mother and son were having a conversation.
However, due to one of the extras slipping on the icy road and falling onto the car, the shot had to be discarded.
"Sorry, director, it's my fault," the extra said, rubbing their leg nervously, worried Gilbert would be angry.
But Gilbert didn't get upset. It was just an accident.
After a quick reset, Gilbert called for another take.
At this point, James Gunn suggested: "Director, why don't you do a cameo?"
"A cameo? What for?" Gilbert asked in confusion.
"Why not play a driver? It would be a little surprise for the fans, an Easter egg," James Gunn suggested.
Many fans had been hoping to see Gilbert make a cameo, even if it was just a brief appearance.
Gilbert knew about their wishes and thought James Gunn's idea was great, so he agreed.
"Alright, I'll do it. Annie, you and James stay here to monitor the situation."
Although Gilbert felt a little awkward about being on screen, it was only for a few seconds, so he could handle it.
He sat in the driver's seat, his head sticking out. The camera continued the shot, passing by, and Gilbert appeared in it.
And so, Gilbert's first on-screen appearance was completed.
There were no lines, and fans might not even notice him if they didn't look carefully. It was a small surprise, a little Easter egg for the fans to discover.
But aside from this small Easter egg, the real focus of the scene was still the performances of mother and son.
