"... This project is great, everything about it is great; but the only concern is the choice of the lead actor. There are already rumors circulating, and it seems like it's between Jim Carrey and Anson Wood."
"If it's Jim Carrey, that would be perfect. But if it's Anson Wood... Kate, I suggest you think twice. The value of the project might be completely different."
When considering her next project, Kate's agent had been skeptical. A script like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which didn't follow the usual rules, indeed required some caution.
But unexpectedly, it was the cautious choice of Anson that helped Kate land the role. Even Kate's agent was shocked and torn—
On one hand, they still didn't think Anson was the best choice. On the other hand, they couldn't deny the gratitude owed to him for "recognizing" Kate.
It was a little shameful.
Kate's agent believed that turning down the project would be the best move—sticking to their belief and avoiding being in Anson's debt.
However, the final decision was in Kate's hands.
And Kate accepted.
Kate held no bias against Anson. After all, she herself had been a victim of Hollywood's prejudices, navigating a career that was stuck in a middle ground for years. But even Kate had to admit, standing face to face with Anson and engaging in conversation, she realized she was still somewhat influenced by those biases—
Her expectations weren't high.
Yet.
In front of her, Anson, when discussing the script and the character, radiated a kind of joy and excitement—a wholehearted passion and energy that was far from the stance of a mere idol. On the contrary, Kate could sense his deep love for the script and acting.
Moreover, Anson, like Houdini, kept pulling tricks from his hat—first a dove, then flowers, and even the grand illusion of human transformation. He kept surprising, dragging the audience into a magical world with his unexpected and whimsical performances.
It was truly eye-opening—
Indeed, people shouldn't be judged by appearances.
Kate liked Anson.
Not in the romantic sense, but a kind of admiration, respect, and also a curiosity—
Was Anson's passion that of a fan or that of an actor?
A fan's passion is merely theoretical. No matter how many films they've watched or how much they know, fans often fail when it comes to actually creating a movie—
Because they lack imagination.
An actor's passion, on the other hand, is wholly invested in the performance, interpreting and embodying the script and character through their perspective. Regardless of talent, they approach acting with a unique vision, always striving to add distinctive colors to the role, continuously growing along the way.
There is a subtle boundary between the two—intangible, indescribable, but undeniably real. And the final outcome is often drastically different.
Kate's expectations of Anson were steadily rising, not because of Hollywood's praise or rumors, but because of her own experience.
Kate liked magic, but she loved the sense of wonder magic could bring. She wouldn't mind experiencing more of that excitement.
"So,"
"You're saying the first two encounters were fate, and the third was an opportunity they created?"
Anson shrugged lightly. "In a way, the third was still fate, because Joel didn't know Clementine would be on that train. And the memory cues and intuitive hints are still another form of fate."
"But."
"You're right, yes. We can see the third meeting as an inevitable outcome of coincidence and choice—Joel and Clementine's choice."
Kate smiled. "Just like Casablanca."
Anson paused for a beat, then caught on, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
They understood each other in an instant.
Kate exaggeratedly raised her shoulders. "Out of all the trains and platforms in New York, you just happened to be on this one."
Ha-ha, ha-ha-ha—
Anson burst into laughter, pointing to the station sign, "If I'm not mistaken, the set is at this stop, and we're almost out of time for our appointment."
Kate placed a finger to her lips, "Shh."
Ha-ha, the laughter couldn't stop.
The image of Kate before him was slowly overlapping with the one in Anson's mind.
Compared to the fully beaming Anson, Kate remained calm, with just a light smile.
"I like it. Charlie is truly Charlie."
So, Kate had to thank Anson. She knew she couldn't pass up this project.
"For an actor, performing isn't an issue. But the real question is, how do you help the audience distinguish? Oh, that's a tough one."
"Look, although the three encounters happen at different times, from the script's perspective, the characters don't change much. Clementine is still Clementine, and Joel is still Joel. This isn't a script that focuses on character arcs."
"Actors can show emotional changes, but they can't make the audience feel the shift in time and space."
At once, Kate's attention was focused on the performance.
Anson had thought about this issue before.
In the original Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this was addressed through the changing colors of Clementine's hair, each color representing a different time period.
It helped both the audience and the director/editor to distinguish the timelines.
But the problem is—
What about Joel?
As Kate mentioned, this film focuses on emotional states, without character arcs. The only emotional thread comes from Joel's perspective—showing how we struggle with love and how we should confront the scars and pain of memories.
Naturally, the different stages and feelings between the three encounters should also leave marks on Joel.
In the original film, Jim Carrey didn't fully convey this. The timeline distinction was left entirely to Clementine.
So when Clementine wasn't on screen, it became difficult for the audience to accurately tell the time—a key element in the film's mind-bending narrative.
Of course, this could be interpreted as the director's intent—to confuse the timeline, highlighting Joel's lost state in his memory, using Clementine as a fixed point. But Anson had a different idea.
If Joel's emotional state could be subtly shown through changes in his clothing, hairstyle, or beard, it would not only mark the timeline but also reveal how Clementine had quietly influenced his life, setting the stage for the final act.
Undoubtedly, this would make the emotions richer and more complete.
This was the first acting lesson Anson learned from his cameo on Friends—simple, fundamental, yet effective.