Actor in Hollywood

"Anson..."

Edgar Cook had just come out of the studio when he immediately saw Anson in the passenger seat.

He was lazily leaning against the car window, holding an open bag of chips in his hand. His shirt sleeves were casually rolled up, and he was slowly pulling out chips and putting them into his mouth. The golden California sunshine fell on his sunglasses, obscuring his eyes, but the upward curve of his mouth exuded a carefree, tired yet relaxed demeanor.

If the paparazzi were to capture this image, Disney and Sony Columbia would likely be upset—

After all, Anson's image in "The Princess Diaries" and "Spider-Man" is nothing like this, which isn't great for publicity.

Edgar realized he should stop Anson; that was his duty as a manager. But deep down, Edgar didn't really want to stop him.

Maybe, this version of Anson could actually be better for publicity?

A kind of charm that breaks the fourth wall of the big screen, a different type of appeal from the traditional prince charming—distinct, yet equally captivating?

Then—

"Yo."

Anson slightly raised the bag of chips to greet Edgar.

Edgar pulled himself together and quickly walked over to the driver's seat.

"The photos and interview content will be sent to Eve for confirmation after post-production. If everything is fine, they can publish it."

He sat down and fastened his seatbelt.

After a pause, Edgar couldn't help himself. His professional instinct needed to make a statement.

"During the promotional period, it's best to align with the character's image. After all, we want the audience to feel immersed, not to experience dissonance."

His words fell flat.

Edgar didn't get a response and couldn't help but turn his head. He saw Anson sitting there quietly, still holding the chips in his hand, seemingly having forgotten to put them in his mouth, maintaining an awkward pose as if he had fallen asleep in that brief moment, exuding a peaceful aura.

So, had he fallen asleep?

It seemed he was exhausted lately.

Edgar was stunned, about to look away, when he suddenly saw Anson put the chips back into his mouth, causing Edgar to widen his eyes.

Anson then slowly said, "I understand. When a movie is released, the audience likes the character, not the actor. Actors should align with their characters until the audience starts to like the actor. Only then will they begin to appreciate the actor's versatility and the different roles they play."

The logic isn't difficult.

Audiences often like an actor because they first like the character. Only after empathizing with the character do they start liking the actor. Once they truly get to know the actor and realize the differences between the actor and the character, their imagined ideal begins to fade, and they gradually develop different opinions.

Most of the time, they might just become indifferent, neither liking nor disliking them. But in some cases, they might go to extremes, either becoming highly repulsed or madly in love, with the latter often marking the beginning of an actor's personal charm shining through, where the audience truly sees the actor, not the character.

As for Anson, his charm mainly still comes from his roles.

"So, if there are paparazzi around, I'll just pretend to be asleep. I've already thought of a PR excuse: Look, the promotional period is so exhausting that I don't even have time for lunch and have to rely on chips to stave off hunger."

Edgar: ...

He couldn't argue with that.

A smile slowly crept up Edgar's face as he gave Anson a thumbs-up.

However, he couldn't help but tease, "The main focus of this promotion isn't even on you, and you're already struggling. If you were the absolute main lead during the 'Spider-Man' promotional period, you'd be even more overwhelmed."

Anson popped two more chips into his mouth. "This is my first summer blockbuster experience; it's more about learning. Think of it as a drill; the scale is indeed different."

"But, come to think of it, what is Disney thinking?"

"In name, I'm the male lead, but everyone knows that Anne is the core of the entire movie. My screen time doesn't even rank in the top five, so why did they schedule so many promotional tasks for me? Are they sure they know what they're doing?"

Anson had a point.

**"The Princess Diaries"** premiered in the first week of August, but the pre-release promotions had been warming up since the beginning of the year, focusing on Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. From June onwards, the promotional efforts intensified, spanning TV, radio, magazines, and in-person appearances across different cities.

The movie's promotional strategy was very clear: Julie Andrews was the selling point, and Anne Hathaway was the rising star.

It was not just a case of an established star introducing a newcomer; it was also a classic film not to be missed.

Through continuous promotional bombardment across various channels and platforms, the goal was to make the film known to as many people as possible and generate maximum interest in the movie.

The male lead?

Not important.

In the first and second waves of trailers, Anson didn't even appear.

As expected, **"The Princess Diaries"** was a film centered around Mia.

So, while Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews were promoting, Anson remained on set, continuing the intense filming schedule.

From the beginning of March until mid-July, **"Spider-Man"** was filmed for a full four and a half months, and when the work finally wrapped up and the film entered post-production, no one expected **"The Princess Diaries"** to "suddenly" remember it also had a male lead. They summoned Anson to join the promotional activities.

From magazine shoots to numerous interviews, Anson's schedule was packed. It didn't take much explanation to deeply feel the heat and intensity of the summer blockbuster season.

Over the past two weeks, Anson had been adjusting to the new pace of life, dozing off while getting styled and eating while giving interviews.

Even so, compared to the promotional schedules of Anne and Julie, Anson's was already considered light.

What Anson didn't understand was how everything happened so suddenly.

From various signs, Disney's promotional plan didn't originally include Anson. Then, as the film's premiere approached and there wasn't much time left, they suddenly changed tactics and pushed Anson to the forefront.

What was going on?

Edgar glanced at the rearview mirror.

If it were any other actor, with a packed schedule and increased exposure, they might be overwhelmed, completely lost in the glitz and glamour of fame. How could they have the mental space to think about these things? Even the smart ones might not be able to process this due to a lack of sleep and a packed schedule.

However, Anson had noticed.

Edgar wasn't surprised by this; he smiled confidently.

"Disney encountered some trouble with this year's summer season, which clearly disrupted their entire annual plan, increasing the pressure for the later part of the year."

"Eve and I both believe we should seize the opportunity. Even though this is your first summer blockbuster experience, we should still make a splash."

"Opportunities aren't given; they're created."

"So, Eve used some tactics to kindly remind Disney that the summer season isn't over yet, and Disney still has a movie set to debut."

"Then, Eve rekindled Hollywood's dormant memories, reminding people of some surprises from last summer."

"At that point, I subtly hinted to Disney, 'Hey, there's still an actor in the cast willing to cooperate with the promotion and help ignite the audience's enthusiasm.'"

"Ta-da."

"And here we are."