The Best Director

Although it was summer vacation, the small-town high school’s athletic field was bustling with activity: people were moving photographic equipment on the red track, and others were directing extras in their positions—a scene of busy preparations as the “Juno” film crew was engaged in filming.

This was not the first day “Juno” was shooting at the school, but every day at the perimeter of the closed-off area, some local cinephile students, and even fans from other parts of Toronto who had heard about the shoot, would come to watch. They eagerly observed the Star Wars Queen and the amazing Wang Yang from up close, and with a bit of luck, they might even get to exchange a few words, receive an autograph, or snap a photo together.

“Dude, I think I saw Jessica Alba… Oh, and Rachel McAdams!” a Caucasian boy exclaimed in surprise on the track outside the blocked-off area. Another boy of the same age looked puzzled as he followed his gaze, saying, “Impossible, they are not in ‘Juno’… Oh, my God! I see them, it is really them, and there’s Tom Welling, that smug guy.”

“Tom, it’s Tom!” several girls nearby cried out in unison, their eyes sparkling with adoration. A blonde girl said dreamily, “Oh, what an unexpected treat, he’s so cute, sweet…” Another brunette girl added excitedly, “We are so lucky, the entertainment news said that ‘High School Musical 2′ will be promoting in Toronto these days, it seems like they came to visit the set…”

Following their gaze, sure enough, they saw the tall and handsome Tom Welling standing at the back of the photography team, laughing and chatting with Zachary and Michael Pitt; and, capturing the boys’ attention, Jessica and Rachel stood somewhat behind the camera, looking interested and concerned as they watched the scene being filmed.

“Juno, next up you—umm… I almost forgot you don’t need me to explain the scene.” Wang Yang stopped himself. Natalie, cradling her big belly, urged impatiently, “So let’s start, my water just broke.” Anne Hathaway on the side couldn’t help but smile broadly, revealing a radiant grin. Wang Yang frowned then nodded with a smile, “That line is good, it means everything is ready, we can start at any time, not bad.” Natalie blinked and said, “Did you know? My baby just kicked me, aiming right at you, I think he’s trying to kick you.”

“Like mother, like son, now it applies.” Wang Yang chuckled, then looked at Anne Hathaway and asked, “Leah, you’re ready too, right?” Hathaway nodded, “Yeah, no problem, I can handle it.” Wang Yang turned and walked back behind the camera, gave a smile to Jessica and Rachel, then turned his attention back to Natalie and the others in the scene, picked up the director’s megaphone and announced, “Let’s begin, everyone take your places.”

Jessica wore a sweet smile, watching Wang Yang enter work mode; she really liked watching him direct on set. Hearing him shout “Action”, she murmured softly, “Cool…” Standing next to Jessica, Rachel smiled upon hearing that familiar “Action”, feeling her own desire to perform suddenly ignite, racing and pulsing within her, yet she wasn’t the one performing.

Jessica also felt eager. Looking at Natalie on set with her protruding belly, she pursed her lips. Juno, that was her “baby”. If last year’s pregnancy hadn’t been a false alarm, she would’ve experienced it herself—their child “Juno” would’ve already been born. But now “Juno” was a movie. Watching Natalie’s portrayal, who walked just like a pregnant woman, with a casual demeanor and unique vocal tone—a performance Jessica, who was very familiar with the “Juno” script, silently admired as fabulously on point—

Could 1 perform it too? Jessica asked herself, looking around before casting a glance at Rachel and trying out expressions on her face, silently reciting Natalie’s lines. But soon, she realized something—that she couldn’t see herself and had no idea whether the performance was good or bad. Jessica suddenly noticed Rachel watching her, and with an awkward smile, she said softly, “I was just wanting to try it out.”

“Me too, this role is interesting.” Rachel whispered back.

“Cut! Good-Take!” At that moment, Wang Yang clapped vigorously and picked up the horn to address the set, “Everyone performed very well, but let’s take this shot one more time to try some other effects. Juno, try to make your mood a bit calmer; and Leah, your smile could be more radiant.” He looked towards Valery Fiest, who was operating the camera, and said, “This time, focus on some close-up shots.”

Watching everyone get busy again, Jessica and Rachel, who wanted to chat, turned to walk to the outer edge. Jessica looked up at the blue sky and said, “Rachel, I was wondering how I would play Juno if given the chance?” Rachel glanced at her and smiled, dimples showing, “I can manage Leah’s role, but for Juno, after seeing Natalie Portman’s performance, honestly, I lack the confidence to do better than her.” Jessica fell silent for a moment, then nodded, “She did an amazing job.”

“That’s one reason; and also, neither of us is a fit for Juno.” Rachel laughed, “Yang is right, everyone has their own style and aura, at least for now.” She patted Jessica on the shoulder, encouraging her, “Jessica, your acting is not bad at all, you don’t need to compare yourself with Natalie, don’t mind those things, you know Yang doesn’t care either.” She laughed, remembering that resolute face on the sickbed, “He likes you, including your performance, he just does.”

“Thankyou, Rachel.” Jessica smiled at her and said, “I don’t have those worries, I know.” Suddenly, she saw Joshua in the distance, asleep in a chair with his head tilted back. She frowned slightly and said, “Rachel, excuse me for a moment.” With that, she broke into a quick stride towards him. Rachel let out a laugh and exhaled.

Standing in front of the chair, looking at her brother sleeping soundly with drool at the corner of his mouth, Jessica circled the chair twice, then punched his shoulder and shouted, “Joshua!” He woke up startled from his sleep, eyes wide open, ” What?!” Upon recognizing Jessica, he slumped back into the chair and grumbled helplessly, “My dear sister, you are so boring. I knew it would be a disaster when you visited the set.”

“I’m boring? Ha! Joshua Alba, how can you be slacking off here?” Jessica sneered and forcefully pushed him off the chair, pointing towards the filming area, “Go see if there’s anything you can help with, hurry up!”

Joshua sat back down in the chair and said, “There’s nothing to help with, I’m not the male lead, and mainly my job is to deliver water and meals…” Closing his eyes, he continued, “Just let me rest for a bit, it’s no trouble, and I’m about to collapse from exhaustion, working from morning to night, plus having to keep an eye on Yang for you.” Jessica was taken aback for a moment, then angrily retorted, “Don’t do anything stupid, let me tell you, I trust Yang a hundred percent, got it?”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t done anything, just observing, no one’s angry!” Joshua, full of energy, cleared his throat and said, “Cough, cough, it’s time to report my findings. There’s a piece of good news, and a piece of bad news!”

Jessica rolled her eyes, then heard him say mysteriously, “Let’s start with the bad news, that awful woman and Yang are getting along very well, they’re always joking with each other, some even pretty vulgar, not the kind you’d expect from just friends…” Jessica interrupted, “They are sparking dialogue, Yang has told me about it, do you want to hear some of the jokes they’ve come up with?”

Joshua shrugged, “I’ve heard plenty, not just jokes, they talk about a lot of weird things, humans, nature, oh my god, all stuff that makes you want to sleep, the only normal thing is ‘dogs,’ they both like dogs, of course you do too, who doesn’t like dogs? So let’s forget that.” He stared at Jessica, his voice growing heavier, “Occasionally, they even chat in Chinese, Yang is teaching her Chinese! I can’t understand if they are flirting or not…”

“Flirt my foot!” Jessica smacked him on the head, annoyed, but Chinese, huh? Site raised an eyebrow, considering learning it herself to understand Yang better.

“Alright, the good news then.” Joshua rubbed his head in pain as he spoke, “That woman doesn’t like basketball, even mocks basketball fans for ‘wasting time,’ Yang is a basketball fan, he takes a different stand on lifestyle; she’s a strict vegetarian and tried to persuade Yang to go veg, but where did Yang grow up? He’s a tough guy, he didn’t agree. And one more critical point, she’s not a Catholic.”

Jessica held her forehead and said, “Of course, she’s Jewish. But what does that matter?” Joshua spread his hands and said, “Because the Virgin Mary, the Lord, they will bless you.” After a pause, he muttered softly, “They only have one choice.” He suddenly clapped his hands and said, “Wow! Look at what I said, I can do it too!” Jessica shook her head with a smile and said, “Joshua, I haven’t told you yet, but Natalie is someone I asked Yang to contact, and right now, I’m really happy, she’s doing great!”

“What? You’re crazy!” Joshua stood up in surprise, his eyes wide as he said, “You’re pushing your own boyfriend onto someone else.” Jessica looked towards Wang Yang, who was directing with a megaphone in the distance, and smiled slightly, her eyes filled with seriousness as she said, “I’m not crazy, I’m just really confident about my relationship with Yang. Joshua, you don’t need to ‘watch over’ Yang anymore, go work hard.” With that, she patted her brother on the shoulder.

With no other option, Joshua said, “OK,” and walked towards the film crew, shouting, “Hey, anyone thirsty?”

After a morning of shooting, it was lunchtime before Wang Yang could officially meet his girlfriend and friends who had come to visit the set and have a good chat with them. Seeing Zachary, Tom-Welling, he opened his arms with a smile and said, “Hey, guys!” He hugged them tightly, greeted Rachel with a smile, then embraced Jessica and kissed her forehead.

Behind him, Michael-Pitt and Hathaway were smiling, while Joshua quickly glanced at Natalie, who was making a Juno-style teasing expression, wicked in Yang’s words, with nothing unusual, but he did not let down his guard; this woman’s acting was too strong.

After getting to know each other, the group walked towards the tree-shaded resting area of the set. Surrounded by his good friends, Wang Yang said, “This afternoon, we have a classroom scene. Are you guys interested in making a cameo? You would sit in the classroom as students.” He knew Jessica wanted to be in his movie, even if it meant being an extra for just a second, without playing any particular character; she wanted to be a part of it.

If it were beneficial from a promotional standpoint, “High School Musical leads make a cameo in Juno” would interest more young people. With no lines and a brief few seconds as a background, it wouldn’t detract from the film’s immersive quality.

As expected, upon hearing they could make a cameo, Jessica’s face instantly lit up with joy; Zachary seemed even more excited, saying joyfully, “Really? That’s awesome!” Tom-Welling said with a laugh, “Sure!” Rachel was very happy, asking, “Is that okay?” Wang Yang nodded and said, “Yeah, no problem, it’s just background shots, you won’t steal the spotlight.” He laughed and added, “That way, ‘Juno’ will become even more special.”

“Oh? Why?” Natalie asked in a cooperative tone. Wang Yang looked at her, then at Jessica, Rachel, Zachary, and the other friends, and said with a smile, “Think about it, ten years from now, in 2010. If someone watches this movie again, they’ll say ‘Oh, that’s crazy! This movie has Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Rachel McAdams, Michael Pitt, Tom Welling, Zachary Levi… They all look so young!”‘

Everyone laughed at that, and then Joshua called from behind, “Hey, man, you left someone out, Joshua Alba! He’s an Oscar-winning lead actor!” Everyone laughed again, and Wang Yang nodded, “Yes, that’s right, and Joshua Alba.” Joshua played a small role with lines, a cocky jock at school who liked Juno but expressed it in a mocking way. Thanks to his “authentic performance,” he did really well, and his mockery of Natalie was definitely Oscar-worthy.

“See, a powerful lineup!” Wang Yang said with a smile. A tranquil face with a few freckles on her nose suddenly appeared before his eyes—that golden-haired girl also named Annie, who had also been part of this movie. Although she had failed the audition for Leah, she got a small role that suited her. She came to Toronto in a hurry a few days ago, finished her scenes, and went back to Los Angeles.

Ten years later, would the person watching “Juno” exclaim in surprise to see the name “Annie Darren”?

“Wow, speaking of which, it would be awesome if ‘Juno’ swept the Golden Raspberry Awards,” Natalie laughed heartily, her face alight with teasing mirth. Everyone knew she was joking and chuckled along. Wang Yang, coming back to his senses, frowned and feigned reflection, “I don’t think so? Hmm, if you win the Golden Raspberry for Worst Actress, you can beat me up; or we could make another film and go for the Oscars!”

While everyone was laughing, a loud shout came from afar: “Director!

Director!” Wang Yang looked over and saw Gill Sedis waving at him. He smiled at everyone and said to Jessica, “I’ll go see what’s going on.” With that, he ran toward Gill Sedis.

“Could there be a problem with the hamburgers?” Joshua muttered worriedly. Then Zachary pleaded with Natalie, “Could you do me a favor? Could you get an autograph from Mr. George Lucas for me? I’m a die-hard Star Wars fan.” Gone was the ruffian air surrounding Natalie; with a serene smile, she nodded, “Sure, okay.”

In the afternoon shoot, Jessica, Rachel, and others smoothly completed their cameo appearances, joining the crew list of “Juno.” Because Wang Yang wanted to gather with Jessica for a bit and the shooting was ahead of schedule, he ended the afternoon filming early. He excitedly drove Jessica to a nearby small town—the very place he had gotten drunk—to watch the sunset by a beautiful lake and dine in a restaurant downtown. They stayed out late until he drove Jessica back to her hotel before he returned to the inn in the small town.

In the hallway, Wang Yang opened his room door to find the lights on inside, and walked in puzzled to see a brunette engrossed in reading a book at the desk. He froze and said, “Nancy, what are you doing?” Startled, Nancy looked up, stood, and said, “I’m reading a book.”

Wang Yang laughed, poured himself a warm cup of water, and said, “Of course I know that. I mean, it’s so late, past midnight, almost 1 AM, why are you still reading here?”

“I’m sorry.” Nancy glanced at her feet, a bit awkward, and said, “After I sorted out the files, I saw the film studies book on your desk and started flipping through it. The annotated notes are great, and before I knew it, I had read up to now…” She looked at the stack of thick books on the desk and laughed, “I thought you wouldn’t come back tonight.”

Wang Yang took a sip of water, smiling, without answering her question. What could he say, that Jessica was on her period, felt uncomfortable, and needed to rest well, so she couldn’t stay overnight? Seeing Nancy still a bit embarrassed, he said with a smile, “It’s okay. If you want to continue reading, I’ll lend you those books. You can take them to your room and read at your leisure, but leave me one.”

“Oh, can I, really?” Nancy’s eyes lit up, and seeing Wang Yang nod, she happily gathered the pile of books, leaving behind only a new one, and said cheerfully, “Thankyou! Director, I’m going now. Good night.”

Watching her retreating figure with the books in her arms, Wang Yang was reminded of the time back in Park City when she struggled with the projector, looking rather ungainly. Ten years later, in 2010, would the person reading the crew list of “Juno” be surprised to see an assistant director named Nancy Reno?

Wang Yang couldn’t be sure of that, but he was certain of one thing: in ten, twenty, or thirty years, there would be an excellent female director named Nancy Reno. (To be continued…)