Birth of an actor

When it comes to crazy admirers of Hollywood actors, the most famous and notorious is John Hinckley Jr., a fan of actress Jodie Foster. On November 1981, 11, the new US President Ronald Reagan was killed in Washington Hilton John Hinckley was assassinated. Although President Reagan was immediately pushed into the car by the special agent Jerry Parr to avoid the fatal part, he was still shot in the lungs. He was shot, and the news immediately shocked the world. Everyone suspected that this was a repeat of the Kennedy incident, but the final truth was bizarre——

It turns out that the assassination of President Reagan was not a political conspiracy, but John Sinkley Jr., who was crazy infatuated with Jodie Foster, the actress who played a prostitute in it, after watching the movie "Taxi Driver". Jodie Foster's attention was deliberately planned. John Hinckley Jr.'s purpose was to let his idols pay attention to him and make the whole of America pay attention to him. He did do it in the end, but the price he paid was that his idol Sturt has been going downhill since then, becoming a troublesome figure in the hearts of many Hollywood film companies and directors, and also avoiding major award ceremonies, until he played an acting breakthrough in "The Robbery of Pear Blossom" in 1988. The image of a rape victim was once again favored by the Oscars.

Before John Hinckley Jr., people didn't think there was anything wrong with fans being madly obsessed with star worship, but after John Hinckley Jr., all Hollywood actors don't want such extreme elements to appear in their fan groups. The actors are okay, and the actresses are all afraid of becoming a second Jodie Foster.

Crazy extreme fans will bring the reputation of bad idols, which is definitely not empty talk in today's Hollywood.

So far, the image and behavior of drag fan Jonathan Bates has not been comparable to normal, so it is no wonder that Oprah Winfrey asked this question-and the audience also turned their attention to William, they wanted to know the answer to that question.

William's answer was very unexpected: "Actually, that cross-dressing fan is my alumni. I can't guarantee anything else, but in terms of mental state, I dare say that he, that is, Jonathan Bates, is very normal, er , although his behavior is a little exaggerated, it is easy to misunderstand."

"Alumni... oh, Harvard students?" Oprah Winfrey's expression was full of surprise: "Really?"

The audience also exclaimed in great cooperation: cross-dressing lovers and crazy movie fans, these two labels and Harvard students obviously sound extremely incompatible, it’s like the product of two planets, and now William told them, This crazy movie fan is even a top student? !

"Actually, after the media crazily exaggerated Jonathan Bates' personal hobbies and dangers, Bates himself felt very distressed. He even mailed a video tape to my agent to explain." William shrugged: "You guys Why not see for yourself."

The video tape is indeed real. Amon Goffman gave it to the program crew just before the recording of the program. Now, the video is playing on the big screen. Oprah Winfrey turned her head to look at it. It was very quiet.

"Hi, everyone, I'm Jonathan Bates."

The appearance of the man in the video made Oprah Winfrey raise her eyebrows, because compared to the weird cross-dresser wearing a wig and heavy makeup in the previous news, this man in front of him is so normal: short brown hair Brown eyes, delicate facial features, wearing a simple plaid shirt and cardigan, and speaking in a very educated tone, like a scholar rather than an abnormal person.

"I'm the 'William Bradley's drag fan' who appears in the newspapers every day recently, I know that's what the media calls me." Jonathan Bates' words caused some audiences to smile: "Don't be surprised, You read that right, the "normal person" who appears in front of you is me, and the "cross-dressing pervert" that the reporter in the newspaper said is also me. This is the state I usually appear in more often, and that cross-dressing image is Me on rare occasions."

"I'm an anthropology major at Harvard. I'm one of the organizers of the LGBT community. I'm an artist. I have a performance personality. I often dress up very weirdly, just like those underground rock musicians, and then according to At that time, I was in the mood to choose what role I wanted to play, and I was very involved until I had enough addiction-like performance art. On the day of the premiere of "Scream", I was immersed in my desire to perform until the two policemen Tan came and interrupted me and made me spend the night at the police station."

Speaking of this, Jonathan Bates shrugged helplessly: "Do you feel that you are not normal? As I said, this is my personal hobby. Everyone has their own private hobbies, but mine is special. And honestly, I didn't do anyone any harm, did I? I don't understand why journalists like to make a fuss about me, don't they see other drag lovers? God, our group is It has been developing and growing since the 60s. Do you like Will? Yes, Will, I like you very much, but please rest assured, it is still a normal kind of liking so far. I haven’t got my graduation certificate yet. There's no way I'm going to be John Hinckley Jr. with so many acting ideas waiting to be done. That's what I'm trying to say."

"Wow!" The audience was collectively surprised.The content in the video tape was so normal that many viewers began to wonder whether the Jonathan Bates on the big screen just now and the weird fan described by the reporter in the newspaper were really the same person?

"Wow!" Oprah Winfrey said with emotion: "This video monologue is really beyond my expectations. Harvard's top students and LGBT'alternative people' usually give people the opposite impression, but in Jonathan Bay However, we have seen such an interesting fusion in Bates. Some media should not exaggerate Jonathan Bates' behavior in pursuit of public opinion effects, whether he is gay, bisexual, various hobbies or AIDS patients As long as they do not engage in behaviors that are harmful to society or other people, we should look at them with tolerance and accept them, because from the bottom of our hearts, they are ordinary people like us.”

"That's great, Oprah." William agreed: "I think Jonathan and his LGBT friends will be very touched when they hear what you said. Now the society can look at it with kindness and tolerance. There are really too few of them, and most people look at this group with colored glasses, which is really not advisable."

Since the end of the 80s, Oprah Winfrey's programs have involved many "alternative groups" in society. She has done programs about cross-dressing enthusiasts and patients with gender identity disorder, so it is no wonder that Oprah Winfrey After watching Jonathan Bates' video, Winfrey can react quickly and speak such empathetic and emotional words.

"I was also pleasantly surprised and surprised by your performance tonight, Will." Oprah Winfrey said kindly: "Whether it's your wit and humor, or your understanding and equality for minorities, it's amazing. I want to hug you again."

"Then why not?" William stood up, smiling, and opened his arms to Oprah Winfrey.

To the applause of the live audience and countless television audiences, everyone backstage, and camera footage, William and Oprah Winfrey embraced tightly--a hug that will later be hailed as the beginning of the two. In the future, we will work together to fight for the rights and interests of the LGBT community for many years.

Oprah Winfrey finally had the feeling that the show had returned to her rhythm, happily enjoyed a few seconds of applause, and she looked at William: "So, about the movie "Scream", what do you still want to do?" Anything to say Will? Especially about Billy? You've really portrayed a very, very bad serial killer but also very charming, it's kind of like Fatal Beauty, it's contradictory, but also irresistible .”

"In fact, when I was constructing the character and image of Billy, I didn't expect him to cause such a strong social response, because when I was filming, I just wanted to play this role well, and I didn't think about other things. "William described Oprah Winfrey in a slightly helpless tone: "My original thought was, if I want to shock the fans by how bad Billy is at the end? Then everyone has to see Billy first. How good Billy was before. I made Billy look as charming as possible, handsome and elegant, so that people would never think of him as a villain, and then when the audience all fell in love with this character, I let everyone see Billy How bad it is."

"You've fooled us all, Will!"

"There is one thing I have to say." William coughed and looked at the camera: "Movies and reality are different and should not be confused. If someone really loves this movie so much that he wants to imitate it in reality, then remember one sentence ——Billy died in the ending, and his death was both dishonorable and miserable. Being a criminal, especially a serial killer is not a good result. OVER."

"Hahahaha!" Oprah Winfrey laughed out loud, "Very black humor, Will, you are so funny!"

William gave the camera a playful and sinister wink as the camera stared at him for a close-up.

……

"We noticed that a friend of yours came to the scene." After another commercial break, Oprah Winfrey looked at William and said, "And he's a bit special, isn't he?"

At the right time, the camera took a close-up of Lance sitting in the first row of the stage. The heir to the Roderick family was wearing a simple navy blue three-piece suit, which was exactly the same design and tailoring as William was wearing tonight, except that the color was slightly different. The details are different, the pale blond hair is shining under the light, the eyes are bluer and bluer against the background of the dark blue striped tie, just like the color of the ocean that the most exquisite painter has just carefully adjusted-in fact, from the opening scene Since then, many audience members have recognized Lance and have been sneaking glances at him. It wasn't until Oprah Winfrey pointed out Lance's identity that they finally dared to look at Lance openly, as if inspired. Adams and William looked back and forth.

The camera was close to Lance's face, and Lance just glanced at it indifferently. He was neither excited nor nervous because of it, until he saw William on the stage waving to him and looking at him. Oprah Winfrey replied: "Yes, my best friend Lance is sitting in the audience." Only then did William smile back.

"Why not invite him on stage?" Oprah Winfrey said.

"Lance, come here quickly." William moved a seat to the middle of the sofa, patted the empty seat and said.

Lance got up from the audience with a smile as he was captured by the camera, walked quickly onto the stage, hugged William who stood up to greet him, and then sat on the empty seat. Feeling, not even a trace of unnaturalness.

The audience gave Lance warm applause - but there was no screaming. Although many girls in the audience were intoxicated by the appearance of Roderick's heir, before they knew what kind of person the other party was through his speech and behavior, they still They rationally kept calm, unlike when William appeared on the stage, William's actor status and most of the characters and talents that have been shown to the public can make them worship with confidence.

"Hello, Mr. Roderick." Oprah Winfrey held out her hand to Lance.

Lance also reached out to shake her hand: "Just call me Lance."

"Okay, Lance, have you and Will been friends since we were kids?" Oprah Winfrey asked. Private school, you must have known and become friends long before that."

Lance didn't answer directly, but looked at William with a smile.

William replied consciously for him: "No, we became friends only when we attended the same Boy Scout summer camp in the summer when we were 8 years old. Although we were classmates at Calgate School for two years before, we rarely Communication, Lance was always alone in the first and second grades. Even if you took the same class as him, you rarely found an opportunity to communicate with him, because he always hung up all day long, "I'm very upset, no." "happy or unhappy" expression, being picked up by the housekeeper and the driver as soon as school is over, and rarely participating in campus activities, under such circumstances, unless you are a friend of Roderick's family, it is difficult to get along with him at school. He got on, but, you know—”

Speaking of this, William shrugged and made a funny dejected expression: "The wealth of Roderick's family is unmatched by ordinary people, and it is really difficult to establish friendship with his family. I suspect that apart from Bill Gates Few people outside can do it.”

The audience once again laughed amusedly, and this time they really felt happy and coke-compared with ordinary people, as the most promising young stars in Hollywood (evaluated by "Variety"), their pay has surged William Bradley, who made a movie worth $500 million, is already considered an unattainable figure. Now they know that there is another higher world that even William can't reach, which makes them feel psychologically The distance between myself and William suddenly shortened, and when William described Lance Roderick with self-confidence, decentness and humour, the tone was also very humorous, which also made the audience very fond of it. I felt that William was neither humble nor overbearing in front of the upper-level super-rich. It seems that their self-esteem is also being maintained together.

Oprah Winfrey laughed and asked Lance: "Did you often feel unhappy when you were a child, so that's why you often put on that unhappy expression that Will described?"

"Is it this unhappy expression?" Lance's eyes were impatient, the corners of his mouth drooped, his chin was slightly raised, and after making a very arrogant and alienated expression towards the camera, he turned his head and asked William.

"That's right, that's the typical face of a public school boy, but he's more arrogant than an ordinary public school boy." William nodded and said, "To be honest, you look too unflattering when you pose like this If you like it, it will scare away countless enthusiastic friends and beautiful girls."

Lance gently elbowed William to express that although his expression was as elegant and calm as ever, he was already rolling his eyes at William in his heart: "My childhood was actually very good. I was a very normal child when I was young, like Like children in any other family, they are more happy than unhappy. Even if there are sad things, they are always quickly forgotten. The reason why I have an unhappy expression every day is because, uh, at the time, I thought that It's the best way to protect yourself."

"Means of self-preservation?" asked Oprah Winfrey. "What do you mean?"

Lance's expression paused for a moment, as if lost in memory.

William patted his friend on the shoulder, and Lance came back to his senses, smiled at him, and then replied to Oprah: "Because I have been tutored by tutors since I can remember, I was really alone until I was six years old." I didn’t have any friends. At that time, apart from the housekeeper, the two corgis raised by my mother probably accompanied me the most. After I was six years old, my parents decided to send me to school. At first I was very excited, thinking that I could do what my mother and the housekeeper said In that way, I made a lot of friends, but after I got to school, I found that the reality is not as good as I imagined."

"Have you been bullied at school?" Oprah Winfrey asked directly.

Lance hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head and replied: "There is no real bullying, such as beating and insulting, but for a long time after school, there are only three kinds of classmates around me, one is obviously innocent and enthusiastic, but I was taught by my parents to understand power and money too early, and I only deliberately please, a kind of rebellious and precocious, always whispering behind my back after provoking face to face, every move is full of resentment, and there is that feeling that I am not with you It’s not that the world simply ignores you. If you take the initiative to interact with them, they will look at you like a monster. In addition, even after school, I have been receiving tutoring from tutors after class. I don’t have that time to contact and distinguish the classmates one by one, and make real friends from inside, so as time goes by, I am used to not having friends, and I am also used to always wearing an unhappy mask at school, which will make me feel safe. feel."

The audience made a long surprised sound. They never thought that children who grew up in the wealthiest families in the United States would have difficulty making friends since they went to school—billionaires don’t get what they want of it?

"It really sounds like a very lonely and emotional story—the children of billionaires are born with almost the best things in the world, but they also have their own troubles, don't they?"

"Except for the dazzling halo above our heads, we are all ordinary people." Lance rarely echoed Oprah's words.

"Is Will the first friend you ever had?" Oprah Winfrey asked. "I mean real friends."

"Of course William is." Then Lance began to talk about the thrilling kidnapping case 12 years ago: "In the summer of 1985, I participated in the New York Boy Scouts summer camp, and I happened to be assigned to a tent with Will. I didn't know there was such a person in the school before..."

Lance starts from the beginning, from how young he is, he can't even comb a perfect hairstyle in front of the mirror without the help of a hair dryer, to William taking care of him everywhere, showing a maturity that is completely inconsistent with an eight-year-old boy And considerate, and then to the night of horror when he was kidnapped: "Scared? A little bit, but not particularly frightened, probably because I felt a little comforted because I had someone to accompany me, and secondly, I was still too young at that time, and I didn't realize the kidnapper at all. The scary thing is that I always feel that if they just want money, the Roderick family can fully satisfy them."

For the first time in history, Lance told others about the kidnapping case. For so many years, apart from his family members, Lance only told the psychiatrist about his psychological fluctuations during the kidnapping case. Of course, the version that Lance told now There are still great reservations about the truth, except for the following part: "On that night, when Will broke free from the rope first, he didn't escape by himself, but untied me and let me be the first to climb out of the small window." I said from the bottom of my heart that I couldn't let him slip away and that Will will be my first and best friend. Forever." At that time, Oprah Winfrey and the audience, and maybe The audience in front of countless TVs applauded together.

"Oh." Oprah Winfrey even sniffled touched: "A great and touching friendship, this is the only thing I want to say at the moment. Although some newspapers have criticized the friendship between you before, thinking that it is fundamentally It's not true or sincere, but I don't believe that nonsense at all now, and none of the other friends at the scene will believe it anymore, right?"

"That's right!" The audience shouted and applauded collectively, and some emotionally sensitive female audiences even couldn't help their eyes turning red.

"I especially dislike the remarks made by the National Enquirer when it mentioned the bankruptcy of the Bradley family, especially the doubts about the relationship between Will and me. In their eyes, it seems that billionaires can only be with billionaires. If a rich man makes friends with a friend who is a little less rich, one of them must have ulterior motives." Lance finally added: "I will not take the "National Enquirer" to court because it is both It's not fun, and it will fuel their arrogance—"

"Did you choose to treat these tabloid comments indifferently, like any rich kid who keeps a low profile?"

Lance curled his lips and replied jokingly: "No, the "National Enquirer" hasn't completely angered me. If they really angered me, all I will do is talk to their parent company. acquisition transaction."

Buy this newspaper, and then no one will dare to talk nonsense to the new boss.

The scene was boiling again, and amidst the din of "Ooooh!" Hahahaha, I was laughed at by you too many times tonight, really, far more than the average."

From the time Lance started talking, William has been sitting by the side watching him speak, never interrupting, but nodding or shaking his head from time to time—when Lance said that he was really an idiot who took care of himself when he was a child, William almost It was an uncontrollable laugh and nodding desperately, and when Lance spouted praises to William, William began to shake his head silently again—until Lance said something he had never even said to William, and William suddenly Startled.

"You never said that to me," William murmured, looking genuinely shocked.

Lance has returned to his usual polite and polite heir appearance—if it wasn’t for the faint blush on his cheeks that betrayed him, then his calm and self-possession is indeed well disguised—after hearing William’s whispers, Lance Stein raised his eyebrows and replied, "That's because I'm really not used to saying things like that, and I thought you always knew, old man."

"I can't show how moved I am without a hug, my friend." Despite Lance's resistance, William gave him a bear hug and messed up Lance's hair.

The camera lens cleverly captured a Roderick heir after he broke free from William's arms, running his hands along his hair, trying to make an angry expression and at the same time couldn't help but want to laugh, the expression was full of vividness.In the past, the image of the unreachable little prince Roderick in American gossip weekly magazines has been completely shattered, but to be honest, Americans obviously prefer the current Roderick who looks and behaves in line with his age, rather than the black and white typeface A cold photo in print.

The director once again gestured numbers in the audience, and Oprah Winfrey smiled at the camera and said, "Let's take a break and continue to learn more about William Bradley after the commercial is over."

……

The camera returned to the Oprah Show studio hall, Lance had already sat back in the audience, and Oprah Winfrey was a new topic, and it finally progressed to William's childhood: "Although you are not a top rich man, you used to be considered a rich man. A rich kid, right? Lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan?"

"Yes."

"What were your parents like?"

"They were very, very nice. My mother was an artist and a perfect stay-at-home housewife, and my father, Edwin, was a nice guy, a straight man who worked on Wall Street but was very idealistic, probably because Growing up in that open era (67's) caused. You know, he's good like any dad character in any family sitcom, integrity, warmth, compassion, and the amount of coldness and ruthlessness portrayed in those movies and TV The image of Wall Streeters is completely different."

"But that unfortunate thing happened." Oprah Winfrey didn't point it out directly, but used cryptic words to bring out Edwin Bradley's jump from a tall building on Wall Street six years ago .

"Yes, unfortunately." The smile faded from William's face, and his expression turned sad.

Oprah Winfrey softened her tone: "What do you think about this choice your father made?"

The auditorium gradually became quiet, and everyone was looking at William, waiting for his answer.

William was silent for a while.

Oprah Winfrey watched William's expression and asked, "If this topic makes you sad, maybe we can—"

"No, no, I can talk about it." William interrupted Oprah Winfrey's kindness, and began to talk about the incident that turned fate six years ago. Although his tone was slow and dignified, it was still fluent: "My father, his decision was taken so suddenly that no one had even the slightest hint or found a hint in advance. His death affected many people. His company, customers, competitors, friends, and his family must be the most saddened. I don’t want to comment on whether the decision my father made was correct or wrong. After all, six years have passed, and everything has returned to ashes and ashes. I can only say that my father’s departure brought me a lot of vigilance and insights I keep telling myself that no matter what I do, I must maintain an optimistic and confident attitude, persevere, never give up, don’t be discouraged even if I encounter temporary failures, and believe that there will be a day when I can stand up again.”

The sudden burst of applause in the studio almost knocked the ceiling down, and Oprah Winfrey had to speak very loudly to get her voice into the microphone: "Very motivating speech, Will, and I I want to give you a thumbs up! Is this spirit the secret to your success from a rich kid to penniless, but still able to start all over again?"

"Yes, this is one of the biggest motivations for me to persevere." The silent and sad expression on William's face finally faded a little: "But success? I shouldn't be considered successful, I still have a long way to go."

"Admitted to Harvard University, owning three movies with a box office of over [-] million yuan, and being nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Will you are already a successful person in the eyes of many people, a model son."

Although Oprah Winfrey still has a lot of questions to ask William, such as how did he overcome the geographical gap and start again after he came to the completely unfamiliar Los Angeles from New York where he grew up, such as his early working and graphic modeling experience, such as His current Harvard student life and his next film plan, but because the previous topics were too in-depth, it took far more time than expected, and the director kept reminding her that there was not enough time left for the show 5 minutes, so Oprah Winfrey can only say her closing remarks in advance: "I think your story is very amazing, Will, and everyone who hears your story will be inspired and motivated."

While speaking, Oprah Winfrey stood up and made a gesture of hugging William

William stood up and hugged Oprah Winfrey with a slightly shy smile: "Thank you."

Oprah Winfrey looks at the camera: "At the end of the day, let's enjoy William Bradley's cello performance, not only his first TV appearance, but also the first time he showed his musical talents to the audience -"

The focus of the camera lens shifted from Oprah Winfrey to William, who was already sitting on the performance seat on the left side of the studio. William didn't care how the camera was circling around him, adjusted the volume with his right hand, and pulled the the first string.

The beautiful and gorgeous timbre of the cello immediately echoed in the entire studio hall, and the music was smooth and clean, with almost no artificial traces.

The audience, who is quite accomplished in music, immediately called out: "It's Bach—" and then covered their mouths under the reproachful eyes of the people around them.

The auditorium was so quiet for a while that not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Everyone tried their best to suppress their movements and concentrate on enjoying the music.

The brisk, bright and colorful music makes people's mood unconsciously affected by the music. With the performance of the performer, the mood of many audiences has changed several times, and finally returned to a peaceful and peaceful feeling.

It wasn't until long after William's performance that there was enthusiastic applause that was almost crazy:

"Fantastic!"

"Bravo!"