Chapter 16

As the audition was about to end, Chen Tiandu suddenly saw a familiar face and went over to greet him, saying, "Hey, Vin Diesel, nice to meet you."

"Who are you?" Vin Diesel shook his hand in puzzlement. Although Chen Tiandu was standing with the director's team, everyone thought he was just a staff member and didn't take this young man with an Asian mixed face seriously as an assistant director.

"I'm Christmas Chen, you can call me Christmas. You're very muscular, I think you could play a role."

"Thanks, I hope I have good luck. The decision is up to them, isn't it?" He tilted his head and looked at the busy assistant directors.

Earlier this year, he had written, directed, and starred in a low-budget film called "Lost," which brought him $47,000 in income. But what truly caught Hollywood's attention was another film he had starred in before, the 1995 film "Stranger." "Stranger" was screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Although it received good reviews, it didn't sell as well as Diesel had hoped. However, "Stranger" won Diesel more work.

"Christmas, what are you doing? Come over, we still have a lot to do." Toby Hawkins shouted.

Vin Diesel looked at the young man with a slight surprise, guessing his position in the crew. Chen Tiandu waved at him, "Come on, buddy, let me introduce you."

Although surprised, Vin Diesel wasn't foolish. He wouldn't miss such an opportunity to network and quickly followed.

Chen Tiandu said, "Toby, Bonnie, come over and meet him. This is Vin Diesel. I think he's perfect for the role of Capa, what do you think?"

"Capa, are you sure?" Bonnie Curtis looked at him seriously. She was one of the three major producers of the film and had the most say on set.

Toby also asked curiously, "Your friend?"

"Yes, we just met." Chen Tiandu didn't hesitate, smiling, "Mr. Diesel previously starred in the film 'Stranger' and participated in this year's Sundance Film Festival. He also wrote, directed, and starred in a film called 'Lost,' with a lot of acting experience."

"Oh..."

If someone else had recommended someone so directly, they might not have taken it seriously. But Chen Tiandu was the scriptwriter and had often provided feasible suggestions, so everyone naturally took him seriously. Bonnie shook hands with Vin Diesel and chatted for a few moments. She found that Vin Diesel had a dark, mysterious face and a deep voice, looking more like a football player than an actor, with a very robust build.

Capa's role wasn't too significant, so giving it to him wasn't a bad idea, showing that Chen Tiandu wasn't just picking randomly.

After a few exchanges, she made up her mind, "Mr. Diesel, are you available? The upcoming military training and filming might last several months. And it's not in the U.S., but in Ireland. Can you adapt?"

Vin Diesel's pupils suddenly widened, and he was stunned for several seconds. It was only after Chen Tiandu nudged his arm that he came to, "No problem, absolutely."

"Great, congratulations on getting the role, Capa."

Chen Tiandu also shook his hand, "Capa's role isn't too significant, I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course not. Thank you very much... Christmas. May I ask what your role is in the crew?"

Toby looked surprised, "You don't know him? He's the screenwriter and is currently part of the director's team. Oh, now I'm sure you didn't know each other before."

Securing Vin Diesel's role was just a coincidence for Chen Tiandu. He didn't say much about the other roles. The other roles were gradually determined, except for Ryan. They had originally wanted Edward Norton to play Ryan, but he declined. The military training for the other actors had already ended, so even if they found someone now, they couldn't participate in the training.

Time was tight, and everyone was discussing the actors' profiles one by one.

Chen Tiandu quickly sifted through a pile of profiles and pointed to a young, horse-faced profile, "What about this guy?"

"Matt Damon?"

...

From the audition to the first collective meeting of all the actors to read the script and rehearse lines, it was already half a month later. This was the second time Chen Tiandu and Vin Diesel met.

Big companies are big companies. Half an hour before the meeting, Chen Tiandu pushed open the door and found it already full of people.

"Hi, everyone. Mr. Tom Hanks, I'm your super fan, nice to meet you." The veteran actor sitting in the middle, with that iconic Forrest Gump face, was none other than Tom Hanks.

"Hello, Christmas. This is our first meeting. I didn't expect the person who wrote such an excellent script to be so young."

Tom Hanks smiled and shook his hand, "I've always been fascinated by World War II history and have been looking for books and materials that depict the entire war from a human or emotional perspective, not just strategic actions. The script for 'Saving Private Ryan' masterfully captures this. It has grand war scenes and a deeply moving story about the human side of war. It's fantastic. Let's get started, we can't wait."

Tom Hanks was undoubtedly the big brother here. If you still think of him as the simpleton from Forrest Gump, you're out of touch. Whether it's his close friendship with director Steven Spielberg or his status in Hollywood, he's the undisputed leader!

"Sure, idol."

With the idol speaking, Chen Tiandu didn't dare to delay. His task was to help the lead actors familiarize themselves with the script and rehearse their lines. He smiled, "Besides the idol, I believe most of you have seen me during the auditions, but that doesn't mean you know me. Let me introduce myself. I'm Christmas Chen, from China, the screenwriter of this film, and now part of the assistant director's team. You might be wondering, why would a Chinese young man write such an American-style war script?"

"Yes, I have that question. To be honest, it's been on my mind for days." The one speaking up was Vin Diesel.

Chen Tiandu gave him a grateful look.

He was returning the favor.

"Actually, I didn't think too much about it. I just wanted to write an epic blockbuster. You know, young people are often overambitious and have big dreams."

Chen Tiandu smiled shyly, "War always makes one think of epics, and most epics describe war. World War II is the largest war in human history so far and the most recent grand epic. Before this, I also wrote a Chinese WWII story, but it wasn't very satisfactory, and no one has been willing to invest in it yet."

"World War II is the same everywhere. Many heroes' monuments show that sometimes the sacrifices are among brothers and sisters. Losing one son in war is already very painful, and losing several sons is even more heartbreaking."

"The Normandy landings are a segment in this epic that can be compared to the Iliad. People have good reason to remember this segment, as it allows us to touch the intense spirit of the past and revitalize the nerves that have been numb in peace. But the grand scenes of thousands of ships and cannons are not very significant. What truly touches the heart are the Achilles and Paris, not the Trojan Horse or the warships."

"I'm a lucky one, and I'm very fortunate that the script caught the attention of Director Spielberg. I think, if you want to make an epic film, no one is more suitable than him."

Everyone laughed, after all, praising the director, you have to give him face.

Matt Damon suddenly raised his hand in a funny way to ask a question.

Chen Tiandu couldn't help but laugh, "Hey, buddy, don't be silly, this isn't a classroom."

Matt looked a bit embarrassed and laughed, "Mr. Chen, thank you for recommending me for the role of Ryan."

"No, no need to thank me. Mainly because you're very talented, it was everyone's decision, and the director also approved. I'm only a few years younger than you, we're all young, you can call me Christmas." Matt Damon was indeed not very famous at the time. He had only appeared in the 1988 film "Modern Cinderella" and had played in some movies over the past decade, but none were particularly noteworthy. Instead, he was about to work with his friend Ben Affleck on a one-act play they had written in college, which was adapted into the film "Good Will Hunting." This film would be released next year and would launch Matt Damon's true Hollywood career.

(Many friends mentioned the issue of the phone being too advanced. For this part, I was inspired by the opening scene of "Iron Man 2" where Tony Stark pulls out his phone and hacks the congressional TV screen. I think that was also a kind of smartphone, similar to hacking technology. Although it might seem a bit ahead of its time for 1997, phones are a privacy issue abroad, and people generally wouldn't ask too many questions... Okay, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Brother Tiandu will try to be less showy. Thank you all, please follow, recommend, click, and support.)

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