She began to demonstrate personally. "Look here," she imitated Landon's state after entering the door, "you lift your upper garment, and then walk in appearing slightly unsteady. That's good. But once you're in, you should naturally set the suitcase down, and then while coughing and saying the line: 'I am your prodigal roommate,' you can raise both hands. This will make your image as a reckless prodigal appear more fleshed out.
And after finishing the line, there must be—there must be a pause. This is to give Nash, and also the audience, time to digest and react. During this pause, Charles is also observing Nash."
Marina meticulously broke down every movement and the gaps between lines.
"Also, that passage where you talk about hangovers and dying of thirst has a jumping logic, with a bit of a crazed philosophical undertone.
When you say it, you can slow down your speech slightly, wearing a bit of a nonchalant, thoughtful expression, rather than sounding like you're reciting from a book.
This can strengthen his trait as an 'imaginary friend'—his words don't necessarily need rigorous logic; what's important is that atmosphere and feeling."
She focused her guidance on the action of taking off the shirt: "The movement of taking off the clothes is very natural, which is good.
But after taking them off, in those few steps toward Nash, your posture can be more... 'expansive.'
Imagine that you aren't walking in a dormitory, but walking on a stage that belongs to you, with the Spotlight focused on you.
Your shoulders can be opened a bit more, your pace more composed. You need to present this 'I am the center of attention here' confidence in a way that isn't off-putting."
Landon listened intently, his brain working rapidly, merging every piece of Marina's guidance with his own understanding.
He realized that in his past life as a Stuntman, he focused more on the accuracy and danger of movements, whereas acting was a 'natural flow' under precise control, requiring a more delicate grasp of internal rhythm and external details.
"Try again," Marina commanded. "This time, forget that you are 'acting' as Charles; try to 'become' him.
Feel that fresh sensation he brings to Nash when he enters this Room. Pay attention to your breathing, your pauses, and let your movements and lines breathe within the rhythm."
Landon nodded and walked back to the starting point once more.
This time, his performance was markedly different.
Landon entered the door, walking into the Room with a slightly unsteady gait. He reached the center, naturally letting go of the hand holding the suitcase, and then after coughing, he raised both hands and said, "I am your prodigal roommate."
At this point, he paused for a moment, his gaze falling upon 'Nash.'
"Roommate?" Nash (played by Marina) muttered to himself.
"Oh, heavens!" Charles turned off the music on the gramophone. "Do you know that a so-called hangover is just not having enough water in your body to carry out the Krebs cycle?" Then, Charles sat down and began to take off his shoes and clothes.
"It's exactly the same as dying of thirst. In that case, the feeling of dying of thirst might be the same as a hangover, yet in the end, one still can't escape death."
While delivering the lines, Landon deliberately slowed his speech. Especially when talking about the 'hangover' and 'dying of thirst,' his tone held a bit more playfulness, and his gaze was wandering.
The action of undressing remained natural, but in the subsequent steps, he straightened his back, and his pace gained a touch of elegance.
Charles, bare-chested, walked dashingly toward John Nash. "John Nash?
"Hi." John Nash shook hands with him.
"My name is Charles Herman, nice to meet you."
When he finished saying "nice to meet you" and maintained that bright smile, the entire studio seemed to retain the free and unrestrained aura brought by Charles Herman.
Marina watched him quietly for a few seconds, and a satisfied expression finally appeared on her face. "Very good." She clapped lightly.
"You learn very quickly, Landon."
She walked to the table, picked up a water cup for a sip, and continued, "Remember the feeling today.
Charles Herman's charm lies in the fact that he truly exists in Nash's perception, yet in reality, he is illusory.
Your performance must wander between these two states.
Over the next few days, we will repeatedly polish these segments of the script and deeply analyze several other key scenes between Charles and Nash."
Landon wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead. He had originally thought that no matter how great this instructor was, she wouldn't know how to perform better than someone like him who had seen the movie. But when Marina started guiding him, he felt that the money was truly well-spent.
When the day's lesson ended and Marina watched him about to leave, she even felt a bit reluctant in her heart.
"Landon," she said solemnly, "your talent is much better than I imagined; that is your advantage. But you haven't had systematic study before. I hope this week can raise you up a level.
One week is a bit tight. But I believe that as long as you can digest and absorb what you learn, you will definitely stand out in the audition."
"I understand, Teacher. I will definitely give it my all." Landon had truly come to regard Marina as his teacher.
Afterward, Landon left the studio with a wealth of gains and a reorganized understanding of the script.
Thus, for this week, Landon's life became a straight line between Marina's studio and his own apartment.
Every day, Marina would have Landon rehearse a new scene first, and then point out which parts he handled well and which areas could be improved.
In this way, Landon improved at a visible speed.
In his past life as a Stuntman, he mostly filmed action scenes. As for dramatic scenes, although directors would guide him on how to shoot, as long as it was 'good enough,' it passed.
Where would there be someone like Marina to help him break down scene by scene, correct him, and help him analyze?
Moreover, perhaps due to the fusion of souls, his memory was extraordinary, making it easier for him to learn by analogy.
When the lessons ended each day and he returned to the apartment, Landon did not stop.
Landon would hunch over his desk, densely recording the flashes of inspiration from the day's class, Marina's pointers, and his own insights merged with memories of the movie from his past life into a notebook.
He repeatedly studied those few precious pages of the script, rehearsing them countless times in his mind, thinking about Marina's interpretation and guidance regarding the script during the lessons.
At the same time, he also considered Marina's analysis on how to precisely present every gaze, every pause, and every tone to instantly grab the attention of the casting director and Ron Howard.
He even began to look forward more and more to competing with the original actor in his memory, Paul Bettany.
In his view, at this moment, the two were at least equal in the arena of this audition.
He had the ambition, and also the confidence that was gradually accumulating.
In this process, Marina's attitude toward Landon changed from initial professional scrutiny to undisguised admiration.
This young man was not only amazingly talented but also willing to put in hard work; he was quick-witted and understood things instantly.
When Landon took the initiative to suggest that he wanted to use makeup to look uglier and older for the audition, deliberately downplaying his overly outstanding and youthful appearance to better fit the character and reduce potential bias from his looks, Marina was deeply in agreement.