"A thirteen-year-old boy accused Michael Jackson of assaulting him... The relevant LAPD departments stated that a criminal investigation is ongoing. Let us look at the reports from the scene... Let us hand the footage to Martin, the reporter at the scene...

"

"LAPD today obtained a warrant to search the 2,700-acre Neverland estate of the King of Pop MJ in Santa Barbara. This quiet private property is Michael Jackson's home and his private amusement park.

Numerous art garden statues, rides and a petting zoo… Martin is on hand to report for you…”

"Okay, let's see what the LAPD spokesperson said...Cindy."

"Okay, the District Attorney's Office will decide whether to file criminal charges based on the results of the search. Office staff said that they have not yet been able to contact Jackson himself. His manager said that he is touring in Europe... The prosecutor has requested

He will return to China as soon as possible and cooperate with the investigation..."

"Thank you, Cindy, let's contact our colleagues in Europe now..."

"We still haven't found Michael Jackson. No one has seen him since his concert in Cardiff, Wales. But the news is that Michael is in London... Let me put it this way, the local fans in London seem to be very supportive.

Their idols are very different from the public perceptions of America..."

Ronald turned down the volume on the TV. No matter what channel it was, it was MJ's breaking news. The news was so explosive that if criminal charges were filed, MJ would have to disappear from the entertainment industry. As for whether he would be prosecuted

Judging from the way the lawsuit against wealthy Americans is being conducted, a conviction will take a long time to come to an end.

To be honest, it was hard for Ronald to believe that MJ would actually molest that teenage boy. What a passionate and loving person he was? But the LAPD obtained a search warrant, which shows that this matter is possible.

Sex...Who is making this a big deal? Or is it really MJ?

Ronald didn't want to think about it anymore. He picked up the phone and called the daydream people and asked them to find a few people to follow the filming of "Forrest Gump" and serve as liaisons for three full-time young actors.

Communicate with parents, arrange various breaks and food, and schedule of tutors.

Now that the MJ incident is so popular, we must make advance preparations when making a movie to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the loopholes...

…

"This is Michael Connor Humphreys, from Independence, a small town in Mississippi. This is his mother. His father did not come because he still had work at the local oil mill..."

"Hello, Michael, hello..." Ronald shook their hands warmly and introduced their full-time contact person to them.

Michael Connor Humphreys talked to this little kid who was very interesting. He was about eight and a half years old. He was a bit stiff but not timid. Ronald talked to him and asked questions and answers, but there were no necessary words.

, he will never say more.

For example, when Ronald asked him what his name was, he answered Michael. When asked about his father's job, he answered oil pressing.

Moreover, he has a very strong southern accent, and it is not the soft and gentle accent of the small town lady in "Steel Magnolias", but a very hard rural accent, which sounds like High German or Highland.

The remnants of the Scots language…

The characteristic is that at the end of each word, there is a very hard G sound. For example, when he talks about Michael, it is like talking about Michael G... When he says that his father's factory makes grease, it is like talking about making grease.

grid……

In short, this Michael Connor Humphreys is a boy who is relatively slow to respond to communication, but after in-depth communication, he is not a boy with problems in understanding and communication skills. Maybe his accent and place of birth make him uncomfortable in Los Angeles.

There is something strange about such a big city.

The other male child actors who were cast were a little worse than this Michael. Especially under the illumination of the camera lens, they all had a child's natural fear of the camera. Some of them hid behind, and some were abnormally inspired by their parents.

The excitement, only this Michael had no reaction to it, neither afraid nor excited, and could read the lines normally regardless of the camera...

"Where did you find it?" Ronald knew in his heart that this was little Forrest. After inviting their parents out, he happily asked Julia Taylor who was coming back by plane.

"Sounds like luck, as we were getting ready that day, his mother came with him from Mississippi. She said that her son had been said to look like Tom Hanks since he was a child.

"Hahaha, never mind, your opinion is also... OK, we have decided on him initially..." Ronald didn't believe this statement. Little Michael's appearance is not very similar to Hanks.

Among the other child actors, there are more who look like him. But in terms of temperament, he is indeed the most suitable for Little Forrest...

However, the casting of Little Jenny did not come out so smoothly, and there were two or three girls who were equally matched.

In the end, Ronald arranged for Michael Connor Humphreys to audition with them. Little Michael indeed showed that he was not stupid, he remembered his lines quickly, and his performance was pure and natural, making Ronald laugh out loud.

.

Michael's mother was also very happy. Her son could stay to participate in the casting with other girls, and the star son had already taken the lead. However, the parents of several girls were very nervous. They prayed in their hearts when they saw little Michael, hoping that he and their daughters would be together.

We call each other more often when we are together.

"You can sit here... Do you want to sit here with me? What's wrong with your leg?" A little girl actor sat on a chair and said to Michael Connor Humphreys.

"They are fine. My mother said they are very strong. My back is bent like a question mark. These magic shoes can straighten my back..."

"Do you think my clothes look good?"

"ah?"

"This is my party outfit..."

"What is a party?"

"Have you never been to a party before?"

"No……"

"Aren't you a little stupid?"

"My mother said you are a fool only if you do stupid things..."

"Cut!"

Ronald stopped the audition. Among the three girls, Hannah R. Hall from Colorado had a more refined temperament, and Michael Connor Humphries seemed to be performing with her.

, seems more engaged.

He took another page of the script and gave it to the two young actors to take a look at, and then they could act together again after memorizing the lines.

After waiting for half an hour, two young actors, Michael and Hannah, each took a cloth bag to use as a schoolbag, stood on the left and right, and then walked towards the camera.

"My mother always said that God will watch over children and prevent them from being bullied..."

"I pray to him every night, but I don't quite believe that he hears my prayers..."

"You have to believe in God, you hear me?"

"Hi!" Ronald suddenly said, then threw a ball of crumpled paper onto Michael's head.

"Ignore them..." Hannah said to Michael.

"What does it mean to ignore?"

"Just ignore them..."

"I never pay attention to anyone..."

"Hi..." Ronald threw another paper ball, and this time it fell on Michael's head.

"Run, Forrest Gump, run!"

"Cut!"

Ronald laughed loudly. The two of them really worked well together. The boy was eight years old and the girl was seven. They happened to be the age where they were not yet sensible, but they were naturally attracted to each other and wanted to play with each other. These two child actors

Together, the chemistry is the best, and both of them have a relaxed state of mind that they don't have when they play with other child actors.

This is very rare. This kind of relaxation will greatly improve the shooting efficiency of child actors. In their eyes, this is probably a kind of game. Usually in schools, there are also certain children who naturally like to play together.

Although Ronald said the same thing to all the Little Jane actors, Hannah's family still noticed the clues and thanked everyone countless times before taking their daughter back to the hotel happily.

The next day, after consulting Tom Hanks, Michael and Hannah officially signed a contract and became the two franchise actors on the Forrest Gump crew.

"I thought carefully, Forrest Gump should not give him too strong a southern accent..."

Afterwards, Tom Hanks went to Ronald to discuss performance issues alone.

"Why?" Ronald was not too obsessed with whether Forrest Gump had an accent. He just wanted to know what Hanks thought.

"This character is not a Southerner, but a symbol of America. I didn't want the accent to give the audience too strong an impression in the first place. You don't just want box office success in the South, right?"

"you're right……"

Ronald smiled and agreed. He understood what Tom Hanks was thinking. In this novel, although there is the background of Forrest Gump's ancestor being a Ku Klux Klan, there are countless small details that only southerners understand. But overall, these things

It is not advisable to dominate the scene, which becomes the biggest tone after the opening of the movie.

This is a film made up of the common memories of Americans, so whether you are from the East Coast, the West Coast, the Rust Belt in the Midwest, or the Sun Belt of the South, you must be able to find something in the movie that evokes your common memories.

things to remember.

An accent that is too strong will definitely undermine this attempt. After all, this is not a movie that only cares about awards regardless of box office. The audience's understanding and needs must come first.

And Tom Hanks also wants to portray Forrest Gump as a character that can be understood by the people of the entire country. If only southerners recognize it, it would be too bad. He rejected other movies and did not get paid but only received dividends.

The investment is too disproportionate.

"Well, I will find an accent teacher to correct the pronunciation of Michael's statement and weaken the Mississippi accent to the appropriate level..."

Having basically completed the casting and preliminary preparations, Ronald began to prepare for the scene and the overall style.

The art director is still Ronald's most trusted veteran, Polly Platt. She previously served as art director and producer, "The Princess" starring Brooke Shields, which has the kind of Southern style that Ronald wants.

The charming image tone and setting feel.

Later, she worked with Tom Hanks and Diane on "Growing Up...", and everyone was familiar with them, so there was no problem with their collaboration.
To be continued...