The Best Director

In a private gym in San Francisco, filled with various fitness equipment, the thudding sounds resonated as a long black punching bag swung to and fro. Daniel Wu concentrated as he kept pounding it relentlessly; he wore a white tank top, his hands were wrapped in thick red boxing gloves, and beads of sweat had saturated his black hair, now dripping down his forehead and plip-plopping onto the floor. His muscles weren’t as exaggerated as those in concept drawings, yet they were decidedly those of a “big guy.”

Since receiving a call from Wang Yang last June, Wu had hired a professional team of nutritionists and fitness coaches to begin a weight-gain plan. In the meantime, “MIT-21-TEAM” was released to great success, and many Chinese media outlets dubbed him Hollywood’s new Asian star, hoping he’d become the next Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or Zhou Run. As for reaching the legendary status of Bruce Lee, no one dared to mention that.

However, things were obviously not that simple. No producer was bold enough to cast an Asian American as the leading role on the big screen unless it was a martial arts film. After all, he had some popularity and commercial value. Several producers had shown interest in casting him for martial arts movies, but due to his accent and other issues, nothing concrete had materialized. Rather than taking on mixed-up roles, it was better to continue his career back in Hong Kong, where he shot a big-budget movie “New Police Story” the previous second half of the year.

Then came “Firefly.” After more than half a year of bulking up, eating up to seven meals a day at his most intense, and rigorously building muscle, Wu had gained over 40 pounds, evolving from a lean-muscled physique to a bulkier build. But his bone structure was only so large, and without resorting to drugs or injections, he couldn’t achieve Sylvester Stallone-like musculature. As a martial artist, he was well aware of the destruction and damage such shortcuts could wreak on the body, and naturally, he wouldn’t choose that path.

“That’s great! You look just right, excellent!”

Wang Yang seemed very satisfied, as Jayne’s audition had gone smoothly and he had passed it. This was a tremendous opportunity! Wu took a moment to catch his breath and stopped the punching bag, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and grabbed a bottle of mineral water, gulping it down thirstily. He was different from Jeff Ma or the Azu from “New Police Story” – both were cynical geniuses; whereas Jayne was a simpleton, someone he wanted to portray as a loveable tough guy.

“In fact, the character of Jayne should also be carrying a baby on his back.”

That was the direction Wang Yang had given him, a specific character requirement. Wu felt highly confident in his ability to take on the role. He had practiced the script countless times. Every opportunity, every role was to be cherished, and now he was just waiting for filming to begin! First up, he was set to head to Vancouver for training camp next week. After drinking half the bottle, he took a brief rest. Then he pounded his fists together and resumed hitting the punching bag: “Heave-ho, heave-ho—”

Although Wu’s physique wasn’t that of a typical Caucasian muscle-bound man, Wang Yang was truly content. A well-defined body was one thing; even more significant was that when auditioning alongside Robert Downey Jr., the pairing felt just right.

Robert Downey Jr. stood at 175cm, Mal from the 2002 TV series “Firefly,” played by Nathan Fillion, was 187cm; Wu was 183cm, and Jayne’s actor from the TV series, Adam Baldwin, was 193cm. If the pairings were Downey & Baldwin or Fillion & Wu, they wouldn’t have been suitable. But now, a 6-8cm height difference and muscle appearance gave off an ideal visual disparity.

Wang Yang hoped Mal & Jayne could share more “bromance”—Brother plus Romance—two big guys in a romantic friendship, akin to a couple, yet with no connection to homosexuality or love. They are just very compatible partners with a strong “brotherly feel,” like Joey & Chandler in “Friends,” or Will & Chuck in “Good Will Hunting.” According to his future vision of film and television trends, bromance was poised to become a global phenomenon.

It was really not surprising. What man wouldn’t want a few brother-like friends, forming a “bad boys club” like in “The Hangover”? A place to freely insult and help each other in times of trouble, to confide when hurt, to watch games and guzzle beer together, and to hit the bars and pick up women with his buddies.

Wang Yang often felt that he was moving too fast, achieving a lot but also losing much because his hectic lifestyle and different living locations and circles of friends meant he rarely contacted or spent time with some of his old friends from San Francisco. Surrounded by the superficial, he had many colleagues and friends, but few “Bromances.” Fortunately, there were still a couple of them, and “Bromance” was never a wholesale product anyway.

So why did women like it? Wang Yang conducted a few questionnaire surveys.

Jessica’s answer was, “I don’t know, it’s touching, like a basketball team, five men, or a dozen men fighting together—women, step aside! And then women like it, perhaps because they yearn to step onto the court and join the game!” But he didn’t think that was the kind of liking he meant. Some women were infatuated with “Bromance” because they imagined the two men to be gay, what is called “ふじょし” in Japanese anime. Jessica was puzzled after hearing this: “Why? Doesn’t that mean there’s no chance for women? I wouldn’t want that.”

“Well, if watching you and another handsome guy in a Bromance is interesting, haha! I don’t really understand it, maybe it just looks very pretty and cool,” Rachel said of the matter.

Natalie’s answer was different: “From a psychological perspective… To put it bluntly, have you ever watched girl-on-girl porn? No need to answer, I’m not interested, but I’m sure you’d find it aesthetic and sexy. It’s the same for those women you’re talking about, that’s the acceptable foundation; more importantly, it’s about hoarding a man in their minds, admiring him from behind a glass cabinet. Those two men are too fantastic! She doesn’t want any woman to touch him, not even herself. But she also wants to see his romantic side, his shyness, cuteness, and smile… Forget about women, Bromance is great, there’s enough space for them to daydream.”

Anyway, Mal & Jayne in “Firefly” would be a Bromance, even though Mal always talked about kicking Jayne out of the Serenity, calling him a crappy mercenary, not crew; and Jayne always dreamed of seizing control and becoming captain.

Robert Downey Jr. was a representative figure in the field of Bromance. The future “Iron Man” duo of Tony Stark & Colonel Rhodes, and “Sherlock Holmes” pairing of Holmes & Watson were classics; Daniel Wu had been unleashing great GAY/Bromance potential since he debuted in “Love of the Beautiful Boy” with Feng Delun, to the original 2007 “Exiled” with Zhang Zhen. This time, they had ample opportunity to perform.

Wang Yang thought that if this was also a trend, then let it join and lead the way!

Daniel Wu’s participation was neutral news, neither positive nor negative. For the fans, “Armed Jeff Ma” was more appealing than Alan Tudyk or Gina Torres, and it seemed that “Firefly” truly might feature some Kung Fu this time.

“Ding ding ding ding…” The sky and the sea merged into a brilliant blue, and on the bicycle path adjacent to the beach, with greenery alongside, an old Giant bicycle zipped past, a bunch of freshly picked flowers placed in the basket on the front. Wang Yang pedaled furiously, constantly ringing the bell; Jessica sat sideways on the rear seat, arms wrapped around his waist while the sea breeze tousled her ponytail.

The crisp ring of the bicycle bell and the bursts of laughter carried far, breaking the tranquility of the scenic environment.

“Hey!” Wang Yang looked back at her pretty, laughing face, pedaled harder to speed up the bike, and looking ahead at a palm tree by the road, he shouted gleefully, “Believe it or not, we could knock down that palm tree over there!” Hugging him, Jessica laughed, “Don’t do it, it’s too dangerous!” Wang Yang didn’t reply, just laughed and kept charging straight towards the palm tree. As they drew closer and closer at high speed, and a collision seemed imminent, Jessica couldn’t help but play along with a scream, “Ahh—”

“Haha!” Wang Yang made a sharp turn with both hands, and the bicycle dangerously grazed past the tall palm tree, the ringing of the bell and the laughter of the man and woman once again drifting in the air.

This is Qixingtan in Hualien, Taiwan, the last stop on their honeymoon trip. In a few days, they would have to return to Los Angeles, with plans to attend the 76th Academy Awards ceremony. Throughout the honeymoon, the couple traveled to numerous countries in Europe, to Tibet and Sichuan in China, and Taiwan, creating countless delightful and marvelous memories. Words like sweet and blissful were insufficient to describe their happiness — it was as if heaven itself couldn’t compare. This would surely be the happiest month of their lives.

The journey was about to end, and naturally, both felt a bit reluctant to leave, but a honeymoon is just that — a honeymoon, not a “honey second month.” It’s precisely because of its brevity that they treasured every day and the memories lingered indefinitely; they also knew that the end of the honeymoon was just the very beginning of their marriage.

“I wonder how Danny is doing, I miss it so much.” With the bicycle perfumed with the scent of flowers parked by the beach, and the sea breeze wafting around, the couple strolled hand in hand on the pebbled shore. Jessica’s voice was full of longing. Wang Yang looked ahead at the drifting clouds, imagining Danny running around, and said with a smile, “Danny must love those gifts. Oh, this time we’ll take it to Vancouver.”

“Sure!” Jessica smiled and nodded. They were to live in Vancouver for at least two months after all. Wang Yang let out an ambiguous chuckle, “Let’s show it some Canadian girls’ enthusiasm.” Jessica rolled her eyes, “Danny is more interested in gourmet food.” Wang Yang shrugged, “Oh! Then it truly doesn’t know what it’s missing out on, but I sure do. So, may I have a taste first?” Jessica pursed her lips in a smile, playfully chided “You’re so annoying!” and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

It wasn’t two days since the announcement of Daniel Wu joining the cast of “Firefly” that the last member of the Serenity crew and the actor’s identity were finally revealed, thanks to news from Yahoo Entertainment: “‘Firefly’ adds another star to its ranks, Michael Pitt joins as Doctor Simon.”

According to the official “Firefly” website, Simon is the biological brother of the mysterious girl River, a genius surgeon ranked among the top few hundred in the Alliance. The unveiled concept art of Simon’s character showed him inside the ship, not in a lab coat, but dressed in a white shirt with long, flowing hair, lazily twisting a loose tie with his left hand while holding a pair of surgical tweezers with a blood-stained bullet in his right, and a burning cigarette rakishly dangling from his mouth.

So cool! The fans were mostly very excited about this revelation. While Michael Pitt was not a superstar, he was definitely a popular youthful idol with credible acting skills. What added to the excitement was the tailor-made concept art for Pitt, projecting a character that was both sunny and scholarly, exuding confidence and complacency, yet simultaneously harboring a cool and unruly decadence. From the concept art alone, Simon was, by far, the coolest character in “Firefly.”

“No Brad Pitt, but we get Michael Pitt instead.” However, there were quite a few of Yang’s critics who laughed at this, now that there was not a single A-list star on the 200 million dollar Serenity.

Michael Pitt was born in New Jersey on June 10, 1981, which made him younger than Jessica Alba, the actress playing River. At 180 cm tall, since his debut in “High School Musical,” and taking the lead in “Juno,” his versatile looks and innate acting talent had won him the favor of many films. Over the years, along with his performance in the street dance film “Sweetheart,” he showed off his acting chops in movies like “Rock Barbie,” “The Case of the Numeric Murder,” and “Chocolate Elvis,” be it independent or commercial films.

Over the years, his looks and acting skills matured and he shed his greenness. Michael Pitt gradually grew into a popular, talent-packed actor, moving towards his personal pursuits. This return to the set with the “Firefly” crew was definitely a strong collaboration.

“Michael, so we’re not going to the concert tonight?” In a trendy apartment in New York, the living room was quiet. Jamie Bochert looked dejectedly at Michael Pitt on the couch. Her hands on her hips emphasized her tall stature of 178 cm. Engrossed in reading the script, Michael Pitt looked up and said, “Not tonight.” A slightly angry Jamie Bochert asked, “What about the band, then?” Michael Pitt paused for a moment, “We’ll wait until after ‘Firefly’ is done.”

She had left her promising modeling career to start a band with him!

Jamie Bochert was born in New Jersey in 1983 and had been discovered by a scout while working at a restaurant in Los Angeles a few years earlier. In March 2002, she officially entered the world of modeling, appearing on catwalks for numerous renowned brands like Ann Demeulemeester, Emmanuel Ungaro, Sonia Rykiel, gracing the covers of fashion magazines like “Numero” France, “French” magazine, “i-D” UK Edition, and participating in a variety of brand advertising campaigns…

With her androgynous charm, Jamie Bochert had become a supermodel, and just as her career was soaring, she decided to quit the modeling industry due to a shared musical interest in rock and a passion to focus on their band with her boyfriend, Michael Pitt. Now, they were living off the ad revenue she had earned from a previous Calvin Klein perfume campaign, and everything for the band was being happily prepared when Wang Yang suddenly became a thorn in her side.

This guy suddenly dropped everything for “Firefly,” and it was driving her up the wall!

“Michael Pitt, what did you tell me? The band? This is our shared dream!” Remembering his enthusiastic words, Jamie Bochert sighed with anger and wondered if they were all sweet nothings. She bent over, grabbed a TV remote from the coffee table, and hurled it at him, unable to hold back any longer, “I get it now! It was all a lie, luring me here to join you, and then you go off to make movies, haha! I’m not Andrea, but I’m even more foolish than her!”

Jamie approached and began to hit Michael Pitt, who remained silent. She grabbed his disheveled hair, grinding her teeth, “You damn bastard, bitch! You finish ‘Firefly,’ and the moment Wang Yang calls, you run to him! Ah—!!” She screamed uncontrollably, feeling ridiculous for being jealous over a married man, which only infuriated her even more, “Tell me! All those so-called plans, Pagoda band, dreams, our future… what is all that?!”

“Jamie, Jamie…” only after she had vented all her anger did Michael Pitt dare to speak. He set aside the script, took her hands seriously, and said, “You should know how important Yang is to me. Not in… that way… he’s the kind of good brother he mentioned, a very important good brother. If it weren’t for Yang, I might just be a beggar now. Don’t you see the kind of relationship and friendship I have with him? That’s the first point.”

He led her to sit down next to him, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and continued, “Secondly, I like acting, you know that. ‘Firefly’ is going to be amazing! I have to act, and I have to do a good job playing Simon.” As she listened, Jamie Bochert’s expression slowly softened; she naturally understood his story. Michael looked into her eyes and added, “I’ll never forget Yang telling me ‘you’re the next Leonardo, the first Michael Pitt.’ But so what? Without that line, I don’t care.”

“All I care about is when he says ‘Michael, I have a role for you.\'” Michael Pitt patted his girlfriend’s hand, saying, “I have to do it, I must! Right now, every drop of blood in my body is rocking for Simon.”

Jamie Bochert was not an unreasonable or savage woman. They had already fought over this a few times. She nodded silently and asked, “What about Pagoda then?”

“Haven’t I said it before?” What man would let down a woman who gave up everything to pursue an elusive dream of a band with him? Michael Pitt knew this was crucial, recalling a voice whispering in his ear, “Be gentle, and try to make her laugh at the end!” Sorry, brother… After mulling it over, Michael softly replied, “Pagoda is our shared dream. Even if I have to sleep on the streets, I will make it happen with you and release our album.”

Jamie Bochert displayed a rather satisfied smile. Knowing the moment was right, Michael declared seriously, “I promise! Once I’ve finished shooting ‘Firefly,’ even if it’s Wang Yang calling me – that mean guy who’s causing all the trouble, making us fight while honeymooning all over the world with his spouse – I won’t bother with him! Let him buzz off.”

“Ha…” Jamie let out a laugh and then held back, feigning hesitation. She knew full well that if the situation “Michael, I have a role for you” ever truly came about, he would most likely drop everything and dart over, but for now, she was satisfied and chuckled, “Damn that Wang Yang! Alright, you’ve promised? You’ve promised! What else can I do? I’ll go with you to Vancouver.”

“Thank you, you’re awesome! How did I end up being such a lucky dog?” Michael Pitt exclaimed several times, the voice in his ear persistently urging, “Crank up your cheesy, romantic cells!” But as he struggled to find the words, he could only laugh heartily in joy. Jamie Bochert waved it off with a smile, “Alright, alright.” With her blessing secured, Michael Pitt eagerly picked up the script again, “Now, let me continue… I don’t have much time left…”

“That damned Wang Yang, such bad luck…” (