Page 197 - Flaunt175-diana

EDGES, IN A DEMONSTRATION OF TRUE INNOCENCE, LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA.
In Real Life—where he played just an extra. It was directed by his father, Peter Hedges (more on him later), and helped knead energy into his son’s career. The aforementioned willingness of Hedges to consider an artist’s boundaries, or lack thereof a la Gladwell’s theory, and the testing of one’s would-be expertise buried deep within all of us, is perhaps best evidenced in the youngster’s minor yet potent contribution to Dan.
Cue the David Attenborough-esque voice: slowly, winding through rays of sun, take note of the cub, see the witty Hedges, in a demonstration of true innocence, look directly into the camera.
The film is ending at this moment, the ensemble cast is on a dance floor. Dan, played by Steve Carell, has finally opened him- self up to love. Hedges, at his side, is young, free, and “breaks the fourth wall” (whereby an actor looks directly into the camera), a
conduit for Hedges’ contribution to the scene and a moment he admits was not scripted and very brief. How perfect, though, this gesture, subtly laying the foundation for a career unlike many others—straying the realm of cliché, breaking the rules, half-in- and-half-out of the game, in the real life moment and not. “I’m concerned about some actors getting too popular,” Hedges says seriously, looking into the distance, “It feels like they can really lose touch with reality.”
As mentioned, in Dan in Real Life, Hedges is merely a child, but seeds have been subtly sown, and we sense in them a deep power. This is substantiated when he speaks of having the same acting ability he has today as early as seventh grade. It is really about something ineffable.
Like, maybe: how hard is it all supposed to be?
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