From a purely character-based perspective, the role of Daniel is actually not complicated, not even as rich in psychological activity as Colonel Jessup played by Jack. Although Daniel is the protagonist of the film, in terms of room for performance, Colonel Jessup has more leeway.Daniel has a lawyer father whose fame overshadows everything. One can see the shadow of his father in why Daniel entered the military and why he became a lawyer. Similarly, the reason Daniel has never dared to step into a courtroom is also because, under his father's pressure, it is difficult for him to excel.The pressure of "like father, like son" made Daniel somewhat cynical. So, after becoming a lawyer, he became better at negotiation, using the resources at his disposal to strike deals, thereby obtaining the maximum benefit for his clients. In fact, such a lawyer can be called excellent, and this is indeed the case; he is the lawyer who has resolved the most cases in the division.However, such a lawyer is merely a silver-tongued negotiator; the law is his tool, and what he truly chases is profit, rather than being a defender of the law who truly upholds justice and fights crime. Daniel's father was a true lawyer; he offended countless people for the sake of justice, and he even ran around because a local school opposed a black girl attending a white school. Such a father is a mountain hanging over Daniel's head. Deep in his heart, Daniel actually has a dream of being a lawyer, but he just doesn't dare to realize it because he is afraid that under his father's great reputation, all his actions will seem pale and powerless.Under these circumstances, Daniel received the case of Dawson and Donnie. This case was so special that it ignited the lingering dream of being a lawyer in Daniel's heart.Dawson and Donnie were two law-abiding soldiers, but they were accused of killing another soldier, Santiago. Since Santiago had once reported Dawson over the heads of their superiors, this gave Dawson a motive for murder. However, after investigation, Daniel discovered that Dawson and Donnie were actually just executing a "Code Red"—a form of corporal punishment that could be carried out privately by fellow soldiers if a team member fell behind or violated rules, provided they had obtained permission from an officer. And the order for this Code Red actually came from Colonel Jessup, while Dawson and Donnie were just soldiers who executed the order and completed the task; Santiago's death was an accident.But obviously, Colonel Jessup would not admit his mistake, nor did he think he was wrong. On the contrary, he tried every possible way to block the investigation and pushed all the blame onto Dawson and Donnie, attempting to make them scapegoats.Daniel's inner desire to uphold justice was awakened bit by bit. Facing Colonel Jessup's dominance and cunning, he fought until the very last moment, seized the only glimmer of hope, and forced Colonel Jessup to admit his guilt.This is the basic story of "a few good men," and the entire setting for the character of Daniel. In fact, one can see from the main plot that Daniel's inner activity is just struggling with his father's great reputation, but the story provides very few scenes for Daniel to express this struggle. Therefore, what truly tests Daniel is not the excavation of the character's inner self, but the energy that Daniel erupts with when facing dilemmas in the courtroom. In the absence of sufficient evidence, relying on superb negotiation skills and excellent eloquence, he completes his work as a lawyer.In short, the biggest test for the role of Daniel is how to bring out the role of a lawyer to the fullest, and most importantly, to do it in Hugo's way.While reading the script, Hugo's brain was constantly thinking. This was Hugo's greatest realization after filming "scent of a woman," coming from Al Pacino's advice: "Don't analyze the performance, analyze the character." Only by truly understanding the essence of the character and grasping the core of the character can an Actor present it accurately and appropriately.Hugo had reached this level during the filming of "scent of a woman," truly and completely blending into the character of Charlie, but that was only once, and he never had that feeling again afterward. This time, filming "a few good men," Hugo hoped that he could enter this state again and continue it.What is most important for a lawyer? Quick reactions, clear thinking, accurate statements, precise grasp, powerful presence... these are all important, but none of them are the most important. However, one thing is certain: a lawyer must understand what he is doing and must know what he wants to say; otherwise, standing in the courtroom, he will just look like a fool.The courtroom is the lawyer's stage. Standing on this stage, the lawyer uses his eloquence to engage in a performance with the opposing lawyer and the person being questioned. Therefore, lines are the first element. Hugo must understand the meaning of the lines: what is the meaning of the lines at this specific moment? Why would Daniel say this, and what effect does he hope to achieve after saying it? The second is the interaction with the co-stars. The relationship between the lawyer and the witness is one of guidance and control, and the lines are the bridge that presents the truth of the matter in the way the lawyer envisions.Thinking about it this way, things became clear. Why did Rob choose him? The audition that night must have been the deciding factor.In the confrontation with Brad, Hugo was calm yet imposing, sharp yet controlled. Hugo's mind turned quickly; he was always able to grasp the loopholes in Brad's language, then cut in at the right time, interrupt the accumulation of Brad's momentum, and then use a series of well-organized arguments to refute Brad, thereby achieving the goal of suppressing Brad.The character of Daniel has a sense of justice within his cynicism. The cynical part is naturally more suitable for Brad; Hugo can only say he is on the edge of it. As for the sense of justice, Hugo's expression of it is not very sufficient either; the awe-inspiring righteousness between the brows is best portrayed by Tom.But why did Rob choose Hugo in the end? Just because Hugo could concentrate the most important factors of the lawyer role in himself. Perhaps from a purely appearance and temperament perspective, Hugo was not the most suitable, but his understanding of the character was the most thorough. So Rob chose Hugo because he believed that even if Hugo's performance of this character was not a typecast, it could still be brilliant.Choosing Hugo, giving up Tom, giving up Brad—this was a huge gamble. The stake was the entire "a few good men" movie, and Rob chose this high-stakes gamble.After thinking this through, Hugo's understanding of the character of Daniel quietly began to deepen. However, it seemed to take some time to accurately grasp the essence of the character. After all, acting is not such a simple thing, because what Hugo has to perform is a completely different life.However, before Hugo had fully sorted out his thoughts, half an hour had passed, and the entire crew returned to the conference room right on time.Jack sat down opposite Hugo again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dense lines and text on Hugo's script, and his eyes couldn't help but brighten. Although it was only thirty minutes, Hugo's workload clearly exceeded expectations. Jack could see that Hugo had made detailed notes on the script, marked out the key points of the lines, and simply recorded his own thoughts. This was very helpful for the performance.Hugo's seriousness and rigor surprised Jack a little, but it was also within his expectations. Jack had previously heard Bo Goldman speak highly of Hugo, and later had exchanges with Al Pacino, confirming that Hugo was a talented and hardworking Actor, which is why he took the initiative to recommend Hugo to the "a few good men" crew.In Jack's view, if Hugo's performance was poor, he, as the referrer, would have to bear half the responsibility, which would be a fatal blow to the movie. Hugo actually arrived late this morning, which made Jack very dissatisfied and even disappointed. An Actor—regardless of whether they are excellent or not—must have the most basic professional ethics. If an Actor is arrogant and cannot even do the most basic thing of being punctual, then even if their acting skills are excellent, they cannot be called an excellent Actor. To become an excellent Actor, one must first be a qualified person; this order of priority cannot be changed.The outburst just now certainly had the intention of giving Hugo some buffer time, but Jack also wanted to give Hugo a wake-up call to see if he was still salvageable. If the result still disappointed him, Jack would probably have to settle scores with Bo and Al Pacino tonight.But now it seems that at least Hugo is not a casual Actor; he is willing to study the script diligently, which is a good start. This made the dissatisfaction in Jack's heart slightly alleviated."Hey, Hugo, remember that jacket you wore during your audition last time?" Rob chatted with Hugo with a smile before everyone sat down.Hugo was stunned, "Of course, of course, it's that navy blue baseball jacket." This jacket was borrowed from Alex, so he naturally wouldn't forget, "The sleeves are leather, right?"Rob nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's the one. I think that piece of clothing is very suitable for the character of Daniel. If possible, could you bring it to the set and wear it on camera during filming?"Hugo immediately associated it with the fact that Daniel is a baseball fan in the movie, and topics about baseball appear many times, "That jacket belongs to my roommate; I must ask for his consent. I will ask him after I go back." Hugo spoke the truth, but he felt it shouldn't be a big problem; Alex is a generous person, otherwise he wouldn't have lent the jacket to Hugo that day. "However, Rob, did you choose me that day partly because of that jacket?"Rob smiled without speaking, just gave Hugo a meaningful look, and then faced the conference room and said loudly, "Script practice is about to begin."Hugo noticed Jack's probing gaze. He knew that Jack must want to see his performance, which made the pressure on Hugo's shoulders increase suddenly. He smiled at Jack, then lowered his head to focus on the script, took a deep breath, and secretly told himself, "Hugo, being nervous won't help at all. Relax! You are ready, you are already ready!"
