On the set of "300 Spartans"...
At this moment, Zack Snyder, the film's director, was furious. He was pointing at a tall, muscular man and cursing.
"Shit!"
"What are you playing at?!"
"Dwayne Johnson?"
"Shit! Where's your anger? You should change your name to 'Soft-Shelled Shrimp' Johnson!"
"Man, that's three times!"
"You've jumped right out of the camera shot three times! Tell me, how much time have you wasted for everyone? Aren't you ashamed? If I were you, I'd want to kill myself!"
Zack Snyder was truly angry.
Dwayne Johnson, the tough guy from WWE and a future world-famous actor, just stood there. He was as quiet as a kid who'd been caught. He lowered his head and just took the yelling.
He knew he had made mistakes, and more than once.
In the movie 300, he was playing a small "cameo" role. He was a super-fierce slave in the Persian army. This character was supposed to be a brutal monster.
But... Dwayne was still new to acting, and he kept messing up.
Take 1: He was too fierce and accidentally hit the star, Viggo Mortensen, for real, making him bleed! Dwayne was terrified. He had hurt the star of the movie!
Take 2: He was so scared of hurting Viggo again that he was too gentle. All his anger was gone.
Take 3, 4, and 5: He ran so hard that he jumped right out of the camera's view.
With so many mistakes, how could Zack not be angry?
"Be brutal! Be ferocious! Show me some power!" Zack yelled. "If you can't get this right, get off my set!"
The entire set was dead silent.
"Mr. Mortensen," Dwayne said, his voice full of shame, "I'm so sorry about earlier."
"It's okay, buddy," Viggo Mortensen (the star) said, being very kind. "Just act well. As the one who actually bled, I'm not afraid. So why are you worried? You should know that Mr. Blackwood (Zane) personally invited you to be in this movie. You can't let him down. Come on!"
Dwayne took a deep breath and nodded.
Don't let Mr. Blackwood down, he thought. Come on, Johnson, you can do this.
Sure enough, this time, Dwayne's performance was perfect.
"Hahaha!" Director Zack Snyder laughed. He stood on his toes and patted the tall, muscular man on the arm. "Man, see how well you can act when you really put your mind to it?"
Dwayne was a little stunned. Wait, he was just yelling at me. Why is he praising me now?
Zack's face turned serious again. "You're not a professional actor... yet. But if you really want to do this for a living, you must work hard. My scolding earlier was nothing."
Dwayne nodded. He knew that directors on movie sets were often very tough.
...
Later, it was time for a lunch break.
"What?" "Director Zack, where's Zane?"
Charlize Theron, who was playing the Queen of Sparta, walked over to Zack, holding her lunch.
"Are you asking me?" Zack said with a playful smile.
Charlize just rolled her eyes and smiled. "He didn't come again today, did he? What kind of producer just disappears all the time?"
She paused. "Do you know where he went? I need to talk to him about something... oh, never mind. How would you know where the boss goes."
"Hehe," Zack said, "I actually do know this one. He went to visit a very remarkable man today."
America, Minnesota...
On a farm out in the countryside, Zane and Ms. Hassan (the president of his publishing company) were visiting that remarkable man.
"Hi, welcome to both of you!"
The door of the farmhouse opened, and an older man in a cowboy hat greeted them. He was around 60, but he was full of energy.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bob Dylan," Zane said, shaking the man's hand.
Ms. Hassan also greeted him warmly.
Bob Dylan... he was a true American legend!
He was a famous rock and folk singer. He had won more than a dozen Grammy Awards. He had even won an Oscar! Even the picky Steve Jobs had said, "Bob Dylan is my favorite singer, period."
But this amazing singer was also an actor, a writer, and a painter.
And in 2016, this man, whose main job was singing, would do the impossible: He would win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
He was that amazing.
"Mr. Dylan," Zane asked, "we sent you the first and second Harry Potter books. I was wondering if you've had time to take a look?"
Mr. Dylan laughed. "I just finished them yesterday," he said. "I read them all in one go. I have to say, this fantasy story is very exciting. So, yes. I am willing to accept your offer. I will personally write a 'preface' (a special introduction) for the Harry Potter book and recommend it to everyone."
As soon as he said it, Zane and Ms. Hassan's faces lit up with joy.
Bob Dylan was a legend. Having him tell people to read Harry Potter was a huge deal. This was a very powerful boost for their new book.
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