A Sleazy Sex Guru -- Tom Cruise's new part in Magnolia

一个低俗的性指导者--汤姆·克鲁斯在《木兰花》中的新角色

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When Cruise can choose virtually any movie, why did Anderson think he got the yes? "It's an actor's dream part. Once I saw Eyes, where he is such a repressed character, I thought, 'He's going to be running for this…' I said to Tom, 'No wonder you did this,' and he said, 'You have no idea.'"

" Was it different directing someone like Cruise than the actors he's worked with already? "Not at all," Anderson says. "The only difference was Tom and I had to spend more time rehearsing to find a vocabulary, which I already had with other actors. We spent five months together finding a language, so I could start a relationship with him." "Next time, we won't need as much time. He's a director's dream. He's willing to do it anyway you ask, and he's so gung-ho[1] and such a competent actor you can ask anything of him."

Certainly one sure-to-be-talked-about[2] scene is when Cruise, who's on-camera for a hostile interview with a female reporter, strips off his shirt, drops his trouser, and starts jumping up and down. "He's putting on a flashy show," Anderson explains. "It's all about swagger[3] and pomp and circumstance and trying to dominate her and be obnoxious[4]." That risk has paid off[5] in a Golden Globe nomination for the mega-star[6] and talk of a shot at Oscar gold.

Ask Anderson what Magnolia means, and you get a nervous laugh. "There is no reference to it in the film. It's many different things: It's a street in the Valley. It's a flower." Most of the women in the movie have flower names, like Rose and Lily, but Anderson says, "If there's a Magnolia, it's Claudia."

As for what his would-be epic is really about, "It's really about how you grow up: What happens in your youth and how that informs you and your parents' relationships to your children." - Stephen Schaefer

注释：

1.gung-ho：（俚语）卖力的，起劲的，狂热的。In those days he was very gung ho for National Socialism. 那时候他热中于国家社会主义。

2.sure-to-be-talked-about：这个由四个连字符连接起来的长单词看起来很酷吧，其实它的意思也不难理解，只有按照每个词的原意自然地理解就对了，就是"当然要谈论一下的事情，很值得一提的事"。

3.Swagger：它的原意是"昂首阔步地走"，我们仿佛可以看见一个人大摇大摆、得意忘形的样子，因此这个词就引申出"妄自尊大、吹牛"等意思。例如，swagger about one's exploits 吹嘘自己的业绩。在本文中，swagger是"夸张、炫耀"的意思。

4.Obnoxious：令人讨厌的，不愉快的，可憎的。常用来形容人、气味等。

5.Paid off：原意是"还清债务"，这里是"赢利，取得成功"。原文中"他们的冒险"得到"金球奖"的回报，当然就是这一"冒险"取得成功的意思。例如，The efforts pays off in the long run. 这种努力最终会有好结果的。试一试这种地道的表达法，如果你能正确使用，别人一定会对你刮目相看的！

6.Mega-star：mega是百万的意思，mega-star指片酬超过一百万的电影明星。

　　实际上克鲁斯可以自由选择要出演的电影，这种情况下为什么安德森认为他能得到肯定的答复？ "这是演员梦想的角色。当我看了《双》片，在那里面他饰演一个如此压抑的角色，我想：'他要逃跑了……'我对汤姆说：'难怪你这样做'，而他回答说：'你不明白的。'

　　执导象克鲁斯这样的明星和执导与他合作过的其他演员有什么不同吗？ "没什么不同，"安德森说，"唯一的不同是汤姆和我必须多花时间演练，找到一个我和其他演员已经有的共同语言。我们一起花了五个月时间来创建我们的共同语言，以此来开始我们的合作。""下次，我们就不需要这么多时间了。他是导演梦想的那种演员。不管你怎样要求，他都会去做。而且他热情高涨，演技超群，你可以让他做任何事情。"

　　当然，不得不提的一幕是，当一名有敌意的女记者对他摄影采访时，他撕烂了自己的衬衫，扯掉了自己的裤子，还不停地跳来跳去。"他正做一场夸张的表演，"安德森解释说。"极尽夸大、炫耀、铺张之能事，试图去支配她并使自己令人讨厌。"这一冒险在这位大牌明星获金球奖提名时得到了回报，而且据说还有望问鼎奥斯卡金像。

　　当问及"木兰花"的意义，他紧张地一笑说："在影片中，它没有任何指代。它可以是许多不同的事物：它是山谷里的街道，它是一种花。"影片中的大部分女性都以花作名字，比如罗斯（玫瑰）和莉丽（百合），但安德森说："如果片中有一个叫木兰花的女孩，那应该是克劳迪娅。"

　　至于他这部将成为传世之作的影片到底是关于什么，"它其实是关于一个人的成长：你年青时发生了什么事情，它是怎么启示你的，以及你父母和你孩子间的关系。"--斯蒂芬·莎福尔