The Best Director

“The Pursuit of Happyness” tells the story of Chris Gardner, a middle-aged family man who, due to a misjudgment, invested all his savings in a new medical product, the bone density scanner. However, this product did not bring the good times he imagined for his family. Because of sluggish sales, Chris Gardner had to hustle every day through various hospitals in San Francisco, striving to meet a target of at least two sales per month to barely cover his family’s monthly expenses.

One day, he saw a man in a parking lot looking for a spot for his Ferrari. He told the man, “You can have my spot, but you have to tell me what you do for a living, and how?” The man said he was a stockbroker and told Chris Gardner that you didn’t need a college degree to do this job, just a mastery of numbers and knowing how to interact with people.

So Chris Gardner decided to become a stockbroker, and he got an internship. But at this time, his wife couldn’t take it anymore, and she decided to take their son, Christopher, to New York; however, Chris Gardner insisted on keeping his son. Without money to pay the rent, the two were evicted, and Chris Gardner led a hard life with his son, from staying in cheap hotels to fighting for shelter rooms in churches, all the while selling bone density scanners and working as a brokerage intern.

Despite being down and out, Chris Gardner felt despair and shed tears, but none of these broke him. For his son’s future and in pursuit of his own happiness, he persisted along the way, eventually finding success. He was hired by the company and became a full-fledged stockbroker.

That is the life story of Chris Gardner as portrayed in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” also adapted from a true story.

In a Western restaurant, Wang Yang met the real Chris Gardner, a tall, bald African-American in his 40s, with a kind and smiling face. Sandy Pikes quickly made contact with him. His investment firm was based in Chicago, but he was recently in New York dealing with some business. Learning that Wang Yang wanted to make a biographical movie based on his story, he was very happy and willing to have a talk with Wang Yang.

“That time, we lived on the streets for a year before we found a small house.” Recalling all this, Chris Gardner’s expression turned somber. He sighed and said, “That house was very narrow, without electricity. My son and I would squeeze into a tiny wooden bed to sleep every night, and I spent many nights wide awake, not knowing if I would suddenly break down, give up my pursuit of happiness, or even my life?”

Sitting opposite him, Wang Yang silently nodded, his emotions a complex mix. He thought of Annie Darren, whose blissful smile appeared before him; thankfully, neither of them had given up, right?

“But I couldn’t. When I saw my son, I knew I couldn’t,” Chris Gardner’s eyes began to moisten. He picked up the wine glass on the table, took a sip, and said, “I never had a father growing up, and I couldn’t leave my son without one. Giving him a good life was the most important thing for me, but back then, all I could do was light a candle, bathe him in a tub I found in a junkyard, yet he just stood there and told me, ‘Dad, do you know? You’re a good dad.\'”

Chris Gardner’s breathing became rapid as he wiped the tears that had welled up in his eyes and said, “At that moment, it was just like now, the tears just came pouring out.” He smiled, somewhat guiltily, “I’m not a good father; I made him go through a lot of hardship. He was just a few years old; he shouldn’t have had to endure that. But I told myself I had to, I would become a good dad, I would make him—and myself—happy.”

“Hmm, Mr. Gardner, you made it,” Wang Yang said with a gentle smile. He continued to listen as he narrated his story.

The real “The Pursuit of Happyness” is different from the one in the movie. Chris Gardner’s fate was even more unlucky, and the extent of his and his son’s destitution was more tragic and lasted longer. He was 27 years old then, with a newborn son, when he met that Ferrari guy. It then took him 10 months to find a job on Wall Street, eventually finding someone willing to give him a chance.

When Chris Gardner quit his job as a medical equipment salesman and moved to New York from San Francisco with his wife and son, he found that the man who made him a promise had just been fired. As a result, he had no job, no income, and his wife divorced him, taking their son with her. However, a few months later she gave the child back to Chris Gardner. To get his son back, Chris moved out of the cheap single room that didn’t allow children to stay and ended up homeless with his son on the streets.

The father and son wandered like that, with parks and restrooms as their temporary beds, for a year until Chris saved enough money to rent a small apartment. Later, he had the opportunity to train at a brokerage firm and passed the exam to become a certified stockbroker; and then he founded his own investment firm and became a millionaire.

Of course, biographical films also need to be cinematic, to rearrange a complex story—sometimes simplifying it and making it appear more natural, sometimes making it more dramatic and visually pleasing. Meanwhile, the ultimate purpose of the story is to serve the film’s theme. “The Pursuit of Happyness” has many themes: the warmth between father and son, the ordinary yet great father’s love, defending one’s dreams, and persisting in the pursuit of happiness, no matter the difficulties.

“In the darkest moments of your life, the only person who can help you is yourself,” Chris Gardner finished his story, he took a deep breath and looked at Wang Yang with a smile, “No one can help you because the problem comes from within you. Only by overcoming yourself and persevering can you see the dawn. This is the most important thing I’ve learned in my life.”

Wang Yang nodded profoundly. When surrounded by darkness, only those who still yearn for the light and throw themselves fearlessly towards that flame will arrive at a beautiful world. He smiled and said, “This is probably a kind of self-redemption.”

“Yes!” Chris Gardner agreed wholeheartedly, cutting a small piece of steak with his knife and fork and putting it in his mouth, he said, “You can’t let yourself drift with the current. When I was receiving shelter during those times, I met many people. They were just as destitute as me, but after I became a broker, they continued to rely on aid. Why?” He shrugged his shoulders proudly, “Dignity, you must never lose it at any time, otherwise you become numb, happy to accept the so-called reality. Once you lose it, you lose everything.” Chris set down his knife and, extending two fingers, smiled and said, “There’s another thing, dreams. Young man, what are dreams?” Without hesitation, Wang Yang replied, “Something you very much want to do.”

“Haha!” Chris laughed heartily, nodding his head and showing a bright smile with his white teeth, “A dream is something you absolutely love to do. These things excite you, they make you happy, and you can’t wait for the morning sun to rise because you can’t wait to get to work! If you are doing a job just because you are good at it, or because it pays well, then you’re just a walking corpse, a slave. But a dream is different, it makes you truly alive, living with dignity.”

“Hmm, I guess so,” Wang Yang took a bite of beef, thinking about the McDonald’s waiter and filming movies, and couldn’t help but laugh, “I’m lucky to be doing work I love now.”

Chris Gardner smiled approvingly and gave a thumbs up, “I saw the latest issue of TIME Magazine, I know your story, you’re doing great!” Wang Yang smiled and said, “Thank you.” Chris Gardner picked up a napkin to wipe his hands and asked with interest, “By the way, I want to know who will play me?”

Who would portray Chris Gardner? The moment Wang Yang considered making “The Pursuit of Happyness,” he had a clear choice in mind, Will Smith. Just like “Juno,” “The Pursuit of Happyness” needed a highly skilled actor to portray a smart, humorous, and charming Chris Gardner, along with his love for his son, his vulnerability in times of hardship, and the joy of success, among other things.

These aspects combined, it was definitely not an easy task to perform well. The actor’s physical appearance also had to be considered. Though the real Chris Gardner wasn’t a heartthrob, the character in the movie needed to be a good-looking guy—not one that was electrifyingly handsome but someone who was attractive in a friendly and enduring way. First, it would help portray the warm relationship between father and son; portraying a warmth with an intimidating-looking father would immensely increase the difficulty. Second, with almost the entire movie featuring Chris Gardner, to prevent audience boredom, the lead actor needed to be someone who viewers naturally liked.

This wasn’t just about being a pretty face, not even about being handsome, but someone who could captivate the audience, making them happily watch his one-man show. That was a unique kind of charm. Just like Tom Hanks as “Forrest Gump,” Johnny Depp as “Captain Jack,” and of course, Will Smith.

However, it was 1999, not 2006; the question was whether Will Smith of now could handle the role of Chris Gardner. But Wang Yang felt that the first thing he should consider was whether Will Smith would accept his invitation. Also, could he invite any Oscar-winning actors?

It wasn’t because of the salary, but for the same reason—his lack of experience to convince others or to entice established male actors who weren’t short of offers. Why would they risk joining a 19-year-old director’s biographical drama? Despite TIME magazine calling him “the next ‘King of the World’,” the situation felt like a return to the state during “High School Musical,” or perhaps even worse—as many thought he had lost his mind.

Wang Yang understood these challenges, and that made Will Smith the perfect choice, because at least they were acquainted, and Will had said, “Let’s work together if we get the chance,” although just as a courtesy, it was still better than nothing. Would Will agree to star in “The Pursuit of Happyness”? Wang Yang couldn’t be sure, but he was mentally prepared to do his best to persuade him.

With these thoughts, Wang Yang smiled at Chris Gardner, saying, “Mr. Gardner, we haven’t decided on anyone yet, but once we do, I’ll inform you immediately.” Chris nodded, and Wang Yang added, “Then, we’ll need to bother you again.” No matter who played the lead, they would definitely need to interact with Chris Gardner, which would help them understand the role and the story better.

“Haha, I’d love to!” Chris Gardner laughed heartily again. Suddenly, with a burst of enthusiasm, he said, “Actually, I’ve always been interested in movies. Maybe I could make a cameo?”

Wang Yang couldn’t help but smile and nodded, “Oh, that’s no problem at all, I think that would be quite interesting.” Picking up a soda, he looked at Chris and suggested, “By the way, Mr. Gardner, I think you should write an autobiography. Your story is very appealing, and your way with words is engaging and moving. If you wrote your autobiography, it would surely become a bestseller and would inspire many more people.”

Wang Yang wasn’t merely prompting Chris Gardner to write his autobiography for the sake of it; having an eponymous best-selling autobiography released alongside the movie would undoubtedly make marketing “The Pursuit of Happyness” much simpler, more cost-effective, and extremely impactful. Plus, he believed it would indeed make for a great book.

“Write an autobiography?” Chris Gardner appeared briefly surprised, then a trace of excitement crossed his face. After pondering with a frown, he laughed and said, “That’s a great idea, I’m so eager to share my keys to success with others.” He spoke excitedly, “Now that you mention it, I almost know how to write it already, I’ll start as soon as I get home.” Wang Yang smiled, “Then I look forward to seeing your first draft.”

After a pleasant dinner, Wang Yang gained a deeper understanding of “The Pursuit of Happyness” story by listening to many of Chris Gardner’s inner thoughts and experiences not shown in the movie, making him feel more in control of the story.

Upon returning to his hotel apartment, Wang Yang took a hot shower and sat down on the living room sofa in his pajamas. He looked around, the apartment was quiet without Jessica’s laughter and presence, which he found somewhat uncomfortable. After a moment of thought, Wang Yang picked up the cellphone from the coffee table in front of him and found Will Smith’s number in his contacts. He pressed the call button and said after while, “Hi, Will, it’s me, Wang Yang.”

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” The magnetic voice of Will Smith came through the phone. Before Wang Yang could reply, Will laughed and said, “Miracle Yang, I hear about your heroic deeds, that’s really cool!”

“Yes, thanks, ha!” Wang Yang laughed, then got straight to the point, “Will, I’m preparing a movie called ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.\'” He actually felt a bit nervous and sincerely said, “I would really love for you to play the lead role.”