America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 305 Push it Down Hard

In the studio set up as a small apartment, the crew cleared the area as Kate requested before filming. Except for a few essential personnel such as the director and director of photography, everyone else was evacuated.

In front of the camera lens, Martin quickly ripped off his clothes.

He glanced at Kate in front of him and charged straight at her.

Kate rolled over and pushed the person down.

The two were entangled in a protracted argument.

Director Sam stared at the monitor, frowning, and yelled, "Cut!"

The two, deeply immersed in their characters' emotions, continued their entanglement for another ten seconds before finally stopping.

Martin and Kate's faces were so close that they could almost see the flames in each other's eyes.

Sam went to the set, and the two parted ways.

"The emotions, the actions—everything's off!" Sam was completely focused on his work, having long forgotten about their relationship. He said to Kate first, "You're too passive and gentle. This is a scene where the female lead is in control; she needs to actively unleash her potential!"

He emphasized with gestures: "You have to push hard! Use all the emotions you've suppressed for ten years! Do you understand? Push!"

Kate said, "I understand."

Sam then looked at Martin: "This isn't like you picking up girls in real life. You're not a Hollywood playboy; you're an inexperienced teenager, inexperienced, understand? And you now? Even a fool can see you're experienced! It looks like Kate is in control, but actually, you're the one in charge. This completely contradicts your character's setup."

Martin nodded: "So I just have to passively endure it?"

"Yes, all you need to do is passively endure the onslaught of the heroine's fury." Sam pointed at Kate and said to Martin, "You do whatever she tells you to do!"

Although it sounded a bit strange coming from the director, Martin immediately replied, "I understand."

Filming resumed, and Martin simply gave up all resistance, letting Kate control the pace. But after a few takes, Sam called for a stop again.

The director was dissatisfied with the two actors: "You're not emotionally invested enough! I can't feel any emotional connection between you. You're like a temporary couple working together on set—all physical, no emotional!"

Martin and Kate had to let go, only to get entangled again when filming resumed.

Not long after, Sam called for a halt again: "This is the scene that most needs emotional connection. Without enough emotional connection, what will we get? A dry, sentimental film!"

His voice suddenly rose: "This is the part that needs the most artistry, where the emotions between the male and female protagonists are sublimated through physical interaction, creating artistic beauty! Martin, you're gradually finding your footing, but Kate, you're not."

Kate took a deep breath: "Let me rest for a while."

Martin instinctively reached out to pat Kate's back, but halfway there, he realized she wasn't dressed and this wasn't the time for a photoshoot, so he quickly withdrew his hand and said, "Kate, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Kate looked down and smiled: "You're putting too much pressure on me."

Martin said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do about it, it's just how I was born."

The two picked up their blankets, wrapped them around themselves, and sat down in the rest area to meditate.

After several days of filming going poorly, director Sam was under a lot of pressure. He sat behind the director's monitor, watching the unfinished shots over and over again.

Kate, the wife, gave a poor performance in this scene.

In the regular scenes filmed recently, when Martin was in good form, he could get Kate into character. However, in these scenes, the male lead's character meant he couldn't engage the female lead.

Instead, the female lead should take the initiative.

Martin needs Kate to guide him.

Anthony Minghella approached and asked, "Still not working?"

Sam pointed to Martin and Kate's entanglement on the monitor and said, "In this scene, the two released their passion through physical contact and formed an emotional bond. This is also the beginning of the real change in their relationship, but they... to be precise, Kate, Kate's emotions are a bit lacking."

He shook his head: "Martin also has problems. He's too proactive, and some of his instincts are hard to change."

Meanwhile, Martin was also talking to Kate.

Kate said, "My sensitive spots are here, here, and here..."

Martin said helplessly, "These scenes are useless. I'm just a clueless kid who doesn't know anything. I have to rely on you to guide me."

Kate sighed, "I don't know why, but I just couldn't find that feeling during these two days of filming."

Feelings are something you can't see or touch, but they're crucial to a performance.

Martin bluntly asked, "Do you have an instinctive aversion to me?"

"How could that be!" Kate said. "Actually, filming this type of movie has always been difficult for me. Remember in Atlanta? We filmed that kissing scene, and we had to do it many times."

Martin recalls that Kate had a big argument with the director at the time.

He said, "There were many similar scenes during this shoot, and we had to find a rapport. We couldn't keep doing retakes every day."

Kate thought for a moment: "It's mainly on my part. Maybe I'm too eager to use this role to compete for an Oscar, which puts a lot of pressure on me. The previous scenes were fine; when you were in a bad mood, I could help you get into character, and when I wasn't in a good mood, you could help me get into character. But now I need to take the initiative and control the pace..."

Martin nodded slightly. Even with his extensive experience and skills, he had no way to perform in such a completely passive role.

Kate said, "Let's all think about how we can better build rapport and achieve that special emotional connection between the two characters."

Martin is also considering it.

Kate was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Have you heard that when Nicole Kidman was filming 'Eyes Wide Shut,' there was a passionate scene that didn't go well after several takes? It's said that Stanley Kubrick used some special methods to help her get into character."

Martin thought to himself, "Kate, are you kidding me?"

Kate said something, then frowned in thought; this film was too important to her.

Filming resumed, but it was intermittent. The entire afternoon passed, and less than five shots were actually taken.

Director Sam was quite annoyed and got into an argument with Kate on set.

Kate has a fiery personality and directly confronts Sam.

Martin ran between the two men, acting as a peacemaker to prevent the conflict from escalating.

The week's work ended with the couple arguing.

With no scenes for the male lead to film in the first two days of next week, Martin originally wanted to go to New York, but when he called, Blake Lively had already returned to Los Angeles.

Over the past six months, the two have spent little time together and have even stopped talking to each other.

Blake was silent for a moment on the phone, then suddenly said, "While you were in Los Angeles, I went to New York. I finally finished my work and returned to Los Angeles, and then you went to London..."

No matter how outstanding a male god is, once you live together, eat, drink, sleep, and share the same things, even the golden halo will fade.

As a female fan who successfully slept with her idol, Blake was already satisfied. She still had feelings for Martin and retained some pleasant memories of him, so she decided to keep those memories of her idol in her heart forever.

So she said, "I'm planning to move back to my family home in Burbank. It's been a long time since I've lived with my parents and brother."

Martin understood what he meant and, adhering to his principles, faced the situation calmly: "Okay, I won't be able to go back to Los Angeles anytime soon."

Blake hung up the phone.

Bruce handed him a glass of ice water: "Can't bear to part with it? Just go get it back. With your skills, it won't be difficult."

Martin picked up his glass, the cool water washing over him and dispelling the slight annoyance in his heart. He said, "Let's find a place tonight, have a drink together, and invite Kate and Sam..."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang again, and it was Leonardo DiCaprio calling.

Martin answered the phone and asked, "Are you planning to come to London?"

Leonardo said, "I'm at the airport, waiting for Jack to come over. The Mamma Mia! crew had a few days off, and Meryl specifically called Jack to ask him to come visit the set, so I went along."

Martin was very aware of his role as the underling: "Jack is our boss. He's come all the way to London to visit his lover. Leo, we underlings need to prepare a good gift."

Leonardo asked, "Is everything ready on your end?"

Martin confidently stated, "Of course I'm ready, and I absolutely won't let Jack down."

Leonardo said, "If you disappoint me, I'll call Blake and tell you all the girls he's dated."

Martin sighed softly, "We broke up."

"Dude, you're free!" Leonardo DiCaprio offered his heartfelt congratulations: "Happy breakup! Happy single life!"

The thought of being alone from now on, and the possibility of special encounters at any time, made Martin's mood noticeably improve: "Call me when you get to London."

Bruce saw Martin put down his phone and said, "I've finished everything. It's temporarily stored in the props department's warehouse."

Martin asked, "Won't there be any problems?"

Bruce said, "Welding a few steel pipes together is too easy."

Martin stepped out of the trailer first: "Come on, let's get the stuff out and find a place to test it out."

The two went to the props department and took out two bags from the warehouse.

One of the bags contained firecrackers.

Not the terrifying type like the rabbit family.

"I had it custom-made." Bruce was stationed in Britain when he was in the army and even bullied British soldiers with mortars, so he knows a lot of people here: "The explosive charge is accurate to the gram, so the height at which it explodes after being lit is not much different."

Martin boarded the electric scooter with a bag in his hand: "Jack will love it."

Bruce drove northwest, exiting through the north gate of the film set. There was a cluster of dilapidated buildings waiting to be demolished, where he could let loose as much as he wanted.

He said, "You three are rotten people, you really know how to cause trouble."

Martin laughed and said, "Happiness is not only something you actively seek out, but also something you actively create. Life is so stressful, so of course you have to maintain an optimistic attitude."

As I passed by the film set, Kate came out and saw Martin and Bruce going to do something fun, so she said she wanted to join in.

The electric scooter carried the three people away.

Not long after, a muffled explosion was heard in the distance, followed by a sound like a ceremonial cannon, which also sent up a cloud of colorful mist.

(End of this chapter)