America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 309 Infamy Spreads Far and Wide

Buckingham County Police Department, morning.

Martin and Leonardo sat in the lobby, waiting for their lawyers to complete the necessary paperwork.

The latter, holding a copy of The Sun, said, "Jack and Meryl are on the front page for causing a scene at Pinewood Studios, and have been the subject of complaints from actors on multiple film sets..."

Martin held up the same newspaper: "Look at page two, Bale was injured on set and is temporarily hospitalized, and Cate Blanchett is at the same hospital."

Leonardo, thinking of the two people he'd seen yesterday, asked, "Won't they be hurt there?"

"Who knows?" Martin put away the newspaper and said, "That old bastard is really loyal; he didn't even let us know."

Leonardo's smile vanished: "Jack has a notorious reputation. Why would I, and you, be willing to hang out with Jack? He may be a scoundrel, but he's a loyal scoundrel. He doesn't distinguish between right and wrong, only between friends and acquaintances. Even today, he hasn't said a bad word about his old friend Polanski."

Martin pointed ahead: "They're out."

Accompanied by their lawyer, Nicholson and Meryl came together.

Seeing those two bastards, he didn't say a kind word: "It's all your fault!"

Martin didn't refute it; instead, he asked, "Was it fun?"

Nicholson laughed as he thought of the illicit lovers he had just exposed last night: "That was fucking awesome! You guys didn't see how pathetic those idiots looked running out with their pants down."

In contrast, Meryl was much more proper, appearing as an elegant and refined lady in public.

As the group walked out, Leonardo said, "You're loyal to me."

Nicholson said, "If I dragged you two into this, who's going to bail me out if something happens?"

Upon reaching the door, Martin warned, "There are reporters outside."

Nicholson and Meryl remained expressionless as they left the police station together.

A large number of paparazzi gathered near the entrance, but the four men ignored them and got into the same car.

Martin waved the newspaper in his hand and deliberately said to Nicholson, "Those two idiots who were following you yesterday are in the hospital."

Before Nicholson could reply, Meryl turned to him and asked, "Jack said you guys found out yesterday that Blanchet, that bitch, was following me with Bell?"

Martin's words were designed to grab her attention: "Yes, so we fired a shot over there." He handed Meryl the Sun: "The Sun's gossip is a hundred times more reliable than the Washington Post and the New York Times' political news."

Meryl took the newspaper, saw the news about Bale and Blanchett, and cursed coldly, "Damn bitch!"

Leonardo, never one to shy away from trouble, chimed in, "Blancett and Bale are using you as aphrodisiacs."

Meryl ignored the question and simply said, "I won't hold those past issues against you two; let's call it even."

Martin spoke with remarkable fluency and naturalness: "I'll treat you and Jack to drinks sometime, and bring a few more friends along."

Leonardo DiCaprio, understanding perfectly, asked, "Are there any very beautiful actresses in the 'Mamma Mia!' crew?"

Nicholson, who had a great time last night, was particularly generous: "I'll treat you then. Next weekend, I'll treat Meryl and her friends from the set to a drink together."

Martin said, "No problem."

Meryl thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

…………

Pine Forest Studios, The Fatal Prestige production team.

The original shooting plan had to be modified.

Nolan sat in the director's chair, his brow furrowed: "How's Christian Bale?"

Emma Thomas brought a glass of water and handed it to her husband: "I just called and asked. His leg is fine, just a simple cramp. The problem is his lower body."

After learning what had happened, Nolan couldn't help but worry: "Are you badly injured?"

Emma Thomas thought for a moment before saying, "The sponge has a minor tear and a slight subcutaneous hematoma. Fortunately, it's not serious and doesn't require surgery. It will heal in a few weeks with rest."

Nolan nodded: "The only option is to postpone all the scenes featuring him."

"Let's postpone it for now." Emma Thomas shook her head, somewhat annoyed with Bell: "There are so many places to go, from trailers and hotels to even the studio, why did you have to go to the woods with Blanchett..."

Nolan, however, was somewhat worried: "Who did this? Is someone targeting our crew?"

Emma Thomas had already found out: "It shouldn't be. Bell and the others were disturbed in the afternoon, and the troublemakers went there again in the evening. They were seen by many people. It was Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep."

She was quite exasperated: "Nicholson is a jerk. He just wanted to cause trouble for fun. The people from the Harry Potter crew next door were also scared. Last night, at least a dozen people were chasing him and Meryl Streep. Someone called the police, but Leonardo bailed him out this morning."

Nolan had also heard of Nicholson's infamous reputation: "That old bastard!"

Emma Thomas considered the practicalities: "You have your eye on the Oscars, but if we leave it at that, it won't hurt us, and it won't have a significant impact on the production team as a whole. Nicholson is a senior figure with many friends and considerable influence in the Academy. People like that may not be able to get things done, but they can easily ruin something."

Nolan listened to his wife and said, "Give Bell a call and express your concern."

"I'll go to the hospital to visit him; I can't be stingy with the proper etiquette." Emma Thomas handles these kinds of things much better than Nolan.

…………

After dropping Meryl off at the studio, the three idle guys spent half the day wandering around London and then went to a pub for drinks.

After downing a glass of whiskey, Nicholson's wicked ideas began to surface with the alcohol: "I just called and asked, Bell is in the hospital, his sponge ruptured, so pitiful, shall we go visit him in the hospital tomorrow?"

Martin picked up the bottle, poured drinks for the three of them, and said, "Have some decency, stop being a devil in human skin, okay?"

Nicholson said, "You and Leo are the ones who killed him!"

Leonardo replied, "Wasn't it all to help you?"

Upon hearing this, Nicholson's nose nearly crooked: "I really have to thank you!"

Martin put his arm around Nicholson's shoulder. "We're best buddies, so you don't need to thank me too much." He said seriously, "How about this, next year if you do me a favor, you'll cooperate with me, and we'll consider it a favor we did for you today."

Nicholson said, "So, according to you, I was frightened by you and should thank you properly?"

Martin exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you just say you wanted to thank us? We helped you get rid of the voyeurs! Just imagine, Bell and Blanchett were using you and Meryl like they were some kind of magic potion. If they had a camera or video camera with them, you'd be in real danger. It would be all over the world..."

He pondered for a moment: "Think about how quickly the news of the Oscar-winning actor and actress's scandal will spread!"

Leonardo almost burst out laughing.

Nicholson sighed, "It's such a small thing, and you've blown it out of proportion. I'm really getting old; it's time for me to step down."

The three of them laughed and chatted, having a great time.

Men can have a great time even without women.

Of course, life is better with beautiful ladies around.

Martin received a call from Kate Winslet and prepared to leave early.

"You can leave now." Nicholson hiccuped and said, "Martin, I have some good news for you. I kept a batch of the shells you gave me yesterday. If you're in the parking lot, Leo and I will go and set off some fireworks to celebrate."

Leonardo, who had also had quite a bit to drink, patted Martin on the shoulder and said, "Kate and I have been best friends for ten years. I don't have any other requests. Just be nice to her. Don't use the same brutal methods you used on Heidi Klum, Angela Lindwall, and KK. Be gentle."

Martin shoved Leonard away: "What nonsense are you talking about? Kate asked me to familiarize myself with and rehearse a few scenes. It's a proper job."

Leonardo shook his head but said nothing more.

After Martin left the bar, Nicholson asked, "What exactly happened?"

Leonardo said vaguely, "I just arrived in London a couple of days ago, and Kate called me to discuss some special scenes. She felt that having real-life experience would make the performance more effective."

Nicholson agreed: "You're absolutely right!"

Leonardo DiCaprio asked curiously, "Did you actually experience that during filming?"

Nicholson scoffed, "What you guys are doing is stuff we've already done. Remember Malone's butterfingers? Who would dare use them now?"

Leonardo DiCaprio was completely outmatched.

Martin rushed back to the hotel as darkness fell.

Because he was going to rehearse with Kate later, he went to the bathroom to take a shower, wash off the smell of alcohol, brush his teeth, and change into some dry new clothes.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, there was a knock on the door. Martin went to open it, and the person outside was Kate Winslet.

He stepped aside from the doorway: "Kate, please come in."

Kate entered the room with the script and said, "I came to bother you again after work."

Martin went to get her a bottle of water: "Let's not stand on ceremony between us."

"Let's get down to business." Kate sat on the single sofa and said directly, "The delayed scenes are the most important part of the development of the male and female leads' emotional relationship. If the filming is not done well, it may affect the whole movie."

Martin understands: "I understand that physical attraction leading to emotional outburst requires a transitional process."

Kate paused for a moment, then said, "I've been preparing for this project and this role for two years. Martin, you know how much I crave the Oscar for Best Actress."

Martin nodded: "You act better than all the Oscar-winning actresses."

Kate stood up and took off her coat. "I have nowhere to go, and I don't want to. You'll help me, won't you?"

Martin owed Kate a favor and couldn't refuse: "Yes!"

“I asked Leo and discussed it with Sam,” Kate said, walking toward Martin. “They both told me that hands-on experience is the best solution.”

She said, "Remember the rumors I mentioned about Nicole Kidman's role in 'Eyes Wide Shut'? It's said that Kubrick used actual footage from real-life experiences."

Top actors are often obsessed with acting, and Kate seems to have entered that state.

(End of this chapter)