America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 377 Truth and Falsehood

"Stop! This cut is passed!"

Inside the studio, Nolan stood up from behind the director's monitor, walked towards the set, and said to the lead actress, "Maggie, thank you for your performance. You are crucial to us."

Everyone on the set, including Martin, applauded Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Because the female lead has finished filming all her scenes, she officially left the show today.

Seemingly infected by the recent positive atmosphere on set, Maggie Gyllenhaal cupped her face in her hands, gently wiping away her tear-filled eyes, and repeatedly said to those around her, "Thank you, thank you everyone..."

Emma Thomas took a box over, hugged Maggie, and then put it in her hand: "You gave the crew a perfect performance."

Maggie opened the box; inside was the necklace Rachel had left for Batman. She took it out and put it on: "This is the most important moment of my acting career!"

Nolan came over, shook hands with her, exchanged a few polite words, and then quietly withdrew to the outer perimeter.

The screenwriter had an exceptionally keen sense of smell; he had already come over before the director even had a chance to call him.

Nolan was about to speak when he noticed Maggie Gyllenhaal walking towards Martin, so he immediately raised his hand to ask the screenwriter to wait a moment.

Maggie went to the actors' lounge, found Martin, and said, "I wanted to ask the crew for a souvenir, but they don't have any right now. They said you might have some."

Martin asked in surprise, "What souvenir?"

Maggie gestured and said, "The clown's handmade statue, the one you gave to Shebi the other day, looks really good. The crew didn't have one ready."

"No problem." Martin waved to Bruce.

Bruce opened his bag, took out a long, rectangular gift box, and handed it to Martin.

Martin then handed it to Maggie: "The hand-carved version."

Maggie took it, opened it carefully, and saw that its unique design was indeed extraordinary. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Martin."

Martin smiled and said, "You're welcome."

Soon, Maggie Gyllenhaal left the studio, completely satisfied.

Nolan then told the screenwriter, "Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played Rachel, had a crush on Martin during filming, but received no reciprocation. Before leaving the crew, she specifically asked Martin for a custom-made clown sculpture as a souvenir..."

A minor gossip story was born from the screenwriter's pen, and it even received official confirmation.

Morgan Freeman has always remained an observer, while Nolan has added a new type of director to Hollywood: the publicity-driven director.

This British director has just as many ideas for publicity and marketing as he does for film conception.

Meanwhile, Martin was deep in thought: why are handmade clown statues always so popular with ladies?

He had a feeling that if the film was a box office hit, the merchandise would likely sell like hotcakes.

The production team said goodbye to Maggie Gyllenhaal, and a few days later they said goodbye to Morgan Freeman.

Martin got along well with the old man and even gave Freeman a souvenir.

Freeman waved his hand: "I'm a man, I don't need this stuff."

Martin asked in surprise, "This has nothing to do with men and women."

Freeman thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll take it."

The two might even collaborate again.

Freeman also gave Martin a gift in return: a nutcracker he had made himself.

Martin carefully put it away, planning to build a glass display case later to store and exhibit such souvenirs.

Before leaving the studio, Freeman glanced at director Nolan and saw him whispering to the screenwriter again.

What he wrote was definitely related to him, but as long as it didn't damage his reputation, Morgan Freeman wouldn't bother with it.

I'm just very curious about what gossip Nolan wrote about him.

…………

As summer approaches, the weather is getting hotter and hotter.

Under the bright sunshine, the film crew left Atlanta and arrived in Concord, a city in the south.

In a remote area far from densely populated areas, an abandoned large candy factory was transformed into a hospital with only a facade by a construction team hired by the film crew.

The convoy was parked in a safe area outside the processing plant.

Martin got out of the car and entered the makeup trailer to get his makeup done.

Nolan directed the crew to set up the set, with several experienced pyrotechnicians entering key areas of the hospital to place specially made explosives, preparing to set off a super-sized firework.

The ambulance, converted from an old vehicle, was towed to a parking lot near the hospital building.

In addition, several real ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to the perimeter, and relevant professionals were on high alert, just in case.

Inside the makeup trailer, Martin finished applying her makeup, put on a white nurse's uniform, and then put on a nurse's cap.

After the stylist left, Bruce, who was sitting to the side, said, "Put on a pair of stockings and a pair of prosthetics, and you can go out on the street and seduce perverts."

Martin asked, "Do you want to go? I can fund finding you the best stylist."

He went a step further: "How about this, I'll charter a business jet and take you directly to Thailand, which will solve all your troubles in one go, and you won't be bothered by Kim and Kohler's issues anymore."

"I've made up my mind." Bruce said with an unstoppable momentum, "For Khloe, I'm going to film a video with Kim."

Martin nodded: "Good luck, Old Brooks."

Bruce smiled and said, "Perhaps it was a special fate that brought me together with them."

Just then, there was a knock on the trailer door from the outside. Bruce went to open it, and an assistant director popped his head out and said, "Martin, get ready to go to the set."

Martin got up and got out of the makeup trailer, then followed them to the location where the cameras were set up.

Nolan is waiting for him here.

Bruce didn't stop after he arrived; he went straight into the hospital set to check things out beforehand.

Nolan took off his headphones, hung them around his neck, pointed to the large building that was originally brick red but had been transformed into hospital white, and said, "This scene only has one chance to explode, so you need to get into character quickly."

Martin adjusted his nurse's cap and said, "I'll go over there and familiarize myself with the movement in a bit."

Nolan gestured to him, "Come on, let's go together."

The two arrived at the entrance of the hospital building and walked along the paved road toward the direction where the film crew was setting up IMAX cameras.

As Nolan walked, he said, "You walk from the doorway all the way here. Remember this paving line on the ground. This is the safety line set by the pyrotechnics team. After you cross this line, press the detonator."

Martin asked, "I controlled the explosion?"

Nolan shook his head immediately: "Of course not. Such a major detonation is handled by professionals! They'll see you press the detonator, and then it will officially detonate. The explosion is in two stages, with a brief interruption in between. It's also written in the script that the remote control malfunctions..."

Martin understood: "To create a dramatic effect."

Nolan laughed: "That's right."

Hollywood's film industry processes are quite rigorous, especially for large-scale productions like this. When filming dangerous scenes involving explosions, they are extremely meticulous. If an explosion is not carried out according to the plan, the production will be stopped immediately and appropriate safety measures will be taken.

The initial draft of the script that Martin received only involved the Joker blowing up the hospital where Harvey Dent was injured and admitted.

However, in the latest version, a clown scene has been added between the explosions.

Nolan returned to the IMAX camera.

Martin went back and forth, practicing his positioning many times.

Half an hour later, the pyrotechnics team conducted a final check of all the equipment and notified director Nolan via earpiece. With Nolan's command, filming officially began.

Martin, dressed in a nurse's uniform, swayed as he walked from the hospital entrance. Midway, he took off his white nurse's cap and tossed it aside. From the pocket of his uniform, he pulled out a remote control.

Following the instructions, he quickly crossed the safety line and then pressed the remote control.

With a deafening roar, a corner of the building behind Martin collapsed.

He looked back, then glanced at the remote control in his hand, and couldn't help but slap it a few times.

This time, the explosions rang out incessantly, and the massive building collapsed with a deafening roar.

Martin quickened his pace and ran forward. Seeing Nolan gesturing, he quickly moved behind the safety wall.

The hospital building collapsed completely, turning into a pile of ruins, with smoke and dust floating everywhere.

Several cameras are still filming, faithfully recording the entire process of the building being bombed.

It took a long time for the film set to finally quiet down.

Nolan announced over the loudspeaker that the shot had been successfully completed.

Martin approached the director's position, put his hands on his hips, looked at the ruins, and shook his head slightly.

Nolan said, "It's an abandoned building, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"No, I'm not under any pressure," Martin said calmly. "If it exploded tonight, what a magnificent firework it would be."

Nolan turned to look at Martin, and at that moment, inspiration struck. He beckoned the screenwriter over and began writing the rumor tidbits in front of Martin.

"This is just a rumor," Nolan said, giving a heads-up before continuing, "When filming the hospital scenes, Martin pressed the remote control and found that the explosion stopped as soon as it started, as if something unexpected had happened."

Martin, however, knew that the whole scene was staged.

It turns out that many of the previous rumors may have been deliberately released by the production team.

Nolan continued, "Martin knew the explosion scene was difficult to reshoot, so he improvised, banging on the remote control. He fixed what might have been a faulty connection, and the explosion was back to normal! Martin's improvisation saved this hugely expensive scene."

The screenwriter wrote with lightning speed, glancing at Martin furiously as he wrote, wondering if it was appropriate to write like this in front of the main character.

Martin then said, "Director, it was a fantastic scene, incredibly enjoyable to act in."

Nolan found Martin increasingly pleasing to the eye; he was cooperative with the crew and understood his intentions, making him a million times less troublesome than Bale.

This is the type of actor he likes.

"These are all just rumors and tidbits," Nolan instructed in advance. "When the film is being promoted in the future, if reporters ask about these rumors, you can remain silent or give ambiguous answers."

Martin replied, "I will."

The scene was completed successfully, and the crew then returned to Atlanta.

Before even reaching the city center, Martin received a notification that Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio were coming to visit the set.

(End of this chapter)