America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 527 No Opportunity Can Be Missed

In downtown Los Angeles, near City Hall Plaza, the film crew blocked off an entire road.

Martin got off the makeup trailer and went straight into the film set.

The road was full of parked cars, and the summer sun shone on the asphalt, making it exceptionally hot.

Nolan is directing the entire crew, having the special effects team slowly bring the train over.

Menez then came over, stood next to Martin, and said, "Wow, the crew built a train that doesn't need tracks."

Martin looked down and saw the wheels, saying, "It must be a modified truck."

Ellen Page then entered the set and came over to greet Martin.

Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy arrived later.

Nolan returned from the crane and loudly reminded everyone, "Be careful!"

If the main actor gets injured, all the subsequent scenes will have to be postponed. He added, "As planned, it will be split into two parts, two vehicles!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Nolan, still concerned, added, "Many of our props are disposable; we can't film a second take. Everyone, give it your best!"

This is a drawback of live-action shooting; if a heavily invested model breaks, it's broken.

Martin got into a red Cadillac.

The filming of this scene had to proceed according to the script, so he parked his car on the side of the road, out of the camera's view.

Menez and Ken Watanabe got into a yellow Los Angeles taxi.

As Nolan's voice came through the loudspeaker, three sprinklers mounted on a crane sprayed out large amounts of water, creating a small-scale artificial rain.

But the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

This scene is a dream sequence, and Nolan insisted on a sun shower. To ensure the scene had both light and shadow, the crew marked the sun's path and hung barriers between buildings to block it out.

Menez picked up Cillian Murphy in a taxi, and Martin then picked up Ellen Page.

Then comes the highlight of the Los Angeles scene, where the dream train suddenly bursts in, pushing aside the cars stuck in the street.

The once orderly streets have become chaotic.

The filming took place in a chaotic environment, with the constant sounds of engines roaring, brakes screeching, and tires screeching.

Martin began shooting a lot of short shots, some of which Nolan would yell "cut" after only a few seconds.

However, his scenes were entirely in the Cadillac, and he never got out of the car. His limited lines were only dialogues with Ellen Page.

The torrential rain outside the car never stopped.

Emma Thomas sent her assistant Amanda to accompany Maria, who was wearing a onesie raincoat, as she busied herself on the streets.

Mariah Carey uses a DV camera given to her by Elizabeth II to record scenes of the crew working during breaks in filming.

All of this proves that she was there and that she participated in an extremely important social practice.

Amanda shouted a reminder: "We're going to film a gunfight and car crash scene next, let's stay far away."

Maria nodded and followed her to the absolutely safe upper steps.

Amanda pointed to the other side of the set: "Look over there, Martin is going to film the gunfight scene himself."

Maria quickly picked up the DV camera and turned the lens over there. She saw Martin holding a pistol and talking to director Nolan. Several actors came in and practiced their blocking with Martin twice.

Seeing that filming was about to begin, she quickly turned off the DV camera.

The sound of the starting gun for the ping-pong game rang out quickly.

After filming a few scenes, Maria noticed that Martin and Nolan had started talking again. The two seemed to talk a lot and would often get together to chat.

The rain has become sparse, the artificial rain generators need to be refilled, and the film crew is taking a temporary break.

Nolan found Martin and said, "I just had an idea, would you like to hear it and see if it works?"

Martin was puzzled. Nolan was always decisive when it came to filming, so why was he asking for his opinion? He immediately nodded: "Go ahead and say it."

Nolan gestured towards the City Hall: "Is that First Daughter connected to you? Could we invite her to make a cameo appearance on camera, even if it's just as a fleeting background figure?"

He's the kind of director who never misses a promotional or marketing opportunity.

Since the other party came to the film crew, how could Nolan let her leave without leaving something behind? "This will be a very good gimmick when it comes to publicity and promotion."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "We can try. Send someone to communicate with her. It's okay, just say it directly."

Nolan called Emma Thomas in and had a brief conversation with her. Emma Thomas then called her assistant, Amanda.

Not long after, Amanda came over and said that Maria had agreed to let her leave the country.

Nolan added a scene at the last minute; the scene was very simple, with Maria as the background, and Martin driving by in a Cadillac.

What Maria wanted was practical experience that could be used as capital, which would better prove that she had been there.

Moreover, her tutor called Michelle Obama, and the White House did not object.

Nolan slightly adjusted the afternoon's shooting schedule.

After lunch, news spread that the film crew had started shooting in downtown Los Angeles, and more and more people, from movie fans to entertainment reporters and paparazzi, gathered there.

As assistant Anderson looked at Mariah Carey in her makeup, he quickly wrote in the behind-the-scenes notebook: "First Daughter Mariah idolizes director Nolan and has repeatedly asked to join the cast, even if it's just as a background character. Director Nolan decided to give her a chance and wrote a scene just for her."

Nolan walked by, glanced at the behind-the-scenes record book, and nodded in satisfaction.

Anderson chuckled. Encouraged by his boss, his inspiration suddenly struck. Just then, he saw Martin get into the red Cadillac used for filming, and immediately wrote another true story.

"When Martin Davis first heard about Nolan's idea and concept, he immediately decided to star in the film, insisting that Nolan agree to let him play the lead role no matter what, even though he didn't know the specifics of the film's subject matter and content at the time."

Anderson knew very well that his future depended on Nolan, so the extras he wrote naturally praised Nolan to the skit.

As the sun gradually turned west, the cast and crew left the set one after another. A professional cleaning company entered the set, carefully photographing and marking the location of every prop vehicle and decoration in preparation for clearing the area.

Martin and Menez walked together toward the trailer.

The latter said, "Paris is the last stop for filming. I'll stay in Paris for now after this movie is finished. Boss, if there's anything you need me to do, just give me a call and I'll rush back to Los Angeles."

Martin patted Menez on the shoulder: "Focus on acting with your goddess and try to win a Cannes Film Festival award next year... Cannes might be too late, but try to win the Golden Lion for Best Actor at Venice."

Menez grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Isabelle Huppert will definitely be given priority for the award."

He mentioned something: "When I spoke with Isabelle Huppert on the phone yesterday, I suggested that she organize a social party for the actresses in the French acting circle and the film crew. I think that would be a good idea."

Bruce walked over from the other side and chimed in, "Don't let them all be goddesses in their forties or fifties."

Menez said very seriously, "Huppert assured me that he would definitely invite many of the new generation of French artistic goddesses, such as Audrey Tautou, who will be the spokesperson for Chanel No. 5 with Martin, and the leading lady in 'The Dreamers'."

Martin had seen this film more than once, and it left a deep impression on him. The Venus de Milo was a classic. He asked, "Eva Green?"

Mennet said, "It should be her. Isabelle Huppert has a strong appeal among French actresses and is currently the number one."

Ellen Page ran over from the other side and asked, "Martin, I heard you're going to be the face of Chanel No. 5?"

"It's still under discussion, nothing has been finalized yet," Martin gave a clear answer.

The information released now is a test of the market's reaction. Other sponsors don't seem to have any objections, but it's hard to say what movie fans and the public will think.

Overall, the response was relatively normal, and there were no inexplicable attacks.

WMA is still collecting various feedback data, and if a deal is really reached, it will be at least by the end of the year.

Ellen Page, perhaps for her own reasons, was very interested in this: "It's a remarkable innovation for a man to endorse a women's fragrance; Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel were very brave."

Martin smiled and said, "But you've given me a difficult problem."

Ellen Page, acting like a good buddy, clenched her fist and bumped fists with Martin, encouraging him: "I think among all the male stars in Hollywood, besides Leonardo DiCaprio, only you can hold your own against Chanel No. 5."

Seeing her raise her fist like a man, Martin nudged her fist and said, "Thank you for your encouragement."

Ellen Page said, "Before you arrived at Astra Studios in Morocco, Tom Hardy tried to bully me, but after you took me in, he never dared to mess with me again."

Menez asked curiously, "What did he do?"

Ellen Page, who had more contact with Menez and knew he meant well, shrugged and said, "At Astra Studios, Tom Hardy pointed at a local woman in her forties who was applying for a job and said I should go and sleep with her."

She shrugged helplessly: "At the time, all the crew members around me were British. They were either laughing or silent."

Menne said, "Some British guys deserve to be treated like mortars!"

Martin now understood why Ellen Page had approached him, and extended his right hand, saying, "Ellen, welcome to the temporary American team on the Inception set."

Ellen Page gripped his hand tightly: "Thank you for accepting me."

Martin had a good impression of her and added, "You've chosen a very difficult path."

"I know that once it's public, many roles will automatically distance themselves from me." Ellen Page said firmly, "No matter how difficult it is, I will persevere."

Martin nodded. "Good luck."

The three actors went back to their trailers to remove their makeup. When Martin left work, Elizabeth specially drove her brand-new Porsche to pick him up and invited Maria to have dinner with him.

The latter stayed on set for only a few days. Once the novelty wore off and he had obtained the practical experience he wanted, he left the crew after filming half of the scenes in Los Angeles.

(End of this chapter)