America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 826 The Family's Only Hope

The film crew's convoy drove out of the Atlanta metropolitan area and headed south. Before long, they saw vast fields of corn.

The corn grown on one of the farms was significantly taller than that on the other farms, and had already reached the tasseling and pollination stage.

The convoy stopped in an open area near the barn, and people from various departments immediately got to work.

Martin got off the makeup trailer, rolled up the sleeves of his worn-out plaid shirt, and went to the film set.

Standing on the steps of the old wooden house, he glanced around the corn farm and said, "This place looks familiar. Have we been here before?"

Bruce recalled: "You filmed the horse scene in 'The Man from the City' on this farm, but the stables and pastures are gone, and it's all turned into cornfields."

Martin looked around carefully and pointed to a slope next to a grove of trees: "I remember now, it was in that place that Robert, the high priest of the Cult of Cola, first showed his power, using bottled cola smeared with olive oil to help me eliminate my competitor."

He laughed: "This is like returning to familiar territory, back to where the dream began."

Nolan was walking over when he heard Martin's words. He stopped in his tracks, remembering what Martin had mentioned before, turned around and walked back, beckoning assistant director Anderson over.

When filming "The Dark Knight," Anderson was an anonymous screenwriter who documented behind-the-scenes stories.

Because of his keen observation skills, Anderson was able to grasp the true meaning behind Nolan's behind-the-scenes stories. When it came time to film Inception, Nolan promoted Anderson to assistant director.

Anderson knew he wasn't good at arranging filming; he was Nolan's pen and paper.

So, as soon as he saw Nolan waving, Anderson immediately ran over with paper and pen.

Nolan doesn't waste any words; he once again combines reality with authentic behind-the-scenes footage for promotional and marketing purposes.

"The farm scene was filmed at the same place where the male lead, Martin, filmed his first movie... I don't remember the name of that late-night scene, but you can ask around later and add it. Martin said during filming that he had returned to where his dream began."

Anderson quickly jotted it down.

Meanwhile, Martin was preparing for filming when a blonde actress entered the set.

He turned his head and glanced at her. She was fair-skinned, beautiful, and had long legs, but she was a stranger. He hadn't seen her during rehearsals.

The actress came over to greet him: "Hello, Martin, I'm Charlotte Kirk, and I play your deceased wife in the film."

Martin shook her hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He understood why he didn't recognize her; the two of them never appeared in a scene together. She was a character who only existed in the male protagonist's memories.

Nolan returned and called Martin and two other child actors to the edge of the cornfield to discuss the play.

Charlotte Kirk looked over there curiously. Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara had told her more than once to go into the film crew and observe Martin Davis's behavior closely.

The film crew was about to begin shooting, and the assistant director shouted to clear the set.

Charlotte had no scenes to film for the time being and went to the rest area, but her eyes remained fixed on Martin, trying to find something special.

Martin rode in a Dodge pickup truck with child actors Mackenzie Foy and Timothée Chalamet.

Filming began, the car started moving, and then quickly stopped.

Director Nolan walked over from the monitor to the car, seemingly discussing the scene.

Charlotte couldn't hear exactly what was being said.

She thought for a moment, then took out her notebook and pen, wrote the time at the top of the first page, and then jotted down a few sentences.

"Martin Davis has an excellent relationship with director Nolan, and Nolan respected his opinions during filming."

Besides that, there's not much else to write about.

Charlotte actually had some complaints about Kevin Tsujihara. She had slept with him for so long, and he promised her an important role. He did give her a role, and it was a Nolan A-list production, but the importance of the role was best left unmentioned.

The male protagonist's wife sounds wonderful, but she only appears in his memories.

The man of that island nation descent held a high position, but she felt he was very stingy.

Charlotte dared to take this path, so she was certainly not a stubborn person, nor would she go down a dead end.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Martin and Nolan, her mind still preoccupied with continuing to help Kevin Tsujihara.

On the dirt road of the farm, the pickup truck kept stopping and starting. Because of filming, it hadn't gone more than 300 meters in two hours.

Nolan called a halt to filming again, saying, "Twenty-minute break."

Martin was the first to jump out of the car, and looked back at Mackenzie Foy, who played his daughter. The little girl was pale and clearly not feeling well.

"Are you alright?" Martin asked.

McKenzie shook his head: "I'm a little carsick."

Martin reached out his hand, and McKenzie helped him out of the car.

As the two turned to walk back, Timothée Chalamet in the other car gave a barely perceptible purse of his lips.

In the few days since joining the crew, all the pretty actresses in the crew, such as Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Mackenzie Foy, have been hanging around Martin all the time.

Timothée Chalamet, who is going through a rebellious phase, inevitably has some reservations.

But he remembered his agent's advice: the person you absolutely mustn't mess with on set is Martin Davis.

Even angering Nolan wouldn't be a big problem, but angering Martin Davis would have very serious consequences.

The production crew brought over a few chairs and set up several temporary rest areas by the roadside.

McKenzie drank some water and felt a little better. She turned her head and looked at Martin, who was a few seats away.

Her mother, Mrs. Foy, encouraged her in a low voice, "What do you want to ask him? Be bold, just go and ask him."

McKenzie put down his water glass and looked at his mother.

The Foy family is very ordinary. Unlike many child stars in the industry who come from performing families, Mackenzie's father is just an ordinary truck driver, and her mother does not have a formal job. She used to work as a part-time worker, but now she is a full-time caregiver for the child star.

McKenzie was the family's only hope.

"Go ahead, I've observed him these past few days, Martin is a very nice guy," Mrs. Foy encouraged. "If you cultivate a good relationship with him, you might have a chance for your next role."

McKenzie got up and went to Martin, asking softly, "Martin, may I bother you for a moment?"

Martin, who had been resting with his eyes closed, turned around when he heard the voice and said, "I happen to have some time."

McKenzie said, "I feel like there's something missing from the performance just now, but I can't quite pinpoint the problem..."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "You acted very well. For someone your age, you are a very talented actor. If there's a problem, it's that you were a little tense. You need to relax when you perform and not put too much pressure on yourself."

McKenzie has exceptionally delicate features, and she looks like a porcelain doll: "How could I not feel pressured working with you and director Nolan?"

Martin smiled. "I'm just an ordinary person, not a demon or a monster, right?"

"Yes," McKenzie smiled, his eyes crinkling. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed anyone who told me Martin Davis had no airs of a star."

Martin then pointed to the makeshift film set: "Chris is a very polite director. He never loses his temper on set. Just do your job, that's enough."

McKenzie nodded. "I understand."

After chatting for a while, McKenzie voluntarily left and returned to his seat.

Mrs. Foy asked, "What did you say?"

McKenzie said, "Martin is a very easy person to get along with, and he proactively helps me relieve work stress."

Mrs. Foy glanced at her daughter's delicate little face and thought to herself that being good-looking is indeed an advantage.

When the break was over, Martin and the other two actors returned to the old Dodge pickup truck.

Timothée Chalamet had some reservations about Martin, which he unconsciously revealed during filming, but this actually suited the scenes between the characters perfectly.

The father-son relationship is inherently a sensitive one.

Today's scene was filmed until the Dodge pickup truck got a flat tire.

After filming wrapped, Nolan specifically asked Martin and McKenzie to stay behind to discuss the scene.

The father-daughter relationship is one of the key themes in this film, and the effect Nolan wanted required the actors Martin and McKenzie to express it.

Timothée Chalamet watched from afar, his gaze fixed on McKenzie, unable to conceal his envy and jealousy.

Charlotte Kirk suddenly appeared nearby and said casually, "We're all peripheral characters; those two are the core."

Timothée Chalamet said nothing and turned to leave.

On the way back to the hotel, Martin and Nolan rode in the same car.

Nolan asked, "That girl was nice, wasn't she? She seemed like a good match for you during filming."

"The main reason is that I'm so versatile," Martin boasted first, then asked, "Where did you find this girl? She's very intelligent."

Nolan simply stated, "In the Twilight series, I played Bella's daughter, and I also seem to have a significant supporting role in an upcoming James Wan horror film."

Martin said, "A very talented young actress, she reminds me of Dakota Fanning."

Nolan agreed with Martin's statement: "She is very outstanding for her age group, and I have high hopes for her."

Martin, however, thought of those very talented child actors and stars in Hollywood in the past. Over the past twenty years, very few of the top children and teenagers have actually become A-list stars.

Leonardo DiCaprio's childhood as a child star was only so-so.

River Phoenix and Edward Frond, who were much more famous in their youth, were contemporaries of the same era, but one died from drug use and the other's life was almost ruined by drugs.

Drew Barrymore once lost her way in life and fell far short of what the industry considered to be the pinnacle.

Macaulay Chow, needless to say, is a prime example of a failed child star.

Later, Haley Joel Osment and Dakota Fanning also did not have smooth careers as adults.

Kristen Stewart, who was less successful as a child star than Dakota Fanning, had a more successful career as an adult, with the former even only able to act alongside the latter.

In this respect, Natalie Portman is one of the best.

Back at the hotel, Bruce found Martin and said, "Thomas just called. Your son sent another video related to father and son. After failing to reach an agreement, Thomas had his lawyer send a lawyer's letter."

After two private communications, Martin set limits: "If that doesn't work, we'll pursue legal action."

(End of this chapter)