America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 874 Martin and the Cross-dresser

Inside a makeup trailer at the Disney studio.

Martin sat in front of the makeup mirror, letting two female makeup artists apply makeup to his eyebrows and eyes, and then put on a wig.

The costume was a red short skirt, which was hanging next to her.

After finishing her makeup, Martin changed into a red dress, then put on black stockings, and finally high-heeled boots, transforming into a tall, cross-dressing woman.

Bruce crossed his arms, watched Martin stand up, and said, "Do you need me to help you? You won't fall, will you?"

"What a joke." Martin walked with a cat-like gait, his high-heeled leather boots clicking.

Filming for "Split" officially began today. To get Martin Scorsese into character quickly, David Fincher filmed the first scene with his female persona.

A character with a particularly strong contrast.

There are a lot of cross-dressers in Los Angeles.

Martin had worked with more than a dozen people, but those could only be described as monsters and demons, completely different from the female personality of the male lead he was going to play.

Last month, he took some time to go to New York to catch up with Karolina Kurkova and the cunning Angela Lindwo, and received professional guidance from them.

Martin's professionalism as an actor is beyond question.

From the moment he stepped off the makeup trailer, he began to act like a woman.

Martin is a pragmatist, not a methodist, and he has no intention of transforming himself into a woman both in and out of the camera.

Upon entering the set, David Fincher glanced at Martin and remarked, "Not bad, just a bit too muscular."

Martin pulled up his prosthetic breast and said, "Do I really have to wear this thing? It's so uncomfortable."

David Fincher lowered his voice and said, "You know the current state of Hollywood better than I do. This female personality will be key to our Oscar run."

Martin understood and said, "Let's begin."

David Fincher instructed the assistant director to notify all departments to prepare.

Martin entered the film set, a basement decorated like a prison cell, where the three actresses were already present.

On the sofa to the left sat Anya Taylor-Joy, wearing a gray bodysuit.

On the right-hand bed, Ana de Armas and Sofia Stallone sat side by side.

All three of them turned their attention to Martin. Sophia, who was closest to Martin, said, "Wow, Martin, you're so beautiful."

Martin gave a subtle smile: "The three of you, are you ready?"

Anya spoke first: "I've been prepared for a long time. Martin, don't you remember? We rehearsed this scene."

Sofia glanced at the strangely-looking woman of her age opposite her and cursed her inwardly as a bitch.

Ana de Armas's eyes flickered, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Compared to Anya and Sofia, this actress, who traveled from Cuba to Spain and then from Spain to Hollywood, has a more complicated mindset, having failed to achieve fame for ten years.

She didn't say anything, but focused on preparing for the shoot.

With the crew ready, and the script supervisor clapping the clapperboard, filming officially began for the first scene of "Split".

Martin opened the basement door and entered the cell, where the cameraman began filming from the side.

Because of his height and long legs, and the fact that he was wearing a wig and breast prosthesis, Martin looked to have a great physique in the photos.

David Fincher stopped filming, saying, "Adjust the camera position and lens. Lower the camera further and shoot the scene of the male lead entering the door from a low angle."

Director of Photography Jeff Cromwell immediately instructed his staff to make adjustments.

Martin left his cell and went outside.

Filming soon resumed.

After the script supervisor slammed the clapperboard, Martin opened the door and strode into the cell.

The main camera first shot from below, then moved along the slider to Martin's front, raised the lens from below, and finally gave Martin a close-up of his face.

Martin was wearing women's makeup, but he was completely different from those LGBTQ monsters. He had his hands in front of him, his eyes were exceptionally gentle, and he deliberately lowered his shoulders, making him look more relaxed.

The shot went smoothly, mainly focusing on showcasing the male protagonist's female personality. Anya, Anna, and Sofia were simply relegated to the background.

"Stop, that's a good take!" David Fincher shouted. "Martin, well done, keep it up!"

Director Martin Chong gave a thumbs-up on the monitor and then changed his position.

Filming resumed, this time with dialogue, and the three actresses joined the shot, no longer just background figures.

After a few takes, the difference in acting skills is obvious, and Sofia is undoubtedly the worst one.

Of course, she has no problem with basic skills and can handle a purely decorative role with ease.

In the subsequent filming, David Fincher added the characteristic of a female personality to her character: obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In addition, it also lays the groundwork for the sadistic killing at the end.

Each of the male protagonist's split personalities would be like this.

This is also the key to organically connecting all personalities.

After a morning of filming, Martin had filmed quite a few scenes featuring the female personality. Because he was well-prepared, he didn't have much to do in terms of acting, except for some discomfort in his feet.

High heels are really uncomfortable to wear.

After changing into casual shoes, Martin went to have lunch. Just as he finished eating and was about to get into the trailer, Ana de Armas came looking for him.

This Latina actress, who had worked in three countries and spent nearly ten years without making a name for herself, greeted Martin with a smile, glanced at the shoes Martin had changed into, and said, "I noticed you weren't very comfortable in high heels during the shoot."

Martin said, "I'd never worn them before, so I overlooked the issue with the shoes."

Anna came prepared: "Me too. Wearing high heels for a long time makes my feet very uncomfortable. Later, I learned foot massage. After changing out of high heels, I massage my feet to help with blood circulation and relieve foot fatigue."

She was very direct: "You've been walking around in those high-heeled boots all morning, and you've never worn them before. It'll affect your performance later. Shall I give you a massage?"

Martin glanced at her briefly.

Anna knew very well that there was no point in lying in front of someone as influential as Martin: "I just want to help you. Your condition directly affects the quality of the film. If this film becomes a big hit, I will also benefit."

"Come in." Martin opened the car door and waited for the person to get in before saying, "Make yourself at home."

The trailers were all pretty much the same. Anna asked Martin a question, then went to the washroom to get a basin of hot water. She said to Martin, "Sit on the sofa, take off your shoes, and I'll wash your feet for you."

Martin, who is always open to other people's opinions, immediately sat down on the sofa and kicked off his shoes.

Anna lifted Martin's feet and placed them in the basin of water. As she washed Martin's feet, she said, "Over the years, I've been to many places. In East Asia, they believe that washing feet with hot water helps promote blood circulation."

Martin seemed to see the talkative, skilled, and technically proficient No. 88 in his mind's eye, and casually replied, "I've heard of him too."

Anna talked about her experiences in Cuba and Spain, speaking in a very pleasant voice, and frequently emphasizing her importance to her family.

"When I was young, I also wanted to come to Hollywood to develop my career." She put Martin's feet on her lap and talked while massaging them: "At that time, there were two production teams to choose from, one from Hollywood and one from Spain. But the Hollywood production team only offered me a salary of $3000, while the Spanish production team not only gave me a supporting role, but also matched it with a salary of 1.5 euros."

Martin relaxed: "You chose the Spanish production team?"

Anna nodded: "Although in the long run, I may have become famous by choosing a Hollywood production team, at that time my father was unemployed, my mother was sick, and my younger brother had just been admitted to college and needed a lot of tuition fees, so I had no choice but to choose a high-paying job."

These words, coupled with Anna giving him a foot massage, suddenly gave Martin a strange feeling, and he inexplicably recalled a classic piece of eloquent copywriting.

"A gambling father, a sick mother, an abusive ex-husband, a broken woman, a two-year-old child and a younger brother in school..."

Martin and Anna talked about everything from Cuba to Spain, from film art to acting techniques.

Anna held those strong, large feet in her arms.

Martin felt as if he were surrounded by fluffed cotton.

Anna massaged him carefully, pressing her hand directly against his chest.

In the afternoon, Martin arrived on set on time, his feet and legs were not sore, and he was in high spirits and full of energy.

Film acting requires explosive acting skills.

Martin had a mini-climax in his performance on the first day of filming.

During a break in filming, David Fincher, curious, asked Martin, who was looking at the camera, "How did you get into character so quickly this time?"

Martin thought for a moment and said, "The pleasure of the soles of the feet can invigorate the spirit."

David Fincher didn't quite understand, but work was important, so he immediately returned to filming and reminded Martin of the precautions for the next scene.

No matter how thorough the preparations are during the pre-production period, various problems will still arise during filming, especially when the director has a sudden burst of inspiration and will make appropriate adjustments to some scenes and shots.

Besides playing the male lead, Martin would occasionally come to the director's monitor to discuss directing with David Fincher.

Most of the time, of course, David Fincher did the talking, and he listened and learned.

For the next two days, the crew filmed scenes featuring the female personality. Every day after lunch, Anna would get into Martin's trailer and massage his feet, which were aching from wearing high heels.

This fully ensured Martin's performance when portraying female characters.

When this scene was being filmed on the last afternoon, Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio came over to watch.

The two were somewhat surprised by Martin's skillful portrayal of the character.

Leonardo seemed to understand something: "No wonder Martin was able to open Pandora's box of demons and monsters; his hidden side is that of a cross-dresser."

Nicholson said, "That makes some sense. His performance just now was so convincing. Even at my peak, I couldn't pull off that kind of cross-dressing act... No, even Marlon Brando and I combined couldn't do it."

Leonardo seized the opportunity instantly: "Maybe you can just use butter a few more times."

Nicholson glanced at Martin, who was behind the director's monitor, and questioned Leonardo, "Don't you feel any urgency?"

"A sense of urgency?" Leonardo asked in surprise.

Nicholson pointed at Martin: "Your acting is superior to yours, and you're even humbly learning about directing. And what about you? All you know is eating, drinking, and having fun. You're definitely going to lose the bet."

Leonardo glanced at the director's monitor and saw Martin, dressed in women's clothing, intently discussing something with David Fincher. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is fucking unfair!"

He frowned and glared: "What did Martin say? I remember now, that bastard Martin is trying to kill me! As a top star in the industry, instead of indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, he actually wants to be a director, he's gone too far!"

After Martin finished discussing with David Fincher, he went back to the set and filmed three takes.

The scenes depicting the female personality have now come to an end.

Upon arriving at the rest area, Martin kicked off his high-heeled boots, put on slippers, and reached into his clothes to remove his breast prosthesis.

That old bastard Nicholson shouted, "Don't pick them yet, don't pick them yet!"

Martin, thinking something was wrong, asked, "What's wrong?"

Nicholson strode over, extending a pair of old, claw-like hands: "Let me feel it first, see how it feels!"

Martin dodged his hand, took it off, and placed it on Nicholson's head: "It's yours!"

Nicholson, however, grabbed it and tossed it to Leonardo: "Take this home and keep it as a souvenir. When Martin wins an Oscar for this role, this thing will fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars!"

Martin said, "I was careless!"

Leonardo was just as much of a jerk; he actually kept it: "In a few years, we'll hold a special auction for it, and it'll definitely cause a sensation around the world."

Martin removed his wig, took off his skirt and coat, put on the T-shirt Bruce handed him, and said, "Fine, I won't argue with you two bastards. You can have the stuff."

Nicholson grabbed Martin and called Leonardo over. The two of them blocked Martin in the middle and said, "Old Brooks, let's take a picture while Martin is neither male nor female."

Bruce took out his phone and took a group photo of the three of them, then sent it to Nicholson and Leonardo respectively.

Martin went to remove his makeup and change his clothes, then met up with his two best friends. Together they headed to Nolan's Beverly Hills residence for a film analysis session on "Interstellar".

This film is Warner Bros.' top award contender this year, and Nolan's goal is to get at least one Best Director nomination.

In his spare time from filming, Martin also participated in some Oscar promotional and public relations activities for "Interstellar," and he also had a request: to get another Best Actor nomination.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicholson were both invited by Warner Bros., and both had worked with Warner for many years.

Interstellar, which was released in July, has not yet been taken off the screens in North American theaters. In order to compete for the Oscars, it is still being shown in a few theaters in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Over time, the film's reception became increasingly polarized, with both die-hard Nolan fans and equally fervent Nolan critics emerging in North America.

However, Interstellar has achieved great commercial success, with a cumulative box office of $3.37 million in North America and $8.87 million worldwide.

The enormous commercial success has benefited Martin and Nolan the most on a personal level.

Both of Martin Scorsese's films this year have been huge successes.

The super sequel, John Wick 3, outperformed Interstellar commercially, and its global run has essentially ended.

It grossed $5.22 million in North America and $10.78 billion worldwide.

John Wick 3 has secured the top spot at the North American and global box office for 2014, and it's expected to be number one on streaming and DVD sales and rentals as well.

(End of this chapter)