King of Hollywood

Chapter 74: Chapter 74 Disaster Movie Concept

Such tension was sometimes hard to dissipate, for even she didn’t know why it occurred; it seemed to be an automatic response from the subconscious. Adrian had no choice but to repeatedly shoot the scene, especially since the overall progress was mostly on schedule due to the previous daring shots—it must be admitted, a director skilled at motivating actors combined with an actor who entered the state quickly resulted in a sum far greater than two—the Tango scene being strategically scheduled last also sometimes accidentally captured good shots. For instance, there was a moment when Pacino, leading Vera, suddenly turned around, and through the lens, Vera’s tension appeared tinged with slight excitement, fitting the storyline perfectly, thus it was retained.

In the end, after the Tango scene was finished, so too were Pacino’s parts, leaving only some fragmented shots concerning Charlie and others. Unless the Tango scene took ten to fifteen days, finishing before Thanksgiving was certain.

Thus, after enduring nearly a day’s worth of filming and managing about 5 or 6 shots, just as Adrian was contemplating whether to have everyone work overtime while Vera was still in the mood, an assistant came over to tell him someone was looking for him outside.

“Hey, Kate, what brings you here?” Adrian hurried to the entrance of the studio and immediately saw Kate standing there, clad in a light gray long coat, a scarf around her neck, black leggings under her short skirt, and mid-calf boots, standing gracefully and looking charming.

Having just heard from the assistant that Kate had arrived, Adrian was initially surprised; now seeing Kate, he couldn’t help but smile—she was truly his main dish.

“I came to see you, there’s nothing much going on at school these days.” Kate said with a smile, waving her hand, but before she could speak further, Adrian had already wrapped his arms around her waist and sealed her rosy lips with his.

Kate made a few muffled noises, pushing against Adrian, but soon succumbed amid smacking sounds. Her left foot occasionally tapped the ground and then lifted from behind, clearly immersed in the passionate kiss.

After a good while, Adrian finally let her go, grinning as he caressed her smooth cheek, “You really make one miss you.”

“Can’t you be mindful of the setting, Ed!” Kate half-whispered reproachfully.

“What about it? There’s no law against kissing your girlfriend in public,” Adrian shrugged.

“Even if I don’t mind, shouldn’t you consider other people’s feelings?” Kate rolled her eyes at him.

“Other people?” Adrian was somewhat taken aback. He glanced around and then noticed a girl about 14 or 15 years old standing behind Kate, mouth agape, staring blankly at him and Kate.

“Sarah? What are you doing here?” Adrian asked, surprised and puzzled.

“Um… well… I…” The girl stammered, gesturing uncertainly, at a loss for words.

“She wanted to come over to thank you,” Kate interjected, “She forgot which studio you were in after getting here and happened to run into me, so we came together.”

“It’s nothing, Sarah,” Adrian smiled at Sarah, “I recommended you for ‘Casper’ because your performance in ‘Memento’ moved me, and cutting your scenes was my biggest regret.”

He looked earnestly at Sarah, his eyes conveying only “sincerity”: “I think you are suited for that role, Sarah. If you really want to thank me, then do your best to portray her well.”

Sarah stared at Adrian for a long while, then exhaled softly: “Thank you, Mr. Adrian, for giving me this opportunity; I won’t mess it up.”

“I believe,” Adrian said affectionately as he stroked her head, “you’ve become much prettier than before. It seems Disney plans to start filming after Thanksgiving, probably shooting for about two months. By then, Sarah might have turned into a real beauty.”@@novelbin@@

Her oval face still had a hint of baby fat, but one could already foresee her future beauty.

“Yes, Sarah really does look both cute and pretty now,” Kate agreed.

Sarah shyly bowed her head, her eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought. Just then, Kate suddenly leaned in to smell Adrian and frowned, “Did you put on some perfume, Ed?”

“No, no, no, it’s not perfume, it’s the scent of Ogilvie sisters soap,” Adrian explained with a non-serious, teasing tone, “I remember you read the script for ‘Scent of a Woman,’ especially the tango part. There’s a scene where Colonel Frank identifies the scent of Donna’s soap, which was specifically set to be the Ogilvie sisters soap.”

Hearing his tone, Kate knew she must have been mistaken but still argued, “Even so, that scent should only linger on your hands, not on your shoulders or anywhere else!”

Adrian laughed and shook his head, “I had to demonstrate some key points to Vera, who’s playing Donna, by dancing the tango with her a few times. I’m guessing that’s what you smelled.”

“Is it that bad? So bad that you had to personally demonstrate it several times?” Kate puffed her cheeks and asked.

“Kate,” Adrian looked at her with crossed arms.

“Alright, sorry,” Kate suddenly deflated like a let-down balloon, pouting.

Seeing her childlike pout, Adrian laughed, “Honestly, if not for certain reasons, I would have wanted you to play that role. Oh, today, despite filming all day, we only got through a few scenes, it’s incredibly shooting-worthy.”

Changing the topic, he suddenly asked, “By the way, what have you been learning recently?”

Though not understanding why Adrian switched topics, Kate still answered, “The usual, exploring characters in various ways, how to immerse myself into them, and performing roles in plays, etc.”

“Okay, I need you to spend some time thinking about what kind of temperament and personality a female meteorologist should have,” Adrian explained.

“A female meteorologist?” Kate asked, puzzled.

“Yes, exactly,” Adrian nodded, “You’ll soon be spending a semester at the California Institute of the Arts. You must have learned plenty of systematic stuff by now, and combining it with your previous filming experiences should greatly enhance your judgment and interpretations. I’m currently planning a disaster movie where the female lead is a meteorologist, and I hope you can play her.”

“A… disaster movie?” Kate’s mouth slightly agape, she looked at Adrian with an indescribable expression, “God, although I’ve gotten used to this… but… I really want to ask, what’s actually going on in your head, Ed?!”

(Seeking recommendations, bring out your votes!)