King of Hollywood-Chapter 526 - 247 An Interesting Idea

The waves lapped against the shore one after another, casting up sprays of broken blossoms under the clear sky. The Mediterranean town, which preserved the architecture of the 20s and 30s of this century, looked peaceful and serene. The men leisurely drank afternoon tea under the umbrellas in the small square, while women walked together in twos and threes, sharing gossip only they knew. The children kicked a ball and played along the long seawall.

"It’s still just as beautiful, isn’t it, my dear?" Standing on the seawall, Adrian, shading his eyes, said to Monica beside him, looking towards the place where the sea met the sky.

"Yes, it hasn’t changed much from a few years ago, this is really a good place for a leisurely life," Monica agreed, her arm in his. She was still wearing the white dress meant for shooting, with a loose black tie around her neck and high-heeled shoes with straps, her tempting mature charm utterly exposed.

The waters of Siracusa were murky, far less azure compared to those in tourist destinations like Cannes, but the island’s little town was extremely peaceful and had its own unique charm. When Monica and Adrian first came here, they hadn’t imagined they’d be coming back in such a different way. Just the thought of Adrian planning this for years wrapped her heart in a warm feeling.

"Mr. Director, we’re ready to go," the script supervisor came over at this moment.

"Okay, I’ll be right there." Adrian nodded and waited for the other to leave before slapping Monica’s pert bottom, "Go on, baby, show them your most seductive side."

Monica rolled her eyes at him and then walked towards the trailer that had been brought to the island, while Adrian headed to the set to start the routine questions before filming. What they were shooting today was the scene where the male protagonist, Renato, first encounters Marina, by the long seawall, with a group of young men about his age shouting and calling out to her as she walked past quietly.

"You’ve always done very well, lad, and you need to keep it up today, understand?" Adrian patted Marino’s shoulder.

"Yes, sir." The young man nodded; he had recovered from that slight setback, especially after Adrian and Monica started showing more public displays of affection in Italy, he understood.

"That’s good, but don’t be too downhearted, young man, there are plenty of girls right for you," he added, laughing heartily, causing Marino to blush and lower his head.

No longer teasing the honest kid, Adrian clapped his hands and loudly announced the start of shooting. These scenes were quickly completed. The people of the small town were very enthusiastic towards the crew, and Adrian had made preparations early on and communicated well with the local government. Especially when they heard that it was the famous Miracle Director from Hollywood who was directing, they even reduced some of the fees for the crew.

Though the towns on the island islands were relatively more secluded, they were quite well-informed about the outside world with the prevalence of the internet. The local government was very aware that if Adrian shot a movie here and it caused a sensation, they would see a large amount of tourism revenue.

This also relieved Adrian, all his hard work and networking practices had not been in vain. Considering that most of the movie was shot outdoors, they would still have to stay a long time here even after completing the indoor scenes in Los Angeles. So, getting along with the locals was crucial, and fortunately, as previously mentioned, most of them were very nice.

"They are all very simple folks, certainly not like those characters in your script. If Marina lived here, she would definitely be respected," said a middle-aged man with glasses, touching his balding forehead and looking at the groups of chatting locals who were temporary actors. He remarked wistfully after a scene in the square was completed.

"Of course, I know. It’s a place full of life; there couldn’t be a more suitable location for filming," Adrian shrugged.

"Yes, I know, and I have to say, Ed, you have an eye that even surpasses most Italians, being able to find such a place," the other party sighed again, "No wonder they always say your vision is unmatched."

"Anyone could find it if they just ran around Sicily a few times," Adrian chuckled.

"Still, you need the eye to see which scenes are suitable," Giuseppe Tornatore’s gaze remained on the square, and then he sighed, "Why didn’t you give me the script earlier."

"Oh? Are you very interested in it?"

"More than that, you have no idea how much I... liked it after reading it. If it weren’t for hearing that you had started preparing already, I would have definitely nagged you nonstop to let me direct this movie,"

Tornatore spoke quite earnestly, his hand incessantly rubbing and kneading his chin, obviously speaking his inner thoughts. Adrian was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and patted his shoulder, "Do you remember what I told you, Giuseppe? Half of the inspiration for this film comes from your ’Cinema Paradiso,’ that movie about growth that I really loved. So this is also a movie about growth, and I set the story in Italy."

"Thank you." Tornatore finally took his gaze back, "I’m glad you liked that movie, and I’m glad it could inspire you."

At this point, he changed the subject with a bit of a playful look, "And the other half of the inspiration?"

Adrian just shrugged without answering, and Tornatore burst out laughing, glancing at Monica who was discussing the script with an assistant in the distance, "She really is a beautiful woman."

"Yes, very beautiful," Adrian said, looking towards Monica as well, speaking very calmly.

Tornatore left the ’Malena’ crew quickly, staying for no more than three days. He promised Adrian he would attend the premiere of this film and invited him to the premiere of his own film releasing in October. The fact that he ended up in Siracusa was entirely accidental. When Adrian initially reached out through someone else asking for help in finding a suitable Italian actor, his primary motive was to probe whether Tornatore had begun conceptualizing a new script.

Needless to say, Adrian was completely reassured, but this film was, after all, once a Tornatore work. He was enamored with the script after reading it and, as he said, if Adrian hadn’t started preparations already, he might have really tried to get the directing rights. So it made sense that he came to Siracusa upon hearing the crew was there.

Honestly, Adrian’s feelings towards Tornatore were quite positive. Most European directors seem to stray from art if their work doesn’t have sexual elements or some quirky, incomprehensible things. Italian directors, in particular, are notorious for this, which is eye-roll-inducing because it’s not that they can’t tell a good story, but rather they do it on purpose, as if they’ve contracted OCD—like that old guy Bertolucci.

Though Tornatore wasn’t without this trait, at least ’Cinema Paradiso’ and ’The Legend of 1900,’ his two most famous works, had decent stories. If there hadn’t been ’Malena’ as the only current suitable project for Monica, Adrian might not have wanted to pilfer it. As for whether he felt ashamed under the admiring gaze of the original author, a bit, but he would quickly put it behind him and carry on with his work, much like an arms dealer who, upon learning the weapons sold caused extensive casualties, murmurs "God bless" then continues the trade.

Because of the locals’ collaboration, the progress was always smooth. Of course, it also had to do with Adrian leaving the most important and troublesome shots—like when Malena is humiliated or when the town is bombed by the Allies and people scatter—for later. And then, at this point, another guest arrived at the set.

"Hello, Monica, I am Sophie, Sophie Marceau." Wearing a light overcoat, with little boots showing, hair disheveled yet orderly, Sophie extended her hand to Monica with a dignified smile.

"Hello, Sophie, it’s so nice to see you," Monica said warmly, "I really love your movies, whether it’s ’First Kiss’ or ’Fanfan.’ In fact, one of the reasons I even tried becoming an actress was because of ’Fanfan.’"

Seeing Monica speak to her without any barriers, Sophie found it difficult to maintain her distant poise and quickly struck up a conversation with her. Since they were both from Europe, one from France and the other from Italy, they had a lot in common. Add to that Monica’s deliberate charm, and the two women became more and more familiar with each other until Adrian came over.

"Monica, we’re ready to start." He interrupted their conversation, leaving both women startled.

"Okay, I’ll be right there." Monica was the first to react, smiling at Sophie before hurrying off to the set.

"It seems you two got along well," Adrian said, smiling as he watched Sophie after Monica had left.

"What did you expect to see? An argument? Or a fight?" Sophie snorted softly, crossing her arms, completely different from her previous cheerful demeanor.

"You know, I’m really glad you came to Siracusa, Sophie, especially since..." Adrian started to say, then stopped, winking mischievously.

I should’ve known better than to come. Sophie almost retorted, but seeing his smile, the words somehow shrank back.

"Let’s not talk about that now. We still have several scenes to finish today. We’ll find a place to talk properly after it’s over," Adrian said, glancing at the film crew with a smile, then handing her the script for the movie: "This is the story of the film, try looking at it from your perspective and analyze the movie."

He was about to leave after speaking but took two steps and turned back, leaning into Sophie’s ear with a mischievous look: "Even if the high heels have turned into boots, as long as you’re still not wearing anything underneath, I’ll always like this outfit of yours."

"Ed!" Sophie glared fiercely at Adrian, who just laughed and quickly returned to the crew.

Damn him! Sophie bit her lip, touching her cheek, which undoubtedly had turned red. She knew exactly what Adrian was referring to – that day in Paris, when they were fooling around, she was wearing this trench coat with nothing underneath, and as soon as they found a suitable corner or crate, they would start their tryst.

At the time, it felt thrilling, but retrospectively, it brought her a mix of shame and fear, even though it was her own daring gamble. Adrian often teased her about it, and since today she was wearing the same trench coat, she couldn’t escape it. Just as before, Sophie could only express her displeasure by glowering at him, but any discontent that had arisen from seeing Monica and Adrian had fully dissipated.

"Scene 229, shot 117, action!" With the clapperboard’s snap, the camera started rolling for a few seconds, and then Monica entered the frame.

The scene here was simple. The confirmation of her husband’s death in action is met with exclusion by most of the townspeople. A desperate Marina, having no choice but to sell her body, dressed provocatively with her head held high, came to the small town square. As soon as she sat down and took out a cigarette, several lighters were immediately offered to her.

"Cut!" Adrian shouted loudly and then took a few steps to Monica’s side, "It’s not enough, Monica. Remember what I said? She uses her pride to mask her vulnerability, and you must strike the right balance."

Throughout the story, before this turning point, Marina used to arrive in the town with her head lowered, her demeanor cautious and guarded, avoiding the men’s aggressive and women’s disgusted glances. But this time, when she no longer needed to care about those things, for the first time she lifted her head with a hint of coquettishness as she came to the square. Adrian needed Monica to reveal the sorrow hidden in Marilyn’s heart right here, so she had to be both proud and ostensibly so, revealing the vulnerability beneath. For Monica, this was not easy.

"Let’s go again." Once Monica indicated she understood and returned to her original position, Adrian clapped his hands and spoke loudly.

This "again" turned into dozens of takes, with four breaks in between. Though most people were somewhat tired, no one complained. Sophie was slightly surprised on the side. During this time, she had quickly read through the script and basically understood the story, as well as the significance of this scene. Honestly, she liked the character and would have fought for it at any other time, but it now seemed that Adrian had clearly made this film especially for Monica, which couldn’t help but provoke jealousy in Sophie.

At the same time, Monica’s performance during this shoot was such that even if Sophie herself had taken the role, she could not have done better. Yet Adrian was never satisfied, repeatedly calling for retakes. It was only during a break when asking an assistant that she learned this had been going on for quite some time; Adrian would always ask for retakes on important shots to get the perfect performance from Monica, which made Sophie’s jealousy grow even more.

Finally, before the best shooting opportunity passed, Adrian was satisfied with the take, which provoked a low cheer from the crew. They went on to complete the remaining part without falling behind schedule.

As night fell, bonfires were lit on the beach, and the film crew started a party here, with many town residents joining in, particularly those who had been extras. Everyone gathered around the fire, singing and dancing, and having a great time. If bonfires weren’t your thing, no worries—the crew had also prepared another area not too far away, decorated with various colored lights and with plenty of food and drinks to go around.

Adrian never skimped on life’s necessities, even for films like "Malena" or "Mulholland Drive" that didn’t make much money. He was always a man who enjoyed life’s luxuries. Due to his adjustments, many of the shooting’s costs were cut, and the budget was slightly lower than the original, so spending on living expenses was no issue.

"When you possess something beautiful that attracts countless eyes, yet you are powerless to protect it, those around you will continuously try to snatch it from you to claim as their own. That’s where Marina’s tragedy lies. She is beautiful, with a beauty that could overwhelm nations. Men want to possess her, while all women are jealous of her, but she cannot protect herself. So the men keep devising ways to violate her, and the women deepen their hatred step by step. When this hatred reaches a breakpoint and is then breached by external forces, the women begin to vent by destroying what is beautiful, or what they perceive as ugly, to satisfy themselves." On the beach not far from the two locations, Adrian sat by a small round table, explaining the story of the script to the two women beside him.

No one disturbed them, though inside everyone was either surprised, envious, or admiring. To have Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci sitting by his side truly befit the Playboy.

"I believe the square scene will surely be stunning, but why not have a tragic ending?" Sophie twirled the glass in her hand and asked, glancing at Monica, "Tragedy brings a stronger emotional impact and leaves a deeper impression. Most of the famous plays and operas passed down through history often end in tragedy."

"Ed obviously has his reasons, and he is always right," Monica said with a slight smile, deliberate flattery not equating to unlimited concession.

Seeing this, Adrian chuckled lightly and said, "I don’t like shredding beautiful things for viewers to see—that’s too foolish. There are already enough tragedies in this world. I prefer to give them hope, even if it’s just a tiny glimmer, which is better than telling the audience ’it’s pointless, they will eventually meet their doom.’"

After a moment of silence, Sophie took an uncomfortable sip from her glass and then looked at Adrian, "Speaking of your analysis, do you feel the same, Ed?"

Adrian looked puzzled as he raised an eyebrow but then realized what she meant, smiled with a shake of his head, and looked unwaveringly at Sophie. Monica too quickly caught on and began to chuckle to herself. Sophie, though baffled for a few seconds, also quickly realized what she had implied and, turning red-faced, lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

Adrian, being a man, felt this way, so as a woman... Annoyed and ashamed, Sophie didn’t dare lift her head for a long while, but thankfully Adrian shifted the topic, "By the way, I have an idea, Sophie, a fun idea. What if you were to direct and star in a film with Monica? What kind of situation do you think would arise?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it or send a monthly ticket on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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