Since there was nowhere else to sleep, Luca decided to crash on the couch for the night. The sofa was big, wide, and soft, and he slept soundly until morning. When he woke up, his back didn't hurt, his legs felt fine, and he felt energized, as if he'd saved a million bucks.
After breakfast, he changed into his sports gear: a blue tennis T-shirt, white athletic shorts, and Nike sneakers. Grabbing his tennis racket, he left the apartment.
Today, he had an appointment with a 70-year-old man. Just thinking about it wasn't exactly exciting.
That man was Woody Allen, a prolific master director.
The buzz around Woody wasn't so much about his movies as it was about the controversy of him marrying his adopted daughter, a Korean woman 36 years younger than him. This news caused a media frenzy a few years back.
Their meeting spot was set by Woody: the Fort Greene Sports Center in Brooklyn, where they were going to play tennis and chat about Woody's new movie.
Woody didn't mention what the movie was, but Luca had a good guess. It was probably *Match Point*, the suspenseful romance film that made Scarlett Johansson famous.
The movie is about a tennis coach who arrives in London, meets people from the middle class through tennis, and eventually climbs into high society through marriage, murder, and manipulation.
The film explores themes like chance, luck, human nature, and ethics.
It was an intriguing movie and won several awards, but like most of Woody's films, its box office performance was average—only $23 million in the U.S.
Luca wasn't particularly ambitious about this movie. It would be great to get Woody's approval, but if not, he wasn't too concerned.
At 10 a.m., he arrived at the tennis courts of Fort Greene Sports Center.
There were 30 courts in total: 26 green clay courts for members and 4 hard courts for coaches.
It was Saturday, and the place was packed with people playing tennis.
As soon as Luca entered the sports center, he was greeted by a cacophony of sounds—balls being smashed, people shouting, and laughter filling the air.
Carrying his racket and drinks, he headed to court #6, the one Woody had booked.
Although he had arrived half an hour early, someone was already playing on the court.
On the left side of the court stood an old white man with graying hair and a thin frame.
On the right side was a young woman in a short-sleeved top and skirt, with a killer figure. Every time she swung her racket, her chest bounced, and her blonde ponytail whipped around.
The old man was none other than the famous director Woody Allen.
The young woman? Scarlett Johansson.
She was 21 years old, known for her resemblance to Marilyn Monroe, and had already starred in several films, including *The Horse Whisperer*, *Girl with a Pearl Earring*, and *Lost in Translation*. Her acting skills were top-notch, and like Luca, she was considered a serious actor.
Scarlett was Woody's favorite actress. They had collaborated on several films together, including *Match Point*, *Scoop*, and *Vicky Cristina Barcelona*.
Woody had a knack for working with actresses.
In his films, Scarlett had transformed from a shy young woman into a full-blown sex symbol, reaching the peak of her beauty.
This was their first time working together.
What kind of chemistry would they create?
Smack!
As Luca walked onto the court, the two were deep in their game.
He didn't interrupt, just stood on the left side, watching their movements.
Even though Woody was getting older, he was still in great shape. He moved quickly and had impressive skills, shouting and grunting with each shot.
Scarlett, on the other hand, wasn't too shabby herself. She consistently hit the ball right back to Woody, all while bouncing around and showing off her stunning figure.
The two guys on the court next door gave up their own game to sit and watch.
Wham!
Maybe Luca's presence was a distraction, but Scarlett missed a shot, sending the ball to his corner of the court instead of to Woody.
The light green tennis ball bounced and landed right in front of him.
"Nice shot!"
Luca grabbed the ball with a big smile. "Good morning, Mr. Allen. Am I late?"
"No, not at all. In fact, you're early. If you'd come later, I could've played with Scarlett longer. Now that you're here, Scarlett won't want to play with me anymore," Woody grumbled as he shook Luca's hand.
Luca smirked. He was at a loss for words.
Yesterday, Woody had told him to come at 10:30, but it was only 10:00, and they were already playing.
There was no way Scarlett had shown up an hour early.
So, the truth was clear: Woody and Scarlett had agreed to meet before 10 a.m.
Why?
Could it be that this 70-year-old man had a thing for Scarlett?
Luca chuckled. "Sorry to interrupt your date, Mr. Allen. How about I run a few laps and come back at 10:30?"
"That sounds perfect. Eleven would be even better."
Woody turned away with the ball in hand.
Luca laughed and turned to greet Scarlett. "Good morning, Scarlett!"
"Hi, Luca!"
Scarlett smiled at him, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"You play really well. How about we practice together later?"
"No problem!"
Scarlett laughed.
"Hey, Luca! It's still my time. Can I get Scarlett back, please?" Woody called from behind, clearly annoyed.
"Alright, you two continue!"
Luca stepped back to the sidelines, focusing once more on watching the game.
In truth, tennis was most enjoyable when you were sitting on the sidelines, watching female players with their curvy figures in tight white skirts. It was a beautiful, sexy sight.
Smack! Smack!
After another ten minutes, Woody was panting, exhausted.
"I'm done! Need a break."
Woody walked to the sidelines, where his assistant quickly handed him a towel and water.
"Luca, how's your tennis game?" Woody asked as he wiped his sweat.
"Pretty good, though not quite pro level," Luca replied confidently.
He hadn't known how to play tennis before, but after buying his estate, he often played with a few women and Tom Hanks. Over time, his skills had improved, and he was now one of the best amateur players.
"Great! Play a match with Scarlett," Woody suggested as he sat down.
"Alright!"
Luca looked at Scarlett, who smiled and nodded in agreement.
After she took a short break, they started playing again.
Both of them were young, so they played in sync. A single rally often lasted more than ten hits.
Luca had a slight edge in both stamina and skill. He went easy on Scarlett when returning her shots, and their game was full of excitement.
When Woody returned to the court, they switched to a practice mode, with both Luca and Scarlett as his partners.
The three of them played from just after 10:00 until 11:30.
By midday, the sun was blazing, and the group moved to a quiet wine bar.
They spent the afternoon chatting about life, work, filming, sports—just small talk between old and young.
Their meeting wrapped up around 2:00 p.m.
As he got into his car, Luca was puzzled. During the entire conversation, Woody hadn't mentioned anything about the movie.
This left Luca wondering—was the meeting about the movie, or just a casual chat? Or maybe Woody was annoyed that Luca had interrupted his date with Scarlett, and now didn't want to work with him?
Luca wasn't sure, but he didn't mind. If he got to work with Woody, great. If not, no big deal.
To his surprise, just three days later, Woody sent over a script for *Match Point* and asked Luca's agent to sign a contract with DreamWorks.
"Did I just pass the audition?"
Luca was amazed as he held the script.
He'd put in so much effort trying to land a role in *Pride and Prejudice*, only to fail. Yet after one tennis match, he'd earned the approval of a famous director.
He chuckled. How interesting!