Beep, beep~
The sun was shining brightly that morning.
On Lagoa Street in Rio de Janeiro, the traffic was so heavy that it blocked half the street.
In the dense traffic, a yellow Chevrolet maneuvered skillfully, weaving through cars like a sparrow darting through the sky.
Around it, other cars tried to find gaps too, with the sound of horns, roaring engines, and frustrated shouting filling the street.
"Marcio, slow down! I'm not in a hurry!"
From the back seat, Luca opened his eyes and spoke.
"We can't slow down! It's rush hour and the streets are packed. If we don't squeeze through, we won't move at all,"
the experienced driver Marcio shouted, keeping his eyes on the narrow gaps between the cars.
"Just be careful!"
Luca shook his head, closed his eyes again, and tried to catch up on sleep. His flight the night before had been bumpy, and he hadn't rested well.
"Luca, wake up! We're home. I can't believe you can sleep through all that!"
Luca was woken up after what felt like just a few minutes.
Opening his eyes, he saw they had arrived at the entrance of the estate. Next to him was Marcio's impatient face.
"Is flying that tiring?"
Marcio asked, puzzled.
"No, I'm just adjusting to the time zone."
"Time zone? Rio and New York are only two hours apart,"
Marcio muttered.
Luca ignored him, stretching as he stepped out of the car.
"Mr. Kelly, welcome home!"
The housekeeper, Ms. Barbara, greeted him with the other servants at the door.
"Thank you, Barbara,"
Luca nodded and walked into the estate.
Although it was winter in the Southern Hemisphere during May, Rio's subtropical climate kept the plants lush and green. Tall palm trees cast wide patches of shade.
Orchids, bougainvillea, and herbs were in full bloom, and the fragrance of flowers filled the garden. The orchard was heavy with ripe mangoes, pomegranates, bananas, and spreading grapevines.
Luca took off his towel and swam a few laps in the pool, washing away his fatigue.
When he got out, a basket of fresh fruit was waiting on the stone table in the gazebo. Two macaws hopped onto the table, pecking at a pomegranate, eating noisily. Meanwhile, a toucan stood motionless on a perch, as still as a statue.
Splash! Just as Luca got out, Marcio jumped into the pool.
"Wow, having a big pool at home is amazing! When I become a superstar, I'm going to buy an estate and dig a huge pool too,"
Marcio said, splashing around in the water.
"Just a pool? You don't want a few beautiful women too?"
Luca asked lazily, sunbathing on a lounge chair.
"No way! I'm a one-woman man. Caroline is all I need,"
Marcio said, splashing as he spoke.
Luca smirked. He didn't expect Marcio to be such a romantic.
Ignoring Marcio, Luca picked up the script for Infernal Affairs. Filming was about to start, and some scenes had been revised, so he needed to go over them carefully.
"Luca, have you written any new scripts recently?"
After a while, Marcio, now out of the pool and dripping wet, asked.
"What's up?"
"After Saving Ronaldo finished shooting, I've had nothing to do. Can you write a few scripts for me so I can become a superstar sooner?"
Marcio pleaded.
Luca shook his head. "Not right now. Let's wait until Saving is released and see how the box office does. If it performs well, maybe we can shoot a few more movies like it. But if it flops, we'll need to rethink things."
"But I think this movie is great! It's definitely going to make money,"
Marcio said confidently, lying down with a towel over his stomach.
"What you think doesn't matter. It's what the audience thinks that counts,"
Luca replied without looking up from his script.
"Fine, but the movie's coming out this month. You'll see—the box office won't disappoint!"
"Let's hope so,"
Luca sighed, a little skeptical.
Brazil is said to have the most developed film industry in South America, but its box office revenue doesn't even compare to that of tiny Hong Kong.
The box office pie is already small, and Hollywood movies take a big slice. It's tough for domestic films to make money.
"Mr. Kelly, Ms. Camila is here,"
Barbara announced, entering the room.
"I know. Please show Ms. Camila to the study."
Camila was his agent in Brazil, handling his contracts and personal affairs.
Since he had won the Best Actor award at the Berlin Film Festival, his influence in Brazil had grown, and he was now a hot commodity.
Today, Camila brought a stack of folders filled with scripts, advertising contracts, TV show offers, charity gala invitations, and numerous media interview requests.
It took Luca two hours to go through everything.
He rejected all six Brazilian scripts. The pay wasn't great, and shooting ten films here wouldn't compare to making one big-budget Hollywood film. He didn't have time to spend months on local productions.
He also turned down over a dozen brand endorsements. Right now, he was in his rising phase, and the endorsement fees weren't high enough. When he reached the level of a superstar like Britney or Aniston, one big contract would be worth ten of these smaller ones.
He only accepted a few formal events, galas, and media interviews, leaving the details for Camila to handle.
Now that he was back in Brazil, and investing in domestic films, there were some things he couldn't avoid.
"Camila, that's all. You can arrange it as needed."
"Understood, Mr. Kelly."
After Camila left, the administrative assistant from Toucan Films arrived to give an update on two movie projects and new investments.
It wasn't until after 5 p.m. that he finished his work.
The next morning, he headed to Rio Film Studios to attend the Infernal Affairs cast meeting.
The main cast included over a dozen actors, all present.
Supporting actors like Rodrigo Santoro, Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, and José Dumont were there too. While they weren't famous internationally, they were at least B-list celebrities in Brazil, and their acting skills were solid.
For example, Alice Braga, who played the second female lead, was the star of City of God and would later work with Will Smith in I Am Legend.
Three days after the cast meeting, the Infernal Affairs crew began filming at São Paulo Prison.
Since São Paulo is a bustling city, many of the scenes would be shot there, while the grittier shots would be filmed in Rio.
This approach also ensured the safety of the cast and crew.
"Scene 1, Take 1, Action!"
On the morning of May 13th, inside São Paulo's Central Prison, Luca, with his short hair and wearing a blue vest, crouched in a corner of the cell, hugging his head, looking utterly dejected.
He played a character named Simon, a man born in the favelas. Simon had worked hard to get into police academy, dreaming of escaping the slums and changing his fate.
He graduated at the top of his class, but shortly after becoming a cop, he was jailed for assaulting a city councilman's son in a moment of rage. His future now looked bleak.
Clang, clang, clang! While lost in thought, the sound of a baton hitting the steel bars echoed through the cell.
"5231, you have a visitor!"
Luca slowly lifted his head, his half-open eyes glancing towards the door. His melancholic gaze stood out in the dim cell.
Clang, clang, clang! "Move it!"
The guard barked harshly.
Luca slowly stood up and shuffled toward the cell door.
"Cut!"
"Luca, slow down the movement a bit,"
Director José shouted from behind the monitor.
"Got it."
Luca reset, crouching back down in the corner.
"Scene 1, Take 2, Action!"