"Who exactly is her character?"
Standing behind the director's chair, James Franco quietly asked Duke. After collaborating several times, he was familiar with Duke, "It's so secretive that even we don't know."
Duke took the cup of water Tina Fey handed him, sipped, and said, "You'll know soon enough."
Anyone who fully understands Batman and its comics could roughly guess who Margot Robbie was playing after seeing the upcoming shoot.
However, Duke had previously warned everyone not to spread the information.
"Lighting ready!"
"Camera ready!"
"Props ready!"
"Makeup ready!"
"Actors ready!"
In the studio set up as Arkham Asylum, Margot Robbie appeared on set on time, wearing a fitted professional outfit with appropriate makeup, looking smart and competent.
"Mary!"
Seeing Margot Robbie, Duke waved. When she approached, he instructed, "Pay attention to your character's demeanor and temperament. You are an ambitious career woman with a natural interest in studying these psychological criminals."
Margot Robbie nodded seriously.
Duke gestured for her to enter the set and prepare.
Once everything was ready, Duke signaled the script supervisor, who walked in front of the main camera with the slate.
"Scene 3, Take 1!" the script supervisor called loudly. "Action!"
Leaning on the director's chair, Duke didn't look at the monitor but at the set in front of the camera lens.
This actress named Margot Robbie came on Leonardo DiCaprio's recommendation; she also had another identity—Leo's new girlfriend.
Of course, this was not the only one reason Duke hired her. She also genuinely suited the role; otherwise, even a recommendation from Leonardo would have been rejected without hesitation.
In the Arkham Asylum office, a middle-aged man introduced Margot Robbie to the actor playing the director of the asylum, "This is the new criminal psychology consultant, Ms. Harleen Quinzel."
Then he introduced Margot Robbie further, "This is Quincy Sharp, the head of this facility."
"Hello, Director Sharp."
Margot Robbie shook hands with the actor.
The test shoot went smoothly, and during the next takes, Duke announced the scene complete.
Later, in Margot Robbie's close-up, she strongly requested to be portrayed as the primary psychiatrist for a certain insane criminal confined in Arkham.
The camera also gave a large close-up of the files she held, showing the insane criminal's name—The Joker!
In Duke's design, the Joker would not appear directly in the film, but he would still influence the city in another form, especially through this new character.
This woman named Harleen Quinzel was originally a renowned criminal psychology authority in Gotham City, specially hired by Arkham Asylum as a criminal psychology consultant. In the script, Harleen Quinzel is an ambitious career woman. As a psychologist and psychiatrist researcher, her curiosity drives her extreme interest in Gotham's legendary criminal, the Joker.
She spent much mental energy and time studying the Joker. Exhausted and frustrated without results, she later illegally studied his mental state and psyche without authorization. She considered the Joker's chaotic, illogical thinking a psychological treasure, aiming to understand his mind and hidden secrets. Unexpectedly, through prolonged interaction and research, Harleen gradually became deeply obsessed with the Joker, ultimately leading to her arrest, revocation of her medical license, and classification as mentally unstable.
After the morning shoot, Leonardo DiCaprio visited the set.
"What exactly did you give Mary for a role?"
Finding Duke, Leonardo was full of curiosity, "She didn't even tell me, and she said she signed a confidentiality agreement with the crew?"
Duke had his assistant clear the director's desk and turned to Leonardo, "During the confidentiality period, Leo, you do not have the right to know."
Leonardo, who knew Duke fairly well, simply said, "Lunch together at noon? My treat."
"You treat?" Duke looked at him with some disbelief, bluntly exposing him, "Don't tell me I have to pay in the end?"
"Absolutely not!" Leonardo shook his head quickly, unconcerned.
Although Leonardo DiCaprio often spends lavishly on paintings and art, he has a peculiar habit: when dining with someone, even if he's treating, he dislikes paying the bill.
Not only Duke but many in the industry know this: a Hollywood man whose films can earn at least $20 million per movie actually lets his girlfriend pay whenever they go out to eat. That man is the famous Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.
When he dated supermodel Gisele Bündchen, she told Duke that in their relationship, she was more masculine. Ninety percent of their meals were paid by her, but she didn't mind; after all, paying felt great, and it didn't matter.
In fact, many highly paid Hollywood stars also have a frugal side.
At the final moment of Julia Roberts' wedding to Danny Moder, she was still shopping extensively at Walmart. The star bought hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, cabbage, and other items, which were served to guests who had flown in from thousands of miles away!
Even more extreme, in February this year, Julia Roberts spotted a somewhat expensive outfit at a second-hand store and tried to negotiate trading it for the clothes she was wearing.
Hollywood also has another famously stingy star—Catherine Zeta-Jones. Her donations at charity dinners have never exceeded four figures. At a fundraising event in Los Angeles, she only bid $25, shocking everyone and exposing her miserly nature.
Of course, the quirks of Hollywood stars are endless, and these are hardly the strangest.
For example, Johnny Depp likes collecting Barbie dolls, Tom Hanks enjoys walking naked on terraces, Jennifer Lopez likes having breakfast naked with friends and family, Nicole Kidman can panic if a butterfly lands on her—these are no longer secrets.
Perhaps because Hollywood stars have too much money with nowhere to spend it, or because of immense stress, they develop all kinds of odd habits regarding lifestyle, food, spending, pets, and even sexual preferences.
For instance, George Clooney likes sleeping with white pigs; Nicole Kidman always brings her own sheets to hotels; Mariah Carey owns thousands of designer shoes and tries on new pairs when unhappy; Madonna loves eating popcorn and can be naked in theaters as long as she has popcorn; "Godfather" Robert De Niro cannot work without salads and cold dishes.
Then there's Liv Tyler, who, after losing love, abandoned vegetarianism to binge on meat; wealthy figures like Bruce Willis and Spielberg have absurd excesses—Willis builds palatial villas, Spielberg installs traffic lights in his home; lonely stars live with exotic pets from insect-eating spiders to African apes; and party-obsessed stars have shocking sexual habits.
In the early stages of filming, Margot Robbie's scenes were limited. Duke completed all of Harleen Quinzel's scenes in Los Angeles within three days and moved on to other shots.
Due to Michael Caine's age and other commitments, his scenes were slightly advanced. The interactions between Alfred, played by Michael Caine, and Christian Bale were also highlights, with their relationship undergoing significant changes.
In Batman Begins, Duke revealed Alfred and Bruce Wayne's relationship. Alfred supported Bruce's extreme actions to create the iconic Batman, knowing that eventually all necessary measures would lead to a satisfying conclusion.
Batman acted as a catalyst, transforming Gotham into a city evolving day by day with fewer criminals, allowing Bruce Wayne to finally pursue his extraordinary life.
In The Dark Knight Rises, Alfred's worry intensifies because he notices Bruce Wayne has not freed himself from Batman's responsibilities but has become increasingly entangled.
Although Bruce no longer patrols the streets nightly in the Batsuit, he clearly hasn't fully moved on. Alfred feels responsible for helping him escape this deeply troubling chapter.
This mindset causes a significant shift in their relationship.
In fact, Alfred's perspective isn't entirely wrong. The Gotham Bruce Wayne strives to protect seems to have offered him little beyond pain and disaster.
Filming in Los Angeles lasted two full weeks. Action scenes were primarily shot in the Hughes Aircraft hangar, while drama scenes were filmed at Warner Studios. Despite encountering an unexpected pause due to three IMAX cameras simultaneously malfunctioning, Duke and the crew completed filming on schedule.
Next, Duke planned to lead the crew on location shoots across three continents: the UK, India, and North America.
During preparations for exterior filming, a company that had opposed him for years quietly declared bankruptcy.
...
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