A new week kicked off, and though old Douglas was stuck in the hospital, Catherine Zeta-Jones couldn't just sit by his bedside. She had Chicago to prep for—dance rehearsals were calling.
Since she'd skipped training the day before, she headed to the fitness center a bit earlier today. When she got there, she found the other female lead, Rachel Weisz, already at it—decked out in a practice skirt, one leg stretched up on the barre, and her left hand clutching a phone, chatting away nonstop.
By the time Catherine changed into her gear, Rachel had wrapped up her call and turned to her with a grin. "You're here early today!"
"The old man's in the hospital—ugh!" Catherine shook her head. "Let's not talk about that. Who were you just on the phone with?"
"Ella."
"Ella?"
"You know, Dunn's assistant. We're buddies."
The mention of Dunn instantly brought that ridiculous condition to Catherine's mind, and a bitter taste crept in.
She didn't mind sleeping with Dunn a few times—she'd been in the entertainment biz since she was a kid and had seen it all. It didn't faze her.
What worried her was the Douglas family. She was terrified of getting caught.
Rachel, fresh off her call, was in high spirits. She grinned and asked, "Hey, did you catch Six Feet Under last night?"
"Yeah, I did. The plot's pretty brutal—getting beaten to death on the street just for being gay? Kinda ironic."
Catherine nodded. It was the hottest show on TV right now, with a fresh premise and a Dunn connection. No matter how you sliced it, she had to watch.
Rachel sighed. "Totally. I think legalizing same-sex relationships has to happen eventually—it's history in the making. Anyway, forget that—do you know the ratings?"
"Ratings?" Catherine shook her head. "Probably not that high, right? It's on Tarz, and the subscription fee's steep."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're clueless! Tarz has 40,000 subscribers now. Last night, 3.47 million people tuned in during Six Feet Under's slot, and over 2.6 million of them watched the show."
Catherine blinked, lost. "What's that mean?"
Rachel laughed, half-exasperated. "Dummy, last night's episode had over 75% viewership!"
That clicked. Catherine's gorgeous eyes widened. "75%? For real? You're messing with me, right? I heard HBO's ratings hover around 35%!"
Rachel sighed helplessly. "It's not the same—different audience pools… Ugh, never mind, just know Six Feet Under is huge—bigger than HBO!"
"Oh…"
Catherine mumbled a response, then snapped to attention, staring at Rachel. "Wait, what? Bigger than HBO? Dunn's assistant told you that?"
HBO was the gold standard for premium content in America—the channel every Hollywood insider subscribed to. Hadn't Dunn just bought Tarz last year? And now it was topping HBO?
That's wild!
Rachel gave an awkward chuckle, scratching her head. "Well, not exactly. I'm guessing. HBO aired some boring movie last night. If this keeps up, Tarz'll overtake them sooner or later."
Catherine nodded. "Yeah, Dunn… he's unreal at everything he does. Speaking of, is he coming by today?"
"No clue." Rachel shrugged casually. "I doubt it, though. He's way too busy to hang out with us all the time, even as a producer."
Yeah, busy was an understatement!
Right now, Dunn had jetted off to New York again.
Spider-Man 2 kicked off filming in May, and after over three months, it was on track to wrap by the end of August, barring any hiccups.
As Dunn Films' flagship project, Spider-Man 2 had everyone—from top brass to crew—laser-focused on it.
Even Marvel Studios' president, Nina Jacobson, stepped up as executive producer, joining the set from day one to ensure director Ridley Scott had everything he needed for a smooth shoot.
As for Nolan's Daredevil? Well, they didn't even have a script locked down yet—let them figure it out!
Dunn was listed as Spider-Man 2's lead producer but hadn't set foot on set once. That sparked a lot of grumbling from the main crew. With the film nearing completion, he had no choice but to show up.
He couldn't pull a Tim Burton with Pirates League: Curse of the Black Pearl—never showing up from start to finish, could he?
As a producer, he was flat-out irresponsible. But he didn't slap his name on it for clout. "Dunn Walker" was a box office guarantee now—he was lending his rep and influence to prop the movie up.
If he didn't attach his name, Dunn Films' execs would've been the first to protest.
More importantly, the "Mirror Possession" perk kicked in for every billion dollars in global box office—whether he directed, produced, or acted.
No way was Dunn passing up that "data grind" chance.
At the Spider-Man 2 set, Dunn quietly watched Ridley Scott direct, chuckling to himself.
"Perfect! James, that expression was spot-on—especially the corner of your mouth, brilliant! Let's do it again!"
Five minutes later:
"Fantastic! James, that look in your eyes had real power—that's superhero charisma right there. Hold it, one more take!"
Five minutes later:
"Amazing! James, your movements were so smooth—your physicality's on par with the stunt double. Keep it up, one more time!"
Twenty minutes later…
"Okay, that's a wrap on this one. Next setup!"
After running James Franco through six or seven takes, Ridley Scott finally nodded in approval, standing up from the director's chair. With a wave of his hand, he directed the crew to prep the next shot.
Dunn watched from the sidelines, laughing and shaking his head.
This British old-timer was such a softie—his directing style was one of a kind.
You could bet if James Franco's mediocre performance had landed in front of Cameron, he'd have been ripped to shreds by now.
But Ridley Scott? He kept his cool, calmly pointing out the good stuff to subtly nudge at the flaws.
No wonder he'd churned out so many box office flops yet still thrived in Hollywood—his personality was a big part of it.
Dunn's arrival didn't disrupt the shoot. He just pulled Nina Jacobson aside for a chat. "Budget still holding up?"
Nina nodded. "I've worked with tons of directors, and Scott's the easiest to get along with. His budget control? Stricter than you'd believe."
Dunn grinned. "Told you—he's the total opposite of James Cameron."
Nina got serious. "I don't think he's any less than Cameron!"
Dunn opened his mouth but held back, gaining a deeper appreciation for Ridley Scott's people skills. "What about the ads? All good?"
Nina hesitated. "He's British, you know. We've stuffed in a bunch of ads, and he's grumbled about it plenty."
Dunn said, "Hard sells won't cut it. The ads need to blend in naturally, flow seamlessly—bonus points if they've got some artistic flair."
Nina laughed. "Relax, it's all handled. If we waited for you, big-shot producer, to deal with it, we'd be filming 'til next year!"
That's the perk of female staff—they've got the guts to sass the big boss. Dunn didn't mind, just smirked. "The actors—his performance just now… seemed kinda half-hearted, huh?"
He wasn't worried about the supporting cast or the female lead. It was James Franco—"Spider-Man" himself—that concerned him. If that guy got cocky, it'd be a headache.
Especially that last scene—his acting was nowhere near what it should've been.
Nina frowned, hesitating. "That kid's got an attitude problem!"
Dunn's face darkened instantly, his mood sinking.
Just as he'd feared!