"Hi, Nicole, I'm back.~" *°•.~~.•°*"
Lying on the bed, Eric called Nicole Kidman. They hadn't been in touch for a few days, and he was a bit eager for the beautiful woman.
He'd test the waters first. If it was appropriate, he'd set a time. Just showing up at her house directly like last time was a bit risky.
Nicole Kidman's soft voice came from the other end of the phone: "Eric, when did you get back?"
"Just today. I just got home not long ago, after dinner. Are you home?"
"What do you want to do?"
"Nothing, I brought you a gift. I want to give it to you personally; otherwise, how can I show my sincerity?"
Nicole Kidman's soft laughter immediately echoed from the other side: "My dear Eric, you might be out of luck then."
"Why? Are you not home?"
"Yes, seeing you go abroad to hide for a few days, I thought it was a good idea, so I also left. I'm in Australia now; I went back to my hometown."
"Ah?" Eric was a little disappointed.
"Don't be like that, my dear. I'll be back in a few days. Our heat has almost died down now, thanks to Halle Berry. She stole my Best Actress award, so we're even this time, baby. Can you wait a few more days for me?"
Across the Pacific, what else could Eric say?
He was beyond his reach.
"Alright, I should have known not to come back to America. I should have flown directly to Australia to find you. We could have had a vacation together; the climate there is perfect right now."
"Yes, it's autumn here now, the most comfortable season. But why didn't you contact me? It's been a week. If you had contacted me even once in between, I think you would have known where I was. Perhaps we would already be listening to opera in Sydney now."
Suddenly caught off guard, Eric chuckled dryly: "Nicole, you've misunderstood this. I went to China for work; avoiding the paparazzi was just a side benefit. The itinerary was set long ago. Even if there wasn't our 'thing,' I would have gone."
"You don't know how busy it was there. I had too many things to deal with, but I only had a week, so every night was endless drinking and unavoidable socializing."
"Every time I finished drinking, I would hug the toilet and throw up for half the day, then pass out on the bed in a daze. But in my dreams, your shadow often kept me company."
"I miss you, Nicole."
Eric tried his best to say these words with genuine emotion, but such sweet talk might work on a young girl like Gadot, but Nicole Kidman's immunity was clearly not comparable to a young girl's.
She hummed a few times with a cute nasal sound, like a pouting, wronged puppy, but then her tone took a sharp turn.
"Eric, although your words touched me deeply, what I want to ask is, why didn't you contact me?"
"You had a week, why didn't you contact me?"
"Mom, okay, I heard you, I'm coming! Sorry, Nicole, I have something to do."
Eric yelled into the air and then hung up the phone.
In Australia, Nicole Kidman looked at the suddenly disconnected call, both annoyed and amused, and tossed her phone onto the sofa.
"What's wrong, daughter? Someone seems to have made you angry."
Beside her, her old father asked while drinking a beer.
"Nothing, just a little rascal."
The old man looked at her and chuckled, teasing: "Wow, it seems to be an unusual little rascal. Introduce him to me sometime."
"Dad!" Nicole Kidman's eyes widened.
"My dear, okay, I heard you, I'm coming!"
The old man yelled into the air and then nimbly slipped away.
On the set of transformers.
Patty Jenkins was reviewing the remaining shooting schedule, Neill Blomkamp was organizing the scene setup, and actors were arriving one after another to sign in and clock in.
Suddenly, she heard someone loudly call out "Director" next to her. Patty Jenkins subconsciously responded and looked up to see Eric walking into the studio not far away.
Chris Evans, Gal Gadot, and many others gathered around him.
She was stunned for a moment, then realized she was the assistant director; it was just that Eric had been offline, giving her a false impression.
"It's okay, it's almost over anyway. I can start filming monster in the second half of the year."
After comforting herself, Patty Jenkins also hurried over.
"Don't rush, don't rush. I know you all miss me and have been looking forward to my return. Now, as you wish, and I've brought gifts for everyone!"
Eric said, pointing behind him. Chen Xing and Peter each carried a large bag, and the two heavy bags were filled with small gifts brought from China.
"Everyone gets a share! Come and get your gifts!"
Oh!
The people who were originally gathered around Eric instantly scattered like birds and beasts, swarming Chen Xing and Peter.
Patty Jenkins crossed her arms: "Look at them, instantly full of energy. But Eric, you really are the most comfortable director in the world. Being away from the team for 23 consecutive days, that's simply unimaginable. I'm very sure of one thing: this kind of thing would never happen to any director or any crew in the world."
Hearing the hint of anger in her voice, Eric immediately gave her a thumbs-up and praised: "Patty, the reason I dare to do this is because of you. You are an excellent director. A large crew like transformers, even in Hollywood, not many people can handle it, but you did."
But it was better if he hadn't said anything. The more he spoke, the more Patty Jenkins felt wronged. (Director)
"Yes, it sounds good, but I always feel like it's sarcasm. After all, every shot I filmed was done under your control. In fact, this didn't make me feel relaxed; sometimes, it made me even more tired."
Eric had always been kind to his own people and work and preferred to speak openly, so Patty Jenkins also spoke frankly about her grievances.
She considered herself a film professional with some artistic cultivation. In fact, deep down, she preferred to make more artistic works, or rather, to incorporate artistic elements into commercial works.
But in Eric's hands, she felt like a puppet on a string, a feeling that made Patty Jenkins very uncomfortable.
In fact, when faced with this situation, all directors should feel very uncomfortable, because every person who becomes a director has a strong desire for expression deep down, and suppression causes pain.
"Alright, Patty, I know what you mean. I promise you can film monster with confidence and boldness. MGM is only responsible for investment and will not interfere with the filming, okay?"
Patty's expression brightened considerably: "Now the filming of transformers is nearing its end. According to the plan, it would take me about half a month alone, but if you participate, I think a week would be enough."
"Okay, this week, as long as there are no special circumstances, I will stay on set the whole time. Let's aim to wrap up in five days!"
While everyone was dividing up the gifts, Eric slipped into the dressing room alone.
As soon as he closed the door, Gadot rushed over and pinned him to a chair, her two taut, slender legs straddling Eric's body, her hands tightly embracing his back as she began to kiss him.
After a French kiss that lasted several minutes, Eric gently brushed aside the hair at her temples: "Your eyes are practically melting, Miss!"
"Then you should understand how much I've missed you."
"Mmm..."
Gadot's passion made Eric also burn with desire. Just as he was exploring the girl's neck, preparing to delve deeper, the communication headset on the table suddenly rang.
"Gadot, where are you?"
Hearing Neill Blomkamp's voice, Gadot instantly snapped awake.
"Damn it, I forgot it's my scene soon. I have to go get ready."
Eric pulled her back: "I'm the director. I say what goes. I decide whose scene gets filmed."
"Yes, so do you think Patty and Neil will look for you? After all, you're the director."
"Uh..."
Eric was speechless. That was indeed the logic.
If Patty could be in charge when he wasn't there, and she was still in charge when he was, then wasn't he here for nothing?
Shaking his head, it was too flashy to be on set. He took out a delicate small box from his pocket.
"This is something I bought especially for you, a very beautiful pair of earrings. Those people outside don't deserve them."
The special gift represented special treatment, naturally surprising Gadot.
She smiled as she opened the box, then gave Eric a big kiss on the cheek.
Unfortunately, there were requirements for filming, so she couldn't wear jewelry. Gadot could only carefully put the box away, then blew him a kiss from afar, and then secretly slipped out of the dressing room.
Sighing, Eric began to suppress his desires. Women always had an advantage in this regard; usually, they wouldn't be discovered, but men's were too obvious.
A few minutes later, he straightened his somewhat wrinkled clothes and pulled open the doorknob.
Bang!
Suddenly, a figure rushed in, and the two collided, sending Eric crashing back into the chair.
"Ouch! Huh? Sevigny!"
The one who suddenly rushed in was, of course, Chloë Sevigny. He hadn't seen her earlier and thought she had already wrapped up and left the set.
"Eric, you scoundrel, why are you in the dressing room?" Chloë Sevigny asked fiercely.
"Me? I was taking a call, of course I need a quiet environment."
"Really? But I saw Gadot sneak in too."
"What's so strange about that? Is the dressing room my exclusive space?"
"Whether it is or not, I'll know if I take a look."
As she spoke, Sevigny's hand reached downwards. She stuck out her tongue and lightly glided it across Eric's face: "It's wet. Looks like someone was doing something naughty."
His weakness was held, but his aura couldn't weaken.
Eric nodded, his voice somewhat low: "Yes, it was you!"
"Me? Alright, then let's do something naughty!"
"What! Now isn't appropriate, is it?"
Eric was a bit troubled. He knew without thinking that Gadot must be secretly watching here.
She might have already noticed Sevigny slipping in. If he didn't come out for a long time, it would probably arouse suspicion.
He had just placated the young girl. If he were caught red-handed, even if the entire crew stood by him, he wouldn't be able to explain it clearly.
"Don't worry, I'm watching. No one saw me come in, especially not Gadot."
Sevigny's tongue continued to explore, as if knowing what Eric was worried about, giving him a heads-up.
"Let's make this quick!"
Pinning Sevigny against the door to prevent anyone from barging in, Eric began a wild sprint without any foreplay.
Ten minutes later, he walked out of the dressing room with a composed expression. His luck was good; no one had come in the interim. Only the young wonder woman was secretly peeking at him.
"Eric, why did you take so long to come out?" Gadot asked suspiciously.
"Baby, I needed to calm my desires. You're just too hot. It's very difficult, you know?"
Hearing her boyfriend praise her charm, Gadot's heart sweetened, but she was still a little strange: "Even so, it shouldn't take that long."
"You'll find out how long very soon. Don't blame me when you can't take it anymore!"
The girl's face instantly flushed red. She secretly pinched Eric and ran off.
"transformers, Scene 133, action!"
At Patty Jenkins' command, the crew began their work for the day. Eric, meanwhile, reviewed the shooting schedule and past takes.
He first needed to understand the specific filming progress before he could effectively take over. A director reaching his level was truly a first in film and television.
At this moment, Sevigny reappeared silently behind him like a ghost.
"You scoundrel, you hurt me!"
Eric felt no guilt; he knew she had some M-tendencies: "You brought this on yourself, girl! And why are you still on set? Your scenes should all be finished, right? I saw Tom Hardy and Fassbender, they've all left."
"Are you trying to kick me out? Men, they really don't recognize anyone once they pull up their pants!"
Eric glanced left and right: "Miss, if your voice gets any louder, the crew next door will hear you clearly."
"And of course I'm not trying to kick you out, I've just arranged other work for you."
"What?"
"Don't you remember? In Santa Monica, I mentioned a new film, and you're the female lead."
Sevigny's face instantly lit up with joy, then she cautiously asked: "It's not another one of those unconventional genre films, is it?"
"Of course not. It's a horror film, directed by the director of saw. I participated in the screenwriting. Trust me, this film will be a big hit, and you'll soon shed the label of a genre film actor."
Sevigny then beamed, suddenly pecked Eric on the cheek, and then happily walked out of the studio.
Five days later, Eric kept his promise and stayed on set the entire time, and the filming progress accelerated dramatically.
As Chris Evans roared and raised his arms, his ferocious expression perfectly captured on camera, the final scene was finally shot.
Eric shouted: "OK, excellent! I announce that transformers has wrapped!"
Oh!
The entire crew immediately erupted into an ocean of applause and cheers. After 64 days, this blockbuster was finally completed.
This speed had already broken the average duration for film production, though it came at the cost of extensive overtime.