Fox Studios.
It was already late July. Kathryn Bigelow entered a soundstage inside the studio, greeted acquaintances, and quickly found Simon, who was directing Robert De Niro and Janette Johnston.
Today's shoot was an interactive scene between Butch Coolidge and the taxi driver Esmarelda Villalobos.
To allow the actors to perform without distractions, this scene, except for the beginning and end, was shot entirely inside the soundstage. The street view outside the car window in the original film was clearly a large-screen projection.
Simon had given the taxi driver role, which he was very fond of, to Janette. The woman had been preparing diligently these past few days. When Kathryn learned of this, she arranged to visit the set today and see how her best friend, who had never been in front of a camera before, would perform.
Seeing Simon and the others busy, Kathryn did not go up to disturb them. She simply nodded to Janette, who had noticed her, and then sat down in the lounge area, chatting casually with the film's producer, Laura Ziskin.
Ron McMillan, the producer who had worked with Simon on 'Run Lola Run', was sent to be the producer for 'Final Destination'. For 'Pulp Fiction', Orion Pictures recommended Laura Ziskin.
Laura Ziskin was a blonde woman in her thirties, who had just helped Orion complete 'The Presidio', starring Kevin Costner and Sean Young. This film was scheduled for release next month.
After they chatted for a few moments, Simon and Janette walked over together.
Janette hugged Kathryn affectionately, then raised her arms and spun around in front of her: "Kate, what do you think?"
Kathryn scrutinized Janette's loose red robe with floral and bird prints, like pyjamas, and her fluffy, lazy brown hair, and said, "It feels… a bit strange".
Janette giggled and swayed her body again, revealing a pair of bare, nail-polished feet below her moon-white wide-leg pants. She said, "I think so too, but if the little rascal thinks it's good, then it must be right".
Seeing Kathryn's questioning gaze directed at him, Simon explained, "Actually, I considered using pure red. Red represents danger, and in Eastern supernatural stories, women in red at night are usually not human, but very dangerous female ghosts".
Kathryn felt Simon's eyes meet hers and instinctively recoiled slightly, saying, "Then why didn't you use it?"
Simon smiled and said, "Because this is a black comedy. Adding surreal elements would interfere with the style of the entire film".
Laura Ziskin, who had been standing quietly beside the three, listening, interjected when she heard Simon say this, "Simon, if that's the case, what about the contents of that briefcase? In the script, you never explained what the golden glowing object inside was. It gives the impression that it contains something that shouldn't exist in reality".
"That's just an Easter egg left for the audience to speculate on," Simon shook his head and said, "Since no one knows what's in the box, it naturally won't affect the film's plot".
As they chatted, the assistant director came over to announce that they could resume filming. Everyone walked together towards a car model in front of the projection screen not far away. De Niro and Janette got into the car and took their positions. Simon re-checked everything, then gave the assistant director an OK gesture, and then personally operated the camera.
This film naturally employed a professional cinematographer, but when it came to Janette's scenes, Simon decided to do it himself almost without hesitation.
Once Simon was ready, the projection on the big screen and the car model operated simultaneously, simulating a taxi in motion.
"Everyone ready".
"Pulp Fiction, Scene 26, Take 3".
"Action!"
The clapperboard snapped.
Inside the car, Robert De Niro began to tear and bite off his boxing gloves. Janette in the front seat had one hand on the steering wheel, her expression showing a hint of wariness and curiosity, her eyes occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror.
After a moment, Janette spoke in a soft, sweet accent she had practiced for several weeks.
"Sir... hey, sir?"
"What?"
"You were just at that boxing match, right, the one they were talking about on the radio, you're that boxer?"
"Why would you think that?"
"You are him, I know you are him. Tell me, you are him!"
Behind the camera.
As the performance reached this point, Simon looked up and gestured to everyone: "Cut".
Everyone paused.
Simon leaned towards the open car compartment, gave De Niro an 'it's fine' look, then said to Janette, "Jenny, for the line, 'Tell me, you are him,' I want to see your excitement, a tense feeling that suppresses inner madness".
Janette paused, her eyes darting to the rearview mirror. She slightly changed her emotion and repeated the line: "Tell me, you are him!"
"Still a bit off," Simon shook his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Hold your breath. Hold your breath when you say that".
Janette took a breath, her eyes again darted to the rearview mirror, and she repeated once more: "Tell me, you are him!"
"Don't take a deep breath beforehand, that breaks the flow of emotion. Be natural, don't treat this as acting. Remember, you are Esmeralda, a taxi driver with a crazy and dangerous inner self. Then, suddenly, you encounter a boxer who just killed his opponent with his bare hands.
Your deeply hidden evil is aroused, you become intensely curious about the feeling of killing a person, so you relentlessly question Butch," Simon lowered his voice slightly and described for a moment in a seductive tone, feeling Janette gradually immerse herself in certain emotions. Finally, he raised his hand and pointed to De Niro in the back seat, saying, "Look, Es, he is the murderer".
Having said that, Simon retreated behind the camera again.
"Everyone ready".
"Pulp Fiction, Scene 26, Take 4".
"Action!"
Inside the car, De Niro, again sprayed with 'sweat', began to tear off his gloves once more.
Behind the crowd, Kathryn quietly watched the scene.
The fourth take still didn't pass. Simon walked forward again, patiently guiding Janette on how to act, occasionally demonstrating Esmeralda's way of speaking in a woman's voice without hesitation.
Then.
The fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth time... Simon kept shouting 'cut,' and at the same time, without any impatience, he guided Janette again and again, completely devoid of the frenzy other directors would show after multiple mistakes. Janette also adjusted repeatedly according to Simon's requests without resistance, appearing incredibly submissive.
However, this submission had unknowingly gained a hint of madness.
This continued for nearly two hours, and Kathryn also watched quietly for two hours. At one point, Kathryn suddenly felt that these two people were probably going crazy.
This set of shots, which began at one in the afternoon, was still being tediously repeated until quitting time. Feeling the dedication of a certain man and woman, no one suggested going home.
Until seven in the evening.
The projection on the big screen lit up again, and the car model started running simultaneously.
Inside the car.
Perhaps due to fatigue, the woman's once fluffy brown hair in the driver's seat looked listless, and her softly drooping strands added a touch of alluring laziness to her. Her eyes were still bright, with curiosity in her gaze, and her whole being was like a dangerous cat ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.
At this moment.
Everyone on set felt that this was Esmeralda, a taxi driver with the same name as the protagonist of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.
Alluring, charming, with an accent, a soft, sweet tone, yet suppressing a danger and madness that could erupt at any moment, as if she could pull out a sharp blade and stab several blood-splattering holes in a living person in the blink of an eye.
In the shot.
The woman held her chin slightly up, her eyes not particularly lively, but her fully immersed state in the role gathered a mysterious attraction around her, even subtly overshadowing the two-time Oscar winner sitting in the back seat.
"..."
"..."
"So, Esmeralda, what do you want to know?"
"I want to know what it feels like to kill someone?"
"I can't tell you. If you don't say anything, I won't even know he's dead, so how can I tell you how I feel? In short, I don't feel guilty at all".
"..."
The thirty-first performance ended.
The projection was still playing, the model was still running, and the two people inside the car were both immersed in their roles. Although they fell silent, they each maintained their state.
A moment later.
Simon finally looked up and shouted, "Good".
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they could finally go home.
Everyone quickly began to pack up the set. Robert De Niro got out of the car, took a towel handed by a staff member and wiped himself. Having been repeatedly sprayed with 'sweat,' his boxing shorts were now completely soaked. Turning his head inadvertently, De Niro noticed that Janette was still sitting in the car, showing no intention of moving.
Soon, everyone noticed Janette's unusual behaviour, and Simon was the first to walk over.