Note: This is an example of what I mean—here it repeatedly mentions 100 million, but in other chapters it says 10 million, and it keeps switching back and forth.
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Time magazine called her a "magic girl." Maybe she really does have magic…
Lily read the article about Catherine in The New York Times while Catherine was showering in the bathroom.
"Kate, did you really spend one hundred million dollars to make this movie?"
"Of course!" Catherine's voice came from inside.
"That's unbelievable."
You had to admit that even today, some films that advertise themselves as "blockbusters" might struggle to reach a hundred million dollars at the box office.
But Catherine's benchmark was never those so-called modern hits. A true Hollywood success, in her mind, should be something like Star Wars.
That was Catherine's goal.
Catherine collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted.
She was already considering whether she could apply for a school exemption. In the United States, many child stars managed things this way—having private tutors during breaks in filming and avoiding the hassle of attending regular classes.
That way, she would only need to take exams, and even studying would require nothing more than a tutor.
Catherine, without question, wanted to quit school.
But… that was impossible.
She was still in compulsory education, and any resistance on her part would land her parents in trouble.
She even considered skipping a grade—graduating early would save her a lot of time.
After all, her foundation was solid, and she hadn't wasted those past ten-plus years. She thought it was a pretty good idea.
"I'm exhausted,"
Catherine groaned, pulling the blanket over her head.
"What happened?"
"Learning how to ride a horse is exhausting."
Starting this year, Katherine's physical education class included horseback riding. Greer School for Girls had many unique traditions.
"You'll get used to it,"
Lily said, picking up a book from her nightstand. Now that she was in high school, there was much more to study.
"Lily… I've been thinking… maybe I shouldn't go to school anymore. You know, I have so much to do."
After hesitating for a moment, Katherine finally spoke.
"What?!" Lily exclaimed in shock.
"I mean, I have so much going on, and if I stay here… I probably won't be able to manage it. And I'm going to Mexico to shoot a movie…"
Lily opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
"And then?"
"After filming, I'll probably go back to school… um, I need to talk to my parents about it…"
After saying goodbye to her classmates and leaving school, Katherine went to New Mexico.
For Sean Connery, this role was the most unusual of his ten-year acting career.
The director was a fourteen-year-old girl who had already directed—and starred in—a massive, big-budget production.
The film's budget was one hundred million dollars, an unprecedented figure. He genuinely couldn't imagine what kind of movie would require that much money.
Still, the script for Wasteland greatly appealed to Sean Connery.
It was fresh and original. Although it took place after the apocalypse, the storyline was highly logical, and upon closer examination, it almost felt like a realistic depiction of humanity's future.
Although Connery had seen photos and footage of Catherine before, this was their first face-to-face meeting in Mexico.
"Hello, Mr. 007," Catherine greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Miss Magic Girl,"
Connery replied, smiling back.
007 was a script Catherine desperately wanted to "steal," but unfortunately, it had an original source and the adaptation rights had already been acquired by United Artists, leaving her no chance to get them.
Sean Connery's portrayal of 007 was the closest to the original character in the entire series. Without Connery, there would have been no James Bond franchise.
The current "Sexiest Man Alive" was in his prime—exceptionally handsome.
After meeting Katherine in person, Connery became even more interested in making the film. He sensed that there would be surprises.
The other two male leads, however, were much simpler in comparison. Freeman was a complete blank slate at the time, but as expected of a future superstar—"Mr. God," who would later play God multiple times—he adjusted quickly.
Bruce Lee, on the other hand, was curious about American-style filmmaking.
Katherine's crew consisted of hundreds of people, constantly moving props and equipment around—something Bruce Lee had never seen in Hong Kong.
"Alright, I assume you've all read the script I gave you. The shelters are still under construction, but the outdoor scenes are finished, so all that's left is to shoot them…"
Katherine had prepared a massive amount of props.
In Wasteland, many creatures have undergone genetic mutations, including giant moles and extremely aggressive insects. All of this required meticulous preparation to make them look realistic.
Katherine's idea was simple.
Since current special effects weren't very convincing, the goal was simply to make everything on screen look real.
There was also a monster called the "Deathclaw," a creature comparable to the Alien, with a humanoid body—this one was played by a person.
To build the set, Katherine scavenged countless wrecked cars and damaged buildings to create a post-apocalyptic city. At the same time, she spent a fortune constructing a collapsed overpass.
At the end of the movie, the protagonist stands there, gazing into the distance.
Katherine demanded "absolute realism" in every detail.
She also purchased a large number of cameras for the crew, all dedicated to filming.
Katherine spent a great deal of money on Bruce Lee's armor as well.
He played a member of the "Eastern Brotherhood of Steel," a group that championed justice. He was part of their elite unit, the "Paladins."
During an operation, Bruce Lee's character was knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of the head, and his teammates assumed he was dead. He woke up when a wasteland scavenger tried to strip him of his gear.
In fact, Catherine had originally wanted to prepare a "nano-suit" like the one from Crysis 2 for Bruce Lee. But then she had another brilliant idea: if possible, she even wanted to make a Crysis movie someday…
Author's note: Lately, the author seems obsessed with corsets.