King of Hollywood-Chapter 282 - 10 The 1st Wrap of Location Shooting
Chapter 282: Chapter 10 The 1st Wrap of Location Shooting
Chapter 282 -10 The 1st Wrap of Location Shooting
“Wait, wait, wait, buddy,” the middle-aged man who interrupted Forrest Gump looked at him interestedly, then showed an amused expression, “Are you saying you’re the famous owner of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company?”
“Yes,” Forrest Gump said very seriously, “We made a lot of money.”
The middle-aged man burst into laughter right away, “I’ve heard a lot of people bragging, but this one is the most interesting I’ve ever heard.”
He stood up, holding his paper cup and laughing as he walked away, “I can’t believe I’ve been sitting next to a millionaire.”
“Wonderful!” the assistant director Ryan called out, followed by a round of applause, and then a bunch of people also clapped along.
“Really?” Adrian, who had turned back, looked at Ryan skeptically, walked straight to the monitor, and after scrutinizing the footage with a frown, he nodded his head, “Great, finally got it!”
It was already the second day, and the shooting of the first scene the day before had taken a lot of effort to complete, which was really annoying. Adrian was adamant about not going through with the shooting, fearing that if the next scene was just as bad, they might not finish until the sunset. Fortunately, at that time, both the lady holding the child and the old woman who gave Forrest Gump directions had already arrived on set, so he decisively announced that their scenes would be shot first.
Of course, this didn’t mean Adrian no longer intended to play the role. Since he had promised, and in front of so many people at that, he should persevere because it wasn’t his style to breach a contract due to poor performance.
Because the shooting of that scene took a bit more time than anticipated, the remaining few were left until now. Adrian spent the whole night contemplating, even had Charlize help him with his lines, and then went to bed early. Charlize was quite surprised; she had thought he was about to forcibly take her to bed again.
Even so, Adrian still NG’d over ten times, but what comforted him was that it wasn’t more than yesterday.
“That’s why making movies and TV shows are two different things,” Adrian reflected while removing his makeup.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a matter of being two different things; the key point was that his cameo in “Friends” was an authentic performance—what was required was just his usual self. However, the role he was currently playing was somewhat frivolous and exaggerated, demanding more acting skill, and considering he wasn’t a professional actor, it was understandable that issues arose.
If there was spare time, making cameo appearances could be quite fun, Adrian suddenly thought. Many directors cameo in their own works, the most famous being Hitchcock, who was known as the living props.
This old man would often play fleeting characters in his own movies, such as a passenger who missed the bus, or a passerby sitting next to the protagonist reading the newspaper showing only half his face, and so on. So, why couldn’t Adrian leave a mark in these renowned movies?
“Ed, someone’s looking for you,” Charlize’s voice came from behind.
Adrian was about to respond when he sensed something unusual in her tone; after having been around each other so long, how could he not know what this subtle change implied? So, who was looking for him?
The answer was revealed quickly. Even standing far away and wearing large sunglasses, the shiny black long hair gave away the visitor’s identity. Even in a brown trench coat, one could make out the great figure hidden underneath.
“Oh, Monica, seeing you really cheers me up,” Adrian said, smiling broadly as he stepped forward to lightly hug the lady, though the staff around them automatically turned their backs to give them privacy.
Monica had already visited the set once before, and Julia had also made one visit. Plus, many people on the team had worked with Adrian multiple times and were quite familiar with these matters, so naturally, they didn’t get involved.
“Why didn’t you call me in advance? That way, I could have picked you up from the airport,” Adrian immediately asked.
“I didn’t want to hear your secretary’s voice,” Monica removed her sunglasses, not bothering to hide her feelings, “Of course, more importantly, I wanted to give you a surprise.”
“A surprise?” Adrian raised an eyebrow and sized up Monica, “If I’m not mistaken, that trench coat is the same one you wore last year when you visited the set in New York. Don’t tell me you’re not wearing anything underneath.”
“If that’s what you’re thinking.” Monica’s lips curved into a smile, her hands making a feigned tug at her belt.
“No need for now,” Adrian said with a meaningful smile, then took her hand and caressed it, “I’m currently working, and it won’t be much longer until I’m done, so let’s talk about it later.”
The filming here on the bench was almost reaching its end. After completing the two cameo shots he featured in, only a couple of lines from an old lady remained, which was a matter of minutes. Besides that, it was just Forrest running towards Jenny’s house and the scenes of Jenny and Forrest with their child in the park—a whole afternoon was enough.
“Okay, that’s it for today. We’ll continue tomorrow.” As the last shot in the park concluded, Adrian shouted loudly, prompting a cheer from the crowd.
“Charli, remember to adjust the following schedule. Of course, don’t let it affect the shooting progress,” Adrian instructed Charli, as well as the assistant directors and a few assistants.
“Got it.” The woman replied briefly, her face very composed, as if she didn’t know Monica had arrived.
Seeing this, Adrian chuckled to himself but said no more and started walking out.
“Hey, Ed,” Hanks’s voice rang out again, then he appeared in front of him with a mischievously amused smile, “Richard just suggested we have a drink at the bar. You in?”
“To the bar? Aren’t you worried about…” Adrian said with a mock-serious gesture.
“With Jim by my side, what do I have to worry about?” Hanks shrugged.
“The thing is, Jim’s your brother, not your wife’s brother,” Adrian said, looking at him collectedly.
“Alright, alright,” Hanks immediately raised his hands, “It was their idea to ask me, not mine.”
After saying this, he walked away laughing. Adrian watched Hanks leave, glanced at the crew who were packing up and pretending nothing was happening, and shook his head as he walked towards Monica, who was waiting outside.
While Montgomery was the second largest city in Alabama and played significant roles in U.S. history, such as the Civil War, the civil rights movement, and other events—the conflict that arose when black students were first allowed into a university, leading to the intervention of the National Guard, was one of those incidents mentioned in “Forrest Gump.”
But as far as city characteristics were concerned, Montgomery wasn’t much different from the typical large city in America. Adrian wasn’t familiar with the city, so after a casual dinner at an Italian restaurant, he and Monica walked hand in hand through the streets.
“It was probably on June 11, 1963, when George Wallace, the then Governor of Alabama stood outside the University of Alabama in an attempt to prevent two Black students from enrolling and blatantly refused to obey the federal government’s order to remove him from office. Then Kennedy ordered the National Guard to step in and eventually kicked him out,” Adrian said to the girl beside him as they walked the streets of Montgomery, with the streetlights gradually coming on as the sky darkened.
“Are you feeling a bit bored?” Adrian suddenly asked, noticing that Monica had not been talking much since they started their walk, mostly just listening to him.
“No, I just like listening to you talk,” Monica said with a smile.
The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.
“If that’s the case, then let’s change the subject. What I was talking about earlier was only because of the shooting needs, so I knew about it,” Adrian thought for a moment, “How about we talk about how many cities in North America are called Montgomery, and what their connection is to Bernard Law Montgomery?”
“Bernard Law Montgomery?” Monica frowned in recollection, “He seems to be…”
“The British Field Marshal after World War II.” Seeing her like that, Adrian immediately reminded her.
“Yes, that’s who I meant,” Monica said with a sigh of relief, then sighed lightly again, “Okay, I admit, I don’t know much about these things.”
“Then I’ll talk about something else,” Adrian said with a laugh, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer into an intimate embrace, “How have you been lately? I know a lot of advertisers are looking for you, especially those from Italy.”
“It’s the same as always, never-ending parties, no shortage of people hitting on me,” Monica pouted her sexy lips, “If only you were always by my side.”
Adrian just smiled without answering, his hand sliding up and down her waist, and Monica gave him a coquettish glance before continuing, “George doesn’t recommend I take on too many ads. He says I should hold out for a better deal, and I should also take on as many independent film roles as possible, even if it means lowering my fee.”
“Is that so? What do you think, Monica?” Adrian asked, looking at her.
Instead of answering directly, Monica looked at him thoughtfully for a while before parting her lips and saying, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Ed.”
“Actually,” Adrian pinched Monica’s chin, “I instructed George to arrange all this for you.”
After pausing for a moment and seeing Monica’s attentive expression, he continued, “Remember what I once told you about your innate shortcomings?”
“Lack of acting skills, plus being Italian,” Monica answered without hesitation.
“Now that you’ve basically stepped into the ranks of Hollywood A-listers, you need to better hone your acting skills,” Adrian nodded as he spoke, “You know, this place is also xenophobic, so you have to put in more effort than others, Monica. But don’t worry, I’ll prepare some decently commercial films to maintain your current fame, so you can try different roles in independent films. After a few years like that…”
He lifted her chin and his fingers traced her plump lips, speaking with an undeniable determination, “When I think you’re ready, that will be the time for you to vie for the Oscar for Best Actress!”
Monica looked at Adrian, first in surprise, then a mischievous smile curled up her lips, seductive and alluring. She took his finger into her mouth, sucked on it, then let her tongue circle around it.
“I understand,” she said, then after looking around, she whispered in Adrian’s ear, “Maybe now we can do something more exciting, like, that alley behind the restaurant we just passed might be quite nice…”
If making love is truly on the agenda, home is always the best place for it allows couples to unleash themselves without restraint. Of course, some people prefer the outdoors, especially in the wilderness, for the sense of oneness with nature. The corners of the city, however, are the least recommended because some places aren’t that clean, take a lot of effort to tidy up, and there’s always the risk of being seen by passersby, not to mention the potential violation of the law.
But this is also what draws many people, especially the youth, to it—the thrill of possibly being discovered and the cheapest sense of freedom from breaking all the rules—unless one goes overboard, police typically don’t trouble couples for such matters—heighten the adrenaline and make orgasms more accessible, like Monica now.
“Are you satisfied, baby?” Adrian said, panting slightly as he looked at Monica, intertwined with him.
With her back against the wall, Monica gazed hazily at the dim streetlight overhead. Her chest heaved as her legs instinctively wrapped around Adrian’s waist, and it took her quite some time to come back to her senses.
“Oh… Ed… you were amazing…” Monica kissed Adrian, murmuring to him. They cuddled intimately for a moment before she finally disentangled herself and began to tidy her clothes.
In reality, they hadn’t taken very long, just over ten minutes or so. This wasn’t a hotel or a bedroom after all, and their spur-of-the-moment desire hadn’t come with extensive foreplay. But during that time, three groups of people had passed by the alley, giving them a good dose of excitement.
Fortunately, no reporters were lurking around the set at that time, and no one knew of Monica’s visit to Alabama, or else a photograph would have been unfortunate. Of course, if there was any real chance of reporters being nearby, Monica wouldn’t have been so bold in tempting Adrian—she might not be the smartest, but she was no fool.
“All set, where shall we go next? You decide,” said Adrian, now looking presentable.
“No, let’s head back to the hotel,” Monica entwined her arm with his, smiling seductively, her cheeks still rosy, her eyes still full of spring fever. “I know you must…”
Although she didn’t finish her sentence, Adrian clearly understood her meaning. He raised an eyebrow and bent down to kiss her passionately again. “Then let’s go back to the hotel.”
“Ed,” Monica suddenly called out to him again, a clear hesitation in her eyes. But after looking at him for a long while, she whispered softly, “If you want to…”
Adrian first looked surprised after hearing her last few words whispered in his ear, but he soon turned excited, and after Monica had finished, he resumed his composure.
“If you’ve decided, then let’s do it,” he said, caressing Monica’s cheek.
Having filmed for nearly five or six days in Montgomery, the limited scenes there were completed. However, the crew didn’t leave Montgomery until May 8th and didn’t return to Los Angeles until May 12th. The reason for this was that they drove back to Los Angeles instead of flying because they needed to film scenes of Forrest Gump running, capturing the American landscape—canyons, forests, deserts, and so on—all of which had to be shot on location.
Though CG could achieve similar effects, real locations leave a more awe-inspiring impression. Hence, with the means available, why not shoot on location? Indeed, the four-day road trip was thoroughly enjoyable. Traveling the interstate offered a comprehensive view of the American landscape. Particularly while driving through vast wilderness, the sense of the boundless sky and earth can truly touch one’s heart, and it’s no wonder many relish a road trip across North America.
Hanks, too, said it was the best filming experience he’s ever had—several times, he got so engrossed and lost in the running that he completely forgot the time, just kept moving forward, and luckily, his brother Jim was always by his side.
After returning to Los Angeles, Adrian threw himself back into work. Given his abilities, as long as everything went smoothly, it wouldn’t take as long to finish filming as the original did, but that didn’t mean he could afford to waste time. Before filming wrapped in Montgomery, he had already arranged for some to return to Los Angeles to set up the soundstage. Most of the shots in Los Angeles were indoors—bars, motels, military camps, the White House, and… um… the China and the United States ping-pong match.
Adrian initially wanted to shoot these scenes in China and even planned on adding a script segment where Forrest Gump wanders around Beijing. But after much contemplation, he abandoned the idea. Setting aside the difficulty of obtaining filming permits, given the bureaucratic style of some officials, who knows when it would be approved? More importantly, if the filming contradicted certain views, even if the movie could be screened in mainland China, it likely wouldn’t escape censorship. To illustrate, showing Mao on the ping-pong paddle might seem disrespectful, and if that’s the case, then Forrest Gump’s interview with John Lennon could very well be cut out, which would be rather narrow-minded.
Having the example of Antonioni’s “China” from the 1970s, Adrian gave up on the idea. Of course, the satire with Mao on the paddle and John Lennon remained in the film. Since there was no longer a plan to shoot in mainland China, any future difficulties while visiting China could be excused with “I didn’t understand back then.”
(To be continued. For further details, please visit www.qidian.com. The chapters are updated regularly. Support the author; support authentic reading!)
