Chapter 379: Chapter 101 Various Set Visits

“We’ll build a set here that fits the period for the first appearance of the New Zorro. It seems a bit empty, but it won’t be noticeable on camera,” Martin Campbell explained in detail to Adrian about the part they were filming while everyone was busy. There wasn’t a hint of ambiguity, considering the man he was addressing wasn’t just an investor and producer, but also the widely recognized Miracle Director.

“That’s great, Martin. I’ve seen some of the dailies, and they’re very good. I’m really looking forward to your finished product,” Adrian said with a nod of approval. He didn’t offer any criticism. He generally wouldn’t nitpick the shooting process, but he did remind Campbell at the end, “Remember to highlight the contrast between Old Zorro and New Zorro, even if it’s just for a few seconds of their entrance.”

“I understand, sir,” Campbell replied with a hint of reverence. Now, not only did actors look forward to working with Adrian, but directors were just as eager, with the examples of Jean de Bont, Michael Bay, and David Fincher laid out plainly before them. Although Campbell was already a director of some renown, he would not dream of missing this opportunity unless he had lost his mind.

After speaking with the director, Adrian took a stroll around the set, striking up conversations with others from time to time.

“You really look distinguished like that, Anthony. It makes me want to pick up a sword and challenge you myself,” Adrian joked as he looked at the man before him, wearing a black wide-brimmed hat and a mask.

“Are you talking about me, Ed?” A teasing voice came from the side, and another person in similar attire walked over, although much older than the man in front of him.

“Ha, both Zorros are here. I better quickly surrender,” Adrian laughed, mockingly raising his hands.

“Don’t be so formal, Ed is a fun guy,” Hopkins said with a smile, then patted the arm of the man beside him, “Speaking of which, you two must have met before, right?”

“We’ve met twice, on the sets and at the screening of ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ but never talked,” the other man confessed genuinely. Naturally, this man was the main actor, Antonio Banderas, who appeared somewhat constrained and showed none of the typical Latino features–at least for the moment.

Adrian didn’t take it to heart. Although Banderas had been an actor under his agency for a long time, they were not very familiar with each other, and such demeanor was normal in front of a bigwig like Adrian. Although it might give off a restrained impression, it was preferable to those who acted overly familiar upon first meeting, at least showing that he was sensible enough to read the room.

“I actually forgot; your names are quite similar in their spelling,” Adrian said half-jokingly after Banderas had left.

“Haven’t you always preferred another title?” Hopkins shrugged leisurely, he and Adrian were old acquaintances and had worked closely before, therefore not requiring the same formality as Campbell or Banderas.

“If you think it’s fine, maybe we should just settle on that from now on,” Adrian suggested, but then quickly laughed and changed the subject, “Shooting has been going on for a while now, how do you feel about it?”

“Not bad at all. I never imagined I’d play Zorro one day, even if it’s a retired Zorro,” Hopkins spoke with a touch of nostalgia, “Maybe I should thank you.”

“Alright then, as a way of giving thanks, Mr. Retired Zorro, would you mind sharing your feelings at this moment?” Adrian said with a laugh, bringing the microphone to his mouth.

The two of them joked around for quite a while before stopping when the director announced they were ready to start. Hopkins then seemed to remember something and hesitated before asking, “You’re dating, aren’t you, Ed?”

He nodded towards Zetajones, who sat amidst the crowd, looking quite stunning in her full makeup.

“Is something on your mind, Anthony?” Adrian raised an eyebrow, already guessing what the conversation might lead to.

“Nothing in particular, but she’s a nice girl,” Hopkins said with a smile, gave a pat on Adrian’s arm, and then walked toward the film set.

Indeed! How many had it been now? Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked into Zetajones’s eyes, his interest growing. They naturally had a passionate night yesterday, especially after he reaffirmed his promises.

“I’ve calculated that this movie can be finished in no more than 7 months, and then it will be released just in time for the end of the year, when you will receive what you deserve.” In the hotel room, Adrian and Zetajones were holding wine glasses filled with red wine, sitting in front of the window with dimmed lights, it was quite the mood when he said this.

“I have never doubted that,” Zetajones smiled in response, playing with the hair by her ear, appearing especially flirtatious.

“However, after the movie ends, there will be a new film starting in the second half of the year, and you are the only female character in it. If you perform well, you will get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress next year.” Adrian then made this astonishing statement, and Zetajones was momentarily stunned.

“That soon?” She tried to use a laugh to hide her surprise, but it wasn’t very successful.

“Don’t worry, a nomination is not the same as winning. When the talents are comparable, luck is the deciding factor,” Adrian said leisurely, “Don’t worry, my promise is to win, not just to be nominated.”

He said this while stretching out his hand to pinch her cheek, measuring her up with a piercing gaze, “As long as you satisfy me, I won’t let you down, Catherine.”

Although Zetajones felt somewhat uncomfortable under Adrian’s appraising gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of conquest rise within her.

“So, what do I need to do to satisfy you, Ed?” she said, becoming even more charming.

What followed was naturally trying to please him to the best of her ability. Although Adrian did not make any special requests, the night was truly satisfying. Therefore, when Zetajones got up the next day, she was radiant, her brows exuding a lazy and seductive contentment. Such demeanor could simply not be concealed, and coupled with the ambiguity of them riding together during the break the previous day, it was enough to hint at certain matters.

Then, the interesting things started to happen. There were many people Adrian was familiar with in the crew, like the chief photographer of the photography team, who had collaborated with him several times. During their chats, they would speak a few good words about Zetajones, more or less. It didn’t seem like much at first, but as more people talked, he sensed something was off. Even Hopkins did so, and Adrian roughly understood.

It had been just over a week since filming started, and to have such popularity within the crew, even Anthony Hopkins speaks for you; you truly live up to the name Catherine Zetajones. Adrian thought to himself, rubbing his chin. When he recalled her various performances when they rode together yesterday, he had to admit that this woman had some tricks up her sleeve, but, unfortunately…

You should understand, Catherine, that tricks don’t work well in the face of absolute power. Watching Zetajones, who was getting ready to shoot, he smiled lightly.

Adrian did not stay for too long on location in Texas and soon returned to Los Angeles. Charlize, who followed him everywhere, felt a slight surprise at this.

“I thought you would stay a few more days,” Charlize said on the way back, her face full of playful expressions.

Adrian laughed but did not respond, instead, he gently patted her thigh. Don’t forget, from the beginning to the end, you were the only one by my side.

After wrapping up the set visit to “The Mask of Zorro,” Adrian still couldn’t make it to Morocco. There were many more films to pay attention to, such as “Jerry Maguire,” which had been shooting even longer.

Applause broke out on the set, director Cameron Crowe was very satisfied with the performance for this part of the movie. Adrian initially wanted to applaud, but considering Crowe’s authority on set, he restrained himself. Now that the director had started clapping, he naturally joined in.

The scene involved Tom Cruise, playing the agent, talking about American football with Blanchett, who played the assistant’s daughter. Cruise showed decent acting skills, unlike his usual commercial films where he seems to be just smiling foolishly, and Melanie, as the well-behaved but cunning daughter, responded quite appropriately.

“Your acting is great, Tommy; you could totally win Best Actor,” Adrian said, his face entirely serious, showing no signs of insincerity.

In comparison, Cruise was much less impressive.

“Thank you, your new movie was not bad either, and that final cry of ‘freedom’ was truly inspiring. Perhaps this year you could get another Best Director nomination,” Cruise said, shaking his hand, but his smile seemed forced.

Given that, Adrian didn’t bother to say much more and instead walked over to a little girl excitedly talking to Melanie.

“I must say, you have an outstanding daughter. The decision to switch from a son to a daughter was the right one,” he said while greeting Melanie.

“Of course, I am pretty amazing!” The little girl immediately puffed out her chest proudly and then looked at Adrian with hopeful eyes, “Don’t you think so, Mr. Adrian?”

“Scarlett!” Melanie called out in a mix of annoyance and amusement and then ruffled her daughter’s head.

“Mom!” The little girl hugged her head and complained, then continued to look at Adrian expectantly.

“Of course, you did very well, better than I imagined, Scarlett. You’re going to be a very talented actress,” Adrian said, nodding earnestly.

“That’s awesome,” Scarlett cheered, even more excited and lively, “Then can I work with you, Mr. Adrian? They all say you’re a great director.”

Adrian arched an eyebrow imperceptibly, then cracked a slight smile, “Don’t worry, there will be an opportunity, I promise.”

He believed the little girl before him didn’t have that kind of guile yet, although he was clear about what kind of woman Scarlett Johansson would become in the future. Besides, Melanie’s momentary astonishment over her daughter’s words didn’t escape his notice.

“However, before that happens, you need to continue doing well in your current role,” Adrian said and also gave her head a rub.

“Why does everyone like doing that?” Scarlett didn’t dodge, but she still pouted, and the cute way she held her cheeks made both Melanie and Adrian laugh.

After exchanging a few more words with mother and daughter, Adrian then moved on to Blanchett, who was leaning against a prop box, drinking water and reading her script.

“8 o’clock, Traus Restaurant, table 14, remember to be on time. You can come early but don’t be late. If you’re even a minute late, I’ll leave and then head straight to your house,” Adrian said in a soft voice.

“Is that an order?” Blanchett snapped the script shut and looked up, somewhat irritated.

“If that’s how you want to see it,” Adrian replied with a grin, “Anyway, it’s settled then. If you’re late or don’t show up, consider the consequences.”

“You…” Blanchett gnashed her teeth and glared at him angrily, while Adrian wore a smirk. After a moment of staring each other down, Blanchett eventually admitted defeat with a downcast look.

A few days after that night’s rendezvous, Adrian came knocking at her door and it didn’t take much effort for him to subdue the resisting Blanchett. Some things are quite simple. Although the status of women in society has greatly improved compared to the past, the behavior of worshiping the strong is ingrained in the genes. Even women with independent characters and successful careers deep down long to be conquered.

Of course, conquering such women isn’t easy. While the average person may have their strong points, their shortcomings are often plentiful, making it difficult to maintain long-term relationships with several women at the same time. To make these women overlook and tolerate certain things and then submit to his influence, a man must have an overwhelming advantage, control a vast amount of social resources, and make himself seem like an insurmountable peak. With such dominance, coupled with the lure of benefits and emotional care, no woman is unattainable. That’s why Zetajones’s tactics would never work.

So no matter how much Blanchett struggled, she couldn’t escape from Adrian, who had already planted a seed in her heart early on.

“What about me?” Adrian asked with interest as he watched Blanchett, who was looking down in silence. Then, sensing something, he glanced not far away and his smile deepened as Nicole Kidman appeared on set.

She stood beside Cruise, dressed plainly, clearly there for a set visit. However, Cruise was in conversation with another person and didn’t notice her, which left her looking a bit bored. As a result, her gaze soon met with Adrian’s. Nicole froze for two seconds before lowering her head, not wanting to look at him.

Adrian chuckled to himself, unfazed, and turned his gaze back to Blanchett. Unnoticed by him, Blanchett had already lifted her head and was watching him with a mix of suspicion and anger.

“Darling, I’m waiting for your answer,” Adrian said, still with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“I understand!” Blanchett answered almost through clenched teeth.

“Great, I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me, right?” Adrian said, smiling, and ignored her demeanor. Whether she was just pretending or truly angry, quelling her anger was a trivial matter.

The films to watch out for in January were roughly these. While Liv’s “The Wedding Crashers” had also started shooting with an entirely new cast, it had only just begun, and set visits had to be well-timed. The new movie “School Ties,” arranged for Sarah and featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt in a supporting role, was also in the preparation stage–Adrian was determined to shape a different side of Sarah. But most of his time was spent with his four-month-old daughter.

As for this year’s new projects, Adrian hadn’t considered them at all. Last year’s two films, “Emma” had already grossed $60 million in North America. Although it seemed unlikely to break even with North American box office alone, the global box office would undoubtedly not be an issue. While the popularity of “Braveheart” had dipped slightly, it was still slowly progressing towards the $100 million box office mark in North America, and the situation was fairly good.

“I produced two films last year and exhausted myself, so I’m taking a good rest this year. There’s no need to strain myself so much, right?” he said.

Although Claude, Charlize, and Kate were skeptical, he really was having a blast playing with his daughter. The four-month-old was already around 11 pounds, adorably chubby, and quite restless, constantly moving her arms and legs, blowing bubbles, with her big eyes always wide open moving around. When she was happy, she babbled incessantly.

Adrian often put her in a cloth carrier on his chest and took her out to play. Kate was initially very worried, but after several times, and seeing that sometimes Adrian was even more attentive than she was, she could only agree by default. Besides, the image of him as a doting dad with his daughter in a cloth carrier was quite amusing. Adrian himself never considered the issue of his image.

“What’s wrong with being a doting dad, Lily is my daughter,” he said with complete righteousness and asked the daughter in his arms who was looking up at him, “Right, Lily?”

The little one paused for a moment and then started to wave her arms and legs excitedly, babbling away with delight.

“See, Lily agrees with me,” Adrian said proudly, while Kate could only roll her eyes.

However, this made Charlize the first among his various women to meet his daughter.

“Be careful… She’s cute, isn’t she?” After handing his daughter to Charlize, Adrian said affectionately, his attention fully on his daughter, looking every bit the loving father.

Charlize gave him a surprised look, then turned her attention to the child in her arms. The unafraid Lily was curiously sizing her up.

“Yes, she’s adorable,” Charlize said with the corners of her mouth curving up, a moment of affection flashing in her eyes, which quickly returned to calm. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit wuxiaworld.site to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)