America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In a dim alleyway, Martin pulled the cap of the Patriots Team lower as if sensing someone following him and quickly stepped to the side, hiding behind a wall.

The camera mounted on the rail turned towards him.

Martin pulled out a dagger from his pocket, leaned against the wall, his chest heaving rapidly, emotions taut as a string.

The sound of footsteps drew near.

His movements were incredibly fast as he burst from his cover and slashed at the person coming towards him.

After pulling out the dagger, he turned and ran, rushing into the bustling crossroads and vanished among the crowd.

Next, as the pursuer, Leonardo's scene was almost the same.

These scenes would definitely be cross-edited into numerous short clips in post-production.

Over the past few days, Scorsese had keenly noticed a subtle chemistry developing among Martin, Leonardo, and Nicholson; off-camera, they were often seen muttering together. Stay updated with m-v l|e'm,p y r

He immediately adjusted the filming schedule to shoot scenes involving the three of them together sooner.

The effect was very obvious; the three main actors were in surprisingly good form.

That day, the crew took a long break in the afternoon, and Mene, who had just arrived from Los Angeles, found Martin and said in a low voice, "Matt Damon has arrived at the set, he might come over in a bit."

Martin nodded, "I know."

Mene moved to sit on a nearby chair, "Boss, I'll keep an eye on him."

"It's not that serious," Martin estimated the time and got up to find Nicholson, asking, "Where's Leo?"

Nicholson pointed not far away, "On the phone." The scoundrel's mind was full of wicked thoughts, "Seems like someone from Victoria's Secret leaked the party stuff to Gisele Bundchen, and when he comes back, we'll give him a boost, encourage him to break up."

Martin couldn't be bothered to meddle in such messes, "There's no benefit to it."

But Nicholson said, "Haven't you noticed during our recent chats? Leo that scumbag mentioned a few times that every time he has a conflict with Gisele Bundchen, they end up having a big fight. According to my guess, Gisele Bundchen will definitely break up with Leo because of that party and will come to make a scene on the set. That kind of spectacle is rare."

He asked Martin, "You don't want to witness some top-level Hollywood celebrity's super gossip with your own eyes?"

In contrast to Nicholson, Martin really could be considered a good guy, "Just make a call at the time and invite the rest of the Victoria's Secret angels over, that would be really exciting!"

Nicholson sneered, "Even I, a bad guy, think you're terrible!"

Martin looked innocent, how could you, Old Cloth, be any more polite?

Leonardo came back looking very angry and immediately said, "I'm going to dump her! I definitely have to dump her! To think she's 25 years old and still argues with me!"

Nicholson added fuel to the fire, "25 years old, already wrinkling up! You gonna keep her around to play grandma?"

Martin just murmured, "No woman in this world can stay young forever."

Nicholson glared at Martin as if to say you dare to betray us now!

An honest and principled man like Martin, how could he encourage someone to dump their girlfriend? He simply said, "This world is never short of young women."

Leonardo grabbed Martin's shoulder, "Buddy, I've dated more than twenty girlfriends and still haven't seen through them as clearly as you."

Nicholson asked, "She got angry with you?"

Leonardo slightly nodded, "She gave me an earful, she's likely to come to New York."

"From my decades of experience, she will definitely come, Leo, Martin, you're both my brothers, I can't watch you walk my miserable old path." Nicholson pretended to be considerate of the younger men, "Some women are so entitled, the more love you give them, the more they take it for granted and think of themselves as princesses and The Queen, only knowing how to take without ever giving back."

All his kind words were just a preamble for the coming nonsense, "I suggest you call over all the Victoria's Secret contracted angels to let her see that Leonardo is never short of women's love!"

Leonardo was quite tempted but soon realized the trap, pointing at Martin and Nicholson, "You two scumbags, you're just waiting for a chance to laugh at me, aren't you!"

Martin continued, "When I break up with my girlfriend, you can come over and see for yourself." He nudged Nicholson's arm, "Old Cloth, you too."

Nicholson replied earnestly, "Of course!"

Leonardo pulled out a chair and sat opposite them, scornful, "A couple of single dogs!"

Martin and Nicholson were surprisingly speechless.

The two scoundrels had proclaimed more than once that they were single.

On the other side, Matt Damon stepped out from the makeup trailer, with the associate producer Taylor accompanying him to the set.

The crew was on break, most people chatting and relaxing in small groups.

Matt Damon spotted the three actors with the heaviest roles instantly.

Martin, Nicholson, and Leonardo were gathered together, chatting about something, occasionally slinging arms over each other's shoulders, the atmosphere exceptionally cordial.

Damon signaled with his eyes, "They've always been this close?"

Taylor said softly, "Very harmonious, even Director Scorsese found it odd, but there's been a rumor that they've had some party together."

Eager to get a grip on the situation for strategic purposes, Damon inquired, "How's Martin performing?"

"Very good, second only to Nicholson, Scorsese thinks he has more control over his performance than Leonardo," Taylor, who belonged to Dyson Studio and thus a supporter of Matt Damon, wouldn't mislead him, "Director Scorsese has said more than once that Martin Davis was a very correct choice."

Damon nodded slightly.

Taylor suggested, "Now that the crew is well-coordinated and the filming is going smoothly, especially since the three main actors are willing to cooperate with each other, Scorsese is quite satisfied. If you have any thoughts, it's best to put them aside for now and focus on the work."

Damon glanced at the three laughing people again, "Don't worry, I won't cause trouble." He also reminded Taylor, "Keep an eye on Martin Davis and Jack Nicholson for me, I have reliable information, they're plotting against me."

Taylor looked a bit surprised, "Really? This is happening?"

Damon thought about the day of the script meeting, when he overheard Martin's conversation with Nicholson, and felt somewhat headache. What kind of trouble could these lousy guys stir up?

On the other side, Nicholson said, "You moron, it looks like Damon is watching you."

With Old Cloth backing him, Martin didn't turn his head and said, "He's watching you. You made someone fart in public, of course they'd want to mess with your ass."

Nicholson sneered, "In this world, nobody messes with my ass."

"That's not right, I remember Naomi had a wearable one on the yacht," Leonardo wouldn't miss the opportunity for retaliation, exposing the old rogue's secret, "She used it when she was with you."

Martin moved his chair aside, distancing himself from Nicholson, "I've misjudged you, you actually have that kind of taste."

Nicholson was dismissive, "When you're as old as me, having tried everything, you'll actively seek excitement."

The three chatted idly for a while, until the makeup artist came over to do touch-ups, and filming resumed.

In the studio, Bruce, who was moonlighting as a prop master, walked through the set, checking all the props, and then nodded towards Martin's direction when he returned.

Even though a Hollywood star of Damon's caliber wouldn't joke with his future, Bruce was still very cautious.

Entering the set, Martin was about to film a scene between Colin, whom he played, and Dignam, played by Damon.

The actors rehearsed their movements and went over their lines.

There was a slight issue with the dolly track of the film crew; it wasn't ready yet.

Martin took the initiative, "Actually, I have always liked your movies."

Damon didn't understand what he meant and asked, "Which one?"

Martin said, "Jason Bourne, especially cool." He added, "Us actors, we don't go at each other like the CIA does."

Damon paused silently, "The movies exaggerate."

Martin nodded, "That's true, it's just work. When there's friction at work, there're always many appropriate ways to solve it."

Damon stared at Martin, "You're right, it's just a job. Once it's over, we might never interact again."

Martin extended his hand proactively, "See, we can find common ground."

Damon lightly gripped his hand, "But I still have to say, I don't like you."

Martin said, "I'm not Franklin."

The conversation stopped there; he didn't want to get entangled with Matt Damon meaninglessly, as it wouldn't change the hierarchy of the cast.

Damon still wore an expressionless face, born with a good-guy look.

Filming started quickly, Martin versus Damon in their scene.

Colin confronted Dignam, demanding the list of undercover agents he held. Naturally, Dignam would not give it, leading to a verbal conflict between the two.

Perhaps wanting to prove something, Damon started to perform intensely as soon as the clapperboard was marked, seemingly wanting to outdo Martin in the scene.

Martin had been shooting with the crew for over a week and was in his prime, able to perform effortlessly.

Only after this take did Scorsese call cut.

He stepped down from his director's chair, entered the set, and said to Damon, "Pull back a bit, you're too forceful."

Matt Damon nodded, turned in place, mumbling to himself in what seemed like his own way of adjusting.

The crew took their places again, and filming resumed.

But not even five seconds into the take, Scorsese shouted cut again, this time barking, "Damon, pull back! Do you understand, hold back!"

Subsequently, Damon's shots were intermittent and challenging.

Scorsese, however, did not lose his temper, considering it was Matt Damon's recent addition to the shooting.

During a break in filming, Leonardo said, "I don't know what that bastard Martin said to Damon, but he set his heart on outperforming Martin in their scene."

Nicholson remarked, "He's off balance, overexerting in his performance, even worse than you."

Leonardo would have taken issue if anyone else had said that, but coming from Nicholson, he didn't argue and continued to focus on Damon, "He's too eager to prove himself to Scorsese."

Nicholson couldn't help laughing, "Even if it's wrong, Scorsese never admits it."

How could a great director be wrong? The ones at fault are always the actors or the screenwriters.