America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Compared to the depression of the major studios in Los Angeles, England's Pine Forest Film Studio was bustling with activity, with nearly ten crews simultaneously starting shoots and more than thirty sound stages packed to the brim.

Martin had just come down from the makeup trailer when he saw a group of boys and girls dressed in Gryffindor school uniforms walking by in the distance.

The towering Hogwarts castle was the tallest building in the entire film studio.

Bruce followed behind, draping an old-fashioned overcoat over his arm.

Shooting in winter costumes in the weather of June indeed made for a discomforting experience.

Martin quickened his pace into a street, where an old-fashioned tram was stationed on the tracks, surrounded by set buildings that were heavily damaged, with extras already in place on the constructed scaffolding.

Sam Mendes, in his short sleeves, came up to Martin and examined his look carefully.

The oversized sweater and pale makeup gave Martin a fragile and immature look, tinged with sickness.

Good performance hinges critically on makeup as well.

Sam reminded Martin, "Remember the key points for this scene, weakness, vomiting, movements, chance meeting!"

Martin took the overcoat Bruce handed him, saying nothing, just nodding slightly.

Sam was a director with high demands, "This is a long take, I need you to bring out the state from your audition from the start, fully dedicated to interpreting this role, not just skimming the surface like you did in your past commercial films!"

Again, Martin said nothing, going straight to rehearsing his moves, mustering his emotions.

Sam walked back and asked, "Where's Kate? Damn it, why isn't she here yet?"

Entering the set, personal relationships like marriage were completely cast aside from his mind, and for the dedicated director, there was only the job, perfectly completing the work: "Who's responsible for reminding Kate? I want her on set in three minutes!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kate Winslet hurried over.

After Sam gave a few instructions, he shouted loudly, "All departments, get ready, we're starting the shoot!"

Several water trucks parked on the side of the road began spraying water, simulating a heavy downpour.

Martin, with his bag slung over, entered into the rain curtain, quickly getting completely soaked, and the cool and refreshing feeling surprisingly revitalized him.

Bruce handed him a large piece of cake.

Martin took several large bites. The overtly sweet American-style cake quickly made him so sick he wanted to vomit, but he forcibly suppressed it.

The strong urge to vomit however helped him get into character quickly, finding that feeling of discomfort after sickness, on the verge of throwing up.

Martin heard the command to start filming. He staggered along in the pouring rain, leaning on the mottled walls, his hair wet and sticking to his forehead, just like the rain curtain obscuring his vision, making it hard to see the path ahead.

Only a few steps away, the super sweet Western dessert's cloying sweetness became unbearable, and he could only lean on the wall to let a mouthful out.

Martin wiped his mouth and continued walking, brushing past pedestrians, and arriving at the entrance of an old apartment building.

According to the predetermined movements, he had to vomit here.

Martin didn't need to search for the feeling, he didn't even have to act; the sweet dessert he had ingested did its job, and he leaned against the wall corner and the doorpost, vomiting several times in a row.

The camera, moving along the track, was capturing every moment of Martin's performance.

In the monitor of the director, Sam Mendes scrutinized every detail, impressed by how convincingly Martin vomited, each time so real and natural.

Martin turned into the entrance of the apartment, sat down on a bench, and vomited again.
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This time, the sweet dessert he had eaten came spewing out completely, and Kate Winslet came in from outside, with some of the vomit splattering on her shoes.

Stepping in the doorway and getting splashed again, Kate quickly stepped aside.

Then, she brought water and a mop to clean up the mess, and seeing Martin pale-faced and seated on the bench, completely out of energy, she pulled him up and warmed the cold and sickly boy's body with her own broad and warm embrace.

Sam called cut for the scene, announcing it was a wrap.

Martin broke free from Kate's embrace, bent over to the side, and vomited twice more.

Bruce immediately came over with a cup, and Martin rinsed his mouth with water.

Kate came by, asking with concern, "Are you okay?"

Martin spat the water back into the trash can and said, "I'm fine, I had something sweet for breakfast, just had some more sweet stuff, I have a low tolerance for sweets, it makes me uncomfortable, but I feel better after throwing up."

Kate understood he did this for the scene and commented, "You really go all out."

Martin, ever so articulate, replied, "You sought me out for this scene, I couldn't let you down."

As he spoke, he felt the urge to vomit again.

Kate didn't move away, instead, she gently patted Martin's back.

Sam came by and asked, "All good? Shall we continue?"

Martin gave a thumbs up, indicating no problems.

The crew didn't need to move locations, as Martin got onto the streetcar outside and the shoot continued.

The weather was quite nice here, being drenched wasn't cold, nor was it unbearably hot.

The filming continued until nearly noon when Martin finally returned to the trailer to shower, change clothes and go for lunch.

Rather than a film studio, Pine Forest Film Studio was more like a large-scale English town, buzzing with commercial activity year-round due to the various crews stationed there for filming. The service area was large.

The crew of 'The Reader' could use their work passes to enjoy a complimentary buffet at any restaurant in the service area.

Martin hopped on an electric cart driven by Bruce and headed to the service area.

The cart stopped in front of a restaurant, and as they dismounted, they encountered an acquaintance.

Martin nudged Bruce with his elbow, reminding him to look towards the front left, "Old Cloth, your idol."

Bruce saw the rather petite blonde woman, his gaze automatically shifting to her perky backside, and couldn't help feeling a bit let down, "She's a lot smaller than on 'Lost in Tokyo'."

The person in front was indeed Scarlett Johansson. Martin said, "That was the movie camera's close-up, this is real life to the eyes, of course there's a difference."

Bruce was uninterested, "Still, Cohler's is better."

Scarlett Johansson felt something was odd about her bottom and subconsciously turned her head.

Martin walked up to her, making eye contact and took the initiative to greet her, "Hey Scarlett, didn't expect to bump into you here."

Scarlett remembered Martin. A few years back on Malibu Beach, when he was still a no-name actor, he had approached her for a photo.

Now, he had become even more famous than her.

Scarlett responded with a smile, "Martin, it's been two years, hasn't it?"

"Two and a half years," Martin had a vague recollection, "We went to a beach party together."

Scarlett remarked, "You remember it quite clearly."

Martin had a flattering reply ready, "Who could forget the details of meeting Scarlett Johansson?"

A smile broke on Scarlett's face as she said, "A few months ago, I thought I would be working with you in the same crew, but then I found out you didn't join."

Martin was curious, "Which crew?"

"'The Prestige.'" Last year, Scarlett Johansson's leading role in 'The Island' was a complete flop from critical reception to the box office, blocking her path as an A-list actress, forcing her to take supporting roles in medium-sized productions.

She continued, "At that time, I heard your profile had been submitted to the crew, and I thought you'd become one of the lead actors, but it turned out to be Hugh Jackman in the end."

Martin chuckled, asking, "Is 'The Prestige' being shot here?"

Scarlett confirmed, "Yeah, it's been filming for almost a month now."

Martin politely said, "I'll visit the set when I have time one of these days."

Scarlett nodded her head.

Martin had planned to invite her for lunch, but upon hearing Scarlett was having a vegetarian meal, he immediately backed out.

It reminded him of the dreadful experience during the shoot of 'House of Wax,' and any interest he might have had evaporated instantly.

Martin entered the dining area, swiftly grabbing some meat to calm his nerves from Old Cloth.

After finding an empty seat, he realized there were quite a number of familiar faces in the restaurant.

He saw Hugh Jackman.

And James McAvoy, who was eating and chatting with Keira Knightley.

The latter was even flatter in person than in the films, not even an A cup, McAvoy was probably bigger than her.

Bruce, who was more knowledgeable, said, "They are from a crew called 'Atonement.'

Martin didn't remember this film and withdrew his gaze, noticing a girl of about twelve or thirteen with blonde hair at a nearby table, looking somewhat familiar.

Probably some child star.

Saying there were stars everywhere here wasn't an exaggeration at all.

After eating, Martin was leaving when he bumped into Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried.

Back in Los Angeles, Leonardo had said that Meryl was filming 'Mamma Mia!' in London.

Being the old flame of the eldest of the Trio of Scoundrels, Martin took the initiative to greet her, "Good afternoon, Meryl."

Seeing Martin, Meryl was somewhat surprised and not in the best of moods, asking, "Is Jack here too?"

Martin replied, "I'm here for work, Jack didn't come."

Meryl nodded, not wanting to talk more with Martin, and went straight into the restaurant.

After a while, she and Amanda found a spot to sit and eat.

The latter, curious, asked, "Do you and Martin Davis not get along?" Seeing Meryl nod, she probed further, "Why?"

Meryl, hardened by years of experience, was direct, "Would you be happy if Martin Davis and Leonardo threw firecrackers into your room while you and your lover were having the time of your lives?"

Amanda got the wrong end of the stick, thinking to herself that these older actors knew how to have a wild time.

However, she didn't hesitate on the surface, "No way!"

Meryl remembered clearly; Martin and that bastard Leonardo tossed firecrackers into the trailer, nearly causing her and Nicholson to cramp up and be unable to separate.

After eating, she phoned Nicholson, who said he would come to visit London soon.

Meryl was in high spirits, fooling around with an old lover on set was so much more enjoyable than with her husband.

With Pine Forest Film Studio being so large, they could try different spots.

Then, Meryl realized a problem; that bastard Martin was also at Pine Forest, and he got along unusually well with Nicholson, who would definitely look him up when he came.

To be on the safe side, she decided to find a more hidden spot ahead of time, to avoid interference from those bastards.

The shooting for 'The Reader' went on, with many ordinary indoor scenes progressing smoothly over the first ten days, both Martin and Kate Winslet adjusting well to their roles.

As the schedule for those special scenes approached, the pace of the production slowed down.