America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Art comes from life, and the life that one has actually experienced can provide creators with inspiration and passion, enabling actors to forge characters with artistic explosive power.

Kate and Martin's rehearsal sessions not only helped them become familiar with their parts but also gave them a chance to experience life and enhance their artistic pursuit.

They killed several birds with one stone.

In the script, there were at least a dozen scenes with exceptionally high artistic content. Although only half of them would make it into the final cut, they would undoubtedly have to be shot in their entirety on set.

Martin was a dedicated actor, also passionate about his artistic pursuit, willing to make personal sacrifices for the art of performing.

The only problem was that in most scenes, he was extremely passive, the rhythm entirely controlled by the female lead, Kate.

Approaching midnight, Kate struggled to get up, preparing to leave.

Without further rehearsal, Martin invited her, "Stay here tonight?"

Kate turned back, looked at Martin, and said with a slight smile, "You have to remember, we're doing this for work."

What could Martin say? He could only reply, "I understand, it's for the perfect artistic interpretation of the characters, for our mutual artistic pursuit."

Kate said, "I will come again tomorrow night. We need to be even more invested in these parts, to have a harmonious emotional exchange."

"No matter what, I will cooperate with you fully," Martin said as he got dressed and walked Kate to the door, "Let me know if you need anything, I'm at your beck and call."

Kate stopped at the door, seemingly like Hannah from the script, gently brushing Martin's young cheek: "I know you won't feel pressured, don't overthink, don't consider too much, we're just doing this for work, it's just a short part of a long artistic journey."

How could Martin's heart be anything but steady? He nodded right away: "Dedicating oneself to art, I've long been prepared for that."

Kate pulled open the door and left.

Martin closed the door and slept soundly until daybreak.

After breakfast, he arrived at the set on time.

Two days without the male lead's parts passed, and Martin rejoined the shooting.

The production ran as usual, whether it was Kate or the director, Sam, all immersed themselves in their work just like before.

Martin, not one to pry, continued his work very professionally.

Before wrapping up for the day, director Sam called a meeting with the key cast and crew members.

"The parts before the separation of the protagonists, excluding the special artistic shots, are all complete," he looked towards Martin and Kate: "Shooting for the artistic scenes resumes tomorrow. We've fallen behind a few days, and we only have three days to cover this portion. I hope you can quickly adjust and fully immerse yourselves into the characters."

Martin said nothing, merely nodded his head.

Kate said, "I've found the emotions and feelings the female lead needs."

Sam added, "We'll continue with a closed set tomorrow."

The meeting was brief and soon concluded.

Leaving the soundstage, Kate and Martin walked together, and she said, "I'll come to you again tonight to go over the scenes, is that okay?"

Martin had a penchant for artistic pursuit and also wanted to perfectly interpret these parts, he asked, "The same time as last night?"

Exiting the soundstage, Martin drove Kate to the parking lot, and they left in their separate vehicles.

Not long after dinner, Kate appeared in Martin's room on time.

The two had a tacit understanding, no need for many words, they went over the custom-tailored script and scenes just like the night before, once to familiarize and once again with full emotional engagement.

Sometimes, true experience indeed solves many problems in acting.

The next day during the shoot, Martin distinctly felt that Kate was in her element, in full control of the pace, leading him into the scene.

The previously bumpy artistic shots mostly went smoothly in one take.

Director Sam was in high spirits, and his voice could be heard around the set from time to time, "Kate, yes! That's the feeling, not just the fishing net, but also the emotions made, take them and forcefully slam them down!"

Although Martin was passive, he too was spurred on by Kate's enthusiasm, giving it his all.

After each successful take, Sam would praise Martin, "Good job! Maintain that spirit, keep at it just like this!"

Martin could only respond with a bashful smile, fitting for the male lead.

In just two short days, all the artistic shots were completed.

Martin also witnessed the professionalism of Kate and Sam.

After all, he believed there was no way he could achieve that kind of state.

Once, it was said that without madness, one could not become a good actor.

Back then, Martin had struggled from the bottom for over twenty years to gradually make a name for himself. Even among many famous veteran actors, he had not seen this sort of state.

He had not witnessed it firsthand but had heard stories about certain examples, such as the actor who played in "Farewell My Concubine."

Arriving in Hollywood, Martin's shenanigans with Nicholson and Leonardo weren't the only activities they shared.

Occasionally, they would also discuss similar topics.

Leonardo admitted it was a far cry for him.

The proud Nicholson also conceded he couldn't reach such a level, instead mentioning the name of Daniel Day-Lewis.

Perhaps, over these two days, Kate had entered a similar realm.

By comparison, Martin felt he remained at the level of being just a slightly better-than-average actor.

The crew finished shooting the art scenes one day ahead of schedule, so they simply took a day off.

Martin took the opportunity to rest and adjust; after all, filming such scenes was torturous, especially for a male actor who couldn't control the pace.

He slept in late in the morning, then went to the airport in the afternoon to see Leonardo and Nicholson off to Paris.

Originally, the trio had planned a party for the weekend.

But a model named Poppy Delevingne had made plans with them, and that disloyal bastard Leonardo kicked Martin to the curb to rush off to a Chanel party.

Nicholson was heading back to catch the Lakers' summer league.

On his way back from the airport, Martin received a call from Lily.

"I'm preparing to head to Los Angeles, when are you coming back from London?" In Lily's room, her suitcase was open, some clothes packed: "If you're too busy, I'll just go to school by myself."

Martin could return only after finishing the film, he said, "At the earliest, I'll be back in August. You go to school first, who is coming to Los Angeles with you? Elena?"

Lily huffed, slightly discontented: "She told me to fly over by myself."

Martin said, "Send me your flight details once you've booked the ticket, and I'll have someone pick you up from the airport."

"Okay," Lily still complained lightly about her sister: "Elena wouldn't go to Los Angeles no matter what."

Martin ignored the comment and instead said, "It's just as well you're coming to Los Angeles. Now we don't need to ship the sculpture materials, it will be more convenient."

Lily froze, holding the phone. Was this the reason Martin helped her get the recommendation letter?

Her future college life seemed rather bleak, didn't it?

Scenes and words flashed through Lily's mind: A human sculpture machine!

On the other side, Martin asked, "Why did you suddenly stop talking? Don't worry, you don't have to pay for the materials, they're all free, and you don't have to worry about running out. I'll be bulk ordering from Australia."

Lily moved forward, banged her head against the door frame and her eyes reddened, tears of frustration almost spilling, but she said, "I will work hard."

Martin said, "I have confidence in you and will support you fully."

Lily fell silent for a moment, not wanting to talk to the person on the other end.

Over the phone, she could hear Martin instructing someone, "Old Cloth, place another order for raw materials to Australia, double the usual amount. Lily is about to go to university in Los Angeles, we have to give her a little gift."

Is this a gift? Is this really a gift? Lily internally panicked yet couldn't say it out loud, only managing to say diplomatically, "Martin, you shouldn't spend so much."

Martin replied, "It's no big deal, just a little money."

Lily couldn't hold back anymore: "Elena is calling me, it's probably about booking a ticket, I'll call you back once it's sorted."

After hanging up, Martin initially planned to call Jessica to pick up Lily from the airport but after some thought, he decided to call Thomas.

If he didn't find some task for his agent every couple of days, Martin felt as if the agent's commission he paid was crying out in sorrow.

A good celebrity client should never let their agent have any downtime.

Taking one day off to recuperate, Martin was back to full energy, diving into the subsequent shoots.

All scenes featuring the young male lead had been shot, and what followed was middle-aged Michel.

Accordingly, Kate was transformed into elderly Hannah.

Chasing an Oscar required not just the readiness to sacrifice for the sake of art but also breakthrough performances.

As planned, both Martin and Kate would undergo makeovers to fit the so-called Oscar tastes.

Especially elderly Hannah, the role demanded Kate look both old and ugly.

In comparison, Martin still played a handsome middle-aged man.

Saying that it was fifty percent acting and fifty percent makeup wasn't an exaggeration.

With Young Adult, it was less about Theron's acting prowess and more about the spot-on makeup, combined with Theron's resolute decision to transform a living beauty into a female version of a monster.

This was the breakthrough that the Oscars advocated for, a stark difference from the standards of Europe's big three film festivals.

The production hired the industry's top makeup artists and stylists, requiring Martin and Kate to spend at least two hours getting make-up, sometimes even more than three hours.

Bruce would also find the right moment to capture footage of Martin getting his makeup done and, with the crew's permission, post it on Martin's blog, stirring admiration among fans.

"Three hours of makeup, Martin really has it tough."

"My heart aches for Martin for five minutes."

"Being a star is really difficult and exhausting, Martin has it hard."

Die-hard fans, irrespective of their nationality and region, can be found all around the globe.

During breaks from shooting, Martin would occasionally take the time to check his personal blog or the Cola Cult's official website.

Seeing the comments from his fans made him sigh: "Old Cloth, you know? I used to feel awkward seeing this, even hated it."

Back then, he couldn't help but feel envious of the attention the so-called influencers garnered.

Bruce glanced at the fans' comments and asked, "Not anymore?"

"Everyone likes to hear words of praise," Martin said bluntly: "I've turned into the very thing I used to despise."

He suddenly thought of Blake Lively: "Damn, I even slept with a female fan!"