America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

In the set dressed as a prison canteen, Martin walked forward with his overcoat draped over his arm, his seemingly calm face bore the weight of decades, appearing reserved and introverted.

One could tell at a glance that this was an old man with troubles on his mind.

Not far across from him, Kate, with her graying hair, sat at a table, her aged face having changed shape, only vaguely recognizable as Kate Winslet.

She quietly watched the approach of the once-young man, her eyes flashing with discomfort, her expression filled with self-doubt.

Hannah's tumultuous life had all converged upon her weathered face.

Their eyes met, as if spanning decades of time.

Martin nodded slightly, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite Kate.

As their gazes locked, Kate nervously extended her hand inch by inch forward…

Martin took her hand.

"Cut! That's a wrap." Sam Mendes didn't leave the director's chair but announced loudly, "Kate, switch positions. We'll shoot again with your back to the canteen entrance."

The crew members went back to their positions, and Martin returned to the entrance of the canteen to continue shooting the scene.

The entire morning was spent filming the prison scenes.

By noon, Martin and Bruce went to the canteen for lunch together.

The number of crews staying at Pine Forest Film Studio was growing, and even "The Bourne Ultimatum 3" starring Matt Damon had come.

Similarly, the canteen was bustling with people during mealtime.

With more people came more conflicts.

When Martin entered, he noticed Emma Watson was standing with two girls, confronting Silsa Ronan; it seemed a verbal altercation had occurred.

He overheard words like "the pool of Ireland" muttered under their breath.

Possibly Silsa's agent or family member quickly pulled her away, yielding the ground.

Emma Watson strutted toward the food section, prideful as a peacock who had won a battle.

Martin and Bruce grabbed their trays and separately went to get their food.

The place was a bit crowded.

When Bruce went to get some corn, someone nudged him from the side, accidentally brushing against Emma Watson's arm.

He turned his head and said, "Sorry."

Emma Watson, already riled up from her clash with Silsa Ronan and in the middle of a star's temper, saw a stranger with a plain outfit and an American accent, and sneered, "Rude American hillbilly, watch it."

Bruce frowned; he wasn't fond of Englishmen, having carried mortar bombs against them.

Martin, standing nearby, immediately turned around and said, "Hey, Emma, mind your language."

Emma had met Martin at a premiere the previous year. She shrugged her shoulders, gathered her two hangers-on, and walked away.

Bruce remarked, "Let it go, we shouldn't stoop to arguing with kids."

They picked their food, found an empty table, and sat down to eat.

Bruce commented, "Seems she's been spoiled."

Martin replied, "Nowadays, she has high commercial value, can generate huge profits, not just the entire crew and audience spoil her, even Warner Bros. does…"

At a table not far away,

Emma Watson, spoiled by countless people, arrogantly pierced her corn with her fork, her mood foul, "That Irish girl is a bitch, and those two American hillbillies are no good either…"

Hanger-on Carly asked, "Do you want us to take care of those two jerks?"

Emma Watson had a big temper but wasn't foolish, "Why bother with those hillbillies? It would be below my standards." She turned to the other hanger-on, "Cheryl, keep an eye on that Silsa, find a chance to tear her mouth apart!"

Cheryl was eating.

Carly banged on the table, "Didn't you hear what Emma said?"

Cheryl hastily swallowed her food and said, "I heard, I heard."

After lunch, Martin prepared to go back to the trailer to rest, but as he passed the sound stage, he found Kate sitting alone opposite the entrance, engrossed in reading her script and pondering over her lines.

Kate saw Martin and waved him over, "Come and keep me company for a while."

Martin entered the sound stage, pulled up a chair, and sat opposite her.

Bruce took a bottle of water, leaned inside the doorway, and drank.

Martin and Kate chatted for a bit and discussed the scenes they were shooting.

Kate was fully immersed in her role.

Although she didn't go as far as to live her everyday life as the character, she put in a great deal of effort all the same.

She said, "The reunion between Michel and Hannah is layered; there is so much to be conveyed, yet they don't know how to express it."

"Michel is silent and reserved, even more so in middle age," Martin, with his back to the door of the sound stage, said comfortably from his chair, gesturing, "When we meet again, our communication—more of it is understood through the eyes and expressions, with as few words as possible."

Kate nodded, "Hannah needs to maintain a humble dignity…"

Suddenly, she stopped and said, "Someone is spying!"

As soon as the words dropped, Bruce had already charged out of the sound stage entrance.

Martin stood up as well, just in time to see Bruce grab a girl by the sleeve and pull her into the sound stage.

"I… I didn't do anything!" Silsa Ronan raised her hands over her head, a digital camera hanging around her neck, and told Martin, "I just sneaked a peek."

Although they were both in makeup, she recognized them.

Martin asked, "What are you here for?"

Silsa quickly responded, "I had nothing to do after lunch, so I just wandered around and ended up here. Thinking you might be around, I decided to come and have a look."

"If you want to find me, just come straight to me. There's no need to peep." Combining this with the previous incident, Martin felt that the girl might have a slight penchant for voyeurism.

He pointed at the camera, "Doing some more sneak photography, what have you taken?"

Silsa shook her head repeatedly, "Nothing, I had just arrived and popped my head out when I was discovered." She muttered to herself, "The daytime is not suitable, nighttime is better, it's harder to be noticed in the dark."

Kate joined the conversation, "Do you two know each other?"

Martin pointed to the girl, "Atonement crew's Silsa Ronan, are you an English or an Irish actor?"

Silsa replied, "I'm Irish, but I'm working in England."

Her sparkling gaze turned to Kate, "Miss, can I take a picture with you?"

Out of consideration for Martin, Kate smiled and nodded, "Of course you can."

Silsa handed her camera to Martin and ran over to stand next to Kate.

Martin first checked the photos that had already been taken with the camera and indeed, there were none from this area.

But he saw one of Emma Watson, with a bathroom in the background, clearly taken from an angle that indicated it was a sneaky shot.

The girl's peeping and sneak photography habits were not good signs for someone so young; she might really get into trouble one day.

Not wanting to pry further, Martin raised the camera and said, "Ready, 1, 2, 3..."

The camera's shutter clicked several times in quick succession as he took several photos without stopping.

Silsa was excited, holding Kate's hand, "You are my most admired actress, I will definitely be like you when I grow up!"

Kate smiled and encouraged her, "You will make it."

With Silsa's sudden appearance, Martin and Kate stopped discussing their scenes and left the set to rest in their trailers.

Not far out, Martin noticed that Silsa was still following and asked, "Aren't you going back?"

Silsa, curious, asked, "I heard Bale got injured and is in the hospital?" She quickly added, "I haven't told anyone about the other day."

Martin nodded, "I wasn't wrong about you, you're a good girl."

Silsa didn't wander over aimlessly; she had a purpose and tentatively asked, "Do you still have those kind of firecrackers that were in the woods?"

Martin turned around, scrutinizing her, "What are you up to?"

Silsa closed her mouth and looked down, but her eyes were trying to look up insistently. Seeing Martin as amiable as always, she then said, "There are a few older bullies in the Harry Potter crew, always using their status as stars to pick on people. They've mocked me more than once just because I'm Irish."

Martin understood, "Your appearance in Pine Forest the other day wasn't by chance."

Realizing her slip, Silsa quickly covered her mouth.

All of a sudden, Martin remembered something from earlier in the day and had a hunch. He signaled to Bruce.

Old Cloth went to the trailers and came back with a box.

Martin took the box and handed it to Silsa, "Don't use it recklessly, and don't set it off towards people."

Silsa took it, opened it, and took one out, noting it was only as long as a little finger, much smaller than what she had seen that day, "It's a bit small."

"The big ones are all used up; these small ones were hidden by Leonardo," Martin warned, "Don't tell anyone, or Leonardo will silence you."

Remembering Leonardo's bad behavior from the other day, Silsa first gasped in shock, then covered her mouth again, nodding vigorously at Martin.

Martin waved his hand dismissively, "Go on, then."

"Thank you, Martin," Silsa bowed slightly to Martin, "You're a good person."

She ran off with the box.

Martin asked Bruce, "Have we tested the strength of that thing?"

"Very small." Bruce had them specially made: "If a ten-year-old set it off in their hand, it would at most hurt for a bit, like the smoke fireworks on set, more for a scare than harm."

Martin didn't say more and returned to his trailer to rest.

In the afternoon, the crew resumed shooting as usual. Martin moved to the church area on set where a cemetery had been temporarily constructed for filming.

One of the graves belonged to the female protagonist, Hannah.

Beyond its commercial aspects, the primary goal of this movie was to pave the way for Kate's Oscar bid, so her character naturally had to be a tragic figure.

As someone who had worked in a concentration camp, a deathly resolution was inevitable.

Martin and Felicity Jones, who played his daughter, walked along a small path beside the church towards the graveyard.

The latter was about the same age as Martin, but in both demeanor and appearance seemed at least twenty years younger than him.

This was one of the few outdoor scenes for the crew.

After director Sam called for a cut.

The two stood in the set's graveyard, with Felicity glancing at Martin, "I wouldn't believe you're only 25 if I hadn't been told in advance."

Martin, freeing himself from his character, responded, "Maybe I've been through more than others."

After thinking for a moment, Felicity commented, "Talking with you just now, I felt like you were my father."

Martin laughed, "I hope my daughter will be as beautiful as you someday."

Felicity smiled happily at his words.

Kate, sensing trouble from a distance, immediately came over.