America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Los Angeles City Center, near the City Hall Plaza, the crew had blocked off an entire street.

Martin stepped down from the makeup trailer and went straight to the set.

Cars were parked all along the road, and the summer sun shone on the asphalt, making it exceptionally hot.

Director Nolan was directing the entire crew to slowly bring in the train.

At that moment, Mene came over, stood by Martin, and said, "Wow, the crew has made a train that doesn't need tracks."

Martin looked down at the wheels and said, "It must have been modified from a truck."

Ellen Page entered the set and came over to greet Martin first.

Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy arrived soon after.

Director Nolan came back from the crane and reminded loudly, "Make sure to be safe."

If the main actors were injured, the rest of the scenes would have to be postponed, and he added, "As planned, split into two parts, two cars!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire

Still uncertain, Nolan added, "Many of our props are one-time use, we can't shoot a second take, so let's all bring our best!"

This was the drawback of on-location shooting; once the expensive models were damaged, they were done for.

Martin got into a red Cadillac.

The filming of this part had to follow the script sequence; he drove the car and stopped off-camera at the roadside.

Mene and Ken Watanabe got into a yellow Los Angeles taxi.

Following Director Nolan's voice from the loudspeaker, three water sprinklers mounted on the cranes began to spray large amounts of water, creating a small artificial downpour.

Yet there was still bright sunshine above.

This scene was a dream, and Nolan insisted on having a sunshower; to achieve a scene that had light but was partly shaded, the crew specifically marked the sun's trajectory and hung screens between the buildings for shading.

Mene drove the taxi to pick up Cillian Murphy, while Martin drove to pick up Ellen Page.

Then came the highlight of the Los Angeles sequence—a dream train suddenly crashing in, pushing aside the vehicles jammed on the street.

The orderly street became a scene of chaos.

Shooting took place amidst the disorder, with the roar of engines, screeching brakes, and the friction of tires continuously sounding off.

Martin began to shoot a large number of short clips, some so brief that Nolan would yell cut just after a few seconds.

However, his scenes were all inside the Cadillac; he never left the car, and his limited dialogue was with Ellen Page.

Outside the car, the drifting rain persisted.

Emma Thomas sent her assistant, Amanda, to accompany Maria, who was busy on the street in a one-piece raincoat.

Maria Guanhai, holding the DV camera gifted by Elizabeth, recorded some of the crew's busy scenes during the shooting breaks.

These would prove that she had been there, and that she had participated in an extremely important social practice.

Out loud, Amanda warned, "They're about to shoot a gunfight and a crash scene next, we should stay further away."

Maria nodded and followed her to the safety of the higher steps.

Amanda pointed towards the other side of the set, "Look there, Martin is about to personally shoot the gunfight scene."

Maria quickly took up the DV and turned the camera in that direction, only to see Martin holding a pistol, discussing something with Director Nolan, with several actors behind him rehearsing their movements twice.

Seeing that the shooting was about to start, she quickly turned off the DV camera.

The patter of gunfire rang out shortly after.

After shooting a few scenes, Maria noticed that Martin and Nolan were conversing again; they seemed to talk a lot, often gathering together to chat.

The rain began to thin, and the artificial rain machines needed refilling, prompting the crew to take a break.

Nolan found Martin and said, "I just had an idea; listen and tell me if it will work?"

Martin was puzzled, as Nolan was usually very decisive during filming; why was he seeking his opinion? He immediately nodded, "Go ahead."

Nolan gestured with his eyes towards the direction of the City Hall, "Doesn't the First Daughter have some contact with you? Can we invite her for a cameo in front of the camera, even if just as a background character for a fleeting moment?"

He was the type of director who would never miss out on any promotional opportunity.

With her on the set, Nolan couldn't let her leave without leaving a mark, "It will be a great gimmick when it comes to promotion and marketing."

Martin thought for a while and then said, "We can try; send someone to talk to her, no problem, just say it directly."

Director Nolan called Emma Thomas over and after a brief conversation, Emma Thomas called her assistant Amanda.

Not long after, Amanda came over and indicated that Maria agreed to leave the country.

Nolan decided to add a scene on the fly, which was simple, featuring Maria as a backdrop, with Martin driving by in a Cadillac.

Maria wanted a practical experience that could serve as a capital, to better prove she had been there.

Furthermore, her home teacher had called Michel Guanhai, and the White House did not object to it either.

Nolan slightly adjusted the afternoon's shooting plan.

After lunch, news that the crew had started filming in downtown Los Angeles City spread, attracting more and more people, from movie fans to entertainment journalists and paparazzi.

Assistant Anderson, looking at Maria Guanhai coming out of makeup, wrote in the real behind-the-scenes notebook: "First Daughter Maria, seeing Director Nolan as her number one idol, repeatedly requested to join the crew and film, even if only as a backdrop. Director Nolan decided to give her a chance and wrote a scene just for her."

Nolan passed by, glanced at the real behind-the-scenes notebook, and nodded in satisfaction.

Anderson chuckled happily, feeling inspired by the encouragement from his superior, and just as he saw Martin getting into the red Cadillac used for filming, he wrote another piece of real behind-the-scenes insight.

"Martin Davis, when he first heard Nolan had such an idea and concept, was determined to act in this film, insisting that Director Nolan promise to let him play the leading man, even though he did not yet know the specifics of the film's theme and content."

Anderson was well aware that his future prospects depended on Nolan, so naturally, the behind-the-scenes content he wrote heavily praised Nolan.

As the sun gradually shifted westward, actors from the set started to leave one by one, and a professional cleaning company entered the set, carefully noting down the position of each prop car and decorative item, getting ready to clear the site.

Martin and Mene walked towards the trailer together.

The latter said, "Paris is the last stop for filming. I'll stay in Paris for a while after this movie is done. Boss, if you need anything, just call me, and I'll rush back to Los Angeles immediately."

Martin patted Mene: "Focus on acting with your goddess, and try to get a Cannes... Cannes might be too soon, aim for a Venice Golden Lion Best Actor Award."

Mene grinned, showing his white teeth: "Of course Isabel Huppert getting an award comes first."

He brought up an idea: "When I talked to Huppert on the phone yesterday, I suggested she organize a get-together with the French actresses for the crew, and I think it would be nice."

Bruce walked over from the other side and joined the conversation: "Just don't make it a party full of forty or fifty-year-old goddesses."

Mene seriously assured: "Huppert promised me she would bring many of the new generation of French artistic goddesses. For instance, Audrey Tautou, who is going to endorse Chanel No. 5 with Boss Martin, and the female lead from 'Dream Paris'."

Martin had watched the film more than once and was deeply impressed; the One-Armed Venus was classic. He asked, "Eva Green?"

Mene replied: "It should be her. Huppert has a strong influence among French actresses, currently she's definitely number one."

Ellen Page ran over from another side and asked, "Martin, I heard you're going to be the spokesperson for Chanel No. 5?"

"It's still under discussion, nothing has been decided," Martin gave a clear answer.

Currently, the news released was to gauge the market's reaction. There wasn't any objection from other sponsors, but it was hard to say what fans and public opinion would think.

Overall, the reaction was fairly positive, with no inexplicable attacks cropping up.

WMA was still collecting various feedback data; even if a deal was to be struck, it wouldn't be until the end of the year at the earliest.

Ellen Page, perhaps because of her own reasons, seemed quite interested: "A man endorsing women's perfume is a great innovation, Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel are very courageous."

Martin smiled: "But it's a challenge for me."

Ellen Page, acting like a good buddy, clenched her fist and bumped it with Martin's, giving him a boost: "I think in all of Hollywood, aside from Leonardo, only you could pull off Chanel No. 5."

Seeing her go for a fist bump like a man, Martin raised his hand and bumped her fist, saying, "Thanks for the encouragement."

Ellen Page then mentioned: "Before you got to Moroccan Astra Studios, Tom Hardy tried to bully me. After that, you took me in, and he never dared to mess with me again."

Curious, Mene asked, "What did he do?"

Ellen Page, who had more contact with Mene and knew he meant well, shrugged and said, "At Astra Studios, Tom Hardy pointed at a local woman in her forties who was applying for a job, saying I should go work her."

She spread her hands helplessly: "At that time, all the crew around were British, they either laughed or stayed silent."

Mene remarked, "Some of those Brits deserve nothing less than a mortar barrage!"

Now Martin understood why Ellen Page had gravitated towards him, he extended his right hand and said, "Ellen, welcome to the temporary American gang of the 'Inception' crew."

Ellen Page grasped his hand tightly: "Thank you for accepting me."

Martin had a good impression of her and added, "You've chosen a tough path."

"I know, once it's public, many roles will automatically stay away from me," Ellen Page said firmly: "No matter how hard, I'll keep going."

Martin nodded: "Good luck to you."

The three actors went back to their own trailers to remove their makeup. When Martin finished work and left, Elizabeth specifically came to pick him up in a brand new Porsche, and invited Maria to join them for dinner.

Having spent only a few days with the crew, Maria's novelty had worn off, and having acquired the practical experience she wanted, she left the crew as they had completed half of the filming in Los Angeles.