Echoes of Hollywood

Upon returning to Paris, Murphy immediately resumed filming "Inglourious Basterds." James Franco also arrived to participate; his role as Lieutenant Aldo was undoubtedly one of the film's most crucial characters.

Lieutenant Aldo could be described as the scummiest of scumbags when it came to Nazis.

"I am Lieutenant Aldo Raine!"

Under the dimly lit airport set, James Franco stood with his hands on his hips in front of a line of soldiers, his serious demeanor and the terrifying scar on his neck giving him a commanding presence. "I'm assembling a team, and I need eight soldiers! Eight Jewish-American soldiers!"

Though there were eight other actors present, this was entirely Franco's solo scene. "You may have heard that the Allies are preparing to invade, but we are going ahead of them."

He paced in front of the group. "We will be dropped into France, disguised as civilians. Once we enter enemy territory, as guerrillas, we will do one thing and one thing only!"

Franco turned his head, looking into the main camera lens, and gritted his teeth, "Kill Nazis!"

"I don't know all of you, but you were taken from American prisons, flown to an airfield in Britain, crossed thousands of miles of water, jumped from a plane, not to lecture Nazis on humanity. Nazis have no humanity. They are soldiers of a genocidal maniac, and they need to die. Every Nazi we encounter must die."

He paused for a few seconds, waiting for the main camera to switch to a close-up, then continued, "I am a direct descendant of the pioneer Jim Bridger, which means I have Indian blood. Our battle plan is like the Indians' resistance; we will be as ruthless to the Germans as they were to us. They will witness our ruthlessness, see the evidence we leave behind—the mutilated, dismembered corpses of their comrades. Germans will imagine the cruelty we inflicted upon their friends, our boots and knives. Germans will shudder at the mention of us, will fear us. When they close their eyes at night, they will be tormented by their own guilt..."

Franco concluded with a stern expression, "Working under me means you owe me, personally. Each of you owes me 100 Nazi scalps. I want my scalps. You will get them from the Nazi dead, and if you don't, keep looking."

"Cut," Murphy stood up from behind the director's monitor. "That take was good."

He gave Franco a thumbs-up, "Well done, Jim! Keep it up."

Franco smiled at him, took a water cup from an assistant, and headed to the rest area.

Murphy turned to the assistant director behind him, "Notify everyone of the scene change. Tell Christoph Waltz and Margot Robbie to get ready."

He led the way around the airport set to another area, which had been arranged to resemble an old-fashioned French restaurant. Many crew members were making final preparations, and an assistant director was directing numerous extras to ensure they were properly positioned for the scene.

"David," Murphy snapped his fingers at David Robie, "make the lighting brighter. It doesn't need to be too dark here."

He looked at the background for the two characters' seating area and told Helena Espola, "Remove the bookshelf. Colonel Hans' background should be opulent."

Helena Espola nodded, "I'll take care of it."

Murphy then gave a few instructions to Philippe Rasche regarding the shoot. The two main actors, Christoph Waltz and Margot Robbie, entered the set one after the other.

Seeing them, Murphy said to Jack Watson, who followed them, "Good job!"

He then advised the two actors, "Chris, Maggie, don't mess with your current look. I need this exact feel."

Christoph Waltz carefully gestured, "Don't worry."

Margot Robbie nodded, "I'll be very careful."

Murphy took another look at them. He had to admit, Jack Watson's styling skills had improved immensely over the years, reaching Hollywood's top tier.

The shooting quickly resumed, with Christoph Waltz continuing to deliver high-caliber performances.

Though not tall or exceptionally handsome, his slightly upturned, shovel-like chin didn't conform to conventional beauty standards. Yet, when he appeared on camera in his SS uniform, it was like meeting an unassuming man at a dance who invites you for a waltz. His witty conversation and charming demeanor leave you refreshed, maybe even generating some amorous thoughts. But when the music stops, and he politely bows before disappearing into the darkness, a viper-like malice reveals itself.

In contrast, Margot Robbie's performance remained basic, relying heavily on her looks.

"Please, go ahead." Christoph Waltz graciously gestured towards the pie on the table.

Margot Robbie widened her eyes, nodded lightly, and, with an elegant and beautiful posture, picked up a knife and fork, cut a piece of pie, and put it in her mouth.

Christoph Waltz asked, "How does it taste?"

"Very good." Margot Robbie acted as if her character was completely unaware of Colonel Hans' identity, behaving relaxed and at ease.

Watching the scene on the monitor, Murphy shook his head and decided not to wait any longer. He directly called out, "Cut!"

With his command, the crew immediately stopped working.

Murphy waited half a minute for the actors to step out of their roles, then entered the set, standing opposite Margot Robbie.

Margot Robbie knew she had made a mistake without anyone needing to tell her.

Although she had known Murphy since she was a teenager and their relationship was quite good, she still waited obediently. As a new actress, all she could do before a director of Murphy's caliber was listen.

"Maggie," Murphy looked at Christoph Waltz, "what kind of person is he in the film?"

"A butcher! An executioner!" Margot Robbie responded without hesitation, "The Jew Hunter! A notorious killer!"

"What would a normal girl's reaction be when meeting such a person?" Murphy asked.

Margot Robbie immediately understood, "Nervous, scared, pretending to be calm..."

Murphy nodded, said nothing more, and walked out of the set, instructing, "We'll resume in ten minutes!"

Perhaps Christoph Waltz's outstanding performance highlighted Margot Robbie's inexperience. The shoot was quite challenging, each take filled with stumbling blocks. This seemingly simple dialogue scene took the crew three and a half days to complete.

This exceeded Murphy's planned time by a day and a half.

Fortunately, the film was set to be released around the end of the year, and post-production didn't require overly complex digital effects. Murphy had plenty of time to get the shots he wanted.

During the shooting breaks, to meet 20th Century Fox's publicity needs, the cast and crew occasionally gave interviews to the media.

After the banquet hall scenes were wrapped up, Christoph Waltz and Margot Robbie, accompanied by the crew's press officer, attended the latest press conference.

"I am fascinated by Murphy's scripts, truly. He's a genius, and I am willing to give myself fully and unconditionally to his films."

When asked by reporters about working with Murphy, Christoph Waltz responded directly, "Murphy is a pure director. Every nerve in his body serves his directorial identity."

The reporters didn't miss the opportunity to question the young, sexy, and beautiful Margot Robbie. Compared to Christoph Waltz, Margot Robbie's answers focused more on the actor's perspective.

"Murphy is the kind of director that actors dream of working with," her smile was particularly charming. "He never gives random instructions or tells actors exactly what to do. Instead, he offers appropriate guidance, then lets the actors interpret and perform on their own. Maybe it's this kind of freedom that allows an actor to unleash all their accumulated energy."

Most of the reporters were from media outlets owned by News Corporation and 20th Century Fox, so the questions were relatively restrained. Christoph Waltz and Margot Robbie weren't subjected to any tough inquiries, and the press conference went smoothly.

Leaving the press room, Christoph Waltz and Margot Robbie walked together towards the makeup trailer.

"Miss Robbie, are you Jewish?" Christoph Waltz asked.

Apart from work, the two hadn't interacted much, and Christoph Waltz didn't know Margot Robbie well. "My son is a devout Jew."

Margot Robbie looked at Christoph Waltz, not quite understanding his intention, but responded politely, "I'm not Jewish, nor do I follow Judaism. I'm Australian and a Catholic."

Christoph Waltz displayed his gentlemanly demeanor, "My apologies."

He had assumed the director would cast a Jewish actress or someone who followed Judaism for the role of Shosanna, but now he saw he was mistaken.

Margot Robbie could see that Christoph Waltz meant no harm, so she smiled politely at him before entering her makeup trailer.

She knew there were some rumors about her within the crew, which was understandable given her well-known connections to both the director and David Robie. Getting this role naturally made some people jealous.

But who cares about them? Only losers would spread such boring gossip.

Margot Robbie was clear on what she needed to do: perform well, seize this rare opportunity, and make her character stand out!

At the very least, she couldn't let Gal Gadot, who had introduced her to the crew for an audition, down.

Everyone faces their own challenges at work, and Margot Robbie was no exception. Neither was Murphy, the director.

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